A TikTok user recently posted a clip of a Beverly Hills, 90210 star sharing a story about how television producers told her she couldn’t hug The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Alfonso Ribeiro because of his skin color.
In the nearly two-minute clip, Gabrielle Carteris and Ribeiro performed acrobatic stunts on CBS’ Circus of the Stars in 1991, with audience members holding their breath as the two ’90s stars nailed their routine. Carteris talked about the experience during a 2020 panel for SAG-AFTRA’s Race & Storytelling special.
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She then shared the racist comment television executives told her following her performance with Ribeiro. The 62-year-old said she initially hugged him because he did “such a great job” making her feel safe during their routine. However, what the producers said to her left many speechless.
“And they came up to me later, and they said, ‘Gabrielle, that was an amazing show. That was wonderful. When we go live tomorrow, just make sure you don’t hug Alfonso,'” Carteris recalled. “And I said, ‘Why?’ And they said, ‘Well, middle America, they just won’t like that.'”
Carteris couldn’t believe what she heard and immediately told Ribeiro what happened. She explained the producers didn’t want her to hug him because he was Black, and she was intentionally going to defy their orders after the pair’s performance.
Deadline reported on the story, with other celebrities recounting their experiences with racism in Hollywood. During the panel discussion, Carteris said kissing the 51-year-old on-air was an “important moment” for her.
“I hugged him and gave him a kiss [during the live show]. And for me, it was an important moment,” Carteris said on the panel. “There are so many times in this industry when we’re told what we’re supposed to do, and we just know it’s not the right thing to do. It was not organically correct, it wasn’t just, and it wasn’t fair.”
She continued, “And I couldn’t say it to them because they would have just found another way to block it or cut it out. So I agreed and then just did what I wanted to do. And I will never regret that moment.”
Carteris was proud she defended her friend while standing up against racism.
