Alfonso Ribeiro is following the Uncle Phil parenting playbook

Yahoo

10-06-2025

Alfonso Ribeiro knows that it takes a village to raise a child. The dads on his sons' baseball teams factor into his.
'All of the dads, we're like, 'Look, if my kid does something I wouldn't approve of, you have full ability to speak to my child and let me know,'' the actor and television host, 53, tells Yahoo Life. 'The kids know that all the parents are watching.'
And don't let his gig as the host of America's Funniest Home Videos fool you: Ribeiro knows when it's time to get serious. Much like Carlton Banks, his iconic character on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, he values structure and discipline, especially when it comes to raising his four children: Sienna, 22; AJ, 11; Anders, 10; and Ava, 6.
'Structure is very important for kids, because it's what you'll deal with in life,' says Ribeiro, who will be at a baseball tournament with his kids on Father's Day. 'And if you get used to structure at an early age, you are ready for what life is going to bring you.'
It's safe to say Ribeiro developed the discipline he tries to instill in his children at a young age. He started performing at age 8, starring in a Broadway show in 1983 and dancing in a Pepsi commercial with Michael Jackson a year later. He acted in the 1980s sitcom Silver Spoons before hitting it big as Carlton in the '90s, and then had a resurgence when he won the Mirrorball Trophy on Season 19 of Dancing With the Stars.
Ten years ago, Ribeiro succeeded fellow DWTS alum Tom Bergeron as the host of America's Funniest Home Videos. He's also hosted game shows and even earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for his work on the blackjack-inspired Catch 21 (alas, he lost to Alex Trebek). But Ribeiro was never ready to hang up his dancing shoes: He returned to the DWTS stage in 2022 as cohost before taking on the gig full-time the next year. He now hosts the two shows concurrently and is getting ready for a Father's Day AFV special called America's Funniest People.
As a father of two boys and two girls, Ribeiro has had to tailor his parenting style over the years. One thing he's learned is to be a little gentler on his daughters — at least at the start.
'There is a toughness that I think boys need when they're younger,' he says. 'Girls need nurturing when they're younger, and then [to get] a little tougher as they get older and can understand it.'
So he isn't afraid to be a bit harsh when necessary, but it's all for the greater good: '[Using] tough words doesn't mean we don't care about you or love you,' he adds.
It's a parenting style similar to the one his TV dad, Philip Banks (played by James Avery), had on Fresh Prince.
'He was the archetype of law and order and discipline,' Ribeiro says. 'You knew what Uncle Phil would think before Uncle Phil came on camera. And that's what you should have in your family. Your kids need to know what Dad will think, regardless of whether he's there to see it. If they know what you will think, they're going to stop every once in a while before they do a real dumb thing.'
Predictability, he says, is important. He knows that the dynamic doesn't work without trust and swears by two parenting rules: 'Be willing to listen' and 'I don't speak it unless I mean it.'
Even though their dad has been famous for their entire lives, Ribeiro's children still find it a little strange when people approach him. 'I'm just Dad to them,' he says. 'I work really hard to try to give [them] as much normalcy as possible.'
He doesn't consider himself a very modern dad — save for the fact that his children are homeschooled — and even hears himself saying, 'Boy, if you only knew' quite frequently. And while he can be stern, he prides himself on raising kids who are affectionate.
'I don't want boys who can't show their feelings,' he says.
Any success he's found, he's quick to share with his wife, Angela, whom he calls 'an incredible mother,' and his network of fellow parents. He's reminded of something his college dean once told him: That you need more than your own parents to parent you.
'At the end of the day,' he says, 'if you have a group of people that all help, I hold that sacred.'