Will Smith apologised for 'horrible error' after falling out with famous actor that almost put end to major reunion
It appears as though Will Smith believes remorse is a dish best served cold if his track record for saying sorry is anything to go by.
After slapping the s**t out of Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022, he gave it five months before dropping an apology video.
But if you thought he kept the comedian waiting a while, just wait until you find out how much time Janet Hubert had to kill before she and Smith patched things up.
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The Chicago-born actress, 69, is best known for playing the original Aunt Viv in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - and although her time on the sitcom was memorable, it was short and sweet.
She joined the cast in the first season alongside legends such as James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana M. Ali and Joseph Marcell - who all remained on the show for the entirety of its six seasons which ran from 1990.
However, Hubert dramatically departed The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1993, while rumours of an on-set rift began to run wild.
What did Will Smith say about Janet Hubert?
Shortly after her she left the role, Smith then launched into quite a brutal rant about the Broadway star during an interview with an Atlanta radio station.
The 'Switch' rapper said: "I can say straight up that Janet Hubert wanted the show to be 'The Aunt Viv of Bel-Air Show' because I know she is going to dog me in the press.
"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 Antichrist."
How did she respond?
In response to Smith's scathing comments, Hubert suggested that the actor was 'probably responsible for her firing'.
"He has a lot of clout," she said at the time (via the BBC). "It’s too bad that it’s a Black-on-Black attack. I have tried not to name names. I have more class than that.
"I wish Will would tell the truth. If you’re going to talk, tell the truth. He has gotten me fired from the show, and now he’s trying to get my career snatched away from me."
This public back and forth went on for quite a few years, long after The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had finished - and the feud meant a cast reunion was also off the cards, too.
In 2011, Hubert declared that there would 'never be a reunion' as she would 'never do anything with an a**hole like Will Smith', while adding: "He is 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," she told TMZ.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion
Hubert ended up eating her words though as she was present and correct at the Fresh Prince reunion special in 2020 to celebrate the show's 30th anniversary.
Her and Smith hugged it out, while the actress also opened up about how becoming a mum and being in an abusive relationship impacted her time on the sitcom.
According to Hubert, she was also presented with a 'really bad deal' during season three and decided not to accept the offer, which is why she was replaced by actress Daphne Maxwell Reid.
Smith apologised for not being 'sensitive or perceptive' to her struggles, saying that parenting his children Trey, Jaden and Willow has changed his perspective on the matter.
"Words can kill," Hubert said. "I lost everything. Reputation. Everything. I understand you were able to move forward, but you know those words - calling a Black woman difficult in Hollywood is the kiss of death.
"It’s hard enough being a dark-skinned Black woman in this business. But I felt it was necessary for us to finally move forward - and I am sorry that I have blasted you to pieces."
The Men in Black star responded: "I could not do a 30-year celebration of this show and not celebrate you. Celebrate your contribution to this show and celebrate your contribution to my life."
Smith says he 'made a horrible error'
As well as clearing the air with Hubert in private and at the reunion, Smith explained he had done some more reflection on their feud just last year.
In an episode of Vice’s Black Comedy in America series which aired in December, the Grammy winner said he had 'made a horrible error' by misjudging his co-star Hubert.
Speaking to host Chris Spencer about their decades-long disagreement, he admitted that he 'underestimated' the impact she made on him and the show.
Smith said (via PEOPLE). "I made a horrible error and misjudgment of her value and power and beauty to the show. I horribly underestimated what she was for me at that point in my life."
Hubert also had great things to say about the I Am Legend actor when she was quizzed about him in 2021, explaining they now have a 'very good relationship'.
"We text each other back and forth all the time," she told PEOPLE. "I meant it with all my heart when I hugged him, because I saw that little boy, that little 21-year-old boy. Had we had an opportunity to talk back then, I think this would have never happened."
Topics: Will Smith, Celebrity, TV and Film, US News, Entertainment
Olivia Burke