Alfonso Ribeiro and Tyra Banks.Photo: Paul Archuleta/Getty; Rich Fury/GettyAlfonso Ribeirois heading back to the ballroom — this time as a cohost!On Thursday, ABC announced that theFresh Prince of Bel-Airalum, 50, will be cohostingthe 31st seasonofDancing with the Starsalongside current hostTyra Banks.“I’m super excited,” Ribeiro, who took home the Mirrorball Trophy in 2014 with pro dancer Witney Carson, told PEOPLE ahead of the announcement. “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.““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,” he added. “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.“For more on Alfonso Ribiero joiningDancing with the Stars, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.For Ribeiro, the news is extra special since he’ll be reuniting with Banks, 48, who briefly starred alongside him inThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images"We’ve known each other since junior high school!” he said of his friendship with Banks. “We go back a long ways and her first acting job wasFresh 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.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest storiesThe host ofAmerica’s Funniest Home Videos– a role he stepped into after the departure of formerDWTSco-host Tom Bergeron – was previously known fordancing “The Carlton” onFresh Prince of Bel-Air. The dance was later incorporated into a routine that ultimately won him the Mirrorball on season 19.RELATED VIDEO: Alfonso Ribeiro Hasn’t Done ‘the Carlton’ Since Dancing With the Stars: ‘That’s Been Put Away’While Ribeiro says there’s a “chance” he may bust out a move or two this upcoming season, for now, he’s just looking forward to his next role as co-host.“What I always loved about this show was that it’s 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, their personality. Hopefully the dances match that.“Season 31 ofDancing with the Starsis expected to air on Disney+ this fall. The series has already been renewed for season 32.
Alfonso Ribeiro and Tyra Banks.Photo: Paul Archuleta/Getty; Rich Fury/Getty
Alfonso Ribeirois heading back to the ballroom — this time as a cohost!On Thursday, ABC announced that theFresh Prince of Bel-Airalum, 50, will be cohostingthe 31st seasonofDancing with the Starsalongside current hostTyra Banks.“I’m super excited,” Ribeiro, who took home the Mirrorball Trophy in 2014 with pro dancer Witney Carson, told PEOPLE ahead of the announcement. “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.““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,” he added. “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.“For more on Alfonso Ribiero joiningDancing with the Stars, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.For Ribeiro, the news is extra special since he’ll be reuniting with Banks, 48, who briefly starred alongside him inThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images"We’ve known each other since junior high school!” he said of his friendship with Banks. “We go back a long ways and her first acting job wasFresh 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.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest storiesThe host ofAmerica’s Funniest Home Videos– a role he stepped into after the departure of formerDWTSco-host Tom Bergeron – was previously known fordancing “The Carlton” onFresh Prince of Bel-Air. The dance was later incorporated into a routine that ultimately won him the Mirrorball on season 19.RELATED VIDEO: Alfonso Ribeiro Hasn’t Done ‘the Carlton’ Since Dancing With the Stars: ‘That’s Been Put Away’While Ribeiro says there’s a “chance” he may bust out a move or two this upcoming season, for now, he’s just looking forward to his next role as co-host.“What I always loved about this show was that it’s 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, their personality. Hopefully the dances match that.“Season 31 ofDancing with the Starsis expected to air on Disney+ this fall. The series has already been renewed for season 32.
Alfonso Ribeirois heading back to the ballroom — this time as a cohost!
On Thursday, ABC announced that theFresh Prince of Bel-Airalum, 50, will be cohostingthe 31st seasonofDancing with the Starsalongside current hostTyra Banks.
“I’m super excited,” Ribeiro, who took home the Mirrorball Trophy in 2014 with pro dancer Witney Carson, told PEOPLE ahead of the announcement. “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.”
“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,” he added. “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.”
For more on Alfonso Ribiero joiningDancing with the Stars, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
For Ribeiro, the news is extra special since he’ll be reuniting with Banks, 48, who briefly starred alongside him inThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images
“We’ve known each other since junior high school!” he said of his friendship with Banks. “We go back a long ways and her first acting job wasFresh 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.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
The host ofAmerica’s Funniest Home Videos– a role he stepped into after the departure of formerDWTSco-host Tom Bergeron – was previously known fordancing “The Carlton” onFresh Prince of Bel-Air. The dance was later incorporated into a routine that ultimately won him the Mirrorball on season 19.
RELATED VIDEO: Alfonso Ribeiro Hasn’t Done ‘the Carlton’ Since Dancing With the Stars: ‘That’s Been Put Away’
While Ribeiro says there’s a “chance” he may bust out a move or two this upcoming season, for now, he’s just looking forward to his next role as co-host.
“What I always loved about this show was that it’s 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, their personality. Hopefully the dances match that.”
Season 31 ofDancing with the Starsis expected to air on Disney+ this fall. The series has already been renewed for season 32.
source: people.com
