The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Fans Remember James Avery’s Uncle Phil After Reunion Trailer Debuts

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans are remembering James Avery‘s performance as Uncle Phil after the trailer for the Reunion Special dropped today. HBO Max has been hyping this project for a while now, and it’s easy to see why. All these years after going off-the-air, The Fresh Prince is still a beloved cultural artifact. In fact, one could say that Avery’s words as the wise older judge have only gotten to be more profound over time. So, seeing most of the cast together, but Uncle Phil being absent is definitely going to stir some emotions with fans. The actor passed back in 2013, but it feels like once a year the Internet brings back that clip of him embracing Will after his father abandons him again. Those moments still bring a tear to many viewers’ eyes. There will be some real joy when the special hits HBO Max in November.

The Fresh Prince actor saw some clips of his words with the Uncle Phil actor and couldn’t contain his emotion. During a show to get everyone involved with Fresh Prince together on Snapchat, he said, “That just makes me teary. The first couple times that I’m seeing clips of James, you know?”

He had more insight to share during that short clip as well. Smith said some kind words about the beloved actor. “…Our show wouldn’t have been HALF what it was without the talent and light that was James Avery,” Smith wrote under a tribute reel on Instagram. “We all love and miss you, James.”

Hilary Banks actress Karyn Parsons and Geoffrey actor Joseph Marcelo also talked about how it felt to bring the band back together earlier this year.

“Extraordinary, extraordinary. It was something you wished for and hoped for, and when it happened, and to see people and the way we’ve changed,” Marcell laughed. “However, it was still the same. The same old jokes, it was wonderful.”

“It was beautiful. What’s really nice about the relationship that we all have is we kind of slide right back into it,” Parsons offered. “It’s like family that you haven’t seen in a while. Some of us have seen each other here and there over time, but it’s nice. It’s very familial. We just fall back in, pick up where we left off kind of thing.”

Are you down for the Fresh Prince Reunion special? Let us know in the comments! Check out the reactions below:

R.I.P.

Classic stuff

Who is cutting onions?

Such a wild ride

Cole World

Nobody is.

Need a moment

Real tears