TV Mom Claims Will Smith Was No Prince
Actress Janet Hubert is probably best known as Aunt Vivian on the Will Smith sitcom, ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air.’
The 53-year-old actress was fired from the show in 1993 and replaced by actress Daphne Maxwell Reid.
Now the twice-married, mother of one has penned a memoir, ‘Perfection Is Not A Sitcom Mom’ that is slated to be released early in 2010.
In the book, Hubert lashes out at Smith and accuses the then-hip hop superstar of sabotaging her and other talented actors who worked on the 30-minute NBC comedy.
In one excerpt from the tome, given to BV Buzz exclusively, Hubert writes: “Smith had people around him who made sure no one outshone him. I was happy to see Don Cheadle become the quality actor that he is, and often wondered how he made it past one episode, as Hilary’s boyfriend, being such a fierce actor. No one could be on ‘The Tonight Show,’ that first season, except Will. And I mean no one.”
In an effort to drive the point home, Hubert also recalled an incident where another actor was cut from a guest spot on the show after being too impressive at an early rehearsal for that episode.
“I recall the lovely and incredibly talented Countess Vaughn coming to guest star. Oh my God! The day of table read, she was pee-in-your-pants funny. The writers were howling, we were howling, so I knew she was history – banished into the cornfield. Many years later, after she had her own show, I had to tell her when she asked me why. ‘Miss Janet why did I get cut from the episode,’ she asked? Simply, my darling, you were too good,” she recollected.
Hubert also vividly details her termination from ‘Fresh Pri
nce of Bel Air,’ something she claims to have never anticipated.
She writes: “My agent called; it was time. He had a very funny sound to his voice, not the usual wonderfully funny Michael that I knew. ‘Jaaaannnet,’ he said, ‘I got the offer and you’re not gonna like it. They offered you 10 episodes.’ Now, to the layperson who doesn’t know what this means, each show is an episode, and the usual amount is 22, with perhaps two extra. But the show was a hit so they would order 26, with each show taking a week to shoot. I remember swallowing very, very hard. [My son] Eli was only three and half months old. That meant a cut in salary of more than $100,000.”
“We had a new house, a new baby, I had just opened a new exercise studio, signed a 3-year lease, and my ex wasn’t working at the time. And they knew this,” the excerpt continued. “‘That’s not all,’ Michael said. ‘They don’t want you to work on any other shows. You can only do two guest starring roles.’ What? Who? I stammered. I couldn’t breathe. What do we do, Michael? What do we do? ‘We pass,’ Michael said. ‘This is a dirty deal, and they know it.’ OK, I trust you, I said. Michael had been my agent for more than 20 years. ‘OK sweetie, I will call you back,’ he said.”
In the last of the passage, Hubert describes just how the news that she was being replaced was delivered, an ordeal she likens to a murder.
“My mind was going in a million places. OK, I thought, they will come back; this is how they do it. They always come back. I started into the kitchen where Rayna – my friend, housekeepe
r and nanny was. She was doing dishes as baby E was enjoying a swing. I knelt down, kissed his head, and waited for the next round of negotiations. They never came. The next time Michael called he said, ‘They are going to recast your role.’ There was a beautiful stained glass window that I designed in the bedroom, and the windows were open, so my neighbors probably heard me scream. And that beautiful window probably has many cracks in it. Time of Death: approximately 3 pm. The real Vivian Banks was murdered,” the excerpt closed.
Since being replaced on ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air,’ Hubert has had guest turns on ‘Gilmore Girls,’ ‘One Life To Live,’ ‘Friends,’ ‘NYPD Blue’ and ‘The Jamie Foxx Show.’
“For over 20 years I have been dealing with untruths as to my departure. I have decided to defend myself now. If I am going to be a part of the witch hunt this time, the witch is going to fight back,” Hubert told BV Buzz.
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:59 am
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:53 am
July 5th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Every viewer knows that you were shafted. When people think of Aunt Viv they see your face, they hear your voice. It all comes full circle, the best is yet to come. Take solace in knowing that you too were too good, too talented, too professional to be short circuited by such an overrated narcissus.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:48 am