Inside Nia Long's Relationship With Will Smith

Nia Long's breakout role came thanks to John Singleton's 1991 magnum opus, "Boyz n the Hood," However, she's perhaps best known to audiences for playing Lisa Wilkes in the hit '90s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Per IMDb, Long joined the cast of the NBC series in Season 5, starring as one of Will Smith's many girlfriends, and the only one who got him to settle down, (Well, close! They didn't actually tie the knot.) In 2018, Long opened up about her time on the show, and how it left a lasting impact on her decades-long acting career. "'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' was a huge part of my career," she told TV One's "UNCENSORED" in 2018. "It was the first time that I was on primetime television on a hit show that Black people and white people loved. Where it was a story about family, and it was universal."

She also gushed about working with Smith. "Will Smith, I love him so much. He's a natural-born teacher. He definitely lives by his own rules. And he would always just come through the door with this huge amount of love and energy, and this abundance of giving and support," remembered Long, "He believes that he can do anything and that was the first time that I had ever seen a Black man take that position, so it's very inspiring for me." 

During their time working on "The Fresh Prince" together, Long and Smith got along well and developed a friendship that would remain solid and steady almost 30 years later. Here's a look at their close bond today.

Long after they worked together on "The French Prince of Bel-Air," Nia Long continued to support Will Smith and sing his praises in public interviews. As recently as 2018, the "Fatal Affair" actor gushed about Smith, as she opened up about their close bond with Bustle. "Will Smith is a comedic genius," she said. "Will and I have a very special friendship because of [The Fresh Prince] and I've learned so much [as an actor] from him."

In 2020, the Brooklyn, New York native also stood up for Smith and his wife Jada amid controversy after it was revealed that Jada had an affair with R&B singer August Alsina while she and Smith were going through a temporary separation. "I feel bad for Will and Jada right now, because they've been extremely vulnerable with their personal story," said Long during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "And it takes a lot of courage to do that." She then described Smith as "an icon in our community," and wished "people would back off and leave them alone." "We all have our ups and downs with love," Long pointed out. "Love is a complicated thing!"

The support is mutual, it seems. In March — just three days before the highly controversial Oscars #Slapgate would take place — Smith came out to show support for Long as she was honored at the 2022 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards. The two, who are rarely seen in public together, gladly posed for photos as they joined each other on the red carpet, as shown above. 

In November 2020, a reunion special for "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" aired on HBOMax in celebration of the show's 30th anniversary. The special saw Will Smith reunite with some of the cast members in a rebuilt "Prince" set as they looked back on their time filming the beloved sitcom. It also saw the actor and Janet Hubert, who played the original Aunt Vivian, come together for the first time in 27 years and reconcile following their highly publicized falling out, which led to Hubert leaving the show in 1993 after three seasons. 

In a chat with PopCulture in 2021, Nia Long, who was absent during the reunion, admitted that she did not watch the special, but expressed her joy over Smith and Hubert's long-awaited reconciliation. "I was just happy that Janet [Hubert] was back and that Will and Janet were reunited. That made me really happy because she's such a beautiful actress," she said of Hubert.

She also joked about being "hurt" over not being invited to the "Fresh Prince" special. "I don't know why they didn't ask me this time around. Sort of odd, but my feelings are hurt. I'm going to have to call Will Smith," she said. On a serious note, Long acknowledged that the special was "not about the extended cast," and said that she was genuinely happy to see her former co-stars together again. "Honestly, I just was happy to see that they did that. I'm joking when I say my feelings were hurt."