Random Behind The Scenes History Of 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air' Most People Don't Know (12 items)

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  (#1) Will Smith Was Forced To Star In 'The Fresh Prince' Because He Had $2.8 Million In IRS Debt

  If Will Smith never got into major financial trouble, we might not have the critically acclaimed movie star version of Will Smith we love today (you know, the one that delivered such blockbuster greatness as Men In Black and Independence Day).

  Smith rose to fame with his work in the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. The duo landed Grammy awards for their hits "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime." And with great fame came lots of money, which Smith poorly managed. After failing to pay sufficient income taxes, Smith owed the government $2.8 million. The IRS seized his belongings and his income.

  With bankruptcy looming over his head, Smith had no choice but to star in Benny Medina's semi-autobiographical The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a role he was picked for by producer Quincy Jones. For the first three years, he paid 70% of his salary from Fresh Prince to the IRS.
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  (#2) Will Smith Made The Whole Audience Cry, Which Started Rumors About His Relationship With His Dad

  "Papa's Got A Brand New Excuse" was undoubtedly the single most emotional episode of the series. It's often misreported that Smith ad-libbed the ending's gut-wrenching monologue after channeling the real-life experience of being abandoned by his father. The truth is, Smith and his dad had a loving relationship. In fact, he described his parents as rather typical (they wanted him to go to college instead of become a rapper - whoops!).  

  The reason the scene is so gut-wrenching is because of Smith's raw acting talent. He definitely ad-libbed it, but not for the reason everyone thinks. And according to a former audience member, the monologue was so emotional that it had the entire audience in tears:

  I was actually at the taping. The entire show was quiet, even during the funny parts, and I could not figure out why. Before this scene, Will Smith disappeared. He showed up, did this scene in one take, then disappeared again. You might notice his hat coming off. Usually, the director would retake the scene, but really, nothing could replace this moment. People were crying for a long time when it was over, doing their best not to make noise before the director said 'cut.' I was ten years old. Will never, ever, forget.

  And to think, Smith never even had any formal acting training.
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  (#3) 'Fresh Prince' Was Originally Cancelled During Season 4

  Fresh Prince almost didn't have the glorious six-season run for which it's known. NBC wanted to wrap up the show after Season 4. The series ending was supposed to be the Season 4 finale, where Will goes back to Philadelphia and decides to stay there with his mother. Fans were absolutely outraged.

  When NBC canceled the sitcom, the network was hit with thousands of angry fan letters. Shockingly, they listened, and the show was renewed for two more seasons.
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  (#4) The Cast Had A 'Mean Girls'-Style Burn Book Filled With Juicy Gossip

  The cast on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air wasn't short on gossip. They kept a Mean Girls-style "Burn Book" hidden in a drawer in the set's kitchen island. Actors and crew would regularly write gossip about fellow cast members, like "James is getting on my nerves." They'd also fill it with less juicy content, like silly poetry and notes.

  Actor Karyn Parsons (who played Hilary Banks) kept the diary after the show was canceled. "I need to pull that out, especially now that James has passed, because I know he's written in there," Parsons told ABC about the gossip-filled relic. "I know he was written about."
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  (#5) Jada Pinkett Smith Lost The Role Of Will's Girlfriend Because She Was Too Short

  Back in the early '90s, Jada Pinkett Smith was an unknown actor vying for the role of Will's girlfriend on The Fresh Prince. We all know how that story plays out: they got married in 1997 after meeting on set and went on to become one of the most well-known A-list families to ever grace Hollywood. Onscreen was a totally different story, though, as Pinkett-Smith didn't win her paramour's heart.

  According the actor, she was told she was too short to be his girlfriend. "They told me I was too short… to play Will's girlfriend…only for me to become his wife," she said.

  Years later, after she did A Different World and became a bona fide movie star, production asked her to come back, but she told them, "No, I'm a movie star. I don't have time." Burn, Jada. Good burn.
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  (#6) 'Fresh Prince' Was Based On The Life Of Benny Medina, A Producer And Manager Whose Dad Was Involved In A Drug Cartel

  Will Smith's dad was missing for the majority of The Fresh Prince. Only later was he introduced and the reason he left Will revealed (he wasn't ready to be a father). The truth is that the real Fresh Prince had a father who was deep into drugs, but he wasn't absent because he wasn't ready to have kids: he was in prison.

  Smith's character was inspired by Benny Medina, a producer and manager who was in and out of foster homes with brief stints at his aunt's house in Watts, a neighborhood in South Los Angeles. When he was 9 years old, his mother died of cancer and his father left after numerous stints in prison for using and dealing drugs. In an interview with The Marshall Project, Medina's father (also named Benny Medina), spoke about his struggles as a drug-dealing parent.

  I kept all five of my kids the best I could but I was involved with a cartel dealing drugs, so I could supply myself with money for a babysitter and drive a nice car and have drums.
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  (#7) Will Smith Is Embarrassed By His Acting On 'The Fresh Prince'

  Previous to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith's only acting credit was as in an ABC afterschool special. Needless to say, he was a total novice when he signed onto the show in order to kick his IRS debt. Though the actor was brimming with raw talent, Smith admits he was a little embarrassed by his earlier performances. 

  "I was trying so hard," Smith said of the early days of the show, continuing:

  I would memorize the entire script, then I'd be lipping everybody's lines while they were talking. When I watch those episodes, it's disgusting. My performances were horrible.
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  (#8) Smith And Jazzy Jeff Entered A Lawsuit With Their Record Label Over 'The Fresh Prince'

  Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeff Townes), the other half of the popular hip-hop duo, were Grammy-winning stars by the time Smith signed on to do The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Much like their music, the TV show was a hit, and they used it to promote their rap careers. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince released the music video iconic single "Summertime" at the end of an episode.

  It got three million views as a result, but their label wasn't thrilled. According to Townes: 

  [Jive] realized if these guys want to stop doing music they can, because they have another form of income. That scared people [at the label]... We went through a lawsuit with [Jive] because they said our extracurricular activities were interfering with our ability to make music.

  Turns out, the label missed out, as Townes flourished as a DJ and producer and Smith went on to become a multi-platinum artist and movie star.
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  (#9) The Soundtrack Was Originally Only Released In The Netherlands

  Though everyone should know the words to The Fresh Prince's famed theme song, you might have a lot of trouble actually finding the physical album. The soundtrack was only released on CD and vinyl in the Netherlands, where the theme song peaked on the charts at #3 in 1992.

  But thanks to the magic of the internet, you can now listen to the track on Amazon.
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  (#10) Janet Hubert Butted Heads With Alfonso Ribeiro

   

   

   

   

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  A post shared by Alfonso Ribeiro (@therealalfonsoribeiro) on Mar 27, 2017 at 5:27pm PDT

  Original Aunt Viv actor Janet Hubert wasn't too fond of either of her onscreen nephews. Hubert recently lashed out at Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton Banks) after he posted a photo of his reunion with castmates Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks), Karyn Parson (Hilary Banks), Daphne Reid (the second Aunt Viv), and Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey Butler).

  In a now-removed Facebook post, Hubert lambasted Ribeiro for the photo:

  Folks keep telling me about it. He was always the [butt] wipe for Will. There will never be a true reunion of the Fresh Prince. I have no interest in seeing any of these people on that kind of level.
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  (#11) The Original Aunt Viv Had Major Beef With Will Smith

  Janet Hubert, the original Aunt Vivian in NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, apparently wasn't too crazy about her onscreen nephew, Will Smith. The pair had major beef, which is part of the reason she left in 1993 and was replaced with Daphne Reid. Most pointedly, Hubert slammed the A-lister for not helping his castmates negotiate for higher wages. 

  In 2016, Hubert called out Smith in an online video:

  I seem to remember at option time, coming to you and saying … "With you, maybe we can get a little raise." [We thought] your influence would help us greatly, like they did on Friends.

  In turn, Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, defended her husband and slammed his costar in a radio interview:

  I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show, because I know she is going to dog me in the press. She has basically gone from a quarter of a million dollars a year to nothing. She's mad now, but she's been mad all along. She said once, "I've been in the business for 10 years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show."
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  (#12) Rumors Said Janet Hubert Was Allegedly Kicked Off The Show Because She Got Pregnant

  Janet Hubert (the original Aunt Vivian) may have had major tensions with Will Smith, but some people believe that isn't the reason she was booted from the show in 1993. According to some sources, it was a pregnancy that caused Hubert to lose her role. The outspoken actor became pregnant, which allegedly voided a clause in her contract.

  She left the show halfway through its six year run and was replaced by Daphne Reid.

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