Has hell finally frozen over?!? Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the premiere episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and in order to celebrate, the cast got together to tape an unscripted reunion special that is set to air on HBO Max around Thanksgiving. Will Smith, ever the hype-man, posted photos from the taping on his Instagram, and the first photo was a nice group shot of Smith and the rest of the cast that included Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, and Alfonso Ribeiro, as well as the recurring DJ Jazzy Jeff. The real surprise came when you swiped left and saw another photo of Smith and the original Aunt Viv, Janet Hubert. Why is this a big deal? Well, in the picture they appear to be smiling and getting along which is a far cry from the feuding they have endured since she departed the show after the series' third season.
You might look at this picture like myself and go "is this an old photo?" "Did I miss something?" Nope! It appears the photo is from the reunion that was taped for HBO Max and it looks like the duo is taking steps to bury the hatchet. For those who aren't familiar, Hubert played family matriarch, Vivian Banks, for the first three seasons of the show before she was replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid in 1993. Hubert reportedly blamed Smith for her premature departure from the show and it's a grudge she held for years. Back in 2011, Hubert had this to say about Smith:
"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."
Perhaps she got the apology she wanted or maybe the pandemic softened some of the old grudges between them because, according to HBO, they did reunite for the first time in 27 years for an “emotional reunion and a candid conversation.” HBO also said that the reunion between the duo came as a surprise to the other castmembers as well. Janet Huber even posted the photo of herself and Smith to her Instagram page with a caption that read “Reunited and it feels so good!" The hashtags also read "God Spoke To Me" and "Free At Last." You can check out her Instagram post below:
Perhaps this is the reunion that James Avery would've loved to have seen. The actor, who portrayed Uncle Phil on the show and everyone's favorite sitcom dad, passed away back in 2013 at the age of 68. He was the only one physically missing from the reunion taping but he was clearly there in spirit because in another group photo posted by Smith, which featured the fictional Banks' family, part of the caption read "RIP James." You can check out that Instagram post below:
Everyone is clamoring for that Friends reunion special on HBO Max but this Fresh Prince reunion couldn't come fast enough for me. Will YOU be watching? The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion special, which is billed by HBO as "a funny and heartfelt night full of music, dancing, and special surprise guests, in honor of the series that ran for six seasons and 148 episodes," will air around Thanksgiving.