‘Fresh Prince’ star Alfonso Ribeiro felt ‘punished’ for playing Carlton: ‘We can’t see you as anything else’
Carlton #Carlton
Alfonso Ribeiro hit it big with his role as Carton Banks in the mega-hit 1990s sitcom “The French Prince of Bel-Air,” but now the actor is claiming his role of a lifetime may have at a huge cost.
The “American’s Funniest Home Videos” host, 49, told Atlanta Black Star that he felt “punished” by Hollywood after becoming a household name.
Listen to your favorite music now on Audacy
Ribeiro was recently nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host, alongside Steve Harvey, Pat Sajak and the late Alex Trebek.
“That was very special. Obviously getting nominated for that show and being the only person nominated from the Game Show Network for game shows,” the actor told the outlet.
His recent career successes come after feeling pigeonholed by playing Carlton alongside Will Smith.
Ribeiro, who portrayed the notable dancing character on the “Fresh Prince” from 1990 to 1996, admitted that his past career has been an obstacle in reaching his current success.
“When you do a role like Carlton and people love the role and you do the job so well that they essentially tell you that you can’t do it anymore because we can’t see you as anything else, is a very difficult thing to deal with,” he said.
He continued, “It was like, ‘Wait a minute, but I did it well. I did my job. I did what I was asked to do. I made you believe that that’s who I am.’”
“I was punished for it. Because then I didn’t get to go do what my craft was. I didn’t get to do it anymore,” Ribeiro added. “So going through that, you learn what that feeling is like and how valuable it is to be able to do what you love to do.”
Despite the struggles, the father of four now finds value in what he went through.
“If you keep winning, you don’t appreciate it. When you lose for a little bit, you then appreciate what you get to do,” he told Atlanta Black Star. “So for me, I didn’t necessarily lose, but I had what I love taken away from me because I won.”
The actor ended with a positive note to his fans, saying “You can’t live upset about it… I continue to love what I’m doing, and have fun doing it.”
In addition to “American’s Funniest Home Videos,” Ribeiro also hosts the new National Geographic channel spinoff “AFV: Animal Edition.”
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram