For most of its first season, Bel-Air, the dark, gritty reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has steered clear of bringing in cameos from the original show, including Will Smith who serves as an executive producer for the series. However, all of that is about to get flipped, turned upside down.
In an official announcement from Peacock, the streaming service has revealed that original Fresh Prince stars Daphne Maxwell Reid and Vernee Watson-Johnson will appear on the ninth episode of Bel-Air. Watson-Johnson played Will’s mom, Vy Smith, for all six seasons of the show while Reid famously replaced Janet Hubert as Vivian “Aunt Viv” Banks during the Fresh Prince‘s fourth season. (In a memorable moment from 2020’s Fresh Prince reunion, Reid and Hubert met for the first time following a segment where the original Aunt Viv and Will settle their decades-long feud resulting from her exiting the show.)
According to the announcement, Reid will play “Helen” and Watson-Johnson will play “Janice,” members of the Art Council Board of Trustee in Episode 109, which will be available for streaming on March 24.
You can see promotional stills for the episode below:
Here’s the official synopsis for Bel-Air:
Set in modern-day America, Peacock’s new one-hour drama series Bel-Air imagines the beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air through a new, dramatic take on Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. As these two worlds collide, Will reckons with the power of second chances while navigating the conflicts, emotions, and biases of a world far different from the only one he’s ever known.
Bel-Air is currently streaming on Peacock.
