WATCH: Tatyana Ali & Will Smith Recreate Viral ‘Fresh Prince’ Dance with Doechii
Art by Stephany Torres for Remezcla
Tatyana Ali and Will Smith are reliving one of their classic moments from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The former co-stars participated in a TikTok challenge inspired by their dance moves with rap superstar Doechii.
Ali, who is of Afro-Panamanian descent, rose to prominence as a cast member of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990. During the first season, her character Ashley Banks was spotted by Will Smith’s character dancing to the music from her Walkman. Instead of interrupting Banks’ moment, he secretly joins in on her wild and carefree dance. Later, she turns around with shock to see that Smith was copying her moves.
Over 30 years later, their synchronized dance from the show has inspired a viral TikTok challenge. People from around the world have recreated the famous moment in videos of their own on the platform.
Now Doechii, who recently won her first Grammy for Best Rap Album, is getting in on the TikTok challenge with the originators of the dance. On her account, she posted a video of Ali and Smith getting back into their Fresh Prince groove. Ali dons a 90s-inspired outfit and headphones as she and Smith dance to Doechii’s song “Anxiety.” Then Doechii emerges to join in on the fun. “Waited 35 years for this dance to trend,” she wrote in the caption.
Over on X, Ali later reflected on the experience of recreating the moment with Smith and Doechii. When a Doechii fan page asked if the video was legit, she responded, “Real life! Doechii is amazing, so glad we got to do this!!” After returning for the Bel Air reboot, Ali has since appeared on the hit ABC show Abbott Elementary.