Alfonso Ribeiro made his name while appearing as Carlton Banks in hit TV series and Will Smith-vehicle The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Since then, his fame has shifted into the celebrity world, with him appearing in shows like Dancing With The Stars.
His personal life has also been the focus of reports, after his split from long-term partner Robin Stapler and his marriage to Angela Unkrich in 2012.
However, in a recent interview Ribeiro spoke of how his marriage to a white woman has meant he felt a lack of support in the Black community, something his character Carlton struggled with in the show.
In an interview with Atlanta Black Star in July, interviewer Jasmine Alyce mentioned an episode of The Fresh Prince where Carlton is told he is not Black enough to pledge as part of a fraternity, and he gives an emotional speech about his race.
In response to this, Ribeiro explained how, due to his marriage to Unkrich, he has still experienced this.
He said: "I am in a mixed relationship. And I get things and looks and comments constantly. And I find it very interesting because you see a lot of things on social media where people say things and people have positions and perspectives. And it's not easy to make that choice, because you're not at home in any home. I'm never going to be white and I'm never going to be fully supported in the Black house."
He said he had support from "almost no one" in order to love his partner, and wished for a world where he could be accepted for his choices.
"I live in a Black world, and I love in that world. I feel everyone should be supported. I deal with it all the time. I laugh at the fact that I am a mainstream television host, been in the game forever and I could purchase tickets to go to the BET Awards."
Newsweek has contacted BET for comment.
Who Is Alfonso Ribeiro?
Ribeiro has been a fixture of the small screen since the 1980s, breaking through in NBC series Silver Spoons, which was also an early project for actor Jason Bateman.
After guest-starring in various shows, Ribeiro landed the role of Carlton Banks in the Will Smith-vehicle Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, following a young man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who moves in with his rich uncle and aunt after fights at school.
This show was a huge success, and helped launch the careers of Ribeiro, Smith, and many other cast members.
Ribeiro's next big role was as Dr. Maxwell Stanton in In The House, a TV series which was a vehicle for rapper LL Cool J.
After this, many of Ribeiro's roles were guest-starring or cameos, but he turned mainly to presenting in the late 2000s.
He was named a host on the Game Show Network's GSN Live for a short time in 2008, when he also landed a gig as the host of Catch 21, which he returned to in 2019.
He hosted spelling bee game show Spell-Mageddon in 2013, after which he appeared on British game show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! as a contestant.
While he did not win this show, he appeared in Dancing With The Stars the following year, taking home the prize and even appearing as a guest performer with Frankie Muniz years later.
He participated as a guest judge in the British version of the show, Strictly Come Dancing.
His current presenting job is as the narrator and presenter of America's Funniest Home Videos on ABC, which he has been doing since 2015.
Read more
- TikTokers Criticize Olivia Rodrigo's Merch as 'Low Quality' in Viral Videos
- 'The Suicide Squad's' David Dastmalchian on Supervillain Polka-Dot Man
- Read DaBaby's Full Apology After hom*ophobic Comments
Who Is Alfonso Ribeiro's Wife Angela Unkrich?
Unkrich is a stay-at-home-mom, who was raised on a cattle and hog farm in rural Iowa.
She went to Northwestern University on a springboard diving scholarship, after which she moved to Los Angeles and began work as a stuntwoman.
According to her blog, she has worked in entertainment as well as traveling the world as a private jet flight attendant.
She and Ribeiro met in 2012 and had a whirlwind romance, though in an interview in 2018 Unkrich admitted she had not intended to marry into the entertainment industry.
She told Yahoo in a joint interview with her husband: "I called him my stalker. I didn't know who he was at the time. He told me he was a director, which you were. And I was very much in the 'I don't want to date anyone in entertainment.'"
Despite this, they began dating and married in October 2012. On their marriage she became stepmother to Ribeiro's daughter Sienna, from his relationship with Stapler.
Together they have three children: Alfonso Jr., A.J. and Ava.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()})jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')}if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
