Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans shocked as Will Smith returns to show after 20 years

Fans of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air have been left shocked after Will Smith returned to the show 20 years on from it ending.

Will Smith is known for multiple high-profile and successful projects across his entire career, but many would argue that the 90s TV show is still what most would know him best for.

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ended all the way back in 1996, running for six successful seasons.

The show catapulted Will Smith into celebrity status along with his growing rap career alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff, who also appeared on the show.

Now, almost 20 years on, Smith has returned to the iconic TV role to play the fictionalised version of himself one last time.

A reboot show Bel-Air debuted in 2022, following a more dramatic version of the story of Will and Carlton that leaned far less on the comedy which Will Smith’s iconic sitcom was known for.

Will and Carlton are still the focus but the show is far more serious (Peacock)

Despite young actor Jabari Banks also playing a character called ‘Will Smith’, the real-life namesake returned in the reboot show’s final episode to reappear as the character for the first time since the show ended.

The clip, which has gone viral on social media, opens with him walking up alongside his fellow Will to point out how scary ‘stepping into the future’ is.

He proceeds to impart wisdom on his ‘younger self’, telling him to not worry about ‘having all the answers’.

The real Will seems to reference some of the actor’s controversies from over the years, saying: “You’re going to mess some things up, do some dumb s**t, but you’re human, you’ll learn, you’ll grow and just live and laugh and cry.

“Life goes by fast man, try to enjoy the ride… I’ll let you in on a little secret, we’re gonna be alright.”

The clip was posted to X, garnering over a million views, with one fan saying: “This Will Smith cameo was the perfect way to end the show.”

A second replied, saying: “I'm absolutely in tears .... feels like my future self talking to me rn.”

A third said: “I didn't even watch the show, and this made me cry. Wow.”

Multiple other fans quoted the tweet, saying the clip got them emotional, however not every fan was as convinced.

One fan tweeted: “What in the AI generated.”

Will Smith came back to the show after nearly 20 years (Peacock)

A second replied saying: “This also felt a little green screen/AI or am I bugging?”

A third was slightly more brutal in their assessment, saying: “F**k this corny ass show so glad it’s cancelled.”

Carla Banks Waddles, the showrunner, said of Will Smith’s cameo in the final series in an interview with Deadline: “When we pitched the season out early from the writers’ room, he was a part of it. We were like, ‘This is the season. We want him in the finale, and we know he wants to do the show.’

“We’ve always wanted him on the show, and now’s the time, because there’s no more show after this.”