KARYN PARSONS SAYS HER FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR CHARACTER WAS ALMOST CUT BEFORE SHOW'S PREMIERE

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Karyn Parsons Says Her Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Character Was Almost Cut Before Show's Premiere

'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' aired from Sept. 1990 to May 1996

By 

Angela Andaloro

 

Published on September 18, 2025 12:59PM EDT

 

Will Smith and Karyn Parsons as Will and Hilary.Credit : 

Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank

NEED TO KNOW

• Karyn Parsons portrayed Hilary Banks throughout The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's run from Sept. 1990 to May 1996
• Parsons looked back at her time as Hilary, as well as some of her other notable roles, during an appearance on the All Bets Are Off podcast, hosted by Robby Vegas
• The beloved sitcom recently celebrated the 35th anniversary of its debut

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was an unforgettable career highlight for Karyn Parsons...that almost didn't happen.

In a recent episode of the All Bets Are Off podcast, the actress, 58, chats with host Robby Vegas about the 35th anniversary of the beloved sitcom's premiere.

Looking back at her time playing Hilary Banks, Parsons reveals the character was nearly cut from the Banks family at the suggestion of some executives at NBC.

When it came to developing the character, Parsons says, "The writers were pretty incredible. They were great from the get-go."

 

Hilary Banks, Alfonso Ribeiro, Will Smith, Daphne Reid, James Avery, Joseph Marcell, Tatyana Ali.

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty I

"And then, as the show went on and new writers came in, I think they did a really good job of taking into consideration who they were writing for and how they work, and they were getting used to the character that I was creating," she continues.

 

"The character that was on the page when I got the show was very thin... It said she was a model type, and it had her talking about Bruce and Demi and stuff. It didn't have a whole lot going on."

"As a matter of fact, Brandon Tartikoff, who was the president of NBC at the time, when they were auditioning at the last network audition, he turned to Susan and Andy Borowitz, who created the show, and said, 'I think we should get rid of the daughter character. I don't... it just seems redundant,' " she recalls.

 

Karyn Parsons, Janet Hubert, Will Smith, James Avery, Joseph Marcell, Tatyana Ali, Alfonso Ribeiro.

Chris Cuffaio/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

"And [Andy and Susan] said, 'Just wait. Wait until this girl comes in.' They told me this story later. And I came in and did my whole weird affectation that I guess nobody else was doing."

Parsons says that the affectation that became Hilary's signature — a mix of Malibu kids she got to know growing up in Santa Monica, as well as "my friend Leanne and my cousin Garland" — was born of her "trying to figure out how this character works for me."

"The affectation, at first, seemed over the top. Like, maybe it's too much. But it kept carrying me. It worked. Judy Richmond, who was the amazing costumer on the show, she said that when I put the clothes on, that I became Hilary. And it was a little bit true," Parsons says.

"Once I put the clothes on, my body started to change. My whole hips kind of fell and this lazy attitude just started to take over and once I started with the way she spoke, it just all fell into place."

The role also allowed Parsons to embody someone so different from herself, which was "so fun" for the actress.

"I was raised very much the good girl...and Hilary was the opposite," she explains. "She said whatever, unapologetic, I want this...she just said it and that was never me, so it was so fun to be able to be that person."