During the recent Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion show, Will Smith and Janet Hubert, who played the original Vivian Banks or "Aunt Viv" for the first three seasons, finally buried the hatchet after a decades-long feud. During their heart-to-heart, Will defended his actions by saying he was "just a kid" back then.
Was he? Well, technically no. Though he was a presumably immature young adult, he was, by definition, already an adult. But how old was he? Here's a look at how old each cast member was when the show premiered in 1990 and how old they are today.
Will Smith (Will Smith)
Born in 1968, Smith was 22 years old when the series first aired in 1990, potentially 21 if his September birthday hadn't yet arrived (and likely 21 when filming began). By definition, then, he was already an adult and much older than the high school-aged teenager he was purporting to be.
Based on the fact that Will and Carlton were in high school for several years, Will was supposed to be about 17 years old when he arrived at the Banks' household. Today, Will Smith the actor is 52 and has become a massive movie star. In fact, he is one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood.
James Avery (Philip Banks)
Avery, who played the Banks' towering and strict patriarch, was born in 1945 and thus was 45 when the first season was on the air. This falls in line with how old his character, a successful judge, was supposed to be as well.
In real life, Avery sadly passed away in 2013 at the age of 68 following complications from heart surgery. He would have been 75 today. He was remembered during the reunion special, and made his mark in other roles as well, such as Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Haroud Hazi Bin in the animated Aladdin series.
Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton Banks)
Will's preppy cousin, Carlton was supposed to be the same age as Will, as they attended high school together and were presumably in the same grade. In real life, the actor Alfonso Ribeiro was just 19 years old, a few years younger than Smith. And while many believe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was his breakout role, he had actually starred on another popular sitcom before it, Silver Spoons, alongside Ricky Schroeder.
Today, Ribeiro, who won Dancing with the Stars' 19th season, currently serves as host of the long-running show America's Funniest Home Videos. He is 49 years old.
Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks)
Ali was just 11 years old when the show began, playing the youngest Banks child (until little Nicky was born), who was about the same age. She was born in 1979 and her first acting role was at the age of six on Sesame Street. She also competed on Star Search as a child, singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
This would make Ali 41 years old today. And she has accomplished a lot since the show ended, including earning a degree from Harvard University. She continues to act in soap operas like The Young and the Restless (from 2007-2013) and various Hallmark and Lifetime movies. And she continues to sing professionally.
Karyn Parsons (Hilary Banks)
Parsons was 24 when the series began, a few years older than Smith. And indeed, she was playing a character who was to be a few years older than her brother Carlton and cousin Will. Though Hilary was supposed to be a bit younger in season one.
Today, Parsons who was born in 1966, is 54. She continues to act though she took more than a decade off. She also recently published her first novel, designed for middle graders. Called How High the Moon, it is loosely based on stories of her own mother's childhood growing up in the Jim Crow South.
Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey Butler)
Most recognizable as the lovable, sarcastic, and quick-witted family butler, Butler's age was never discussed, though it's likely he was in his early 40s. Marcell, indeed, was 42 when the show began.
He continues to act, and though he wasn't a main character, he most recently appeared in the Netflix series Ratched. A member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Today, Marcell is 72 and despite sporting a crisp, white beard, he seems just as young at heart as he was 30 years ago.
Daphne Reid (Vivian Banks)
The second actor to play Aunt Vivian, and the one to play the role through to the series' end, Reid was 42 – the same age as Marcell – when the show began. This is likely in and around how old Vivian would have been, having experienced a surprise pregnancy and giving birth to Nicky as a mature mother.
As with Marcell, this makes Reid 72 years old today. She continues to act, most recently in the movie Harriet and as a series regular on the show Jacqueline and Jilly.
Janet Hubert (Vivian Banks)
The original Aunt Vivian, Hubert was much younger than Reid when the series began, at just 34 years old. This would have made the character about 37 when she got pregnant with Nicky. Indeed, while the character's age was never explicitly stated, she was estimated to be anywhere from 39 to 45.
Today, Hubert, says the fallout from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and being labeled difficult in Hollywood, severely impacted her career prospects. That said, she has been consistently acting over the last almost three decades, mostly with small guest or minor roles. She currently appears as Mignon Pappion on the series King Ester. She is 64 years old.
DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jazz)
Smith's real-life best friend and collaborator in the rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Jeff, real name Jeffrey Allen Townes, was actually quite a bit older than Smith when the show started: he was 25. Though he easily pulled off being the same age.
Today, it's tough to believe that the man who was repeatedly thrown out of the Banks household by Uncle Phil is now 55 years old. He continues to work as a successful DJ.