Some sitcom theme songs really stick with you, so much so that they become iconic pieces of pop culture in and of themselves. This is certainly true of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song, which tells the story of how Will Smith's character was sent to go live with his aunt and uncle in one of the most bougie neighborhoods in Los Angeles. To this day, 30 years since the show premiered, many of us still know every last word to that tune and can perfectly picture Smith's character in awe as his cab pulled up to his new home in Bel-Air. Our lasting attachment to the story weaved by the Fresh Prince theme song makes the realization that the mansion depicted in the show isn't actually located in Bel-Air pretty wild.
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Like most sitcoms of that era, the scenes that took place inside Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv's house were shot on a sound stage. However, establishing shots for those scenes featured a big white house with soaring columns. Surely you remember it. According to IMDB, the home that starred in those shots is located on Bristol Avenue in the Brentwood neighborhood of L.A.
While you might think that this is an odd choice for a show that is intrinsically linked to a specific neighborhood, Brentwood is only about five miles from Bel-Air. The homes in these two areas also fall into similarly high price ranges. So, although the Bristol Avenue home isn't actually in the show's namesake neighborhood, it's got an impressive value that lives up to the fancy Bel-Air lifestyle that's key to the sitcom.
Realtor.com estimates the Fresh Prince house to be worth $6,475,500 today. And, at 6,438 square feet, with five bedrooms and five bathrooms, it's also got enough space for the whole Banks family including their nephew — well, at least until Nicky was born toward the end of season 3. So although, the Banks mansion isn't in Bel-Air it still reflects the story laid out in the show and its enduringly popular theme song.