‘My Experience Shaped Everything’—Jimmy Akingbola Talks Wrapping ‘Bel-Air,’ Foster Care, And Transforming The Industry
Hopping on a call from Los Angeles, Jimmy Akingbola was in the midst of filming the fourth season of Bel-Air. With this being the hit show’s final season, inevitably, it’s an emotional time. “It’s bittersweet that we ended the show, so I’m in my feelings a bit,” he laughed. “I feel very blessed and grateful.” In the modern-day retelling of the beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the British actor plays Geoffrey Thompson, the Banks family’s mysterious, dapper house manager.
With a slew of stage and screen credits to his name, Akingbola is making his mark stateside—trading his hometown of London for Los Angeles, where he continues to bring a unique lens to every project, both as an actor and a producer. He spoke with iOne Digital about growing up in foster care, the power of representation, and what’s on the horizon as Bel-Air approaches its series finale.
Living the dream
Akingbola began his journey in theater, delivering standout performances in Prayer Room, The Cut, Othello, and more. His list of TV credits is even longer, with memorable roles in Rev., HolbyBlue, Arrow, and, of course, Bel-Air.
But growing up, Jimmy dreamed of becoming a footballer (soccer player, for Americans). Acting wasn’t part of the plan until a drama teacher in secondary school helped him discover his gift. “Mr. Tyres would take me out of maths and put me in his drama class,” he recalled. “He saw something in me. He was giving me Shakespeare at the age of 11.”
In college, Jimmy continued experimenting with performance, though he still didn’t see acting as a serious career path. Inspired by Eddie Murphy’s Raw and Delirious, “I did a monologue about meeting my brother Segun for the first time in Central London,” he recalled. Bringing that scene to life sparked something in him—acting had replaced his first love. “The football pitch became the stage. The crowd became the audience.”
Jimmy decided to change course. Determined and ever practical, he mapped out a plan. “I was like, I’m gonna go to drama school, get an agent, start in theater, and then I’m gonna move to America and do film and TV in Hollywood. I was 16. It was quite a naive thought, but I’m touching wood because I’m living that dream.”
At 18, he enrolled at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in South London. “It taught me about technique and stagecraft.” He found inspiration in Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, “as well as the De Niros and Pacinos”—screen legends who inhabited complex roles that resonated deeply. Their example affirmed he was on the right path.
Belonging, identity, and love
Akingbola’s foundation as both a performer and producer is grounded in his upbringing. “My experience has shaped everything. Being British-Nigerian and growing up with an amazing white foster family gave me a unique lens on belonging, identity, and love that doesn’t always follow the traditional lines. It’s why I gravitate towards complex and layered characters, people who have lived between worlds and carry hidden histories.”
Born in London to Nigerian parents and raised by a white foster family from the age of 2—he’s had to navigate the complexities of adapting to both worlds from a young age. “I’ve had that lived experience of code-switching, of holding multiple truths, and I think that runs through everything I do,” he said.
Handle with Care
That duality is the subject of his 2022 documentary, Handle with Care, which explores the actor’s experience with family, identity, and growing up in foster care. “It’s a love letter to both my families—my whole family. I don’t separate them. It’s a film that challenges assumptions about adoption and foster care. It challenges assumptions about Black families as well as transracial families.”
Growing up, Akingbola was able to spend time with both families, reuniting with his Nigerian mother, father, and siblings. He remained fostered—not adopted—a choice made out of mutual respect between his foster mother, Gloria, and birth mother, Eunice.
Having been raised in the care system, Akingbola hopes his story will resonate with families navigating similar experiences. “If the documentary helps one young person feel seen or helps change the perception of foster families, especially transracial ones, then I’ve done something important. At its core, the film is about humanity. I hope it sparks empathy when normally there’s been judgment.”
He added, “I suppose if my documentary was seen by the younger version of myself, I would want that 10-year-old kid to be inspired regardless of his upbringing and know that he could be anything he wanted to be.”
For Akingbola, Handle with Care is about honoring vulnerability and resilience. “It’s about letting people know that vulnerability is a superpower, not a weakness. I think we rarely see Black men talk openly about love, abandonment, or healing. I wanted to create a space for that—not a space that was mine in trauma, but a space that was highlighting resilience in a positive aspect.”
“Not just diversity for diversity’s sake.”
Coming from a multifaceted background, Akingbola is keenly aware of the power of diverse representation on stage, screen, and behind the scenes.
Determined to change the landscape for cast and crew in the UK, he co-founded the Tri-Force Creative Network (TCN) in 2003, building a network of diverse talent across the industry. “When we started TriForce in the early 2000s, there were very few avenues for underrepresented talent to be seen in the UK—let alone nurtured or celebrated. We were always hearing there wasn’t enough diverse talent, but we knew that wasn’t true.” Instead, it was a matter of access, the actor said.
Today, TCN provides real jobs, creating “opportunities, pipelines, and showcases” for its vast talent network—staying true to the “spirit of empowering creatives at every level.” Since its founding, the industry has indeed shifted. He observed, “Yes, the industry’s awareness has grown, and yet I still feel like there’s a long way to go.”
“From the lens of a Black-British actor, the streamers have created much more work for us. I think people are trying to be a bit more mindful about diverse storytelling, how stories are being told, and who’s telling those stories.”
Inspired by fellow British stars like Idris Elba, David Oyelowo, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Akingbola moved to the U.S., settling in Los Angeles, where he continues to build his body of work, landing his biggest role yet as Geoffrey on Bel-Air, which first aired in 2022.
Beyond Bel-Air
As Bel-Air approaches its highly anticipated final season, Akingbola is already looking ahead. In this next chapter, he’s diving deeper into producing. “After Bel-Air, I’m definitely exercising my producer muscles and trying to continue these layered, different versions of storytelling.”
He’s currently shopping an original scripted drama also titled Handle with Care—“It’s Ozark meets Shameless”—which draws from fictionalized elements of his life growing up in London. Another project in the pipeline is Maurice, a dark comedy about a man who stumbles into the world of underground boxing, triggering a psychological journey as he confronts the quiet traumas looming over his life. The actor is also working on bringing Sorry, I Didn’t Know—his hit comedy panel show about Black history—to American audiences.
No matter the project, Akingbola moves with purpose. Always mindful of where he came from, his story drives him forward—with connection, healing, and uplifting the culture at the heart of it all.
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