‘Bel-Air’ Introduces Will’s Dad in Shocking Season Finale

You didn’t expect Bel-Air to end Season 1 without a big surprise, did you? This season has been all about big, emotional twists and turns, and the finale was absolutely no different. Not only did the episode tie-up a number of the season’s subplots, it also put one major storyline in the spotlight as we finally got to find out what happened to Will’s (Jabari Banks) dad.

Not only did we find out all about Will’s dad Lou, we also got to meet him! And it wasn’t even a last-minute reveal, either. We got a whole episode dealing with this huge piece of Will’s life, and we got to a tease of how all of this is gonna set up Season 2. But before we get into Season 2, let’s dissect what just happened at the end of Season 1 — because we gotta talk about who they cast to play Will’s dad. SPOILERS ahead!

Who plays Will’s dad on Bel-Air?

After weeks of buildup, which included Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola) going behind Uncle Phil’s (Adrian Holmes) back and ultimately getting fired, we finally meet Will’s dad. And when he shows up at the Banks family’s mansion in Bel-Air, completely unannounced BTW, he is played by Marlon Wayans.

Gotta say — this is a casting that totally lives up to the hype. First, Marlon Wayans is a huge star thanks to the Scary Movie franchise, White Chicks, supporting roles in The Heat and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, and five seasons of The Wayans Brothers. Also, uh, he’s a Wayans. Second, if you’re looking for someone to play the father of Will Smith (the character), then it makes total sense to get one of the only actors around who has the same charisma and vibe as Will Smith (the person). It just makes total sense, and it’s rad as hell to see.

What happens with Will’s father on Bel-Air?

This was considerably less rad to see. Will’s dad Lou shows up outta nowhere and is greeted/intercepted at the door by Phil. It turns out Lou hopped on a plane immediately after he heard that his son was asking about him, which is tea he got from Geoffrey. Phil, however, is not ready to let Lou into Will’s life. For one thing, Phil and Vivian and Vy have spent Will’s entire life telling the kid that his dad abandoned him. In reality, Lou went to jail for conning, assaulting, and robbing an elderly man.

But whatever Phil wanted for Will doesn’t matter, because Carlton (Olly Sholotan) overheard the entire convo between Phil and Lou and then did some snooping on his own. He found a file of Lou’s background info in his dad’s office and, like a true friend, gave it to Will. Carlton wasn’t going to keep this lie going. After a lot of arguing and calling out his aunt and uncle for making him spend his life thinking he was abandoned, Will agrees to meet with his dad.

It starts out fine-ish. They reconnect over one of Will’s earliest memories, of his dad taking him to a Sixers game. But then Lou starts making excuses for his old con artist ways, putting a lot of the blame on Will’s mom for pressuring him to make money. To hear Lou tell it, as Vivian and Phil got wealthier, Vy started to wonder why Lou couldn’t help them move on up, too. This does not sit right with Will. At. All.

Will tears into his dad for daring to bring his mom into this. And this is when Will cuts loose and unleashes a whole lifetime of sadness, anger, and trauma onto his dad — justifiably! Why didn’t Lou write? Why did all of the adults in his life lie to him? What the hell is he supposed to do with all this information now?

After giving a very definitive “fuck you” to his dad, and a much milder one to Phil and Vivian, Will packs up and peaces out. As Season 1 comes to a close, we’re left with one question: Where will Will go next?

Who played Will Smith’s dad on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

This plot line mirrors one from the original ’90s sitcom, specifically Season 4’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse.” In that episode, Will’s dad — played by Tony winner Ben Vereen — returns outta nowhere and gets his estranged son’s hopes all built up for nothing. And then, when Lou abandons Will again, we get one of the all-time greatest dramatic performances in sitcom history.

Watching this scene and watching the Bel-Air season finale, you really see why Jabari Banks was cast as Will Smith. He’s that good too.

As for when the new Will’s story will continue, we’ll have to wait for Bel-Air Season 2 to premiere on Peacock, presumably sometime in 2023.

Stream Bel-Air on Peacock