An actress from the 1990s NBC series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” recently slammed the show’s star, Will Smith, following a reunion luncheon that the cast attended.
According to TMZ, actress Karyn Parsons, who played Hilary on the show, held a charity luncheon in early December that was attended by most of the Fresh Prince cast, including Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, James Avery and Smith.
But Janet Hubert, the first of two actresses who portrayed Aunt Viv on the series, skipped the event. Hubert, 55, told TMZ that she’s still upset over the way she was fired from the show and said she believes Smith was the cause of her ousting.
“There will never be a reunion…as I will never do anything with an a–hole like Will Smith,” Hubert told TMZ. “He’s still an egomaniac and has not grown up. This constant reunion thing will never ever happen in my lifetime unless there is an apology, which he doesn’t know the word.”
According to The New York Daily News, at the time of her firing Hubert claimed that Smith had created a hostile work environment after she became pregnant. Her pregnancy was eventually written into the show.
Smith, 43, has cited Hubert’s ego as the reason for her departure. Actress Daphne Reid took over the character for the show’s final three seasons.
“I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be ‘The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show,’” Smith told an Atlanta radio station after Hubert was cut, according to the Daily News.
He added, “She has basically gone from a quarter of a million dollars a year to nothing. She’s mad now, but she’s been mad all along. She said once, ‘I’ve been in the business for 10 years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show.’ No matter what, to her I’m just the Anti-Christ.”
“Fresh Prince” debuted on NBC in 1990. After running for six seasons, it was canceled in 1996.