The Best Actor Oscar winner for King Richard and the very one who remains famed for his roles in flicks like Independence Day and Bad Boys had famed roots in acting even before making his film debut. In 1990, a sitcom began and ran for six seasons on a storyline bearing a striking resemblance to the actor’s real-life persona, earning two Golden Globe Award nominations in the process. Among all the acclaimed star cast who shared the screen with Will Smith on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Vernee Watson remains a popular one for playing the actor’s mom.

Gaining acclaim in her recurring roles, like her on-screen son, she too, remains active on the acting scene decades later with noted appearances.

Vernee Watson: A legacy beyond The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Vernee Watson-Johnson played the role of Viola ‘Vy’ Smith in the 1990 sitcom series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as the mom of Will Smith. Featured in guest and recurring roles, the New York City-born personality is a professional artist who began her career at the age of seventeen with the Al Fann Theatrical Ensemble in Manhattan. In her career, beyond the sitcom, she has also starred in shows like Welcome Back and Kotter and lent her voice to animated and video-game characters.

In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Vernee Watson served as an emotional chord while harnessing her acting prowess. Over the years, she has made guest appearances in shows like Young Sheldon while her portrayal as Stella Henry in General Hospital earned her a Daytime Emmy for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series. Moreover, in 2024, her character of Morenike in the five-season run of Bob Hearts Abishola and her role in The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization, Episode 9 of Season 1 of The Big Bang Theory, stands out.

Regardless, in a reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, both Will Smith and his screen mom, Vernee Watson, passed on their roles to able hands.

How The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot differs from the original

Developed by Will Smith and Morgan Cooper, the modern reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air titled Bel-Air, found Jabari Banks taking over the role of the actor. Additionally, Supergirls’ April Parker Jones took over the role of Viola Smith from Vernee Watson in a reimagined version of the original sitcom laced with creative changes to distinguish itself.

With deeper themes and more focus on social issues, Bel-Air took a more serious and dramatic approach than the primary comedy nature of the original sitcom. Furthermore, the beloved characters of Uncle Phil and Carlton Banks received an overhaul to fit the themes. Finally, with more emotional range and realism, the show begs to stand apart from its original with a season renewal.

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