Random Behind The Scenes History Of 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air' Most People Don't Know (12 items)

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  (#10) Janet Hubert Butted Heads With Alfonso Ribeiro

   

   

   

   

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  A post shared by Alfonso Ribeiro (@therealalfonsoribeiro) on Mar 27, 2017 at 5:27pm PDT

  Original Aunt Viv actor Janet Hubert wasn't too fond of either of her onscreen nephews. Hubert recently lashed out at Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton Banks) after he posted a photo of his reunion with castmates Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks), Karyn Parson (Hilary Banks), Daphne Reid (the second Aunt Viv), and Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey Butler).

  In a now-removed Facebook post, Hubert lambasted Ribeiro for the photo:

  Folks keep telling me about it. He was always the [butt] wipe for Will. There will never be a true reunion of the Fresh Prince. I have no interest in seeing any of these people on that kind of level.
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  (#3) 'Fresh Prince' Was Originally Cancelled During Season 4

  Fresh Prince almost didn't have the glorious six-season run for which it's known. NBC wanted to wrap up the show after Season 4. The series ending was supposed to be the Season 4 finale, where Will goes back to Philadelphia and decides to stay there with his mother. Fans were absolutely outraged.

  When NBC canceled the sitcom, the network was hit with thousands of angry fan letters. Shockingly, they listened, and the show was renewed for two more seasons.
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  (#12) Rumors Said Janet Hubert Was Allegedly Kicked Off The Show Because She Got Pregnant

  Janet Hubert (the original Aunt Vivian) may have had major tensions with Will Smith, but some people believe that isn't the reason she was booted from the show in 1993. According to some sources, it was a pregnancy that caused Hubert to lose her role. The outspoken actor became pregnant, which allegedly voided a clause in her contract.

  She left the show halfway through its six year run and was replaced by Daphne Reid.
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  (#6) 'Fresh Prince' Was Based On The Life Of Benny Medina, A Producer And Manager Whose Dad Was Involved In A Drug Cartel

  Will Smith's dad was missing for the majority of The Fresh Prince. Only later was he introduced and the reason he left Will revealed (he wasn't ready to be a father). The truth is that the real Fresh Prince had a father who was deep into drugs, but he wasn't absent because he wasn't ready to have kids: he was in prison.

  Smith's character was inspired by Benny Medina, a producer and manager who was in and out of foster homes with brief stints at his aunt's house in Watts, a neighborhood in South Los Angeles. When he was 9 years old, his mother died of cancer and his father left after numerous stints in prison for using and dealing drugs. In an interview with The Marshall Project, Medina's father (also named Benny Medina), spoke about his struggles as a drug-dealing parent.

  I kept all five of my kids the best I could but I was involved with a cartel dealing drugs, so I could supply myself with money for a babysitter and drive a nice car and have drums.
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  (#2) Will Smith Made The Whole Audience Cry, Which Started Rumors About His Relationship With His Dad

  "Papa's Got A Brand New Excuse" was undoubtedly the single most emotional episode of the series. It's often misreported that Smith ad-libbed the ending's gut-wrenching monologue after channeling the real-life experience of being abandoned by his father. The truth is, Smith and his dad had a loving relationship. In fact, he described his parents as rather typical (they wanted him to go to college instead of become a rapper - whoops!).  

  The reason the scene is so gut-wrenching is because of Smith's raw acting talent. He definitely ad-libbed it, but not for the reason everyone thinks. And according to a former audience member, the monologue was so emotional that it had the entire audience in tears:

  I was actually at the taping. The entire show was quiet, even during the funny parts, and I could not figure out why. Before this scene, Will Smith disappeared. He showed up, did this scene in one take, then disappeared again. You might notice his hat coming off. Usually, the director would retake the scene, but really, nothing could replace this moment. People were crying for a long time when it was over, doing their best not to make noise before the director said 'cut.' I was ten years old. Will never, ever, forget.

  And to think, Smith never even had any formal acting training.
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  (#11) The Original Aunt Viv Had Major Beef With Will Smith

  Janet Hubert, the original Aunt Vivian in NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, apparently wasn't too crazy about her onscreen nephew, Will Smith. The pair had major beef, which is part of the reason she left in 1993 and was replaced with Daphne Reid. Most pointedly, Hubert slammed the A-lister for not helping his castmates negotiate for higher wages. 

  In 2016, Hubert called out Smith in an online video:

  I seem to remember at option time, coming to you and saying … "With you, maybe we can get a little raise." [We thought] your influence would help us greatly, like they did on Friends.

  In turn, Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, defended her husband and slammed his costar in a radio interview:

  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."

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