In a new book, Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson’s Creek: How Seven Teen Shows Transformed Television, a producer of Fresh Prince of Bel Air tells all. He even recalls some memories of Will Smith putting his foot down.
Executive producer David Steven Simon recalled that Will Smith didn’t often reject ideas, but declined a cameo by RuPaul. The two were rising stars in the 90’s and Simon believed that it would’ve been a good look for the show but Smith did not agree.
“I remember him saying that would be a really bad idea,” Simon said. “And I said, ‘No, listen, hear my story,” he explained.
After a few more tries, Simon realized that Will Smith was not backing down. He recalled that the actor repeatedly refused and kept saying it was a bad idea. “The reason he would say no is because of his image. Period. The End,” Simon said.