Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Special Finally Reunites Will Smith And Original Aunt Viv For Emotional Conversation

fresh prince of bel air will smith aunt viv janet hubert

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fans got some great news back in August with the announcement that a reunion special is coming to HBO Max before the end of the year, with almost the entire original cast on board. One notable but unsurprising member of the cast who wasn't slated to appear was Janet Hubert, a.k.a. the original Aunt Viv who has had some harsh words for Will Smith over the years. Now, against seemingly all odds, Janet Hubert will be part of the special after all, which reunites her with Smith for the first time in decades.

In fact, the reunion special brings Will Smith and Janet Hubert together for the first time in 27 years, in what is described as "an emotional reunion and a candid conversation." What better way to celebrate the show's 30th anniversary than with Smith and the original Aunt Viv having a conversation? There's no shortage of topics to cover, after all. She has said that Smith screwed everyone over on the show, and she reacted to a previous reunion of the rest of the cast by saying that she had "no interest in seeing any of these people on that kind of level."

Fans will have to wait until the HBO Max special to see just how emotional and candid Will Smith and Janet Hubert get in their conversation, but an image of their chat indicates that they won't be hashing out grievances the whole time. Will Smith shared some pictures from the reunion on September 10 to honor the exact 30-year anniversary of the Fresh Prince premiere, and he and Hubert were all smiles. Take a look:

hbo max fresh prince of bel air reunion special will smith janet hubert

(Image credit: HBO Max)

Do they look like old pals having a comfortable conversation about nothing but happy memories? Not quite, if you ask me, but they don't look angry or uncomfortable. Has Janet Hubert moved past her grievances against Will Smith and the show in recent years, and the reunion will be as pleasant as possible? Or are they smiling through some awkwardness as they get candid with each other? Hubert hasn't been shy in sharing her feelings, but Smith's feelings have been less public.

Basically, if you're a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fan who needed even more reasons to look forward to the reunion special, the promise of a reunion between the star and the original Aunt Viv as well as a "candid" conversation can only add to the excitement. Fortunately, Will Smith also shared an image of the rest of the cast members who got together for the special, including the second Aunt Viv, played by Daphne Maxwell Reid. Check it out!

hbo max fresh prince of bel air reunion special cast

(Image credit: HBO Max)

Talk about all smiles! Will Smith snapped a selfie including Daphne Maxwell Reid (Aunt Viv II), Karyn Parsons (Hilary Banks), Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton Banks), Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey Butler), Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks), and DJ Jazzy Jeff on set in the Banks family home. Sadly, Uncle Phil actor James Avery passed away back in 2014. The special is slated to feature special surprise guests as well, on top of music and dancing, which hopefully involves "the Carlton" dance at some point!

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion special will launch on HBO Max around Thanksgiving this year. If you need a Fresh Prince fix before November (and the dramatic reboot coming to Peacock) , you can find the full run of six seasons with all 148 episodes streaming on HBO Max now. For some additional viewing options, check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule!

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).