The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor Alfonso Ribeiro has a hilarious response to people asking him to do the famous Carlton Dance. First airing in 1990, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is largely responsible for putting Will Smith on the map as an actor, but it also popularized a number of the show's other actors, including Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks. Carlton is the cousin of Smith's character and the two would frequently butt heads before eventually becoming close friends as the show progressed.
While many aspects of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air live on today and remain popular cultural touchstones for fans, Carlton's iconic dance routine is perhaps the most well-known of them all. Dubbed "The Carlton," the dance features Ribeiro swinging his arms wildly and making exaggerated hip movements, which is in stark contrast to his character's more conservative nature. The Carlton dance, which is most fondly remembered for being coupled with the song "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones, is featured several times throughout the course of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the series finale even features Carlton and Smith performing the dance together.
In a new interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Ribeiro reveals that he is constantly asked by fans to do the Carlton dance. The actor hilariously explains that, when it comes to being asked to do the dance in public, "it's not gonna happen," and he says that he finds it odd that people think it's okay to ask at all. Check out Ribeiro's funny comment below when Kimmel asks if he wants to kill fans that ask him to do the dance:
“I won’t say kill, but I uh, you know, I don’t have a love for it like they do. I mean, I typically get asked to do the dance pretty much every day of my life if I go outside. If I go anywhere, it's like, I just randomly hear people go, 'Do the dance!' I’m not dancing for you. I’m a Black guy, I’m just not dancing for you. It’s not gonna happen.
“The weird part for me is trying to understand what’s happening in their head, right? Like what makes you think that you just gonna ask a random person to dance for you, and they’re gonna be like ‘Oh my God, I’ve been waiting for you to ask! Hold on a second, let me get into character.’ It’s not — I don’t get it. It’s not gonna happen.”
Ribeiro's comments prove that, although many moments in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air remain iconic for fans, the stars of the show may have different relationships with those moments. Ribeiro's response regarding fan requests to do the dance is funny and lighthearted, but it's understandable that he doesn't indulge fan requests when out and about in public. After all, Ribeiro highlights that it is very strange to approach someone you don't personally know and ask them to dance for you.
While some fans of the show may be disappointed in Ribeiro's response, the actor's comments are essentially reinforcing that he just wants to be treated like a human being. With the producers of Bel-Air, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot, confirming that the Carlton dance will not be happening in the new show, it looks like fans will have to revisit the original show if they want to see Ribeiro do the iconic dance. The Carlton dance is certainly a highlight of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air but, if fans ever do run into Ribeiro in public, the actor's comments make clear that asking him to do the dance is probably a bad idea.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live!