Why Did Vivian From Fresh Prince Change? The Real Story Behind The Cast Drama
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to when Alfonso Ribeiro, the beloved Carlton Banks from the iconic '90s sitcom 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,' shared a photo from the cast reunion back in March. Fans were thrilled to see the gang together again, but one glaring absence left many scratching their heads. Where was Aunt Viv, the show’s heart and soul? Many fans couldn’t help but ask, “Why did Vivian from 'Fresh Prince' change?”
“Where’s the real Aunt Viv?” one fan chimed in. Another fan added, “That’s definitely not the real Aunt Viv.” And many others echoed the sentiment, “The original Auntie Viv should have been included.” Clearly, fans were not happy with the absence of Janet Hubert, the actress who originally played Aunt Vivian.
Always amazing to spend an afternoon with my Fresh Prince family. Wishing that James Avery was still with us to make this complete.
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So, why was Janet Hubert replaced by Daphne Maxwell-Reid in 1993? And why wasn’t she part of the recent reunion? Well, buckle up because this story goes deep into a decades-long feud between Janet and the show’s star, Will Smith. Let’s dive in!
It All Began in the Early '90s
Janet Hubert, now 61, originally joined the show as Aunt Vivian, a role she played for three seasons. While she initially claimed that her contract was only for a limited number of episodes, her departure wasn’t as simple as that. The truth? A brewing feud with Will Smith. Janet spoke candidly about the tension during an interview with The Dish, revealing, “I was extremely professional on that set, maybe too professional. But I didn’t adhere to the star system, and by not playing the game, that cost me. I think what happened, because the audience was so on my side at that time, that [Will] probably felt like he needed to go out and tell a lot of lies.”
Will Smith’s Alleged Lies
Janet’s claim of “lies” stems from a radio interview Will did back in 1993, the same year she left the show. During the interview, Will reportedly said, “I can say straight up that Janet wanted the show to be The Aunt Viv of Bel Air Show, because I know she is going to dog me in the press. She has basically gone from a quarter of a million dollars a year to nothing. She’s mad now but she’s been mad all along. She said once, ‘I’ve been in the business for 10 years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show.’”
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Janet’s Reputation Takes a Hit
But it wasn’t just Will who had issues with Janet. During a 2009 stand-up comedy show, Will shared more details about Janet’s behavior on set. “Long story short, there were days when we were all on the set and she would literally go off on people,” he said. “By the time the second season came around, we were like, ‘This is unacceptable.’ We felt like, when we were doing The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, that we were a family. She, at that point, ruined that, and she made it very difficult for us to work. Unfortunately, she was then fired. They brought in Daphne, who we absolutely loved, and we moved on. Oh well.”
Janet Fires Back at Alfonso and the Cast
Fast forward to the recent reunion photo, and Janet wasn’t holding back. Shortly after Alfonso posted the picture, she took to Facebook to express her frustrations. In a now-deleted post, she wrote, “I know the media h– [Alfonso] has posted his so-called reunion photo. Folks keep telling me about it. He was always the a– 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.”
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