Will Smith returned to Instagram for the first time in a few days to wish his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star Tatyana Ali a very happy 44th birthday.
The 54-year-old actor shared a video of Ali, posing in a colorful dress, before it transitions back to many years earlier where Ali was posing in her schoolgirl outfit as Ashley Banks in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
'HAPPY BDAY TATCH! @tatyanaali,' Smith captioned the post, with the video featuring the 2002 Simple Plan song I'm Just a Kid.
Ali has yet to respond publicly to Smith's post at this time, though her birthday comes just days after it was revealed she will star in Season 2 of Bel-Air.
The actress was seen in the new trailer, and it was revealed by Variety that she will have a recurring role throughout the season.
Ali will portray a character named Mrs. Hughes, described as, 'the middle school English teacher who sees something special in Ashley (Akira Akbar), often giving her books from her personal collection.'
Ali started her acting career in the late 1980s with small roles in Crocodile Dundee II and guest-starring spots in The Cosby Show and A Man Called Hawk when she landed the role of Ashley Banks on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The series was a huge hit, making Will Smith a household name, running for six seasons on NBC before Smith launched his movie career.
Ali kept working as well, with roles in Kiss the Girls, Jawbreaker, The Brothers, Dorm Daze, Nora's Hair Salon, and most recently on Fancy Nancy.
Both Ali and Smith showed their support for Bel-Air at the premiere last February, before the show launched on the NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock.
The show was based on a viral trailer for a gritty re-imagining of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that captured the attention of Smith after it first debuted in March 2019.
The show was officially announced in August 2020, with NBC announcing a two-season order in September 2020.
The series stars Jabari Banks as Will, Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey, Jordan L. Jones as Jazz and Simone Joy Jones as Lisa.
Peacock also announced a number of other guest stars for Season 2, including rapper Saweetie, who will play herself in the first episode of the season, debuting February 23.
Brooklyn McLinn will play Doc Hightower, a busy and driven basketball recruiter, Jazlyn Martin will play Jackie, who is introduced to Will at a Venice basketball tournament and Riele Downs will play Yazmin, the president of the Black Student Union at Bel-Air Academy.
