Benny Medina, the American record executive and talent manager, had a rather extraordinary upbringing. His rags-to-riches story was TV material and Medina realized this along with his business partner Jeff Pollack. Medina and Pollack developed the concept which later went on to become NBC’s top hit and a culturally iconic show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
While Medina was about to pitch the concept to producer Quincy Jones, he met actor Will Smith during the taping of a show. Medina and Smith immediately hit it off and the record executive decided that Smith would be perfect to play the main character. As the idea progressed, some elements of Smith’s life were incorporated into the show including the title.
Who Is Benny Medina, The Record Executive Behind The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air?
Benny Medina was born into a poor family in East Los Angeles, California. His father abandoned him and his mother died of cancer when he was just nine. He spent a good part of his childhood in foster homes. Medina even dealt drugs during this down period in his life.
During his teen years, he befriended a wealthy white teenager from California’s Beverly Hills neighborhood and moved into the garage behind his house. Medina enrolled at Beverly Hills High where he met Kerry Gordy, the son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. Medina, Gordy, and a few friends formed the Apollo band.
Medina had a quick career growth with his newfound connections. At just 24, he became the A&R head of Motown. Medina then moved his expertise to Warner Bros. Records. He collaborated with artists like Ray Charles, Prince, Madonna, and Fleetwood Mac at WB. He left the company to form his own entertainment company with longtime friend Jeff Pollack, Medina/Pollack Entertainment.
Within years, it grew into a talent management and production company. They made movies like Tupac Shakur’s Above the Rim, David Spade’s Lost & Found, and Jennifer Lopez’s Maid in Manhattan. In 2009, Medina formed The Medina Company.
As a talent manager, Medina took on some very famous clients including Jennifer Lopez and Tyra Banks. He and Sony Music’s ex-head Tommy Mottola were responsible for launching Lopez’s music career. Lopez fired Medina in 2003 but rehired him in 2008. Medina also managed Mariah Carey from 2003 to 2008.
Benny Medina and Jeff Pollack drafted a format for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air loosely based on Medina’s early life. He served as an executive producer on the series.
Actor Jason Dottley accused Medina of attempting to r*pe him in December 2008. The allegations came out in November 2017 in the wake of Anthony Rapp’s accusation against Kevin Spacey (via People). Medina released a statement where he categorically denied the allegation (via Yahoo!).
Is The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Based On Will Smith’s Life?
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air launched the acting career of Will Smith, who would go on to build a $350 million net worth over the years (via People). The NBC show starred Smith as a fictionalized version of himself. The character, like the actor, is from West Philly and has an interest in building a music career.
However, the character’s background was written based on Benny Medina’s life. After getting in trouble in Philly, Will is sent to live with his rich uncle in Bel Air, Los Angeles. While Medina went to live with a white family, the character Will went to live with a Black wealthy family. It was a change that was intended to bring originality to the story.
By changing such elements, the series discussed deeper issues with race and class that were not usually seen in mainstream shows. The show also went with Smith as a straight guy whereas Medina is gay in real life. Will’s troubled past in the series was also something that wasn’t rooted in the actor’s real teenage life.
During his teen years, Smith was making hit records. As part of the hip-hop duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, he won his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989. The actor did have some financial troubles when he took on the role but it was nothing like what the series had portrayed Will’s life to be.
After taking elements from both Benny Medina and Will Smith’s lives, the series also added significant drama to make the show a huge hit. It was one of NBC’s top hit shows during its six-season run.
How Did Will Smith, With No Acting Experience, Land The Role In The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air?
Will Smith was a famous hip-hop star at the time, but he had no formal acting experience. He did not intend to venture into acting until he had financial troubles in the late ’80s. Smith shared in a YouTube vlog in 2018 that before he was in trouble with Uncle Phil, he was “in trouble with Uncle Sam.”
He explained that once his music career took off with DJ Jazzy Jeff, he did not think twice about spending his money. He bought all things expensive like cars and motorcycles and even bought expensive gifts for his friends. However, when the pair released a flop song next, Smith found himself in monetary trouble. He shared:
We released our next album and it was, like, a flop. It was a tragedy, it went, like, double plastic. I had spent all my money, and I didn’t forget but I didn’t pay the IRS. In my mind, I wasn’t trying to like, avoid taxes, I was just like ‘Ah, damn, they need their money.’ The IRS took all that stuff, so I was like, broke, broke, broke.
His girlfriend at the time suggested he go to The Arsenio Hall Show which would change his life forever. While taping the show, he met Benny Medina. By this time, Medina had conceived the idea for The Fresh Prince based on his life. Medina and Smith hit it off and the Warner Bros. Records exec felt that the Aladdin star would be perfect for the central role.
Medina invited Smith to the birthday party of Quincy Jones at his house in 1989. Recalling the party during The Fresh Prince Reunion in 2020, Smith shared that he would go on to meet Jones and attend his first acting audition in his life (via Cinemablend). Jones wanted Smith to enact his failed Morris Day pilot script for NBC chief Brandon Tartikoff.
Smith revealed that he prepared for the audition in ten minutes. Tartikoff was blown away by Smith and they signed a deal memo on that night. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is now available for streaming on Max.
