A former 1990s TV actor thinks his memorable part in a popular comedy show was the downfall of his career.

Alfonso Ribeiro, best known for his role as Carlton Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, recently opened up about the impact the popular sitcom had on his acting career. For six years, from 1990 to 1996, Ribeiro played the lovable and often comical cousin of Will Smith's character on the show. He became known for his signature dance moves, particularly his iconic rendition of Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual," which became known as "The Carlton."

However, despite gaining fame and recognition for his role, Ribeiro revealed that it also came with its own set of challenges. In fact, he believes that appearing on The Fresh Prince was a "sacrifice" for his career. "Playing Carlton on Fresh Prince became a sacrifice. I used to always say doing Carlton was the greatest and worst thing that ever happened to me," he shared.

The 52-year-old actor explained that while he was grateful for the opportunity and loved playing Carlton, it also led to a halt in his acting career. "It was one of the greatest roles that I ever was fortunate enough to play, but it was also the role that stopped me from acting again because people couldn't see me as anything else," he said.

Ribeiro shared these thoughts in an interview with Closer Weekly, where he also reminisced about his time on the show with his co-stars, including Will Smith, James Avery, Janet Hubert-Whitten, Daphne Maxwell Reid, and Karyn Parsons. "Those are some great memories of just being together," he fondly recalled.

Despite not pursuing any acting roles in the past decade, Ribeiro has kept himself busy with hosting gigs. He currently hosts Dancing with the Stars, America's Funniest Home Videos, and Jack Hanna's Passport. However, he did mention that he would be open to returning to acting if the right opportunity came along.

Ribeiro's passion for performing started at a young age, as he was cast in the Broadway production of The Tap Dance Kid at just eight years old. He then went on to appear in a 1984 Pepsi commercial alongside Michael Jackson and landed a role in the sitcom Silver Spoons before joining the cast of The Fresh Prince.

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