Tatyana Ali’s James Avery Tribute Ends In Tears With Alfonso Ribeiro

Tatyana Ali reunited with Alfonso Ribeiro on “Dancing With The Stars” to honor James Avery, bringing two members of the “Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air” family onto the same dance floor.

The October 20 performance honored the man who played their father, Philip “Uncle Phil” Banks. Ali took part in the show’s Dedication Night with her professional partner, Jan Ravnik, before Ribeiro joined her for the closing stretch.

Ribeiro now co-hosts the competition. For this dance, he stepped out of that role to share the floor with the actress who played his little sister, Ashley Banks, while he played Carlton.

The performance ended with a tearful hug and a portrait of Avery behind them. Ali also supplied the music in a personal way, recording a cover of Nancy Wilson’s “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” for the Viennese waltz. She said Wilson was one of Avery’s favorite artists.

Wilson’s recording of “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” was a breakthrough for the singer in 1964. It earned her first Grammy, for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, at the 1965 ceremony.

The tribute reached beyond the characters they played.

“He was very much a father figure for all of us,” Ali said in the episode’s introduction, as quoted by Parade.

Ali said Avery had taught her to see performing as more than a job: it was a way to give something to other people. She had settled on honoring him before she knew whether she would make it to Dedication Night.

Ribeiro said he felt blessed to join her for the tribute. Ali, meanwhile, said she felt lucky they could have that experience together again and believed Avery would have been proud.

Avery died in 2013. His absence has remained part of the cast’s reunions since then. When Ali, Ribeiro and their former castmates gathered in 2017, both actors publicly remembered him alongside their photos from the get-together.

Ali and Ravnik’s routine received 32 points from the four judges, her highest total of the season.

Ali and Ravnik stayed in the competition, as did every other couple. The show announced two eliminations for its next episode.