When Jada Pinkett-Smith decided to boycott the Oscars because of the lack of diversity in this year’s nominations, Will Smith’s former on-screen aunt, Janet Hubert (Aunt Viv to Fresh Prince of Bel Air fans) went on a since-removed video rant in which she accused Jada of only being mad because her husband didn’t get a nomination, that she and her husband were making money off the industry they supposedly wanted to boycott, and that there were more important things to worry about than an award show.
This is all of a piece with Hubert’s feud with Will, who she said got her fired from Fresh Prince.
On Wednesday, Hubert appeared on The Real to talk more about said feud, in a forgiving tone (or pseudo forgiving, if you’re #TeamSmith). Among the things we learn, Hubert likes to talk about herself in the third person. “Janet Hubert was never difficult on that set,” she says. “Janet Hubert was so professional it wasn’t even funny. I think that Will simply needed to win.” She then goes on to say that she never did stuff like walking off set.
Hubert also says that she kept silent about the truth for a long time to preserve her dignity. “But I realized that that redemption was not gonna come unless I did it myself,” she finishes to applause.
