All is now well between Will Smith and his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star Janet Hubert.
The two look cordial in the photo Will Smith shared for the show’s anniversary reunion on Instagram. The 51-year-old actor and his former “Aunt Viv” used to clash so hard that she ultimately left Fresh Prince.
So, how did their beef began?
“The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show”
According to HollywoodLife, there was huge tension between Will and Janet back in the day. The 64-year-old star played his aunt’s role on the NBC sitcom but left after just three seasons due to alleged “creative differences.”
Since then, she had said a lot of negative things about Will.
In an interview with an Atlanta radio station in 1993, the rapper talked about Janet.
“I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show,” he revealed. “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,” he added. “She’s mad now, but she’s been mad all along.”
Will claimed Janet once said she had been in the business for a decade, but she’s mad because he was the one who got the show.
“No matter what, to her, I’m just the Antichrist,” he continued.
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Janet continuously insulted Will Smith over the years
Years had passed, Janet continuously dissed Will. In 2016, she wounded the award-winning actor when his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, revealed the reason behind their plan to boycott the 2016 Oscars.
At the time, the couple didn’t attend the awards show for lacking Black nominees and diversity. Jada was also upset that her husband didn’t get a nomination for his movie, Concussion.
“Miss Thing, does your man not have a mouth of his own with which to speak?” Janet wrote in a Facebook post.
However, after his radio interview, Will only spoke good words about Janet.
After her diss, he told BBC Radio 1Xtra his former Aunt Viv was “really, really fantastic.”
“I think as an artist, there’s so many things that she does,” he explained, calling her “brilliant.” “She sings, she dances, she’s like a really powerful artist. I loved what she brought to the Fresh Prince.”
Putting the past behind them
After about 27 years, Will and Janet now put the past behind them.
They reunited for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion special happening on HBO Max for the celebration of its 30th anniversary.
In his post on Instagram, the two sat down and seemed to have a spirited discussion about their longstanding issue.
There was a massive grin in both of their faces while Janet was making hand gestures.
In HBO Max’s press release, as obtained by People, it revealed Will Smith and Janet Hubert had a “candid conversation,” and it was an “emotional reunion.”
Featured image used courtesy of Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock