When Will Smith revealed his “dad bod”, the internet went into overdrive. For more than three decades, Smith has been the "ideal action hero," with his toned body and muscles, but the actor received nothing but support when he showed off his body and initiated a challenge. Of course, not everyone responded to the challenge immediately and, now, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Alfonso Ribeiro has finally shared thoughts on his former co-star's dad bod challenge.
Films such as Independence Day and Bad Boys turned the nice-guy rapper into a bonafide sex symbol. And maintaining that status was built on a lot of arduous work and gym time. Alfonso Ribeiro was able to witness this up close so, of course, he would have his thoughts on Will Smith’s challenge. The Fresh Prince alum said about the action star’s fitness challenge:
I’ll support him in everything, but man he got out of shape. I was like, ‘Dude, you let it go.’ … To be honest with you, I was actually happy for him, because he’s always been so focused, never allowed himself to live and let go for a second. It was like, ‘A round of applause, dude. You finally became a regular human being.
As The Fresh Prince alum told Extra, it was just refreshing to see someone of Will Smith’s caliber just succumb to the quarantine hibernation. Since his days as a world-famous rapper, Smith had always been in top shape, as doing films such as Ali and I, Robot meant he had to maintain that body. But being in quarantine allowed him to finally let go and indulge for once. So as Alfonso Ribeiro pointed out, the actor allowed himself to enjoy being human.
After debuting his quarantine “dad bod”, Will Smith set his “dad bod” challenge into motion. Since then, the box office star has been documenting his progress to getting back in shape. His challenge has even inspired other stars such as Marlon Wayans and black-ish star Anthony Anderson to strive for better health in 2021. As seen from other examples, let’s hope the challenge inspires others to be healthy while accepting themselves.
But Will Smith’s less-than-ideal physique wasn’t a surprise to his Fresh Prince co-star. During the same interview, Alfonso Ribeiro revealed he witnessed firsthand the change in Will Smith’s diet during the Fresh Prince reunion last year. He recalled going into the Hollywood star’s dressing room and seeing various unhealthy foods laid out. Ribeiro said his dressing room was the complete opposite and even hinted at the roles being reversed during their years on the classic NBC sitcom. That role reversal showed the former co-stars’ bond has never waned.
The bond between Smith and Ribeiro hasn’t dissipated since starring together in The Fresh Prince. Despite not participating in the challenge, it’s nice to see Alfonso Ribeiro support Will Smith getting back in top physical form. To see more Will and Carlton in action, you can stream the classic sitcom on HBO Max.
