Carlton Banks From ‘Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’ Admits The Struggles He’s Faced As A Father Of Four Children

Jan 31, 2022

We all know Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton Banks from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"—a role that planted him firmly in our hearts. He now continues to bring us entertainment through his role as the host of "America's Funniest Home Videos." This is the face of his public life, and the main role of his private life is being a father to four children.

He has three children with his wife, Angela Unkrich. Their two sons are AJ and Anders, and their youngest daughter is Ava. The actor was previously married to Robin Stapler, and they have one daughter together, Sienna, who graduated high school a couple of years ago.

As well as being an all-around entertaining actor, Ribeiro is a true family man. He puts a lot of energy into spending time with his wife and children and has a very open and healthy philosophy to their upbringing.

It is very clear to see how devoted 50-year-old Ribeiro is to his family by looking at his social media posts. The family spends a lot of time together and does loads of activities, including memorable trips such as visiting Disney World.

When it comes to his career, Ribeiro has struggled to overcome being typecast since he played Carlton. He was told that he did his job so well that nobody could see him as any other character, so he struggled to find work for years. However, it seems his luck has changed, and his career has gotten back on track. Read on to find out more about Ribeiro's challenges and his role as a father.

Landing the role of Carlton on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" changed Ribeiro's life, and at times it didn't always seem for the better. The actor shared:

"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. 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.' That's what an actor is supposed to do. And then 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:

"Imagine being the greatest home run hitter in the game and never being allowed to go hit home runs because you hit home runs. Doesn't make sense. But in show business that sometimes is the case. So having to reinvent myself by turning myself into myself, which is weird."

The star offered up some advice for fans who want to support their favorite actors. "Every actor typically gets one, maybe two opportunities after whatever they're really known for. Support them in those roles," Ribeiro said. "Really, if you're a fan of somebody on a show, and they do something else, make it a priority to go watch whatever it is they're doing even though it's not what you're used to seeing them do."

Ribeiro continued, "Be a fan. Support them as a fan. And at the end of the day, it's always box office. If you go and do something new and it does really well, guess what? You get to keep doing it. If it doesn't, then they start thinking, 'Well, really, they just love him for that character.' So just if you're a fan of someone, watch everything they do. And that, to me, is probably the only way to break that cycle of like, 'They're famous for this. Well, that's all they can be famous for.'"

The talented host was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2020 for his work on "Catch 21." He was nominated again in 2021 but lost both times to Alex Trebek. Ribeiro said about the nomination: 

"That was very special. Obviously getting nominated for that show and being the only person nominated from the Game Show Network for game shows. And being in the illustrious category with Alex Trebek and Pat Sajak and Steve Harvey and Wayne Brady, that's a great list to be a part of. And to do that two years in a row made me feel very special."

As the winner of the 19th season of "Dancing with the Stars," Ribeiro began gaining positive attention again. "So, when 'Dancing with the Stars' came around, I got an opportunity to do that. And then Tom Bergeron went to ABC and the producers and said, 'I think Alfonso should be the next host of 'America's Funniest Home Videos',' I recognize how valuable that was," he shared.

Ribeiro is a hands-on dad and isn't afraid to show his children his fun-loving side. He happily dressed up in a costume on Halloween with all his family. He is also a fan of showing his adoration for his children. For example, on National Daughters' day, he dedicated a post to expressing how "incredible" Sienna is.

Ribeiro became a father again when little Ava was born. It's clear the actor is smitten. He shared a super sweet video of her falling asleep on him and called it "the best going to sleep video ever." He prides himself on having a loving household. He once said, "There's a lot of love in our house," reports the Daily Mail.

There is a lot to learn from Ribeiro when it comes to fatherhood. He has a very specific stance on how he has chosen to raise his kids. He told Life of Dad that he is a strong believer that it is important to teach his children to be independent, resilient, and confident and to always strive to be the best they can be.  

The actor told Closer Weekly, "Yes, you can read about things in books but nothing lands and sticks with you throughout your life than personal experience."

He also believes that being a physical and emotional presence to your children is the best way to bring them up. His advice to all fathers was: "No matter how much you may Skype or FaceTime nothing replaces being there. To me, that is I think the one piece of advice I would give. It is to do everything you can to make your family a priority."

Are you a fan of Alfonso Ribeiro? Do you enjoy watching him host TV shows? Let us know, and feel free to pass this along to your friends and family.