The cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air had a reunion of sorts. The stars of the beloved 1990s sitcom gathered together, virtually speaking, for an episode of Will Smith’s Snapchat series, Will at Home. As Us Magazine noted, they spent a good deal of time reflecting on the loss of James Avery, who played Uncle Phil.
“Our show wouldn’t have been HALF what it was without the talent and light that was James Avery,” Smith captioned a clip. “We all love and miss you, James.” Smith was joined by Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton), Daphne Maxwell Reid, (Vivian), Tatyana Ali w(Ashley), Karyn Parsons, (Hilary), Joseph Marcell, (Geoffrey the butler) and DJ Jazzy Jeff to reflect on their time on the beloved sitcom as the show’s premiere closes in on its 30th anniversary. Much of the conversation was lighthearted, although they had trouble hiding their emotions when scenes with Avery would come up.
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“That just makes me teary,” Smith confessed at one point. “It’s the first couple times that I’m seeing clips of James.” The reunion also included a montage of some of Uncle Phil’s most memorable moments, followed by a moment of silence in his memory. Avery died on New Year’s Eve 2013 following complications from open-heart surgery.
Back in January, Ali told PopCulture.com that she “would totally want to do” a more formal Fresh Prince reunion. “I know there are cast members that would be open to it,” she continued. “I think for all of us… French Prince had six seasons, and it was so culturally just on point, I guess all the episodes still hold up. So, I think it really is about what storyline we could do now, that would make it feel as good as it did then.”
While the question of a reunion may still be up in the air, there was talk of spin-off series, which Smith was reported attached to. The production company Westbrook Inc. was developing a follow-up in October of last year. The show would be a part of the actor’s creative rebirth, including his ubiquitous social media presence. “It has definitely been a creative rebirth for Will,” an unnamed executive told The Hollywood Reporter. “He comes to the office and loves to see the social content people are working on. It’s the closest thing to performing on stage because of the immediate feedback.”
