Bel-Air Series Finale Ending Explained, Will Smith Makes Epic Cameo

Spoiler alert: This article reveals a major cameo in the final episode of “Bel-Air.” Haven’t watched? You’ve been warned.

The series finale of “Bel-Air,” now streaming on Peacock, finds the Banks family saying goodbye to their iconic zip code — and who better to give them a proper send-off than the original “Fresh Prince” himself?

Will Smith, who also executive-produces “Bel-Air,” makes a special cameo in the final moments of Episode 8, joining Will (Jabari Banks) as he takes one last look at the city he’s leaving behind. Never introducing himself, Smith’s character approaches Will seemingly from nowhere before attempting to ease his concerns about the future.

“Don’t worry about having all of the answers, nobody does, not even the people who pretend like they do,” Smith’s character, who Will refers to as “OG,” says. “Trust me, you’re going to mess things up, do some dumb sh*t, but you’re human. You’ll learn. You’ll grow. Just live and laugh and cry. Eat a cheesesteak — just not every day, because cholesterol is real. … Life goes by fast, man. Try to enjoy the ride. I’ll let you in on a little secret: We’re going to be all right.”

Speaking with TVLine about the “layered” final scene, director and series creator Morgan Stevenson Cooper expresses great pride in finally bringing the two Wills together on screen.

“It’s a beautiful, emotional scene,” Cooper says. “I’m so proud of Jabari, because to stand and act with Will Smith, you know, he’s the most iconic actor of our time. Jabari approached that scene with so much heart and so much fearlessness. Those are big shoes to fill, and every step of the way he has risen to the occasion. I couldn’t be more proud of him. … Will also brought so much heart into that moment. It was incredible to direct those two together, and it was the perfect way to cap off this seven-year journey of bringing ‘Bel-Air’ to life.”

It’s hard to imagine the “Bel-Air” series finale without Will Smith’s cameo in that impactful final scene, but according to showrunner Carla Banks-Waddles, there was a very real possibility of it not happening.

“We weren’t sure if [Will’s] schedule was going to work out,” Banks-Waddles, who also wrote the episode, tells TVLine. “Everybody was hopeful, and even he was hopeful, but we weren’t sure.” 

Confirmation of Smith’s involvement came “about two weeks” before production wrapped, not allowing for much time to write him into the final episode.

“That scene took me maybe half a day to write,” Banks-Waddles says. “I just sort of channeled all the things that I know about [Will] and his life, and about our Will and his life, and how those things dovetail. It was just one of those scenes that I felt deeply. It just came out, and it hit all the buttons between the two of them.”

But what exactly is happening in that final scene? Smith’s character isn’t given a name, and Will appears to be the only person who see him, as Carlton asks who his cousin is talking to on the road. So is this just Will imagining an older version of himself in an attempt to calm his existential crisis? Or is Smith playing some sort of guardian angel in this situation? Honestly, the possibilities are endless — and they’re going to stay that way.

“I mean, it’s open to interpretation,” Banks-Waddles tells TVLine. “Thematically, it was sort of just this reassurance as he’s going back to Philly that all of the things Bel-Air poured into him, he is going to be able to now carry that guy forward. [In Season 1], his initial fear was wanting to hold on to the Philly side of himself, so we’ve seen him come full-circle. Now he’s like, gosh, I like who I became out here. Can I be that kid? Can I take that back with me? And then he sees his future self, who says, ‘Yeah, you’re going to be OK.'”

Because Smith’s involvement wasn’t a sure thing, Banks-Waddles reveals that “two different endings” had to be written, one with and one without the original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

So, what would the finale have looked like without him? Pretty similar, as it turns out. Carlton still would have accompanied Will to Philly for the summer, and Will still would have had them pull over at the same scenic spot.

“It would have just been them on that vista looking out like we saw, without our Will seeing and talking to himself,” she says.

And thank goodness Smith’s cameo worked out, because it resulted in an absolute fever dream of a TV moment, one we won’t soon forget.

“It was just so beautiful how both Will and Jabari dropped in and found these through lines in each other’s lives to make the words real,” Cooper adds. “Those are the only stories I’m interested in telling, the ones that are rooted from a place of real-life experiences. You can feel it in the sincerity of their performances. It was an unforgettable experience.”

For Smith, it was always a matter of when he was going to appear on “Bel-Air,” not if. In fact, he was originally supposed to join the Peacock drama in the role of Will’s father at the end of Season 1, but the plans ultimately fell through.

“He was supposed to be Lou, but we weren’t able to [make it happen] because he was really busy with movies,” Cooper tells TVLine. “We weren’t able to sync schedules, so it fell through last minute, and Marlon Wayans did such an incredible job.”

Though initial plans for Smith’s return fell through, nearly every one of his “Fresh Prince” co-stars managed to show up in “Bel-Air,” including Janet Hubert (Aunt Viv No. 1), Tatyana Ali (Ashley), Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey), Tyra Banks (Jackie), Vernee Watson-Johnson (Vy), and Daphne Maxwell Reid (Aunt Viv No. 2). Finally, the stars aligned for Smith in the finale.

“We knew that Will was going to make an appearance at some point, and we were able to make it happen in the finale,” Cooper says.

Did you jaw drop when Smith showed up on screen? Grade the series finale of “Bel-Air” below, then drop a comment with your thoughts on the OG Fresh Prince’s big cameo.