Will Smith Rejected RuPaul Cameo on ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’
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Will Smith reportedly rejected a proposed RuPaul cameo on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. A producer on the show recently shared the story in a new book, saying Smith turned down the idea “because of his image.”
Will Smith Rejected RuPaul Cameo on Fresh Prince
According to Entertainment Weekly, producer David Steven Simon shared the story of RuPaul’s proposed cameo when speaking to Thea Glassman for the new book Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson’s Creek: How Seven Teen Shows Transformed Television.
Smith got to approve every story on the show, and he apparently didn’t reject many pitches. However, Simon recalls that Smith called the RuPaul cameo “a really bad idea.” Despite Simon’s attempts to convince him, Smith apparently “refused” to approve it.
“The reason he would say no is because of his image. Period. The End,” Simon said of Smith’s reasoning.
It’s worth pointing out that RuPaul was not an unknown at the time Fresh Prince was airing in the ’90s. In 1992, he released the single “Supermodel (You Better Work),” which reached 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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The Star Appeared on Other Shows
Entertainment Weekly points out that RuPaul was also no stranger to television cameos during the ’90s. He guest starred on shows such as Sister, Sister and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He also appeared in drag on Saturday Night Live in 1993.
RuPaul even hosted his own talk show on VH1 for two years starting in 1996. Not to mention, he had roles in a number of movies, such as The Brady Bunch Movie and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.
The star clearly didn’t need a Fresh Prince cameo to achieve success in entertainment. His RuPaul’s Drag Race competition series has had 15 seasons and inspired several spin-offs, and he’s released 14 studio albums.
