Alfonso Ribeiro Snags Host Job on America’s Funniest Home Videos

Posted by at 9:51 am on May 20, 2015

alfonso-ribeiro-americas-funniest-home-videos“Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum and “Dancing With the Stars” champ Alfonso Ribeiro is taking the reins as host from Tom Bergeron next season.

Ribeiro was one of five finalists in the hunt to follow Bergeron, who has hosted the enduring video-clip series since 2001. ABC’s “AFV” ranks as one of primetime TV’s most family-friendly shows and one with the highest component of multigenerational viewing, a quality that is important to ABC.

The show, which wrapped its 25th anniversary season on Sunday, has become an institution for the Alphabet in its Sunday 7 p.m. slot.

Although the show is built around goofy amateur videos sent in by everyday folks, “AFV” exec producer Vin Di Bona said the host’s role is still crucial. Bergeron, who also hosts ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” announced his intention to step down from “AFV” gig early in the season but the effort to audition his successor only heated up about two months ago, Di Bona said.

“There’s got to be a sincerity and a connection with the audience,” Di Bona told Variety. “You’ve got to be someone who cares about kids. That connection you make with the audience is of the utmost importance to me. That’s something you just don’t get by reading copy. In our auditions, it just became very, very apparent that Alfonso is a genuinely nice man.”

Ribeiro brings pop-culture cred to “AFV” thanks to his run opposite Will Smith on the 1980s NBC sitcom “Fresh Prince,” where he became known for “the Carlton,” a dance named after his character that is performed to the Tom Jones hit “It’s Not Unusual.” More recently, he was the 2014 winner of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” and he served as emcee of the “DWTS” live touring show that wended through 40 cities this past winter.

Leave a Reply

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign up to receive breaking news
as well as receive other site updates

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Log in

Copyright © 2008 - 2024 · StreetCorner Media , LLC· All Rights Reserved ·