Janet Hubert says she has found peace since reconciling with her “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” costar, Will Smith. Hubert played the original Aunt Viv but left the 1990s sitcom after being treated poorly by Smith.
“If there are tree roots in the drain, the water doesn’t flow,” told People: “The drain has been snaked.”
Hubert and Smith sat down for the first time in 27 years during an HBO Max special. She revealed that Smith essentially had her ostracized by the industry.
“I just wanted to know one thing: Why?” asked Hubert at the time. “You guys went so far,” she added. “I lost so much. How do we heal that?”
Since Smith’s public apology, Hubert has had a slew of gigs lined up. Hubert made a guest appearance on FX’s “Pose,” portraying Aunt Latrice to Billy Porter’s “Pray Tell” and has a recurring role as Miss May Miller in “The Last O.G.”
“Work is the best medicine. Being able to be an artist again, not just an actress, but an artist. … To have it come back to me at such a late age, maybe these are the best years of my life,” she said, adding that. “Now it feels very peaceful.”
Smith and Hubert remain on good terms. “We text each other back and forth all the time,” Hubert explains. “As a matter of fact, we have a very good relationship. I meant it with all my heart when I hugged him, because I saw that little boy, that little 21-year-old boy. Had we had an opportunity to talk back then, I think this would have never happened.”
She adds, “He was in a place, and I was in a place, we were both in a bad place. When you’re both in a bad place and there’s no communication, you have to talk. So it’s been wonderful, it’s been lovely to have him back in my sphere.”
