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Will Smith and original Aunt Viv Janet Hubert together on 'Fresh Prince'? Here's a look at their past feuds

Will Smith and Janet Hubert have agreed put their differences aside for a one-off special one-on-one conversation to be aired during the 30th anniversary of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'

Ever since HBO Max announced the 30th anniversary special official reunion of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air', fans had been wondering if Janet Hubert, the first and original Aunt Viv, would be part of the show. Later, when HBO released the cast list, Hubert's name was not on it. Daphne Maxwell Reid, who replaced Hubert starting season four of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' was, unsurprisingly, included in the reunion cast.

Now, in a tweet through their official handle, HBO Max confirmed the involvement of Janet Hubert in the upcoming 30th-anniversary reunion saying, "OG AUNT VIV. I REPEAT OG AUNT VIV. The Fresh Prince Reunion really did that! #FreshPrince30th is coming soon."

Sharing pictures of the reunited cast on his official Instagram, star of the show, Will Smith also made an announcement and wrote, "Today is exactly 30 YEARS since The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air debuted! So we’re doin’ something for y’all…a for real Banks Family Reunion is comin’ soon to @HBOmax! RIP James. #FreshPrince30th"

It was later revealed that Reid will still be portraying the role of Aunt Viv on the reunion of the show, but we will get an exclusive one-on-one conversation between Smith and Hubert. The two actors, who had a falling out which led to Hubert exiting the show after the end of season three, haven't been on speaking terms for over 27 years. Therefore, images of the two seated together and having a heart-to-heart surprised fans.

One Twitter user, genuinely happy about the conversation between Smith and Hubert, tweeted, "Happy to see Will Smith and Janet Hubert having a conversation. Life is too short and uncertain."

Another fan of the show, surprised by the latest development, tweeted, "Will Smith and OG Aunt Viv (Janet Hubert) for the Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air reunion. Hell done froze over!"

Talking about how 2020 has been a year full of surprises, another user said, "Will Smith and Janet Hubert aka OG Aunt Viv being seen in a photo together was not on my 2020 bingo sheet at ALL."

Another fan, taken aback by the news, wrote, "Y’all. 2020 is really on some wild a** s**t. Will Smith AND Janet Hubert?!?!? Together?!?!? In the same room?!?!"

Excited by the announcement, a fan expressed, "THIS IS NOT A DRILL. WILL SMITH AND THE DARK SKINNED AUNT VIV FOR THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF FRESH PRINCE. If I wasn’t watching this show I SURE AM NOW."

It is not unusual for fans to be this surprised about Smith and Hubert getting together as the two have been feuding publicly ever since Hubert exited the show abruptly after its third season. She later wrote a book titled 'Perfection is Not a Sitcom Mom' criticizing Smith's behavior. She had, back in 2017 in a now-deleted social media post, asserted that there will never be a true reunion of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'. She spoke against Smith multiple times in the press calling him an 'egomaniac' and immature. At one point, she even blamed Smith for her firing from the show to which Smith responded by saying that Hubert wanted the show to be 'The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air'.

The two actors have now agreed to put their differences aside and have a candid conversation as part of the televised reunion. Apart from Hubert, who's now part of the 30th reunion, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Reid and DJ Jazzy Jeff will all be part of HBO Max's special televised event. The reunion will also celebrate the life and legacy of James Avery, Uncle Phil on the show, who passed away on 2014.

The show, which ran for six seasons and 148 episodes, is developed by Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's company Westbrook Media. It's being directed by Marcus Raboy and executive-produced by Rikki Huges (show-runner), Miguel Melendez, Lukas Kaiser and Brad Haugen.

'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' reunion special will release exclusively on HBO around Thanksgiving.