Before saying “I Do” to her “Bad Boy” husband Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith had already carved out her own identity on screen.
She made her TV debut in 1990 as Beverly in the series “True Colors” before going on to play Lena James in the 1990s series “A Different World.” Playing James was one of her early big breaks, as she appeared in 47 episodes over two years.
Pinkett Smith shared a similarity with her character James — they were both from Baltimore, Maryland. The show was set at fictional HBCU Hillman college, where James was studying to become a journalist while working part time at the campus restaurant called “The Pit.”
During her time on the show, the actress shared the screen with lead stars Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy and Bumper Robinson, who portrayed her boyfriend Dorian Heywood on the show. But the episode that sticks in people’s minds featured rapper Tupac Shakur, who portrayed Piccolo, her ex-boyfriend.
In real life, Pinkett Smith and Shakur had a history, though she insists it’s only ever been platonic.
Fast-forward 33 years, the 54-year-old returned to her old stomping grounds, on the set of an iconic show where she and Tupac explored a relationship, to reprise her role of Lena James in the “A Different World” sequel series, which is filmed across several HBCUs and other iconic spots in Atlanta.
On March 11, Pinkett Smith shared a selfie of herself smiling warmly while wearing a turban and posing next to a trailer door with a sign that read “A Different World” with the name Lena James written by marker underneath.
The original show was filmed in California, whereas the sequel is being filmed across several HBCUs in Atlanta and other locations. In the caption, Pinkett Smith wrote, “She back #ADifferentWorld,” not revealing which location she was in.
The sequel series follows Deborah Wayne, who is the daughter of the campus’s main characters, the couple Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert, as she attends her parents’ alma mater as a freshman. The storyline will showcase how Deborah plans to build her own legacy and escape her parents’ shadow.
Guy and Hardison plan to reprise their roles as Gilbert and Wayne alongside other original cast members Cree Summers and Darryl M. Bell.
Fans showed excitement for Pinkett Smith’s return to the beloved series. One person typed, “Yasssss! Can’t wait to see what Lena had been up to!!” Another thrilled individual wrote, “I’ll scream rn, stop.”
A few people mentioned rapper Tupac as well, like one person who said, “If only Piccolo could see you now. Another, referring to his character, typed, “Piccalo rolling over in his grave.” But a third bluntly told Jada on Facebook, “2pac is dead…….Next.”
The “California Love” rapper was gunned down in Las Vegas in 1996 at age 25.
Pinkett Smith and Shakur’s real-life friendship began back at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland. Shakur left Baltimore in 1988 and moved to California, but the two remained close friends up until his death. Though the actress claimed he was her “soulmate” in various interviews over the years, she claimed she meant the term platonically.
Pinkett Smith’s return to the “A Different World” set comes nearly two months after she and Will were spotted looking happy together in Paris as they supported their son Jaden Smith’s first collection as Christian Louboutin’s creative director.
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith out in Paris to support Jaden Smith's Louboutin Capsule Collection pic.twitter.com/ZXw0AEYhoT
— World Latin Honey (@WorldLatinHoney) January 22, 2026
Will and Pinkett Smith got married in 1997 and welcomed two kids, son Jaden, 27, and daughter Willow Smith, 25.
The Smiths admittedly had struggles throughout their marriage, including addressing Pinkett Smith’s “entanglement” with singer August Alsina in 2020. Then, in 2023, she confessed that she and her “Ali” co-star had been separated since 2016, while still legally married.
In addition to their kids, Will also has an older son, Trey Smith, 33, with his first wife, Sheree Zampino.
