The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion special in 2020 cleared up the facts about the controversy surrounding the replacement of the original Aunt Vivian Banks. For decades, it's been rumored that actress Janet Hubert was fired after clashing with star Will Smith. However, the HBO Max 30-year celebration program reveals a different side of the story. Hubert makes a special appearance in the reunion episode and states that she walked away from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for personal reasons.
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Much of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion special involves the original cast members reflecting on the early years of the NBC series. Smith jokes about his untraditional audition while attending a party at Quincy Jones' home and notes that the original comedic focus of The Fresh Prince was centered on Will's friction with Uncle Phil, portrayed by the late James Avery. In retrospect, many fans of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air correlate the Aunt Vivian character with Daphne Maxwell Reid. The reality is that Hubert appeared in 73 episodes during the first three seasons.
Why Was Aunt Viv Replaced In Fresh Prince?
Janet Hubert Says She Was In A Bad Place
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Janet Hubert revealed in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Aur reunion special the context for leaving The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She was pregnant during season 3 and had also been experiencing "a very abusive marriage." Hubert links her behind-the-scenes stress to her on-set demeanor, stating, "I was no longer laughing, smiling, joking because there were things that were going on that nobody knew about."
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She also reveals that NBC offered her "a really bad deal" and didn't allow her to pick up any other work. Incidentally, Hubert decided not to return. "I was never fired," she says on the reunion special, "I was trapped."This led to the show letting Hubert go and hiring Daphne Maxwell Reid to replace her for the rest of the series. Smith said at the time that Hubert "brought her problems to work," and Hubert responded that Smith got her fired (via Jet Magazine). However, as the reunion special shows, that wasn't completely accurate.
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How Did The Original Aunt Viv Return In Reunion Special?
Will Smith Reached Out To Janet Hubert So She Could Tell Her Story
After an emotional video tribute to the late James Avery in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion special, Will Smith surprises his former castmates by addressing a difficult topic. "As a family," he says, "we have our things that we talk about, and then we have our things that we don't talk about." Smith then states that he couldn't celebrate 30 years of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air without celebrating Janet Hubert's contributions and reveals that he recently spoke with her for the first time in 27 years.
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During a recorded interview segment, Smith asks Hubert to tell her story. She reveals her personal life issues and how her pregnancy led to her departure."You have no idea," the actress says before stating the truth about her departure, what the controversy cost her, and how it affected her reputation as a Black actress in Hollywood.
What Was Said About Aunt Viv's Departure?
Janet Huber Explains To Will Smith What Really Happened
On the Fresh Prince of Bel Air reunion special, Janet Hubert explains to former co-star Will Smith what she was feeling at the time:
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"When I left the show, I had this new baby and no one. Family disowned me. Hollywood disowned me. My family said, 'You've ruined our name.' And I wasn't unprofessional on the set. I just stopped talking to everybody because I didn't know who to trust because I had been banished, and they said it was you who - who banished me because you were - you were Will. You were a kid."
The Hubert sequence ends with Smith opening up about his hopes and fears while filming The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , and discussing how much he's changed after being married twice and raising children. The actor admits that he did indeed make life difficult for Hubert during production, but now realizes that he didn't understand what she was experiencing as a woman.
Hubert later joined The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast for the reunion at the original set and meets her replacement, Reid, for the first time. During an interview clip, Hubert sums up her thoughts on the overall experience:
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"When I look back now, it’s obvious that you were having a hard time. And I felt like you hated me. I could not do a 30-year celebration of this show and not celebrate you, celebrate your contribution to this show, celebrate your contribution to my life. I have to say, after 27 years, being here today and having the conversation that Will and I had together, it’s healing.
"I don't know if it's real. I feel like this is a dream. I didn't come here to have animosity, I came here to resolve... 'cause it's time."
How Aunt Viv Changed In Bel-Air
Aunt Viv Was Relegated To A Background Character After The Recasting
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Sadly, when Daphne Maxwell Reid took over the role of Aunt Viv, the character changed drastically on the show as well. When Janet Huber played Aunt Viv, she was one of the most important characters in the series. Hubert was even nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in 1991. She took the opportunity to do positive things for the community in conjunction with Uncle Phil's political career. None of that existed after Huber left.
She lost a lot of the personality that made her such a beloved character
When Reid became Aunt Viv, the character was mostly pushed to the background as a supporting character who had little to do with the storylines moving forward. The new Aunt Viv was mostly unambitious and seemed even weary of Phil's political career. She lost a lot of the personality that made her such a beloved character and even decided to quit teaching and just stayed at home, not working anymore. Aunt Viv also stopped being a driving force for her kids and mostly let their bad deeds slide.
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When Janet Huber played Aunt Viv on Fresh Prince of Bel Air, she was a positive role model and a strong Black woman, wife, and mother in the series. After Huber left and the show recast the role, the writers mostly relegated her to a background role, which ended up being a drastic change that hurt the character and her legacy on the series.
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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
TV-PG
Comedy
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air follows Will Smith (Will Smith) after he gets himself sent away from the mean streets of his native West Philadelphia to the affluent Bel Air neighborhood. Living with his wealthy Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian, Will befriends his cousins and adjusts to a life that's the polar opposite of everything he's accustomed to. Even with a butler and an expensive education, Will finds that growing up isn't easy, regardless of circumstance.
Where to Watch
- stream
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Not available
*Availability in US
- Cast
- Will Smith , James Avery , Tatyana Ali , Joseph Marcell , alfonso ribeiro , Karyn Parsons , Daphne Reid
- Release Date
- September 10, 1990
- Seasons
- 6
