NBC's statement in 1993 on firing Hubert: "We are unable to reach agreement in renegotiating Janet Hubert-Whitten’s contract for the next season for The Fresh Prince Of Bel-air. She will not be returning to the show.”
So basically all the love for the first Aunt Vivian is misplaced because this woman sounded like a nightmare. It makes me respect the second aunt Viv more
@@ChromeTecNina I can only imagine the pressure that Daphne Maxwell Reid must have felt stepping into the role halfway through the show's run. Sometimes a recast can kill a character.
@@nunyadambidnis2274 (love ur name, lol) I thought she sounded that way sometimes, but not ALL the time, (& it was a bit much at times, but that IS how some black women are, so it was an honest, well done portayal). She was more memorable than the second Aunt Viv in my opinion. But both played the role well.
I watch the show on reruns doesn't matter who the aunt is it's funny I'm sorry I liked the second aunt vive the first aunt she said I went to Juilliard I'm a serious professional actress working with untrained people it's very tough to stay professional with untrained kids which was not altogether true. she had an attitude problem and it needed to be adjusted. the adjustment you're fired. I never missed a beat kept watching and laughed just as hard. and stuff happens in television. and her firing did not affect the quality of the show. she should have let it go she was a prima donna and that don't cut it when you think you're better than the people working with you. still watch the reruns everyday. Uncle Phil carried the bulk of the parent theme quite well.
@@kennyp1477 nope she was never a big deal and as far as the character the could of writen her out for all I care never was a factor the shows rating didn't go down when she left that should tell you everything you need to know her doing ballet wasn't that interesting . I tuned in for the jokes.
The old aunt viv was not only a strong black woman but she talked about slavery and black history the new one was just there to look cute and argue with uncle phill
@@frederikmikkelsen3190 calm down, they are commenting on the character aunt viv's personality change they are not talking about actors and are in no way excusing the actions of the original actors behavior
The dynamic would've been a hell of a lot different for sure. The conflict would've been more intense, which probably would've given that scene at the end even more resolve. However, that episode still accomplished its goal, still belongs in television history.
True. The new aunt Viv did not connect with anyone on camera. They may be the best of friends off camera, but with the cameras on, you could feel the disconnect and her acting was not authentic to me.
people still make comparisons, lol. Daphne Reid's Vivian was rewritten and toned down for season 4 when she joined. The original aunt Vivian took a lot of room and even had her own episodes (the dancing episode for example).
@@Footloose_the_movie too bad the og aunt viv was batshit crazy off screen and had a vindictive hatred for will smith because those two things are literally the reason the og aunt viv lost her role.
@Missy Anonymous guaranteed if NBC had decided to keep the og aunt viv, the show wouldn't have made it to season 6 due to all the in house fighting that the og aunt viv was causing off screen
Missy Anonymous Yes my sister felt the same way also.But for me personally whist I didn’t like the new aunt Viv half as much I was still able to enjoy the show regardless she’s ok not great but not awful either.Lets hope it stays that way as I am beginning to approach the end of the old aunt Viv on Netflix now but I had seen bits and peaces of the show here and there on tv and it didn’t bother me too much when I noticed that she had been replaced.
No matter what anyone thinks or says, Janet Hubert (Aunt Viv) and JoMarie Payton (Harriet) were the original and by far, the best black TV moms ever to appear on television as far the '90s goes. Those two ladies are irreplaceable. RIP James Avery.
Idk y because she was the backbone...see even in TV they try and split up the family...and plenty of people have come out to say Will is an ass and has a bad attitude
Will might have been an ass at some point but he seems pretty friendly now have you seen the clip of him talking to the little girls at the Aladdin premiere it’s really sweet
@@brothaNblue Seriously. She pretty much admitted she's a bitch with that comment where she admits she gave Will shit. He was a grown man and she wasn't his mom. She should have just kept things professional and she wouldn't have been replaced. It was her own fault.
brandon wright that’s because the 2nd aunt viv (Daphne maxwell Reid) and lil’ Nicky (Ross bagley) FUCKED up the fresh prince of bel air show. The whole show was better when the 1st aunt viv (Janet Hubert) was on.
brandon wright y’all were worried about the kid actor that played Nicky Banks. The same kid that played Buckwheat in the 1994 version of The Little Rascals. I’m still confused as to why he and Will Smith played a father-&-son duo in Independence Day. 😂😂💯
Great analysis. Will Smith has said that the show was never the same after Janet Hubert-Whitton's exit. She is a rare triple-threat, singer-actor-dancer. I felt Daphne Maxwell-Reid just wasn't as dynamic or charismatic as Janet. So sad that she harbors this resentment because she is so admired. Rest in honor, peace, love James Avery...also a very underrated talent.
I felt that she wanted a more positive image of will. Will wanted to be a street boy hoodlum u seen the episodes. But she wanted a thou and Carlton type. To represent the family.
The original Viv brought that African vibe to the show, she dressed like a Nubian Queen👸🏿and danced. I liked the new viv too but the old one had more of the black power Vibe going✊🏿
Yeah, it seems to confirm what she is saying! This poor woman was squeezed out for just asking for fairness. Will refused to be on Independence Day 2 movie due what? Pay! Hypocrite he is
RIGHT. IN OTHER WORDS; IF WILL SMITH WANTED HER OFF OF THE SHOW, THEN SHE WOULD BE OFF OF IT. THEY COULDN'T HAVE THEIR STAR OF THE SHOW UNCOMFORTABLE OR PISSED OFF. END OF STORY.
Yea when the whole cast talks about how hard it was to work with you and decades later you still talking shit about them it's clear who was the problem.
I am a 16 year old from India, who recently got into this show. And after 5 seasons, I couldn't agree more. The original Aunt Viv, was a knowledgable and an experienced woman. The fact the relationship ended so sourly is heartbreaking between the cast and Hubert, after all it WAS a collaborative effort which contributed to the success of the show. Viv even spoke about Black History and Slavery, the model couldn't follow her footsteps unfortunately
Season 4 Episode 1 Jazz: « You know Mrs Banks, since you have that baby there’s something different about you. Will: Fix the camera with funny guilty face
the original aunt viv was a stand out, her stage presence was the bomb, her facial expressions and everything was on point with her. the second aunt viv just seemed like a background character with no personality at all. edit : not to mention, one of the many things I loved about the show was the chemistry between the original aunt viv and the smith sisters. the way they would jump and yell diva with genuine smiles on their faces. the new aunt viv had ZERO chemistry with the rest of the smith sisters. as they were excitedly greeting each other the new aunt viv just stood there awkwardly and just in conclusion her chemistry with others was oh no,
To be fair it could be like the situation with Patrick Stewart on Star Trek TNG, when filming the first season Patrick was apparently really stuck up because he was this big time Shakespearean actor and took acting super seriously annoying everybody as he was no fun to work with but then lightened up as the series went along and got a better relationship with the rest of the cast. Could be the same with Will maybe he was insufferable in the first season but got better by season 2 and whilst the rest of the cast forgave him and treated him nicely Aunt Viv’s actress just held a grudge
I worded it wrong, I was basically saying Will could’ve been insufferable because he was overly cocky because he suddenly had a TV show about him and a rapping career making him a big name, then Will probably loosened his ego in the later seasons
“The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.” Malcolm X, 1962 #FoodForThought
That was 50 years ago my dear, there are plenty of opportunities for people of all colours out there. This victim act will get you nowhere. Women rule the world these days. And as a man I think that’s a good thing. Black people were treated awfully in America during slave times, and your ancestors fought hard to gain the respect and equality they deserved and enjoy to this day. That generation of black people kicked ass, they were intelligent and dignified and creative, Blues, gospel, soul and rock music wouldn’t exist without them. community spirit and strength against their white oppressor paid off in the end during MLK movement. Today’s black kids still carry the resentment of the white man but don’t offer anything to the table, gang banging, bad attitude, drug dealing angry rap music etc. It’s like all the hard work spent building your people up over 100 years is being undone these days.
Actually she's not a nice person and she cries racism but she sued a black female youtuber Lovely ti who spoke nicely of her and defended her! Stop believing every one that plays victims! I am a black women but will not stick up for just anyone just because they have the same skin colour as me! I don't support everyone and I pick my battles!
In the 1900s? How long ago do you think she said it and they word is hardly new I knew what it meant as a child in the 80s. Young people thinking they invited the use of words.
Damn you can't believe she was able to use and understand the meaning of the word clout? The word has been a part of the English language since I don't know how long but it wasn't invented by cardi b or TMZ. Read a book and you will find out about all of the words that have been around for generations.
No she is not. She still got paid. That is all that matter to her. Besides it is not hate. We just prefer the way the first aunt Viv portrayed the character. I have my own belief about why she was let go. But anyway.
Idk if this was made by a member of her family but... I remember her, she went diva & demanded more $ & screen time, publicly. As Will Smith's star rose she felt hers was being ignored. She also didn't like the fact that Will Smith was a rapper & not a trained actor but had surpassed her by leaps & bounds career wise. Basically she cut her nose to spite her face.
The original aunt viv was the definition of a strong black woman. The new aunt viv was chilled. For me, I grew up with the show, and aunt viv will always be janet hubert
It does seam that she a bit crazy as hell... But, she was definitely the better Aunt Viv. As a viewer, I wish they kept her. But, I didn't have to work with her...
Janet showed her talent in all areas, acting,dancing,singing, and she's probably got a bunch of other talents we couldn't see. I was really really disappointed to see her gone and I don't think there's a single viewer of the show that wasn't.
I agree with almost everybody here that Janet hubert-whitten was the true Aunt Viv! It's just so sad that these grown adults couldn't come to a viable conclusion so she could stay on the show! Anytime you change actors Midway through a sitcom, that pretty much marks the end of that sitcom! Was she really that bad that they had to fire her? I think that was something else going on, maybe a power struggle, ego???
Will Smith had a HUGE Ego. He thought that ALL the story lines should focus on him. He wanted to KILL the Vivian dance routine. Because it WASN'T about him. Will didn't like a FEMALE producer telling him what to do.. because he is a mysoginist. Because of Will Smith's ego.. he KILLED the BEST storylines and the BEST Aunt Viv.
@@sana-zk6yc Hi. Thanks for your response. The information is on RU-vid. Search Winifred Hervey Executive Producer Fresh Prince. She will say EVERYTHING about that. Also, I don't know if you checked out "Aunt Viv's" Janet Hubert's video.. smashing Will Smith and Alfonso on what REALLY happened. That is ALSO on RU-vid.
They should move on. The actor who played the father tried to bring her back, but he says she had went to the press already. he also said, "she did not understand it was Will Smith's show, not hers." She just admitted in the video, she chastised him repeatedly. She wanted a bigger role, didn't get it and has been bitching and demanding apologies every since. She should move on, even though she was best in the role. She didn't accept what they offered, so move on.
The show was literally named after him and was about him experience has got nothing to do with it Will was the star and who audiences came to see it wasn’t the Vivian Banks Show
Listen again it wasnt that she wanted a bigger role...will and his over blown ego...shocking it's his first show and he acts like he's had a career for decades...minimized her role got her salary cut in half...sooo imagine 250 to 125 and we are typing about thousands of dollars...her pride was her down fall or was it..?
Without diving into the rabbit hole... I just want to say I appreciate when she said "... You don't just show up for a check. You have to be responsible about what you put out there." That part! As an entertainer, to be social conscious and responsible knowing that generations of ppl will be watching you and listening to what you say, is admirable.
Right, but at the time that fresh prince debuted (or even when it ended) that was unheard of to get $1 mill per episode like Friends. Friends debuted around ‘97. The Friends cast over time would often band together to get their pay raise, but that was after the show had become really successful
Except friends was one of those exceptions. I mean it honestly was unheard of for a show to cost that much back then. The cast were actually quite lucky to be able to get such a deal. Also friends last 4 whole seasons longer. They weren't earning anywhere near that amount in the first few seasons
Those videos she made afterwards made her look a bit unstable...cussing like a sailor, calling out the entire Smith clan, and extremely bitter after over 20 years.....she completely shut down any chance of a comeback after those antics, and basically proved she was hell on wheels behind the scenes.
Ed Reid no duh dude 💯. That’s why I don’t fuck with Janet Hubert anymore. She’s a bitter ass woman that is still trying to talk shit about Will years later.
@@RalphJr-xp3hp Did you look at her career post fresh prince? If your a professional trained actor and your career got blasted like that and it never recovered lets see how you react.
@@strykrpinoy if she wouldve handled like an adult she wouldve been able to come back. There have been many comebacks, just wait your turn. But dont throw stones in the process
What didn’t make sense is that they had to seemingly darker skinned children. So wouldn’t it make sense to hire a darker woman. Also people would’ve liked the new Aunt Viv if she had personality. Sis was hella boring compared to the original one
The ignorance. Both of my parents are dark and my sister is damn-near yellow because that is what is in my maternal lineage. What is in you will come out, it is not all about the parents.
I liked the new aunt Viv too but the original was so much better! She was a strong woman. She was professional and wore the pants in the family. When she was there, the story lines centered on her a lot more. With the switch, it was like they switched her personality as well. She was so docile and she pretty much didn’t have any important moments in the show. She barely had any screen time. They should have just said uncle Phil divorce and got remarried.
Yeah I preferred the original Aunt Viv - the second version of her seemed like an entirely different character. Random fact; Janet Hubert-Whitten played Franklin Clinton's Aunt Denise in GTA V, who seemed quite similiar to the original Aunt Viv :-)
HL Every member in the cast said it, and you also can see how she presents herself in her real life videos. It is also no secret you can go do your research with previous articles.
@@Nohndl Seeing how she act a mess on her pod cast, thats more than enough evidence for me. If you dont think that is evidence, I dont know what to say.
Bingo! I love and respect Jane Hubert's work, and what she brought to the show as part of the original cast was undeniable. No doubt! But, being easy to work with it very important, especially when you're part of a team.
She made mistakes and so did Will. She didn’t have an easy life and Will was too young to understand her pain. I’m glad they finally came together and make amends
Once they kicked out Hubert and replaced her with Reid, They rewrote her character and dialed her down significantly. That's the work of writers and scripts. Has nothing to do with Daphne Reid's acting abilities.
When I looked up why they replaced Janet and cast Daphne apparently the producers wanted to make a new aunt viv, they didn't want her to be this loud, outspoken, hardworking mum they wanted her to be a quiet housewife which I think is stupid because fans were so used to seeing the og viv and I think that's why people prefer Janet's version
@@misslaura199 IMO they didn't want to continue to show the black community that a dark skin black woman was well accomplished, multi-talented, a great wife, a fantastic mom and most importantly WOKE!
Hubert was better, but I can see why she was fired. A toxic attitude can be murder in the workplace, no matter how talented you are. Plus, the show did last for another three seasons, so I think they did fine, having some of its most powerful moments post-Hubert.
Not to mention the little bit about how she would try to correct a young Will Smith's disrespectful behavior... Could be when she said she took her job to serious instead of seeing it as just a paycheck might have meant she could've seen him as her child im which case he never really had the parental guidance ...so who was she considering he was considered adult with a job at this point in his life. Her being the way she was isn't toxic... U didnt see the other characters come out striking at her publicly. Only Will Smith. And then they replaced her with someone that was watered down... That was compliant, only there for a paycheck. Sorry Chevy Chase created toxic environments and was difficult to work with ... But this lady expressing that she wants the same respect that every other actor that gets financially isnt being difficult... Ita what anyone does who works their butt off does and never is appreciated for it.
Lucy Lawless It is fired not fried, Just joshing with you. I believe Will had something to do with it, I really do. She was great in that part! Sorely missed!
Funny thing is the longer the video the more they make from ad revenue and from what I've read it's the 10 minute mark where they make the most (10 mins and up) Dude dragged it out as long as possible and still only ended up at 9mins 33 seconds LOL
Janet Hubert, Shannen Doherty and Susan Sommers are all great actresses whose characters are irreplaceable but their attitudes made work difficult and no one wishes to bother themselves with adults behaving like children.
Witcher Crafts How dare you put Janet in a category with Shannon Doherty! Janet earned her place and she was no nonsense she wanted respect for her work ethic
I appreciate how outspoken, yet classy, funny, smart, stylish, beautiful, no nonsense and a great a dancer she was. Long story short, she didn’t compromise her integrity and sell her soul 🤷🏾♀️
Janet was obviously a good actress but she clearly was jealous of Will from the very beginning and had it out for him the whole time. Cast members said that she was verbally abusive and if you know anything about Will then you he has never tolerated any kind of abusive behavior from anyone because he grew up with his mom being abused by his dad, he's been outspoken about those issues and he's very protective over people he loves.
MzDontCallMeFish She broke many rules: she got pregnant even though she wasn’t allowed to causing them to add it into the plot, she used abusive language on other cast members and she didn’t “just ask for a pay raise”. She said she deserves a pay raise and has to get one because she’s been acting longer than Will which shows she’s clearly jealous. And for many years after the show ended she made RU-vid videos, had interviews and went on shows insulting Will even though he never said a bad word about her, which shows how Immature she is, even the actor who played Carlton said she was “crazy”. YOU clearly don’t know what you’re talking about🤦🏾♂️.
Have any of the other cast members other than Janet Hubert ever gave their versions of events about the recasting of Aunt Viv and what really went on Behind-The-Scenes??
"It was never about money to me..." But you fought for a $5000 raise Btw I'm not being mean, just thought that was a bit contradicting. I loved the original Aunt Viv. Her character was lively and strong
I can see where she's coming from though. I'm not sure how much Will or anyone else got paid but she was extremely talented and help make the show what it was. She realized this, saw her paycheck, and felt undervalued. She demanded a lot more respect than what she was given in her mind and she believes she was getting disrespected due to her paycheck. You can still say "It's not about the money" but that doesn't mean a big company like NBC should take advantage of your words and pay you like shit if you know your talents are worth much more.
@@SuperKnux64 That's not how it works. Just because you feel like you did better, doesn't mean you get to demand a better reward. She was paid amazingly well. She just wanted more money and made a huge fuss. The whole entire crew said she was very difficult to work with. Plus, it's not her show. I recommend actually looking stuff up before coming up with claims.
Its a shame that this talented woman was has become bitter. She may have not been able to get work in Hollywood, but she could have done Broadway right? She's stated before that she has worked on Broadway many times before (and had wonderful experiences at that) surely she could have gotten work in that area.
@@andreamahogany4252 So even if she wanted to do Broadway, it would have been difficult? I never thought a reach would go that far in the entertainment industry (to Broadway I mean)
RabuHina she couldn’t even promote a book she tried and they would tell her we are friends with the Smiths even Oprah told her the same thing! She’s spoke out on it when everybody kept telling her to move on she tried but even then she couldn’t
@@andreamahogany4252 wow. I never knew any of this! I just find it amazing how Hollywood can do this to people for whatever reason they deem justifiable
When she left I left. I don't care how she was acting SHE'S A GODDAMN BROADWAY ACTRESS!! SHE'S EDGY AND THAT VOLATILITY IS WHAT MADE HER GREAT TO WATCH!!!
Janet Hubert really had it out for Will Smith. And the other cast members said she was dreadful to work with. She left the show in 1993. But in 2018, when her son attempted suicide, she blamed...Will Smith. 25 years after she was let go, she still blames Smith for...everything.
im confused....first she blamed them for wanting her to be a good n***** so she seemed to play the race card to get sympathy....when she got called out for why she wasnt brought back she then blamed will smith....sure....okay
The problem I've always had with this is that for more than 2 decades she never misses a chance to diss Will, but never says a word about the bosses at NBC. Whatever hand Will had in her dismissal, the ultimate decision was on the NBC brass, but she never says a word about that. She's even brought Will's family into her issues, by criticizing Jada but again, no mention of NBC and their role in her firing. Why?
You bring up a good point. It's probably a legal matter. NBC is huge. She knows if she comes up against them then she'll for sure never get any sort of work
Miss Hubert is an icon in my eyes💪🏽 I’m surprised that she is not starring on Broadway 🎭 she is a talented trained actor , a force to be reckoned with 💪🏽✊🏽💜
