Key Takeaways
- Tatyana Ali will compete with pro Jan Ravnik on Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars, performing in front of her Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star and DWTS co-host Alfonso Ribeiro.
- The actress and singer joins a celebrity lineup featuring Julia Stiles, Jenna Dewan, Taylor Hanson, Harry Shum Jr., Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Cameron, and Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn.
- The season premieres September 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
Tatyana Ali is heading back to primetime—and this time, there is a Mirrorball Trophy on the line. The actress and singer has joined Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars, where she will compete alongside professional dancer Jan Ravnik.
Ali was introduced as part of the new celebrity lineup during a live cast reveal on Good Morning America. The announcement also sets up a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion, with Ali performing in front of her former sitcom co-star and current DWTS co-host Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks on the show.
The upcoming season will launch with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. Episodes will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.
Ali enters a packed field that includes Julia Stiles, Jenna Dewan, Taylor Hanson, Harry Shum Jr., Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Cameron, and Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn.
For Ali, however, performing in front of an audience is nothing new. She began appearing on Sesame Street at 6 years old, competed on Star Search, and landed the role that changed her career at 11.
As the original Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Ali grew up on television alongside Ribeiro, Will Smith, James Avery, and the rest of the Banks family. ABC’s cast announcement described Ali as “widely recognized” for the sitcom, but her career has stretched far beyond the six-season NBC hit.
Ali also turned Ashley’s musical moments into a recording career of her own. Her 1998 debut album, Kiss the Sky, was certified gold, while its lead single, “Daydreamin’,” climbed to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. She later toured with two of the era’s biggest pop groups, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.
The five-time NAACP Image Award winner has remained active across television, film and theater since her Fresh Prince years. Her credits include The Young and the Restless, Love That Girl!, Disney’s Glory Road, ABC’s Abbott Elementary and the Broadway production of August Wilson’s Fences.
Away from entertainment, Ali graduated from Harvard University in 2002 with a degree in African American Studies and Government. She has also worked as an author and advocate, using her platform to raise awareness about Black maternal health.
