Will Smith took to Instagram on Thursday, Jan. 13, to send well-wishes to his former co-star Janet Hubert on her 66th birthday.
Hubert played the original Aunt Viv on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alongside Smith until she was replaced in 1994 with Daphne Maxwell Reid. This recast led to a public feud between Smith and Hubert. The pair ultimately reconciled in 2020 during the sitcom’s reunion special, where the actress disclosed she blamed Smith for her career stagnation.
In the Instagram post, Smith wrote, while sharing images of Hubert, including the show’s promo photo, “Happy BDay Janet! Blessings on another trip around the sun.”
Following the upload, Hubert thanked the star for his kind words. She said, “Thank you, sweetheart, for your love and your support. I am happy to be able to have another chance, another day to see the beauty of life. So happy to have you in my life.”
As fans began to view Smith’s post, many commended the actor for his gesture. A few even mentioned how elated they were Smith and Hubert “patched things up” following their years’-long feud.
“I’m so glad this relationship was mended! Two of our best actors in entertainment! Happy Birthday, Aunt Viv!”
“Love to see it.”
“That’s what’s up. Glad to see you two patched things up.”
“This says so much about you Will. Happy birthday Janet aka Aunt Viv.”
“Love this. Your reconciliation on the Fresh Prince special was so moving. I so hope it brought Janet peace.”
Smith’s shout-out comes one month after Hubert blasted the media, which she deemed vultures, because of their negative spin on her cryptic hospitalization post. In the Dec.4 upload, the actress revealed that she was in the hospital for undisclosed reasons. In the post, she included how not making peace with the past could potentially cause harm to one’s body.
Hubert also thanked Smith for telling the truth surrounding their public quarrel. Days later, after receiving massive backlash on Dec.7, the star addressed the now-deleted upload and the negative portrayal that was fed to the public. In addition to her rant, she informed fans she had returned home.
Hubert said, “Wow… the press and some of y’all are ready like Vultures to circle the body…well this body will reach up and grab your a–s and have you for dinner I am home and my health is my business kay.”
She wrapped up the upload by thanking her fans for the well-wishes during her hospitalization. “To the many of you who helped me feel better with your well wishes…THANK YOU! Positively heals, negatively kills. LIVE YO LIFE, I’M LIVING MINE. #nowrunandtelldat.”
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