Do you remember when the ORIGINAL Aunt Vivian Banks just magically vanished like ole girl from Family Matters and then all of a sudden, a light skinned woman posing showed up?
Yeah, I was mad, and I still am. Well, and so is the actress who played that role! LOL, not mad, but finally opening up and telling us what really happened:
“My mind was going in a million places. OK, I thought, they will come back; this is how they do it. They always come back. I started into the kitchen where Rayna – my friend, housekeepeFresh Prince of Bel Air castr and nanny was. She was doing dishes as baby E was enjoying a swing. I knelt down, kissed his head, and waited for the next round of negotiations. They never came. The next time Michael [her agent] called he said, ‘They are going to recast your role.’ There was a beautiful stained glass window that I designed in the bedroom, and the windows were open, so my neighbors probably heard me scream. And that beautiful window probably has many cracks in it. Time of Death: approximately 3 pm. The real Vivian Banks was murdered…” (Source)
Check out the source for the rest of the excerpts from the book. She also claims that Will prevented Countess Vaughn from coming on the show because she was too good, he was also a glory hog, and her surprise at Don Cheadle lasting as long as he did because he was such a superb young actor.
Is she bitter or is she just speaking her piece? I actually kind of want to read this book…I know I ALWAYS wondered what happened! Shouts to Jawn Murray for the info.
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June 19, 2009 ASmith
Ok, so…
Is she bitter? Yeah.
Will she sell a few books, though? Yup…
Do I wanna read this and know all the dirt? Yup.
I think a lot of us FPOBA fans are a little pissed (still) that they re-cast Aunt Viv with a less than stellar replacement… but that’s been a decade+ ago, for the most part we’ve all gotta let it go.
Now maybe it’s taken janet this long to get back to a place where we’d even hear her out, but quite frankly, her time to cash in on the madness at top $$ was back when she got re-cast, not now that so many “urban” fans don’t even remember when the show was in production.
June 19, 2009 Bianca-wonka
I loved the first Aunt Viv, but I can’t stand when negroes always resort to the “light-skinned replacement” bit. She was replaced, the lady was BLACK, and got the m-f’in job done. Point blank.
So I assume that her story is believablee b/c she was a victim of being a darker Black woman replaced by a lighter Black woman? Or b/c Will Smith (who was nothing but a rapper back then anyway) is believed to have had a huge ego…how about we ask EVERY Black female actress who has ever worked in Hollywood if Will Smith didn’t like being outshined…Queen LAtifah, Vivica, Tisha Campbell, Nia Long, Garcelle, Jasmine Guy…c’mon.
June 20, 2009 fatblkboy
that’s a good point Bianca-wonka – there were several black celebrity guests that fell through that show.
whether she’s bitter or looking to speak her piece, at least she’s consistent. she’s been telling that same story for years. i just find it odd that no one else on the show complained. and wasn’t Carlton (i don’t have the energy to google his real name) the bigger star AT THE TIME THE SHOW STARTED? i will be reading…either in the bookstore or buying someone else’s copy. i ain’t got no money for this foolishness.
June 20, 2009 C.
Anyone remember the episode where the 1st Viv took a dance class after hitting 40? Then she made them young guhs jaws drop at the end?
Point is 1st Viv was a beast. Her comedic timing stayed on point while 2nd Viv was “eh” at times. She was a lil to stiff for me while 1st Viv would damn near do it all. But being a fan of the show overall I still watched the re-runs (wasn’t born when the show started, and only 4 when it ended)
June 22, 2009 smashedthehomie
Light skinned Aunt Viv was not the biz!! LOL Will Smith pissed me off with that one.
June 22, 2009 Ratchet
Miss Janet Hubert OWNED that role point-blank… so much that they literally had to change the character after they fired her…
And I believe her, for some reason. Not to mention if she wrote that up there without a co-writer of something like that, she can write…
June 22, 2009 romanticlezbn
She is speaking her PEACE! I LOVED LOVED LOVED Aunt Viv especially that dance episode. HONEY!!! YESSSS! Ratchet you said it all for me
June 22, 2009 kbelov
that show went downhill when she left…that other chick seemed like she was just showing up to get a check…