‘Bel-Air’ actresses share what they want fans to take away from the Banks women

The time will soon come for Cassandra Freeman, Coco Jones and Akira Akbar to say goodbye to Bel-Air. With their characters Aunt Viv, Hilary and Ashley representing different phases of a woman’s life, they hope each of their storylines can be helpful to women in some way.

Cassandra says she hopes women continue to “feel more beautiful” while realizing that “the more you express what’s going on the inside … the healthier you are physically and mentally.”

Akira wants teenage girls to learn from Ashley “to understand that it’s OK to go through things … and not fully understand who you are because you’re still growing and learning, and eventually you’ll figure things out.”

As for Coco, she hopes the takeaway from Hilary’s storyline is “that social media is edited, and it’s not the realest truth.” She also wants viewers to learn “to not compare your life to what you think somebody else has, because no amount of money, no man, no opportunity is going to stop you from the plights that must occur, and finding yourself is what everyone is trying to do.” 

The ladies also shared what they’ll miss about Bel-Air, with Akira mentioning the cast and the “energy they bring to set every day.” “We’re all like one big family,” she says. “So when we’re on set … it doesn’t feel like we’re working. It feels like we are just at home.” 

Coco talked about the stability of the show, something she doesn’t experience in the music industry, calling Bel-Air “the most normal” job she’s ever had. 

And Cassandra said she’ll miss chatting with Bel-Air showrunner Carla Bank Waddles ahead of each season.

“I think the reason why the show was so impactful to people is that the writers were interested in what was going on in our own chat threads,” she said. 

The last episodes of Bel-Air‘s fourth and final season premiere Monday.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.