How The Original Aunt Viv Feels About The Fresh Prince Cast Reuniting Without Her
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is one of the best-known and most beloved sitcoms of the 90s, and not just because of the legendary theme song. Philadelphia native Will and his Bel-Air family got into situations that ranged from hilarious to awkward to heartfelt. The cast recently got together for a reunion, and Alfonso Ribeiro snapped a pic that made it seem like none of them had aged a day. Now, the one living original cast member who wasn't part of the reunion has spoken out. Aunt Viv 1.0 Janet Hubert had this to say:
Tell us how you really feel, Janet Hubert! She shared her thoughts on the reunion photo via Facebook post (which has since been deleted), and she didn't mince any words. It seems she didn't know that the crew was getting back together again, but it also sounds like she wouldn't have wanted to join in even if she had known. Hubert has had harsh words for star Will Smith and his alleged treatment of her during her three seasons as Aunt Viv, and it seems that Alphonso Ribeiro isn't escaping her ire either.
Either Hubert has some long-lasting bad blood toward Ribeiro that she just hasn't expressed, or she really has a low tolerance for social media that doesn't mention her as the first Aunt Viv. Other than Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro, the only Fresh Prince cast member to get a mention was Karyn Parsons, who was luckily spared by Janet Hubert's rant. Apparently, inviting the cast to come together is allowable as long as it's for charity.
All things considered, I can see why seeing happy reunion photos of the cast might sting a little bit for Janet Hubert. She played Aunt Viv for the first three seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but the role was recast for Season 4. Daphne Maxwell Reid played Viv for the last three seasons of the show. Hubert didn't leave the show under the greatest circumstances, and she's been vocal about her displeasure in the past, so it's not a huge surprise that she felt the need to vent in this case. But hey, at least now she might have the buzz to get that memoir going!
Janet Hubert not the only original cast member who was absent from the reunion photo. James Avery passed away back in 2014.
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Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).