Exclusive | Did Will Smith delay surprise Bel-Air cameo over his Chris Rock Oscars slap?

Now this is a story all about how…Peacock’s “Bel-Air” ended with a surprise cameo from Will Smith.The series, which premiered in 2022 and aired for four seasons, starred Jabari Banks and was a “reimagined” version of Smith’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which originally aired on NBC from 1990 to 1996.Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscars incident – in which he slapped Chris Rock on live TV onstage at the Academy Awards – wasn’t the reason why the show took so long to bring him on. “No, unrelated,” showrunner Carla Banks-Waddles told The Post.In fact, production didn’t know that Smith, 57, would be able to film the series finale until two weeks before.

Up to that point, Carla Banks-Waddles had “lost hope.”“We knew that it was a possibility.We had been talking about it.

The writers have pushed it from the beginning of the season, like a year ago.But you just never know timing wise, if it’s going to work out with his schedule.

He’s booked solid, like every day.He’s a busy man!” Banks-Waddles had no concerns that Smith’s battered reputation would impact the show. “No, not at all.

Because I think even the line when he says, ‘We’re human, you’re going to make mistakes,’ speaks to all of us,” she said. Smith gave that advice to young Will (Banks) during the episode.Onscreen, Smith tells young Will, “Trust me, you’re going to mess some things up and do some dumb sh-t.But you’re human — you’ll learn, you’ll grow.

Life goes by fast, man, try to enjoy the ride.”Smith’s mistake, “was just in a very public spotlight,” Banks-Waddles told The Post.“Our mistakes aren’t.

So I think him being able to say that to his younger self just felt very self-reflective and celebratory, because we’re all human.We all make mistakes.

We all learn.We evolve.” Smith is an exec producer, but the finale marked his first time appearing on the drama. “There was talk of him playing Will’s dad, and then Mar...