Alfonso Ribeiro Addresses His 'DWTS' Edge

Published
ETONLINE

Alfonso Ribeiro has emerged as the clear frontrunner on Dancing with the Stars, and ET went behind the scenes during his dance rehearsal with pro partner Witney Carson.

PICS: Alfonso Ribeiro Rounds out New DWTS Cast

While many know Ribeiro, 43, for the "Carlton Dance" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, his dancing history actually goes way back. In 1983, Ribeiro made a name for himself in New York as the lead in the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid. The next year, Ribeiro was featured in an iconic Pepsi commercial with Michael Jackson.

"Obviously, the older generation remembers the Pepsi commercial, but I was 12," said Ribeiro, who maintained that dancing doesn't come back like riding a bike, and he's been working hard to get his dancing legs back.

Ribeiro's DWTS stint follows the birth of his first child last fall. He and wife Angela Unkrich welcomed a baby boy, Alfonso Jr. and Ribeiro shared how difficult it's been to be away from him.

"It is tough," Ribeiro admitted. "I do get my time with him. Most Americans go to work every day and get home at six o'clock and then they get to spend time with their kids, so at the end of the day, I'm really just doing what everybody else normally does when they have kids."

Watch the clip to see Alfonso in his first ET interview.