Tyra Banks, Alfonso Ribeiro rekindling old flame that Will Smith put out
Before they were co-hosts, they were on-screen love interests — that is until Will Smith slapped one of them out of the picture.
The Post sat down with “Dancing with the Stars” hosts Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro via Zoom on Friday prior to the show’s season premiere on Disney+ on Monday — and the pair reminisced about starring on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” together back in 1993.
“We were love interests for one act,” said Banks, 48, of the sitcom, which was the California native’s first-ever acting gig.
On the beloved ’90s series, Riverdale, Bronx native Ribeiro, 50, played Will Smith’s character’s cousin, Carlton, and when Banks’ character, Jackie, debuted, “it was Jackie and Carlton and we were so into each other,” she continued.
“And then she sees Will,” Ribeiro interrupted. “And the short guy gets dissed again. And it broke my heart a little bit.”
“It broke Alfonso’s heart or Carlton’s heart?” Banks asked.
“Both,” Ribeiro replied. “I wanted the story to continue. I wanted to have a love interest on the show. I wanted to be cool.”
Banks also revealed that the actor and “Dancing with the Stars” 2014 winner showed the supermodel some love off set.
“Is that why you took me to Marie Callender’s and got me a pot pie?” she asked Ribeiro.
“Clearly my game was lacking,” he answered. “It was a good pot pie though,” Banks added.
When asked if Smith — who infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in March — would ever join “Dancing With the Stars,” Ribeiro quickly replied, “No. Listen, you can never say never, but I don’t see that ever happening.”
“Will would do it for like a TikTok post,” Banks added. “With a special effect. It would be a fun, funky TikTok special effect weird thing that he would do.”
“Dancing with the Stars,” now in its 31st season, is known to have some celebrities marry their professional dance partners, but for right now, Ribeiro said, “There’s a spark right here,” pointing to Banks.
“That’s the only spark there is. The only spark that’s necessary.”
Read the full article Here
