Actress Janet Hubert took to her personal Facebook page to express her opinion about Jada Pinkett Smith’s proposed Oscars boycott. Hubert portrayed the original and fan favorite Aunt Vivian in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990-93.
Hubert had a rocky history with Will Smith after he failed to support a conjoined effort to renegotiate salaries/wages, she said.
In a video post, she believes a boycott is not feasible for actors who are not as wealthy as the Smiths. She points out that the Smiths are part of the Hollywood elite and that they benefit from the system as-is. Social media erupted in both positive support and negative condemnation, but Hubert has a point. The Oscars is all about money, exposure and the opportunity for greater work in Hollywood.
Twitter users showed that they still love the character that defined her career. While many Facebook commenters supported her bold stance on the matter:
Signa Siggy JordanBravo….those who are not apart of the industry don’t see the bigger picture…Reality after the camera stops rolling and no one gets work then to boycott something that really don’t define some don’t matter…Let’s boycott things that’s harming our people…etc Kudos Well spoken some don’t agree because they lack understanding….Onelove
Monique ThomasMama Janet Hubert, YOU are as real as it gets!! Thanks for making my head spin in a good way. I understood what Jada meant and she meant well. HOWEVER, because you KNOW them, it takes on a whole different meaning. Thank you for the clarity of the entire situation. And yes, Idris Elba got ROBBED this year. He is a BEAST in his acting.
Penwah PhynjuarELBA WAS ROBBED LETS TALK ABOUT THAT!
Dark Skin Aunt Viv just strolled in the Smith's mentions like pic.twitter.com/zqEdzBI2sx
— Bradshaw w/ Melanin (@JarrieBradshaw) January 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/JoellaDeville/status/689278660520456192
DAYYYUUUMMMMM Aunt Viv just wigged on Jada Pinkett Smith…?? pic.twitter.com/dYjw7bYL0e
— Jeremy Nicolls (@JeremyNicolls) January 19, 2016
When you ain't got nothing to lose.. You do an Aunt Viv..
— Loni Love (@LoniLove) January 19, 2016
Aunt Viv like pic.twitter.com/2BfnCqNyVF
— Justin Simien (@JSim07) January 19, 2016
Damn Aunt Viv clapping back in the comments pic.twitter.com/rVDSkFwV2N
— Royce Morgan (@TheRoyceMorgan) January 19, 2016
15 Minutes into Boycott the Oscars and Chill and Aunt Viv gives you this look… pic.twitter.com/pr0m05TFQ7
— Ol' QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) January 19, 2016
Janet Hubert is the true Aunt Viv cause she still think she's playing that role in 2016.
— Ol' QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) January 19, 2016
Never saw light skinned Aunt Viv do this though pic.twitter.com/oGnN4hGh0N
— L'Engineer (@GPL_) January 19, 2016
The only Oscar Aunt Viv acknowledges pic.twitter.com/wXGb0J4upi
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) January 19, 2016
Aunt Viv sounds like she feels truly betrayed by Will. You hear the pain in her voice but everything she said was accurate.
— #KorrynGaines (@DrTGIF) January 19, 2016
Jada Pinkett watching this Aunt Viv video pic.twitter.com/CFJBAvIEQm
— Mark S. Luckie (@marksluckie) January 19, 2016
The best part of Aunt Viv's video is the cartoon filter she put on it.
— Kimberly N. Foster (@KimberlyNFoster) January 19, 2016
Lowkey, I'm with aunt Viv. like I said, Will gets all the roles so he never "sees" racism. Until it's time for nominations. lol
— Marion Stone (@gamesetmax1) January 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/KrapmatiK/status/689286480041132032
