(Photo credit: Facebook)
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the hit sitcom, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The long-running show starring Will Smith has been commemorating the show’s success with a number of different promotions and specials including the new Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion show now streaming on HBO Max.
The reunion show takes us all down memory lane and even honors the late, great James Avery (Uncle Phil).
But everything isn’t all warm and fuzzy as the special even highlights the highly publicized fallout between Smith and Janet Hubert, the original ‘Aunt Viv’ character who was replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid in the show’s final three seasons.
For the first time in 27 years, Smith and Hubert come together to clear the air.
“It felt like I couldn’t celebrate 30 years of Fresh Prince without finding a way to celebrate Janet,” Smith tells his castmates, before showing them, and the viewers, a video of their pre-taped meeting.
One of the most striking about their talk isn’t only the raw feelings and truth of it, it’s also the list of things Hubert had to deal with during that time.
During Season 3 when she became pregnant, she says, she was facing challenges in her personal life (her then-husband was abusive and unemployed), which indirectly bled into how she approached her work on set.
There was another impending health issue that deteriorated her life for over ten years.
Janet began her career in the entertainment industry as a singer, dancer, and actress on Broadway.
Between 1988 and 1990, she worked in a few TV shows such as “21 Jump Street,” “A Man Called Hawk,” and “Tales from the Crypt.”
But her big break came in 1990 when she started portraying Aunt Vivian Banks on “Fresh Prince.”
Janet appeared on “The Doctors” to talk about the health problem that she had been struggling with for over a decade.
After going to a chiropractor who put a traction device on her neck, she heard a crack.
From that point on, she started feeling “violent, intense pain,” dizziness, as well as mild tremors that eventually became powerful.
Janet had to be taken to a hospital after she blacked out once. Unfortunately, the more than 40 doctors (48 to be exact!) she visited couldn’t find what was wrong with her.
After saying that she was “scared to death,” the actress confessed:
“I felt trapped inside my own body! I couldn’t go out of the house; I couldn’t stand up straight. I woke up in the middle of the night, and I said to my husband, ”I’d rather die than live like this any longer.”
The traction device she spoke of was more than likely a cervical traction device. It treats different types and causes of neck pain, tension, and tightness.
Cervical traction helps to relax the muscles, which can significantly relieve pain and stiffness while increasing flexibility.
It’s also used to treat and flatten bulging or herniated disks. It can alleviate pain from joints, sprains, and spasms.
It’s also used to treat neck injuries, pinched nerves, and cervical spondylosis.
(Photo credit: @JanetHubertfanpage instagram)
Cervical traction devices work by stretching the spinal vertebrae and muscles to relieve pressure and pain. Force or tension is used to stretch or pull the head away from the neck.
Creating space between the vertebrae relieves compression and allows the muscles to relax. This lengthens or stretches the muscles and joints around the neck.
Initially, the procedure Hubert decided on was covered under her health plan with the American Federation of Television and Radio Acts (AFTRA).
However, the insurance company decided that they would pay only 16 sessions a year, which, according to Janet, was not enough.
(Photo credit: @JanetHubertfanpage instagram)
Due to her condition, she could not work and was unable to pay for more sessions herself, which led her to sue the AFTRA in 2013. Hubert lost the court battle in August 2014.
We are so glad that Hubert is doing better. She seems happier, more at peace and even settled with where she is in life. We wish nothing but love for the “original” Aunt Viv.
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