Alfonso Ribeiro and Tatyana Ali share the nicknames that only their ‘Fresh Prince’ family can use
Alfonso Ribeiro and Tatyana Ali reunited for a Zumba class — and 28 years after “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” wrapped its final episode, the former co-stars haven’t missed a beat.
“My eyeballs are sweating!” Ali, 45, announces on a Zoom call with TODAY.com. “I will be 100% honest, I’m not in the best shape right now, I have little kids and it's hard to find the time (to exercise), but everybody is cheering each other on. The energy was so positive and beautiful. You kind of feel unstoppable.”
Ribeiro, 52, is also toweling off.
"I’m a soaking wet mess right now,” the "America's Funniest Home Videos" host tells TODAY.com.
Zumba, a Latin-inspired dance fitness program, conjures up nostalgic memories for Ribeiro and Ali, who grew up listening to the music that was played during class.
“Both of our parents are from Trinidad,” Ali says.
Playing brother and sister came naturally to Ali and Ribeiro, who consider the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” cast like family. Just weeks ago, the twosome attended Will Smith “Bad Boys 4: Ride or Die” premiere in Los Angeles. They say they always show up for each other.
“We’re kind of like cousins — we all have kids and we get them together for birthday parties and stuff like that, and we talk on the phone,” Ali says. Ribeiro notes that they also have an active group chat filled with inside jokes.
Ali laughs as Ribeiro recalls how he and Smith used to “protect” her from unworthy suitors and report back to her folks if she was hanging out at a questionable venue.
“I was protective to a fault at times,” Ribeiro confesses. He chalks it up to his upbringing.
"Like Ta mentioned, both of our families are from Trinidad and Tobogo, and it's all about the village. You have a responsibility to watch your neighbor's kids. That's just the way the society works," Ribeiro explains.
“He was dang right though,” Ali says. “I gave him crap for it, but he was right.”
While chatting with TODAY, Ribeiro refers to Ali only as “Ta.” She calls him “Alf.”
“Alf is from the ‘Fresh Prince’ time in my life. That name was only during ‘Fresh Prince.' So if I hear someone call out, ‘Alf!’ I know it’s someone from the show,” Ribeiro explains.
Both Ali and Ribeiro are counting down until their next Zumba meet-up, though it might be a minute it happens. Ali lives in Northern California with her husband, Dr. Vaughn Rasberry, and their two sons, while Ribeiro, a father of four, is in Los Angeles with his wife, Angela.
“You moved away!” Ribeiro tells Ali, pretending to be hurt. “It’s all your fault. You married an incredible man and that’s where his life was, so your life is there with him.”
Rasberry is an associate professor of English at Stanford University.
“We’re the chocolate raspberries. That’s what I call us,” Ali shares. “My husband wants nothing to do with it!”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
