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Tatyana Ali honored her late “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” dad James Avery on Tuesday’s “Dancing With the Stars” episode, with the help of former co-star Alfonso Ribeiro.
Ali, who is partnered with professional dancer Jan Ravnik, performed a Viennese waltz to “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” by Nancy Wilson — with the actress providing the vocals for this rendition.
“He was very much a father figure for all of us,” Ali said of Avery during a pre-recorded intro package prior to hitting the ballroom floor. “He taught me that what you do can be more than just a job — it can be how you contribute, how you share, as an artist and as a performer.”
“I loved him a lot,” she said, getting emotional, “so I knew that if I made it to ‘Dedication Night’ that it had to be to him. I miss him.”
Ribeiro — who co-hosts “DWTS” with Julianne Hough — then joined Ali and Ravnik in rehearsals, calling the performance “an opportunity to say ‘thank you'” to Avery.
“James was the most lovable, charismatic, intelligent person, and he was a very important part of our lives,” Ribeiro said of the late actor. “So to be part of this routine for Tatyana is a blessing for my life.”
The video ended with Ali saying, “My heart is full because how lucky are we to get to have this experience together again [with Alfonso]? I think [Avery] would be really proud.”
Ali and Ravnik earned a 32/40 for the tribute, with judge Bruno Tonioli noting that Ali was “glowing” and that it appeared as though she was “floating on the wings of [her] guardian angel.”
Ali, who played Ashley Banks on the sitcom, took to Instagram ahead of dedication night to share more about Avery, emotionally remembering him not only as a “father figure” but also as a “teacher.”
Avery tragically passed away on December 31, 2013, from complications after open heart surgery.
“Every holiday, James would give me a baby doll, I have a collection of beautiful baby dolls, and he told me, ‘I’m giving you these dolls because they look like you, and I always want you to know how beautiful you are.’ He poured into me quite a bit,” Ali shared in the social media clip, wiping away tears.
She added that each part of the performance was thoughtfully designed, down to the lyrics of the song and even the costume, which was inspired by Eartha Kitt, whom Avery used to tell her she looked like.
“There is not one moment in this piece that is not carefully mined, because that’s how he taught me to make things. That’s the kind of craftsman he was. That’s why “Fresh Prince” is the show that you love so much, because he did it every single week on our show,” Ali said.
“He taught me that, he taught Alf that, he taught all of us that, and we’re all putting so much love into these performances that you’re going to see,” she shared.
The performance on Tuesday’s episode came after a long week of drama in the “DWTS” world.
Pro Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended from performing this week after he made a controversial social media post that referenced Will Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscars incident.
Chmerkovskiy made the post after his wife, Jenna Johnson, and her “DWTS” partner Harry Shum Jr. were harshly critiqued by judge Carrie Ann Inaba about an “illegal” lift during the show’s Oct. 13 episode.
The exchange was so intense that it reportedly left Johnson “in tears” after the fact.
Afterwards, Chmerkovskiy took to TikTok and wrote on his status that fans “almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night.”
The since-deleted post was seemingly in reference to Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars, and telling him to “keep my wife’s name out your f–king mouth.”
The ballroom dancer apologized in a statement on social media, but was ultimately still suspended.
In a statement on Saturday, BBC Studios shared that the post was “inappropriate.”
“Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show,” the statement, which was obtained by Page Six, read.
Chmerkovskiy also responded to his suspension in a statement to Page Six, sharing that his “instinct” was to “protect” his wife.
The pro wrote that he “made a poor decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention.”
Instead of Chmerkovskiy, Johnson danced with pro Alan Bersten.
New episodes of “DWTS” air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Disney+, and stream on Hulu the following day.
For more of Page Six’s “Dancing With the Stars” coverage, click here.