History Heartwarming / TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir

* In "Ain't No Business Like Show Business", Will invites his friend Keith from Philly to stay with him while he auditions for a showcase at a comedy club. Uncle Phil is initially isn't the most hospitable until Will bribes him to let Keith stay. In spite of his aspirations to be a comedian, and Will's other friends like Jazz and Ice Tray all falling into TheWackyGuy characterization, Keith is shown to be a well-grounded guy. Halfway through the episode, Uncle Phil apologizes for his earlier attitude and tells Keith he has his head on straight and was a good influence on Will. Since Aunt Vivian was stated to be out of town during the episode, it's clear she had no input on what Uncle Phil said.

** Will didn't get in trouble for tagging along with Carlton, and scaring him with a Freddie mask. Apparently, Vivian and Uncle Phil let him off the hook because they silently acknowledge that if he ''hadn't'' been there, Carlton could have been stopped and arrested anyway. Uncle Phil also agrees with Will that the system is unfair.

*** Creator/AlfonsoRibiero tweeted:

* RealLife Example: After James Avery (Uncle Phil) passed away in 2013, his former co-stars paid tribute to him:
** Janet Hubert (the first Aunt Vivian),
--->"RIP James, all the world is a stage, and we are all merely players in this production called LIFE."
** Creator/WillSmith commented on his death by saying,
--->"Some of my greatest lessons in acting, living, and being a respectable human being came through James Avery. Every young man needs an Uncle Phil. Rest in Peace."
** Alfonso Ribiero (Carlton) tweeted:
--->"I'm deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away. He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly."
** Tatyana Ali (Ashley) tweeted:
--->"James was my teacher, my protector and the most magnificent actor. We're feeling his loss very deeply. He'll always be a part of me."
** Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey) referred to Avery as a "gentle giant, a marvelous man and a truly wonderful actor."
* 19 years after the show ended, Will Smith [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T38dfFYMCVU still remembers a cameraman he worked with on Fresh Prince at the 2014 Oscars]].

* Meta: Despite Janet Hubert and Will Smith [[HostilityOnTheSet initially not getting along]] back when the series started and leading to the former leaving the show, they seem to [[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/09/will-smith-janet-hubert-fresh-prince-aunt-viv-reunion have buried the hatchet as of 2020]].
** In the same reunion special, Janet reunites with the rest of the cast[[note]]though Alfonso is missing during that segment[[/note]]. She and Daphne Maxwell Reid share a hug, being the first time the two Aunt Vivs have ever met.

--> '''Uncle Phil:''' You are my son, Will. End of story.

-->'''Uncle Phil:''' You don't know my first memory of you. I remember... the kid loaded with all the potential in the world. Now I see someone on the verge of realizing that potential.

[[caption-width-right:350:"You're my son, Will. End of story."]]

'''Phil:''' In addition to it. ''*presents Geoffrey with an envelope*''

-->'''Phil:''' (Laughs) Good idea... but when he comes by, wish him all the best from me.

* When the bickering Will and Lisa go to pre-marital counseling, the counselor gives them foam bats to work out their aggression. For that day's session, they are joined by [[Series/TheJeffersons George & Louise Jefferson]], (at this point, it becomes obvious the episode is intended as an {{Homage}} to the "foam bat" episode from the previous series). Despite all their previous arguing, Will and Lisa are instantly ticked off when George and Louise make insulting comments about their respective partners and engage in an all-out brawl. By the episode's end, they realize that they have what it take to make a marriage work if they can stick together despite previous animosity.

-->'''Uncle Phil:''' You don't know my first memory of you. I remember...the kid loaded with all the potential in the world. Now I see someone on the verge of realizing that potential.

-->'''Will:''' [[ParentalAbandonment At least you had someone to teach you suff you know?]] I had to learn stuff on my own. I mean, my mom was working all the time and everything. Like, I always wanted to rollerskate, but I didn't really know how to do it, so I used to put on one skate and just push with the other foot.
-->''Phil laughs''
-->'''Will:''' It never seemed like I could be fast enough to keep up with the other kids, though. You know, actually, that's how I felt when I came to Bel-Air. Like everyone else had two skates and I was trying to keep up with one. Um... [[ParentalSubstitute Thanks for being my other skate, Uncle Phil.]]

* In "Bullets Over Bel Air", Everyone reacts their own way when it comes to Will getting shot. Props go especially to Hilary, while her demands at the hospital seem to be her snotty self on the surface. Inside, she just wanted to help her cousin out any way she can. Especially since for once it's not for her, it's for Will.

* Also from the finale, Hilary snottily demanding that Geoffrey take her bags to the car. When he comes in, she reveals that she was just kidding and wanted to say it just one last time, only to have Geoffrey pick her things with a smile and say "It would be my pleasure."

* In the closing scene of the series finale, [[spoiler: Uncle Phil is the only person to mention Jazz, who had already appeared briefly at the start of the finale and isn’t featured again. Will explains his absence by stating that Jazz is simply waiting for Phil to leave before he comes to help him pack. Phil doesn’t take offense, instead he tells Will to send Jazz well wishes on his behalf. Mind you that Jazz has been the bane of Phil’s existence throughout the series, yet he still had friendly parting words for him. With all of the family moving to different parts of the country, Phil gets Carlton, Hilary and Ashley to agree to call himself and Vivian at least once a week on Sunday, and as Phil leaves the house for the last time, he looks fondly at Will and simply says "Sunday."]]

** [[spoiler:Will]] joining Carlton in dancing and singing to "It's Not Unusual" by Music/TomJones. This is especially heartwarming, since he was shunned for the song, and that in the end of the show's run, [[spoiler:Will]] joins in.

* In "Ain't No Business Like Show Business", Will invites his friend Keith from Philly to stay with him while he auditions for a showcase at a comedy club. Uncle Phil is initially isn't the most hospitable until Will bribes him to let Keith stay. In spite of his aspirations to be a comedian, and Will's other friends like Jazz and Ice Tray all falling into the WackyGuy characterization, Keith is shown to be a well-grounded guy. Halfway through the episode, Uncle Phil apologizes for his earlier attitude and tells Keith he has his head on straight and was a good influence on Will. Since Aunt Vivian was stated to be out of town during the episode, it's clear she had no input on what Uncle Phil said.

** The subplot has Hilary being surprised by Trevor in the house to make her dinner and although the former is [[InformedUgliness (apparently)]] not her normally, dolled-up self, even asking Geoffrey to get her hot comb, he still calls her beautiful.

* In Season 5's "Not With My Cousin, You Don't", Ashley and her boyfriend are considering having sex; Ashley, a virgin, is confused and scared about the whole situation. She seeks out Vivian for TheTalk, but she is attending a conference. Ashley is trying to figure out what to do when Hilary walks through the kitchen on the way to her show; though at first she claims not to have time to talk, her "big sister radar" informs her that Ashley has something important going on. The two sit down and share a tender scene, with Hilary sharing the story of her first time and offering Ashley some genuinely good, intelligent advice: she'll know when she's ready, and it has to be her choice, not anyone else's. She then tells Ashley that she knows she'll be fine, because she's always been intelligent and responsible, and promises to support her no matter what. It's one of the few times we watch Ashley and Hilary act truly sisterly on the show, and it's nice to see Hilary showing a deeper side than usual.

* In the series finale, [[spoiler: Uncle Phil is the only person to mention Jazz, who had already appeared in one brief scene at the start of the finale and doesn’t appear again. Will mentions that Jazz is waiting for Phil to leave before he comes to help him pack. Phil doesn’t take offense, instead he tells Will to send Jazz well wishes on his behalf. Mind you that Jazz has been the bane of Phil’s existence throughout the series. With all of the family moving to different parts of the country, Phil gets Carlton, Hilary and Ashley to agree to call himself and Vivian at least once a week on Sunday, and as Phil leaves the house for the last time, he looks fondly at Will and simply says "Sunday."]]

* One for a series as a whole, namely in the series finale [[spoiler: Phil is the only person to mention Jazz, who had already appeared in one brief scene at the start of the finale. He tells Will to send Jazz well wishes on his behalf. Mind you that Jazz has been the bane of Phil’s existence throughout the series. With all of the family moving to different parts of the country, Phil gets Carlton, Hilary and Ashley to agree to call himself and Vivian at least once a week on Sunday, and as Phil leaves the house for the last time, he looks fondly at Will and simply says "Sunday."]]

Meta: Despite Janet Hubert and Will Smith [[HostilityOnTheSet initially not getting along]] back when the series started and leading to the former leaving the show, they seem to [[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/09/will-smith-janet-hubert-fresh-prince-aunt-viv-reunion have buried the hatchet as of 2020]].

* In "Guess who's coming to marry?', Will's mother Vy is angry that her sister Janice isn't taking her advice and going through with marrying her intended fiancee who she objects to and refuses to go or let Will go to the wedding. Will stands up to his mother by saying he can't disappoint his aunt and that it's ridiculous for her to not love someone because they don't do what she says. Vy then shows up at the wedding despite her objections.

* While "The Ethnic Tip" has a BrokenAesop of Will and Carlton wanting to start a Black History class at school and hating that their professor, Aunt Vivian, was extra hard on them, the ''White'' students not only loved her and were enthusiastic about the coursework, but even started a petition to have her become their permanent history teacher.