Exclusive: ’90s Fitness Icon Susan Powter’s Unseen Side on Fresh Prince Set

On Nov 30, 2025

Key Moments from Susan Powter’s Career

Susan Powter reveals to Entertainment Weekly that she found shooting The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1994 “incredibly dull.”
The Stop the Insanity! fitness symbol “never aspired to work in television or films,” but felt compelled to do so during her time in the spotlight.
Powter expresses embarrassment over her appearance on the Emmys red carpet to Entertainment Weekly.

Shooting Will Smith‘s famed sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was, according to 90s fitness icon and Stop the Insanity! infomercial star Susan Powter, a regrettable experience.

Susan Powter’s Foray into Acting

Speaking exclusively to Entertainment Weekly from one of her favourite restaurants in Las Vegas, the now 67-year-old Susan Powter recounts how her team, at the peak of her fame, diverted her health-focused career towards Hollywood stardom.

Powter recalls her experience on the set of Fresh Prince during her guest role in the season 5, episode 11 installment titled “Will Steps Out”. Despite enjoying working with “super nice” Will Smith, the overall impact on her career was not positive.

Susan Powter’s TV Appearances

Powter made several TV appearances throughout the ’90s, including a parody of her Stop the Insanity! on Saturday Night Live, interviews on The Tonight Show, her own short-lived talk series The Susan Powter Show, and a guest role on the Designing Women spinoff Women of the House.

The Downside of Fame

Despite her successful career, Powter admits that fame came with its drawbacks, including an embarrassing appearance on the Emmy’s red carpet and a pressure to maintain a high profile. She never felt personally affected by the success of Stop the Insanity!, but noticed the impact on those around her.

New Documentary on Susan Powter

The new documentary, now playing in select theaters, follows Powter some 30 years after she decided to step away from the media circus surrounding her career. In a 2024 interview with EW, Jamie Lee Curtis described the film as “an indictment of how we discard human beings as they get older in this country.”

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly