Actress Janet Hubert is probably best known as Aunt Vivian on the Will Smith sitcom, 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air.'

The 53-year-old actress was fired from the show in 1993 and replaced by actress Daphne Maxwell Reid.


Now the twice-married, mother of one has penned a memoir, 'Perfection Is Not A Sitcom Mom' that is slated to be released early in 2010.


In the book, Hubert lashes out at Smith and accuses the then-hip hop superstar of sabotaging her and other talented actors who worked on the 30-minute NBC comedy.

In one excerpt from the tome, given to BV Buzz exclusively, Hubert writes: "Smith had people around him who made sure no one outshone him. I was happy to see Don Cheadle become the quality actor that he is, and often wondered how he made it past one episode, as Hilary's boyfriend, being such a fierce actor. No one could be on 'The Tonight Show,' that first season, except Will. And I mean no one."

In an effort to drive the point home, Hubert also recalled an incident where another actor was cut from a guest spot on the show after being too impressive at an early rehearsal for that episode.

"I recall the lovely and incredibly talented Countess Vaughn coming to guest star. Oh my God! The day of table read, she was pee-in-your-pants funny. The writers were howling, we were howling, so I knew she was history – banished into the cornfield. Many years later, after she had her own show, I had to tell her when she asked me why. 'Miss Janet why did I get cut from the episode,' she asked? Simply, my darling, you were too good," she recollected.

Hubert also vividly details her termination from 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air,' something she claims to have never anticipated.

She writes: "My agent called; it was time. He had a very funny sound to his voice, not the usual wonderfully funny Michael that I knew. 'Jaaaannnet,' he said, 'I got the offer and you're not gonna like it. They offered you 10 episodes.' Now, to the layperson who doesn't know what this means, each show is an episode, and the usual amount is 22, with perhaps two extra. But the show was a hit so they would order 26, with each show taking a week to shoot. I remember swallowing very, very hard. [My son] Eli was only three and half months old. That meant a cut in salary of more than $100,000."


"We had a new house, a new baby, I had just opened a new exercise studio, signed a 3-year lease, and my ex wasn't working at the time. And they knew this," the excerpt continued. "'That's not all,' Michael said. 'They don't want you to work on any other shows. You can only do two guest starring roles.' What? Who? I stammered. I couldn't breathe. What do we do, Michael? What do we do? 'We pass,' Michael said. 'This is a dirty deal, and they know it.' OK, I trust you, I said. Michael had been my agent for more than 20 years. 'OK sweetie, I will call you back,' he said."


In the last of the passage, Hubert describes just how the news that she was being replaced was delivered, an ordeal she likens to a murder.

"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, housekeeper 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 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," the excerpt closed.

Since being replaced on 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air,' Hubert has had guest turns on 'Gilmore Girls,' 'One Life To Live,' 'Friends,' 'NYPD Blue' and 'The Jamie Foxx Show.'

For more details on the actress and when the book hits stores, visit her online at Welcome to Janet Hubert's Website - Home.


(source)

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So is Uncle Phil gay?????...... that's the real juice......

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This should be an interesting book. I always thought it was a mistake in firing her off the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". She was the better "Aunt Vivian". I never much cared for the light-skinned actress who replaced her in the role.

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Not this shit again. Didn't she speak out in a documentary a while back?

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I always like her over the replacement Aunt Viv, but I don't know who to believe.

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I believe the part about Countess; she definitely would have upstaged Will.

Although the new Aunt Viv was sexier, she was dry and wack as hell. The Old and original one was very good, talented (remembers the dance episode) and not to be fucked with. The eff with Fresh Prince. I always thought that show was kinda overated, and it got WACK after the orignal Aunt Viv left.

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I wouldn't say overrated. It was pretty funny. Yeah the original Aunt Viv didn't take no mess. The second was too passive, the writers definitely softened Vivian up.

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Werd.

2nd aunty viv didn't have a personality to save her soul

I believe her. Somethng in the milk ain't clean about Will to me.

Oh my.

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I believe her but I wouldn't have passed on the 10 epis

I think she just got in way over her head over opening a gym and the ex being out of work

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I don't think he "upstaged" Will, but Carlton was damn funny to me.

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Im not surprised, thats what happens when u work as a co star...that show was not Friends...Thats just like Countess wanting Brandy air time and money ..not gon happen

you dont even see her on TV anymore, she had fire, the new aunt Viv was a stepford wife

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