Hollywood loves a good origin story, but Colman Domingo‘s comes with an unexpected supporting character: Will Smith. Long before Oscar nominations, red carpets, and the kind of career that makes casting directors swoon, Domingo was a Philadelphia high school student trying to avoid getting beaten up. Meanwhile, Smith was already the guy everyone wanted to know.
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The two attended school together, although their teenage social lives apparently occupied very different zip codes. He revealed the unlikely connection during an appearance on the Friends Keep Secrets podcast, hosted by Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky (Dave Burd), and Kristin Batalucco.
Smith was one year ahead of Domingo, and their shared school experience included gym and science classes. Naturally, the hosts assumed this meant the future stars were buddies.
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Not quite.
“We were never friends,” he said. “He was the cool kid, and I was the nerd. I was trying to not get beat up the whole time.”
It’s a wonderfully un-Hollywood admission. While some celebrities spend their interviews manufacturing childhood connections, Domingo was perfectly happy to explain that he wasn’t exactly hanging out with the future Fresh Prince.
Will Smith Had the High School Hype, Colman Domingo Had Homework
Smith was already attracting attention through his performances with DJ Jazzy Jeff, long before the world knew him as a television star or blockbuster leading man.
“‘Summertime’ is not out yet,” he said. “He’s not even on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air yet. Right before that, he was a local rapper. He and Jazzy Jeff, they would do shows… and all the cool kids went.”
“I didn’t go because I wasn’t a cool kid. I heard about it, but I was too busy doing school.”
Smith apparently didn’t need fame to command a room. Domingo described his younger classmate as “very much just himself: charismatic [and] wonderful.”
The closest Domingo got to Smith’s social circle was through a friend, Gina Cooper, whom Smith dated. That connection was enough to make their paths familiar, but not enough to turn the pair into teenage besties.
Looking back, the contrast is almost too perfect. Smith was already performing for crowds, while Domingo was focused on getting through high school. Neither could have known how dramatically their professional lives would eventually unfold.
Colman Domingo’s Hollywood Reunion Happened Over a Restaurant Table
Smith’s career took off with music and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Domingo’s journey was considerably less instantaneous, involving years of theater work and smaller television roles before Fear the Walking Dead helped bring him wider recognition in 2016.
He eventually earned Oscar nominations for Rustin and Sing Sing. Not exactly the career trajectory of someone who was destined to remain the nerd in the school hallway.
Yet their reunion wasn’t at an awards ceremony, exclusive Hollywood party, or celebrity-filled restaurant where everyone pretends not to recognize everyone else.
It happened while Domingo was working as a waiter at El Torito in Philadelphia.
“The last interaction I had with him was when I was working at El Torito restaurant in Philadelphia as a waiter,” he shared. “This is after he became very successful, moved to L.A., came back. And he had a big table with a bunch of friends.”
Smith apparently recognized something about the server but couldn’t immediately identify him.
“He looked at me like I looked somewhat familiar,” he recalled. “Again, I was like a nerdy kid who was really good friends with his girlfriend Gina. So he looked at me, and I’m like, ‘Will, we went to high school together.’”
The response was friendly, if brief.
“He’s like, ‘Oh man, we did! Hey! How you doing?’” he continued. “And we hugged, and that was it. The weirdest thing is throughout our careers now, I’ve never run into him.
“I’m sure we’ll see each other at some point, and there’ll be warmth and a shared history from Philadelphia.”
Somewhere, a Hollywood screenwriter is taking notes. The former nerd serves the former cool kid, both have become successful, and neither needs to pretend they were childhood friends for the story to work.
Colman Domingo’s Husband Story Makes Dating Apps Look Pathetic
If Domingo’s high school memories are a reminder that life doesn’t always follow the popular kid, his relationship with husband Raúl is proof that romance doesn’t necessarily require a carefully curated dating profile.
The actor shared the story of their first encounter, which took place in Berkeley, California, in 2005. It was a time when meeting someone online could involve buying a computer, opening Craigslist, and hoping fate had a surprisingly specific search result.
“Picture it. 2005. It was an analog time. I’m walking down the street, and I’m in Berkeley, California. I see this beautiful face. We see each other. Lock eyes. Never speak,” said Domingo of the fateful moment.
That brief encounter apparently made quite an impression.
“I’m like, ‘Who the f*ck is this?’ Three days later, I’m on Craigslist trying to buy a used computer. I couldn’t stop thinking about this interaction. Like, what if I place one of the Craigslist misconnections, you know, ‘Saw you on the A train. You were wearing a red hat.’ I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll write one of those.’
“I look on page two, third from the top, it says, ‘Saw you at Walgreens Berkeley.’”
The plot twist? Raúl had already posted a missed connection describing Domingo, including his fauxhawk.
“It was f*cking me,” recalled Domihngo. “He described me and my fauxhawk. He had hair down here and lip piercing. We met up three days later. I told him I loved him on our first date. ‘I love you, and you’re going to change my life.’ And that is the way that story goes. We’ve been together for 21 years.”
Twenty-one years together after a chance encounter, a Craigslist post, and a first date that apparently skipped the usual emotional warm-up.
Modern dating has algorithms, compatibility quizzes, and enough swiping to develop thumb fatigue. Domingo and Raúl had a Walgreens sighting and a missed connection.
Honestly, that’s a pretty compelling argument for looking up from your phone occasionally.
Domingo shared these stories during his appearance on the Friends Keep Secrets podcast. Listen to the full conversation here.
And while Domingo and Smith may never have been high school friends, Domingo’s life has delivered something arguably better: a celebrated career, a husband who recognized him across Berkeley, and enough stories to make the nerds feel like they might just get the last laugh.