With its successful 2020 TV reboot, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) star Alfonso Ribeiro shared his bittersweet opinion of the cult classic sitcom, blaming his role in the show for ending his acting career.
“It was one of the greatest roles that I ever was fortunate enough to play. But it was also the role that stopped me from acting again because people couldn’t see me as anything else,” the 52-year-old host told Closer Weekly in an interview.
Nevertheless, Ribeiro clarified that he has no hard feelings toward his co-stars, including Academy-award winner Will Smith.
The former actor currently co-hosts Dancing With the Stars alongside Julianne Hough and is “truly enjoying everything” he’s doing.
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Keep reading if you’re a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fan and are curious how the America’s Funniest Home Videos host is doing today. Here’s a quick Alfonso Ribeiro net worth reveal and recap of his journey off-screen.
How Much Is Alfonso Ribeiro Worth?
With an enduring presence in the entertainment industry, Celebrity Net Worth reports Alfonso Ribeiro’s net worth to be around $4 million. Most of his wealth comes from his hosting, directing, and television work.
He directed several successful shows and sitcoms, including All of US (2003), Meet the Browns (2009), and Are We There Yet? (2011). The shows were received warmly and loved by the audience under his direction.
You might find this surprising, but Ribeiro also dabbled in singing, releasing a 12-inch rap record called Timebomb in 1986, and dancing, winning in Dancing with the Stars in 2014.
Some of his most notable real estate is an eight-bedroom, 7,500-square-foot home he bought for $1.94 million in 2015 and one Toluca Lake home worth $1.45 million.
Besides Dancing with the Stars, Ribeiro hosted the game show Catch 21 from 2008 to 2019 and America’s Funniest Home Videos since 2015. In 2020, he earned his first Emmy Award nomination and appeared in several State Farm Insurance commercials.
With decades of continued television success under his belt, Alfonso Ribeiro remains a massively influential figure on television contributing to his financial success.
Life Behind the Stage
Alfonso Ribeiro grew up in the Bronx, New York. He was born on September 21, 1971, to parents of Trinidadian descent.
Early Life and Rise to Stardom
At only eight years old, Ribeiro exhibited prodigious skills on the stage and appeared in the Broadway musical, Tap Tap Dance Kid. Massively talented, his powerful performance would earn him an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination.
“I was always interested in show business,” Ribeiro told Closer Weekly. “If I wasn’t going to be in show business, I think I would have been a good lawyer. I’m a pretty good debater!”
What really placed the young performer on the map, though, was a Pepsi commercial alongside the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. This collaboration opened up more opportunities for Ribeiro.
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Immediately after the commercial, he was cast as the protagonist’s best friend in the 1982 sitcom, Silver Spoon. Three years later, Ribeiro also appeared on MTV, showcasing a book he had written, Alfonso’s Breakin’ & Poppin’ Book.
Come 1990, Ribeiro landed the role of Carl Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air where people got to love his famous “Carlton Dance.”
Hooked up by the iconic brainiac’s dance moves, fans left and right would ask Riberio to “do the dance” whenever they saw him in public—a fact he would bemoan later in his career.
“I’m a Black guy, I’m just not dancing for you. It’s not gonna happen,” Ribeiro said on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, expressing his discomfort. What can I say, fans can be incredibly weird sometimes.
That said, Despite his grievances about his acting career, Ribeiro admitted that he remains open to getting back if “it was exactly the right thing” to do.
Marriage and Family
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum was once married to Robin Stapler. They have one daughter, Sienna, whom the host described as “smart, beautiful, motivated, funny, passionate and makes everyone around her happier.”
After divorcing Stapler in 2006, Riberio remarried to Angela Unkrich, a writer. The couple had three children: Alfonso, Anders Reyn, and Ava Sue.
Of course, as a proud dad, the former actor would frequently gush about his children on social media. He would post photos of all four of his kids, captioned with sweet words, praising each of them for their achievements.
Fans of the host also get frequent updates about his family on Instagram, from birthday celebrations to exciting vacations.
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Final Thoughts
To recap, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Carlton is doing pretty well in real life. With over $4 million in the bank and a loving family that supports him, I say Alfonso Ribeiro is living the good life. Good for you, Carlton!
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