Janet Hubert, best known as the original “Aunt Viv” from Will Smith’s breakthrough The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sitcom, didn’t see much nostalgic goodness in the cast’s recent reunion Instagram flick.
In fact, she went on the offensive and had some rather ungodly things to say about her former castmates — most notably Smith — although most of the slander fell upon Alfonso Ribeiro, who played her TV son Carlton Banks on the show.
“I know the media hoe Alphonso Ribero has posted his so called reunion photo,” Hubert wrote atop a video clip of her former character dropping 15 seconds of wisdom on her politically charged Facebook page. “Folks keep telling me about it. He was always the ass wipe for Will. There will never be a true reunion of the Fresh Prince. I have no interest in seeing any of these people on that kind of level. I am not offended in the least, by this photo… it was an event for Karen’s charity. It does however prompt me to take some meetings in Hollywood to pitch my memoir PERFECTION IS NOT A SITCOM MOM, and tell of the behind the scenes story before I leave this earth.”
During a February 2016 interview with The Real, Hubert expressed her viewpoint on how she was snubbed off the show due to her irreconcilable differences with Big Willie Style and how she’s been clamoring for vindication of the negative perception toward her character.
Smith went on to take the high road in a subsequent February 2016 interview and praised Hubert for everything the audience could see with their own two eyes.
“I think that both of the Aunt Vivs were really, really fantastic,” he told BBC Radio 1Xtra’s A.Dot when asked to stack Hubert up against her successor, Daphne Maxwell Reid. “I think when you make a show, anytime you make a change, it’s going to be excruciating and painful. I think that Janet Hubert Whitten brought a really powerful dignity to the show.”
He continued, “I think she’s brilliant. I think as an artist, there’s so many things that she does: she sings, she dances, she’s like a really powerful artist. So I loved what she brought to The Fresh Prince.”
Hubert had been vocal regarding Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Oscar boycott after he didn’t receive a nomination for his role in Concussion. While that melodrama may have subsided, the 61-year-old artist made it known her social media realm was No Country for Carlton.
“This was from the dumb ass Alphonso Ribero, who likes to try and be the spokesperson for the show. He is Will’s tampon…has been for a long long time,” she replied to a zealous fan who pointed out the aforementioned reunion wasn’t official because she wasn’t in it.
She then turned the spotlight back on Smith, writing, “Will hates dark skinned sisters unless they have lots of money, and straight hair. But he had a brown mamma.”
In a 2010 interview with BlackAmericaWeb, Hubert recalled how she confronted the then-much-younger Fresh Prince for telling the show’s studio audience racial jokes that also targeted females.
“I was a dark-skinned, African-American mother, and Will used to tell the you’re-so-black jokes to the audience before the show, and at one point, I came out and stopped him, and the audience went ‘Woooo,’” she stated. “He didn’t understand how unbelievably disrespectful that was to women like me… ‘Yo mama’s so black, when she looks at her shoes, she thinks she’s looking in the mirror. Ha, ha!’”
James “Uncle Phil” Avery’s death notwithstanding, it appears this reunion will never be 100 percent complete.
Check out Hubert’s Facebook post down below so you know we didn’t make any of this up.
Hater…
You would be a hater too if they kicked you off the show just for being dark skinned… That’s why she left the show, Will had them replace her with a light skin actress.
Sounds like she got way too personal over some jokes like Will felt like that for real and insinuates that, but if he did, how did she get on the show in the first place? Since no one else has ever accused dude of that (and we know people love to gossip about him with all the gay shit they’ve thrown out about him over the years), I’m going to assume old girl just took some low brow humor while working on a comedy show way too personally. I don’t find the you’re so black or your mama jokes shit funny, but lots of black people do and you don’t have to go Malcolm X on them just because they’e having fun with that separeate from real shit that’s going on in the world when it goes down.
Let’s also not forget a couple things. While she tries to paint Smith as a discriminative racist, Smith was a teenager AND it was the early 90s. Yo Mama and you’re so fat or you’re so black jokes were popular by black comedians. Check “Yo Mama by Pharcyde” from that time. She’s a hater.
will became a star got called out and was allowed to make decisions
He was already a star. He was the whole reason the show got made. Nobody took him serious as a top of the line actor, but that wasn’t a top of the line show, and everyone says that she acted like it was beneath her despite taking the gig. You’re coming into a clown show that was put out on the same level as Martin at the time acting like you’re doing a period piece drama or theater or some shit instead of having fun with it like everybody else. They say Uncle Phil was acting bougie too when he first got on the show because he was from a similar background but learned to lighten up and bond with the crew. Sorry, but not buying that Will Smith and the producers of that show have stopped her from at least working on plays and shit like the black plays because they hire anybody with a name and don’t consult Hollywood. Sounds more like her shitty attitude is what put her in her predicament.
Old and bitter so sad.
Wow, she never let that go.
If I recall, I think she’s always had some sort of grudge against the crew. They probably didn’t invite her back for that reason. Rest In Peace to Uncle Phil.
Just peeped the earlier article about the reunion and turned out I was right about this.
First things first Rest In Peace Uncle Phil, Fareel, you da only father I ever knew, if I get my bitch pregnant, ima be a better u.
She sound like a bitter hater..
I still remember her dance scene. It was pretty dope. I always wondered why she was kicked off the show for that lady that looks like mixed Barbara Bush.
Now you know
100% classless. I used to prefer her as Aunt Viv when I watched the show but now I see she’s a bitter old bitch who’s seeking attention by shitting on the people who made a name for her. She’d be absolutely nobody without the Fresh Prince. #truth
This lady sound salty af….I’m willing to bet money that the reason why she got kicked out was her attitude and not her skin which was the same shade as Jeffrey
Lmfao such a bitter lady…no wonder everybody hates her so much that they won’t even invite her to a reunion
I don’t think they hate her but she is so bitter and angry that they don’t give her the time of day. She needs to either let it go or sit down and and talk to will about it either way it’s been over 20 years
What a loser. Get over it. Nobody likes you. We like the light skin aunt viv
I love you original Aunt Viv!!!!!
she was replaced by the lighter skin lady because (((those))) who run entertainment industry wanted to promote race mixing – to further the agenda of white genocide. #facks
Wouldn’t it make more sense to cancel the show?
Yeah, some black people act like white people, especially 20 years ago, distinguish between shades. Also, pretty sure Jeffrey, Ashley, Carlton, and Jazzy Jeff aren’t light skinned. They’re not as dark as she is (except Jeffrey), but they aren’t light skinned either. After she got fired, I just thought they cast somebody that looked more like Hillary as the 2nd Aunt Viv did more resemble her than the original. People going to deep on this shit for real with their race conspiracies.
Dear Janet Hubert aka Aunt Viv (Seasons 1-3)…
Let it go. It’s been over 20 years… Forgive them, move on, and let it go. You just sound bitter. We all appreciate your work in the first 3 seasons, but at this point, you are tarnishing your legacy.
Sincerely,
-Everybody
Was she actually White balled?
This bitch needs to be medicated, honestly..still acting bitter and crazy over a show that ended 20+ years ago, it’s clear why the rest of the cast don’t want to associate with her
She was dumb for reacting like that in front of a crowd. She’s supposed to be a professional if you don’t like the jokes will is saying off the air to the audience, what she should’ve done was holla at will after the show like bro that offends me I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say those joke with me standing right there.
It was disrespectful of Ribero to write that caption in that manner and slot of the people saying she out of line are millenials who have this new found ideal of just trying to forget things or to have an opinion other then going with the flow your s hater. People forget when she was on the show she represented Black women other then submissive and just as help or a stay at home mother she was a lawyer and heavy in the arts and a inspirational figure that helped send a generation of kids off to schools just in the same manner as the Cosby show. When the got rid of her the character got dumbed down and just became a stay at home mother that every once in awhile stood next to uncle Phil or
Tended to lol Nicky.
She still holding that same bag 20 years later?? No wonder she hasn’t done anything in so long. So much bitterness for Will, you were on HIS SHOW! It wasn’t the “Aunt Viv in Bel Air” Show. get over it, the cast has moved on and still remain friends to this day MINUS you. That should speak volumes and they all look great and seem to not even give you a second thought. But u still out here carrying the same bag. STOP HATING and move on. Go ahead and write your tell all book, the problem with that is NO ONE will care.. Everyone that did care are now adults and can see through your hating ways. Will has moved on and complimented you more than a few times despite your hate, even when he was backed into a corner and asked to choose between your characterization of Aunt Viv and the new one he wouldn’t do it, just took the high road.
She says it doesn’t bother her but yet she feels the need to address it
SALTY, YOU THE ONLY B1TCH EATING CHIPS,
HHMMM HHMMMM. HATE CONSUMES THE ONE THAT HATES. BROTHA WILL LIVING HIS LIFE FREE OF IT, NOT EVEN REMEMBERING THAT THIS WOMAN IS ALIVE OR DEAD. DAMN.
WILL SMITH BEEN LIVING IN THIS WOMAN’S HEAD AND HEART RENT FREE FOR OVER 20+ YEARS.
MOVE ON WOMAN, IF YOU WERE SO GOOD HOW COME YOU AINT BLOWN UP OR STARRED IN A BLOCK BUSTER?
She says she’s not offended, but continues to rant, criticize, and name call. She has a strange way of not being offended.
Trent Clark loves white girls. All white girls that love black men… holla at him. he thinks black people are ugly
I want Iyanla Vanzant to have her on her show..it’s apparent there is a deeper issue here that has NOTHING to do with others. Hope she finds HER truth before she leaves this earth. Blessings
Very nicely said. I believe that would do her much good.
She’s pathetic, it’s been over 20yrs, damn.let it go