Now, this is a story all about how Uncle Phil and Geoffrey didn't really like each other. That line might not flow the same as Will Smith's original lyrics to the theme song for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but it's every bit as accurate.
While all of the main characters were a family, that doesn't mean that they were all friends. This was especially true for the patriarch of the family and their butler. Not only were they not really friends, they barely seemed to like each other at times. Uncle Phil still liked Geoffrey better than Jazz, but that's not saying much.
10 Geoffrey Left England In Disgrace
Out of all the characters on the show, Geoffrey has the most interesting backstory of all. His full name was Geoffrey Barbara Butler. Yes, the butler's last name was Butler. There was a time that he was a respected Olympic runner in England, but was caught cheating. Queen Elizabeth II even slapped him for his transgression.
He left his home country in disgrace, ending up in California as a butler for the Banks family. That big of a life change certainly caused issues with someone like Phil who Geoffrey spent so much time with.
9 Sees Phil As A Step Down
Geoffrey's career as a butler was filled with incredible moments. He was formerly employed by British lords. At one point in the 1970s, he was reputedly the butler for Led Zeppelin. And for a time he was the butler and sparring partner for Chuck Norris.
Then, he ended up working for a lawyer named Philip Banks. Uncle Phil was a very demanding guy, and being his butler certainly lacked the prestige of Geoffrey's previous employers. It's not hard to see why their relationship was strained at times.
8 Phil Constantly Leaned On Geoffrey
If there was a friendship between Phil and Geoffrey, it was extremely one-sided. Phil relied on Geoffrey to manage virtually every detail of his life. Without Geoffrey by his side, Phil was lost. This definitely bothered Geoffrey, who found it extremely difficult to have a personal life with Phil around.
But being that reliant on Geoffrey must have also bothered Phil on some level. He worked hard to find his success, and being so reliant on someone else would have likely been difficult for him.
7 Increasingly Hostile Towards Phil
Geoffrey started the series off as the classic British butler: prim, proper and loyal to a fault. He was dedicated to his family, particularly Uncle Phil who was his employer. But that changed quite quickly. As the series went on, Geoffrey became increasingly rude and sarcastic.
While he had a fondness for Ashley and was generally kind to her, everyone caught his wrath. But Phil was his main target, likely because of their work relationship. Uncle Phil was not blind to his constant barbs and was obviously annoyed by them.
6 Bitterness
One of the main factors in Geoffrey's outlook on life and his relationship with Phil was his bitterness. This was in part due to working with Phil but the rest of his life played a factor, as well. Leaving England in such a shameful way definitely added to the bitterness.
His estrangement from his ex-wife and son were also a big part of the problem. But working for someone like Phil who he obviously did not respect but who was so much more successful than him seemed to make it impossible for Geoffrey to even fake being nice to him.
5 Size Jokes
If the jokes Geoffrey made were good natured ribbing, Uncle Phil might have been able to overlook them. But Geoffrey consistently focused on Phil's weight, which was also Will's focus. Phil's size got mocked a lot on the show. It was definitely something that weighed heavily on him.
He was a little more tolerant of it from Will, probably because he was family. Geoffrey, on the other hand, was Phil's employee and the level of disrespect he sent Phil's way was largely unacceptable.
4 Not An Actual Family Member
All of the main characters on the show were family. The vast majority were part of the Banks family in Bel-Air, then cousin Will from Philly moved in. That was the entire premise of the series. The only main character who wasn't biologically part of the family was Geoffrey, making him the odd man out.
He lived in a house full of people he technically worked for, the only "member of the family" who was paid to be part of it. Many of the Banks treated him like family, but Phil seemed to have a much bigger problem with managing that line.
3 Employer And Employee
When it comes right down to it, Uncle Phil and Geoffrey were boss and employee, respectively. Everyone else in the house had the luxury of blurring that line because they didn't sign Geoffrey's paychecks. But Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv did. And Viv was generally nicer about it than Phil was.
It's hard to be friends with your boss, and vice versa. That's especially true in the Banks' household where a lot of strange things kept happening that would put an even further strain on what little friendship the duo had.
2 The Same Age
At the core of the awkward relationship between Phil and Geoffrey was the fact that they were basically the same age. Phil was born in 1945 and Geoffrey was born in 1947. It must have been difficult for Geoffrey to work for someone with Phil's level of success, knowing that they could have been in high school together.
At the same time, that realization must have also had an impact on Phil and his perceptions of Geoffrey. It was a situation dripping with epic levels of awkwardness.
1 Winning The Lottery
Nowhere was the rift between Uncle Phil and Geoffrey more apparent than when Geoffrey thought he won the lottery. As part of a prank war between them and Geoffrey, Will and Carlton convinced their butler that he had won $26 million. Geoffrey immediately quit, taking shots at everyone on the way out. Well, except for Ashley, of course.
He had no problems insulting Phil even more overtly than usual, then walking out without a second thought. If they were friends, he would have handled the situation much differently.
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