Alfonso Ribeiro is back to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ as a co-host

Alfonso Ribeiro will return to Dancing with the Stars as a co-host alongside current host Tyra Banks. The 50-year-old Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum will join the 31st season of Dancing with the Stars to add a humorous touch to the franchise.

“I’m super excited,” Ribeiro told People. “For me to be asked now to co-host with Tyra, and be part of the great crew and dancers and friends ... to be able to be on stage with them and to be part of that family again, is quite special for me. I mean, these dancers are friends of mine at this point now. We really do all hang out together and talk outside of that show.”

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“My goal is to bring back a sense of the happy and the fun, and the family atmosphere, that this show has always felt like for me,” the 2014 Mirrorball Trophy winner said. “I want to become friends with all of the contestants this year and allow myself to kind of be able to really just sit and talk with them. And after their dance, I want to get honest and true feelings from them and make people laugh and make people smile again. I feel like sometimes it gets a little serious, and while it needs to be that also, it also needs to be light and fun and cheery.”

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Ribeiro and Banks go way back. The stars have been friends for years and shared screen time during The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. “We’ve known each other since junior high school!” he told the publication. “We go back a long way, and her first acting job was Fresh Prince. I think it’s going to be nice for us to work together again, and to bring the fun out and have some fun on that stage. Smile and laughter, and enjoyment for everyone.”

Known for dancing “The Carlton” on the hit sitcom, the Bronx native and Afro-Trinidadian descent might show his moves once again. “What I always loved about this show was its entertainment,” he said. “We just need to entertain people week-to-week and get people to really fall in love with these dancers, and the professionals, and the celebrity, the contestants. Hopefully, my opportunity will be to give them their chance to shine, to let America see who they are, what they’re great at, and their personality. Hopefully, the dances match that.”