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The reconciliation between Will Smith and his ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ co-star Janet Hubert has been the talk of everyone this week.
Fans of the show have always wondered why the character of Aunt Viv was changed after the show’s first three seasons with Daphne Maxwell Reid taking over the role for the remainder of the show’s run.
Despite all of the rumors and guessing, it has never been properly explained as why Hubert left ‘Fresh Prince.’ Not to mention a 27-year feud that developed between her and Smith that had many talking for years.
Now, after Hubert finally explained all that lead to her departure, along with her and Smith patching things up, in HBO Max’s much-anticipated ‘Fresh Prince Reunion,’ the show’s star took to his familly’s Facebook talk show ‘Red Table Talk’ to speak out more on Hubert’s exit and his handling of it and everything that led up to the changes.
Smith was joined by psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula on ‘Red Table’ to better examine the events. It turned out everything was tied to his childhood, which led to Smith becoming an entertainer. They touched on how his father made life difficult for him and his family.
From Complex:
“My father was violent in my house. So a part of the whole creation of Will Smith, the joking, fun, silly, was to make sure that my father was entertained enough not to hurt my mother or anybody in the house,” he said. “Right? So, that plucks a childhood space of inadequacy and when someone comes at me like that, the little boy is fully in that space and I would perform and dance and tell jokes, right? People laughing and people having fun was my defense mechanism.”
Once Hubert wasn’t responding to Smith’s “act” the way he was hoping she and others would, he felt a sense of emergency. That played a role in Smith wanting to keep the “dynamics” of his fictional family separate from that of his real family, though not realizing the harm he was doing.
While praising Hubert’s talents and background as a singer, dancer and an actress who had studied at Julliard, Smith saw her as a “parental figure,” with whom he “desperately needed her approval.”
Smith also touched on how ‘The Fresh Prince’ saved his life and career. The show debuted at a time when he was in debt and was caught up in tax requirements he needed to pay back. Not to mention his music career was floundering after the success of 1988’s “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”
He took his failing out with Hubert as a threat to his life, especially the show that boosted his career.
At least it’s good that both Smith and Hubert have finally made amends after almost three decades of estrangement from one another.
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Article Courtesy of Complex
First and Second Picture Courtesy of NBC and Getty Images
Video Courtesy of Facebook and Complex
Will Smith Explains on ‘Red Table Talk’ How His Feud with ‘Fresh Prince’ Co-Star Janet Hubert Started was originally published on wzakcleveland.com
