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Will Smith and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star Janet Hubert who played his mother, Vivian Banks (aka Aunt Viv), in the beloved series did not always see eye-to-eye on set.
According to People, the actress left the show in 1993, citing "creative differences" with a then 21-year-old Smith, and was replaced with Daphne Maxwell Reid shortly after. The on-screen mother and son duo ended up reconciling while filming the HBO Max Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion special in 2020 (celebrating 30 years of the iconic series), and Smith recently admitted to misjudging his connection to Hubert at the time.
"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," the star revealed in a recent episode of Vice’s Black Comedy in America series.
Hubert also commented on her ever-evolving relationship with Smith in a 2021 interview with People, citing a continuous flow of communication.
"We text each other back and forth all the time. 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."
Smith is actually gearing up to release a new gospel album, created as a reflection of his recent "soul searching," and got candid about the project during an interview with iHeartRadio's Tracy Bethea of 95.7 Hallelujah FM on November 27th.
"As you can imagine, I've done a lot of soul-searching. It's just what came out of me in this new season of my life... I was raised deeply in the church. It's where I got my first taste of performing and being able to fill people with the spirit... With this particular single, it wasn't like I was trying to make a gospel song. I was full with that energy, with that spirit and it's what came out naturally. The idea that you can make it is just what my heart wanted to say to the world."
For more on the "I, Robot" actor's upcoming album, read: Will Smith Opens Up About New Gospel Album, Quincy Jones' Death & More.