The latest episode of Quintessentially Speaking sat down with actor Jimmy Akinbola, best known to audiences as Jeffrey on Peacock’s Bel-Air, for a conversation that ranged far beyond the screen. Hosts Jonathan Wells and Eric Keith welcomed Akinbola for what turned into an unusually candid look at identity, family, and the industry itself.
Akinbola, who is British and of Nigerian descent, has lived in Los Angeles for eight years, and he didn’t hesitate when asked to choose between London and L.A.
“I feel like living in L.A., or being in L.A., I’m in line with my purpose,” he said, describing a career he feels he’s earned through years of persistence. That thread, the pull between where you’re from and where you’re going, ran through much of the episode, as the conversation moved into the growing number of Black Americans and Black Brits reconnecting with the African continent, and what that shift says about identity in the social media age.
The most personal stretch of the episode centered on Akinbola’s own upbringing. He was fostered, not adopted, by a white British family, and he was open about how closely that experience mirrors the “fish out of water” premise at the heart of Bel-Air itself.
Rather than dwell on the difficult foster-care narratives so often told, Akinbola spoke about being raised with intention, a family that made sure he understood his Nigerian roots, encouraged him to build friendships across the diaspora, and never once let him feel like an outsider in his own home.
That upbringing became the foundation for his documentary, Handle With Care. Akinbola explained that the film isn’t meant to dismiss the painful foster and adoption stories that dominate the conversation, but to add the story that’s missing: that unconditional love in the system is possible, and common.
He wants a young person watching to see themselves in it and understand that “I don’t have to let my beginning dictate my future,” that they can become whatever they set out to be, regardless of how their story started. He also pointed to something he sees as deeply cultural: Black families have long taken in cousins, neighbors, and children who needed a home, informally and without hesitation, long before any paperwork made it official.
For Akinbola, Handle With Care is as much about encouraging people to foster and adopt as it is about giving kids currently in the system a reason to keep going.
From there, the discussion turned toward the industry at large, Ryan Coogler‘s Sinners, Delroy Lindo‘s recent awards recognition, and what Akinbola called the “Idris Elba blueprint” for British actors crossing over to Hollywood.
He also didn’t shy away from one of the more urgent conversations facing performers right now: the use of AI and likeness rights, sharing a story about a colleague nearly signing away their image for an entire production. “I think we have to say no,” he said, calling for stronger protections across the industry.
There’s a lot more in this episode than what’s captured here, including his read on the diaspora debates playing out online, his take on class and race in the UK versus the U.S., and the word of encouragement he leaves for every Black man still finding his way in this industry.
Episode 4 of Quintessentially Speaking is available now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Listen to the full episode.
