Earlier this week, actorAlfonso Ribeiroposted a now-legendary photo on Instagram that showcased aFresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion. The actor was joined byWill Smith(Will),Tatyana Ali(Ashley Banks),Karyn Parsons(Hilary Banks),Daphne Reid(Vivian Banks) andJoseph Marcell(Geoffrey Butler), withAlfonso Ribeiromentioning how he wished the lateJames Averywas there, since he passed away in 2013. There was another cast member who wasn’t there, though,Janet Hubert, the actress who played the original Aunt Viv in the first three seasons, before she left the show in 1993. Shortly after the photo started making headlines,Janet Hubertsent out a scathing message on social media, dissing bothAlfonso RiberioandWill Smith.
The actress sent out the message on her personal Facebook page, although it was later deleted,Varietycaptured the post before it disappeared. While the actress said she isn’t offended by the photo, she still took the opportunity to callAlphonso Ribeiroa “media hoe,” and an “a- wipe” forWil Smith. Here’s what she had to say on her Facebook page below.
“I know the media hoe Alphonso Ribero 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 theFresh 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.”
Janet Hubertplayed Vivian Banks for the first three seasons, spanning 73 episodes between 1990 and 1993. The actress was reportedly let go from the hit sitcom for feuding with bothWill SmithandAlfonso Ribeiro, and there is a long history of “bad blood” betweenJanet Hubert,Will SmithandAlfonso Ribeiroever since. Here’s whatWill Smithhad to say aboutJanet Hubert’s departure in a 1993 Atlanta radio station interview.
“I can say straight up thatJanet Hubertwanted the show to beThe Aunt Viv of Bel Air Showbecause 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.’ No matter what, to her I’m just the Antichrist.”
Back in 2015,Will Smithsigned on to produce aTV rebootofFresh Prince of Bel-Air, although the actor admitted last year, during an interview forSuicide Squad, that it will never happen. Last year, whenWill Smith’s wifeJada Pinkett Smithannounced she planned on boycotting the Oscars,Janet Hubertsent out a Facebook video chastising the couple, calling them, " part of the system that is unfair to other actors".Janet Hubert’s memoirPerfection Is Not a Sitcom Momwas published in 2009, and now it seems she may be trying to pitch her story as a TV show or perhaps a movie. While a reboot ofThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airdoesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon, a full reunion withJanet Hubertseems even less likely.
