Alfonso Ribeiro wears multiple hats – actor, singer, dancer, Dancing with the Stars host, Carlton. But one of his most cherished is simply "dad." The performer is a proud father to four children, shared with his current wife Angela Unkrich plus his ex-wife Robin Stapler, and will share glimpses into his life as a parent to varying degrees while attempting to keep them out of the private eye. It's apparently a philosophy he also shares with fellow dads on his two sons' baseball teams.
"All of the dads, we're like, 'Look, if my kid does something I wouldn't approve of, you have full ability to speak to my child and let me know,'" he told Yahoo Life. "The kids know that all the parents are watching. Structure is very important for kids, because it's what you’ll deal with in life. And if you get used to structure at an early age, you are ready for what life is going to bring you."
Sienna Michele Ribeiro is the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star's oldest child, welcomed in October 2002 with his ex-wife Robin. Alfonso and Robin were married from January 2002 to August 2006, and now co-parent their daughter. Sienna graduated from Loyola Marymount University earlier this year and is based in Los Angeles, working as an actor and screenwriter, per her LinkedIn.
She has appeared in an episode of NCIS and most recently appeared in the film The Lighting Code this year. On her most recent birthday, Alfonso posted a sweet tribute to her on social media: "My beautiful sienna is so special to me. She's so smart and strong and fierce. She has become an incredible woman. I'm so proud of her. Soon enough everyone will see. Hope you had a very special day."
Alfonso "AJ" Lincoln Ribeiro was born in October 2013, the actor's first child with his now wife Angela. As the oldest of his siblings, and the second oldest of Alfonso's kids, AJ is a lot more visible than his younger siblings, even making appearances in the DWTS ballroom with his dad. He is also quite sporty, with his parents often displaying his love for baseball and mini golf on social media.
"AJ absolutely loves mini golf!" Angela told People. "We go to mini golf courses all the time. All the kids came in golf attire, so it was adorable to see a sea of little professional-looking mini-golfers playing the nine-hole mini-golf course."
Alfonso and Angela welcomed Anders Reyn Ribeiro in April 2015. Like his older brother, Anders is also a baseball head, recently even making his dad proud, who shared on Instagram: "So proud of Anders yesterday. After very little sleep he went out and played 3 great games. Won a championship ring and got player of the day."
Like his siblings, Anders is homeschooled, although speaking with Yahoo Life, Alfonso explained that his hope was to give them as much "normalcy" as possible. "I'm just Dad to them," he says. He also explained that he was intent on raising his kids in a way that allowed them to express their emotions, especially his sons. "I don't want boys who can't show their feelings."
Ava Sue Ribeiro is the youngest of Alfonso's kids, born in May 2019. The proud dad once described her as "full of personality, wise beyond her years, can sing beautifully on key without a single voice lesson, and is already a master negotiator," in a social media tribute on her birthday. "I love her imagination, bravery, athleticism, and her ability to express and show love."
It just so happened, on that same fourth birthday, the day before her party, Ava took a spill on her scooter so bad she required emergency surgery. However, the trooper that she is, she quickly recovered, and Alfonso included in his tribute: "And even with her nasty spill the day before her party, this tough girl didn't complain once about the pain or when I had to apply the ointment every two hours."
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