Entertainment
12 'Fresh Prince' Insults That Are You So Funny You'll Want To Use Them Yourself
Warner Bros. TV
For a fish-out-of-water comedy, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air surprisingly didn't have many zingers targeted at Will being out of place in his surroundings. The show was actually a full-on insult free-for-all, with everyone getting some good smack-downs in — even sweet Grandma Banks. These are just 11 Fresh Prince put-downs that still sting even years later, but be sure to check out the show's reruns, because there are plenty more where they came from.
Carlton and Uncle Phil were a regular David and Goliath of easy targeting and bore most of the abuse, with Will and butler Geoffrey as the worst offenders. It didn't help that Carlton was as dorky as the day is long (just ask him about his Tom Jones record collection), and Uncle Phil's pomposity made him an easy balloon to burst back down to Earth.
Meanwhile, Will's weakness for the ladies often had him getting slammed back down to reality after he used one of his many corny pick-up lines, not that it ever stopped him from trying. Often, Will realizing he was in over his head became its own running gag on Fresh Prince. Then there was Hilary's self-absorption, which meant insults bounced off her like Louboutins off marble flooring. The show was full of great put-downs, but of course, it was all because the Banks family clearly cared about each other — enough to know exactly how to embarrass everyone.
1. Carlton's Dating Life
Carlton: "If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and smells like a duck, what is it?"
Will: "Your prom date?"
2. Grandma Hattie's Subtle Shade
Grandma Hattie: "Ashley, sweetie! My, how you've grown.
Hilary, sweetie! My, how you've grown.
Carlton, sweetie! ....Hi!"
3. Uncle Phil's Appetite
Uncle Phil: "He turned a skinny little kid from South Carolina into the man you see before you today and you know how? He challanged me."
Will: "To what, a pie-eating contest?"
4. Will's Sex Appeal
Will's former friend and current catch Jackie popped up a lot in Season 4 of Fresh Prince, and his lame attempts to win her over netted this classic snapback:
Will: "Hey, Jackie, hey, come on, girl now, you know that Hank Farley is not your type. I'm saying, you strip away the shoulder pads and the muscles and the dimples and what you got?"
Jackie: "You."
5. Uncle Phil's Size
Uncle Phil: "I've worked my ass off trying to keep him in line."
Geoffrey: "And yet, it's come back with a vengeance."
6. Will's Dating Life
In Season 1's "Homeboy Sweet Homeboy", Will and pal from the neighborhood Ice Tray rib each other about past dates:
Ice Tray: "What about that one girl you went out with, that Latiqua? Man, that girl was ugly."
Will: "Ugly? You crazy, man."
Ice Tray: "She was so ugly, she was oogly. She was so ugly, Freddy Krueger had nightmares about her."
Will: "At least she was smart. That girl you was with..."
Ice Tray: "Stacy."
Will: "That girl was so dumb, it took her an hour to cook Minute Rice."
7. Will's Pickup Lines
Will's corny pickup lines backfire at the Playboy Mansion in a Season 4 episode:
Will: "Girl, what would it take for a guy like me to get next to a girl like you?"
Playboy Bunny: "Five years and six figures."
8. Carlton's Height
Carlton: "Will, you gotta lie to get what you want. Didn't you watch the Republican convention?"
Will: "Carlton, don't make me come down there."
9. Hilary's Snobbery
Hillary: "I'm a career woman. I don't have time to dust and push around that... oh, what do you call that big, loud thing that sucks up everything?"
Geoffrey: "You call him "Daddy."
10. Carlton's Height, Again
When Will and Carlton run into some gorgeous French ladies who love rap:
Girls (to Carlton): "I am Renee and this is Monique, and what do you caII yourseIf?"
Will: "He's Tiny By Nature."
11. Will's Narcissism
Even under (admittedly made-up) trouble, Will can't help sassing back in Season 5's "Fresh Prince: The Movie."
Mob Killer: "If I were you, I'd run."
Will: "If you were me, you'd be good looking."
12. Geoffrey's Wit
In Season 5, Geoffrey walks up behind mid-rant and can't resist...
Uncle Phil: "I don't want any buts!"
Geoffrey: "Well, you're certainly losing that battle."
At the end of the day, the Banks family clearly loved each other a lot, otherwise they wouldn't know each other well enough to hit their targets right on the mark every time.
