Where Will Smith & Janet Hubert Stand Decades After Their Messy Fresh Prince Feud

It's been so long since "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" wrapped up its six-season run in 1996 that you'd be forgiven if you don't even recognize some of the show's cast members today. Still, there's no denying that the show remains a pop-culture staple that helped define the '90s. However, it's not exactly a secret that there was some drama behind the scenes — more specifically, a messy feud between series lead Will Smith and co-star Janet Hubert. Again, things have certainly changed a lot since then, but before we can get into where Smith and Hubert stand decades later, we first have to take a look back.

For the first three seasons of "Fresh Prince" from 1990 to 1993, Hubert starred as Vivian Banks, the aunt of the show's fictionalized version of Smith. By all accounts, though, Smith and Hubert didn't exactly get along, and Hubert ultimately departed the show after Season 3. Daphne Maxwell Reid subsequently took over the role of Aunt Viv from Season 4 through the end of the series. Over the years, Smith and Hubert accused one another of being unprofessional on the "Fresh Prince" set.

"She's mad now, but she's been mad all along," Smith he told an Atlanta radio station after Hubert's departure in 1993 (per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), further claiming that his co-star had been jealous of his quick success. Hubert herself later spoke to TMZ in 2011, calling Smith immature, an "egomaniac," and an "a**hole." She also remarked at the time that, as things stood, she would never take part in a "Fresh Prince" reunion. Like we said, though, time has a way of changing things.

Will Smith and Janet Hubert eventually did reunite as part of HBO Max's "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" reunion special in 2020. As part of the special, the two had a rather frank discussion about their past beef, during which Smith acknowledged that he was young and insecure during the early days of "Fresh Prince." They also discussed the turbulent marriage Hubert was in during her time on the show, something Smith was able to better relate to in 2020, given his own relationship timeline and well-documented marital issues with Jada Pinkett Smith. Moreover, they hashed out how Smith's public comments had damaged Hubert's reputation and career, and Hubert apologized for her own public takedowns of Smith. By the end of it, it seemed they had finally buried the hatchet.

Since then, Smith and Hubert have evidently remained on good terms. In September 2025, Hubert went on "The Big Tigger Show," which emanates from the very same radio station where Smith had given his infamous 1993 interview slamming her. "It's very cathartic and healing for me to be here. We've come full circle everybody," Hubert said. She went on to explain that her friendship with Smith has held strong post-reunion, and that the "Men in Black" star had even helped promote her independent animated film "JG and the BC Kids." "I'm going to give my baby his props," Hubert continued, adding, "He put together the website with his team for me." It just goes to show that an apologizing can go a long way.