'He Didn't Understand': Fresh Prince Star Janet Hubert Publicly Shaded Will Smith

Janet Hubert played Aunt Viv, Will Smith's loving fictional aunt on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," but her real-life relationship with him was very toxic. For more than two decades, Hubert has been one of several celebrities who've had beef with Smith. She's spoken a lot about her time with Smith on the show, including condemning him for making racially-centered jokes on set. "I was a dark-skinned, African-American mother, and Will used to tell the you're-so-black jokes to the audience before the show, and at one point, I came out and stopped him ..." she recalled in an interview with Black America Web (via Newsweek). "He didn't understand how unbelievably disrespectful that was to women like me."

Hubert left "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" in 1993, when her contract negotiations broke down. She claimed that Smith, whom she didn't get along with, labeled her as "difficult," which led to Hubert's tragic downward spiral. "I lost everything — reputation, everything," she explained to Smith on the HBO "Fresh Prince of Bel Air Reunion Special" in 2020 (via Access Hollywood)."Those words, calling a Black woman 'difficult' in Hollywood is the kiss of death," she added. 

Despite their former tension, the reunion special ultimately gave the former co-stars a chance to clear the air. During the program, which also included the entire main cast of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" (except for James Avery, who passed away in 2013), Smith and Hubert were able to talk things out and even exchanged apologies. Fortunately, it appears to have stuck!

Janet Hubert and Will Smith seem dedicated to enjoying their renewed bond. In October 2025, Hubert appeared on "The Sherri Shepherd Show" and discussed forgiving her former co-star. "People ask me, 'Well, how do you get past that? How do you forgive someone?' You have to forgive someone to release yourself," she said. The actor made it a point to shut down any doubt about her and Smith getting over their feud. "I want to once and for all squash it with people bringing it up ... constantly saying, 'Well, I wouldn't I don't know if I could have forgiven him for that," she continued, adding, "And I'm like, 'But you're not me.'"

In her "Sheri Shepherd Show" appearance, Hubert also praised Smith for helping support "JG and the BC Kids," an animated film and book she authored. In 2024, Smith had attended a reading for Hubert's book, which he promoted to his Instagram followers. "WOW!! Thank U to my dear friend @janethubertformyfanspage for inviting me to help you bring your amazing project JG and the BC Kids to the world!" he wrote in the post's caption. Though the two actors had some serious bad blood between them in the past, it seems they're both happy to forgive and forget.