Domingo Recalls Overbrook Days with Will Smith

Colman Domingo described sharing classes with Will Smith at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia during a podcast appearance.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Secondary Education

Red-brick urban school building with tall windows under overcast daylight, with a bare concrete walkway and leafless tree at the edge of the frame. — Actor Colman Domingo recalled sharing gym and science classes with Will Smith at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, where Smith graduated in 1986. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Actor Colman Domingo recalled attending Overbrook High School with Will Smith, who graduated in 1986 one year ahead of him. Domingo said the two shared gym and science classes but were never friends.

Why it matters

The remarks offer a personal look at the early lives of two well-known performers who came from the same Philadelphia high school. They also show how alumni connections from school years can resurface decades later in public interviews.

Smith graduated from Overbrook High School in 1986, one year ahead of Domingo. The two shared gym and science classes, according to Domingo's account on the podcast.

The players

Colman Domingo

Colman Domingo is an American actor and writer known for stage and screen roles.

Will Smith

Will Smith is an American actor and former rapper who began his career performing with DJ Jazzy Jeff.

The details

Domingo made the remarks on Benny Blanco and Lil Dicky's podcast Friends Keep Secrets, and recounted that Smith performed as a local rapper with DJ Jazzy Jeff in West Philadelphia. Domingo said he last saw Smith while working as a waiter at an El Torito restaurant in Philadelphia.

1986: Smith graduates from Overbrook High School.
Earlier in 2026: Domingo discusses Smith on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast.
November 3, 2026: Article published about Domingo's Friends Keep Secrets appearance.

Legacy Stories

Long-form podcast interviews have become a common venue for performers to revisit school years and early careers. Domingo's remarks fit that pattern of recollection on shows like Friends Keep Secrets and Good Hang.

Domingo's comments are available through the podcast episodes on which he spoke. Readers interested in the full recollections can listen to the Friends Keep Secrets and Good Hang episodes directly.

The takeaway

Shared school years can remain a reference point for performers long after they part ways. Listeners often find these personal histories give useful context for how public figures came up in their fields.