'90s Fitness Star Susan Powter says She was "Bored Stiff" on "The Fresh Prince" - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 12-01-2025, 07:50 PM

Why '90s Fitness Star Susan Powter was "Bored Stiff" Filming "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" with Will Smith (Exclusive)
by Joey Nolfi
November 30, 2025

Filming Will Smith's TV sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" was admittedly a bit of a rotten experience for '90s fitness legend and Stop the Insanity! infomercial star Susan Powter.

Seated inside one of her favorite restaurants in Las Vegas, the 67-year-old exclusively explains to Entertainment Weekly how the team around her at the height of her fame jerked the wheel of her wellness-oriented career in a different direction than she'd hoped — all in an attempt to turn her into a Hollywood star.

"That’s what started to happen," Powter reflects between bites of a savory vegan bowl. It's the small pleasures she enjoys amid her low-key, solitary life, which sees her taking up residence inside a compact apartment while making ends meat from her gig as an Uber Eats delivery driver.

"One of the managers wanted to do TV, because they wanted the syndication money. I never wanted to do TV or movies. It was just part of the career thing. Let’s get her on this and that," Powter says of the run-up to her 1994 guest role on "The Fresh Prince", which came on the season 5, episode 11 installment titled "Will Steps Out."

"I totally did it and it was fine, I did the best job I could," she says.

"Will [Smith] was dressed in a fat suit. It was in a grocery store, but I’ve never been that person. I’m not hokey, even though that’s how it was always portrayed."

She says that, while "Will was super nice" and that she "had a great time" with the future Oscar-winning star (who even "signed something for my kids," she remembers), she didn't love what moves like the appearance meant for her overall career.

"I’m not going to be an ass and say doing a TV show is something everybody gets to do. I did my job," Powter stresses.

"Did I ever want to go back on a TV set again? No. Bored stiff. Most boring thing I’ve ever done. Sit in a room all day and wait to come out and read a line, and then you do it 10 times? I literally could bang my head against a wall."

https://ew.com/susan-powter-bored-st...usive-11852882

12-01-2025, 07:50 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,011	'90s Fitness Star Susan Powter says She was "Bored Stiff" on "The Fresh Prince" *Why '90s Fitness Star Susan Powter was "Bored Stiff" Filming "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" with Will Smith (Exclusive)* by Joey Nolfi November 30, 2025 Filming Will Smith's TV sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" was admittedly a bit of a rotten experience for '90s fitness legend and Stop the Insanity! infomercial star Susan Powter. Seated inside one of her favorite restaurants in Las Vegas, the 67-year-old exclusively explains to Entertainment Weekly how the team around her at the height of her fame jerked the wheel of her wellness-oriented career in a different direction than she'd hoped — all in an attempt to turn her into a Hollywood star. "That’s what started to happen," Powter reflects between bites of a savory vegan bowl. It's the small pleasures she enjoys amid her low-key, solitary life, which sees her taking up residence inside a compact apartment while making ends meat from her gig as an Uber Eats delivery driver. "One of the managers wanted to do TV, because they wanted the syndication money. I never wanted to do TV or movies. It was just part of the career thing. Let’s get her on this and that," Powter says of the run-up to her 1994 guest role on "The Fresh Prince", which came on the season 5, episode 11 installment titled "Will Steps Out." "I totally did it and it was fine, I did the best job I could," she says. "Will [Smith] was dressed in a fat suit. It was in a grocery store, but I’ve never been that person. I’m not hokey, even though that’s how it was always portrayed." She says that, while "Will was super nice" and that she "had a great time" with the future Oscar-winning star (who even "signed something for my kids," she remembers), she didn't love what moves like the appearance meant for her overall career. "I’m not going to be an ass and say doing a TV show is something everybody gets to do. I did my job," Powter stresses. "Did I ever want to go back on a TV set again? No. Bored stiff. Most boring thing I’ve ever done. Sit in a room all day and wait to come out and read a line, and then you do it 10 times? I literally could bang my head against a wall." https://ew.com/susan-powter-bored-st...usive-11852882 Attached Images