85: The Fresh Prince of Foster Care with Actor Jimmy Akingbola

In the Peacock documentary, Handle With Care, British actor Jimmy Akingbola shares his personal experience of growing up in London’s foster care system. His father disowned him as a baby. The actor’s mother, who suffered from schizophrenia, abandoned him and left him inside an office building when he was 2 years old. Akingbola then found himself in foster care and was raised by a white family for over a decade; but as a kid, he felt ashamed and embarrassed to be seen with them while in public. Join us as I SEE U host Eddie Robinson chats unguarded with acclaimed actor, Jimmy Akingbola. The star of the reimagined, serialized hit drama, BEL-AIR, reminisces about the joys and challenges of growing up with the Crowe family while wondering if the love he possessed for his biological siblings felt mutual. Akingbola also offers up insight into the importance of understanding cultural identity and embracing one’s own unique gifts and talents, as performing runs deep in his family. His older brother, Sola Akingbola, is a percussionist for the Grammy-award winning band, Jamiroquai; and his niece, Fola Evans-Akingbola, is a British actress and model who plays a Secret Service agent in the acclaimed Netflix series, The Night Agent.