Honey, the original Aunt Viv is home!
On Tuesday, October 28, Peacock announced that Janet Hubert — best known for portraying Aunt Viv in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alongside Will Smith — will guest star in the upcoming fourth and final season of “Bel-Air,” the dramatic reimagining of the hit sitcom led by Jabari Banks.
In the show, Hubert will play a new character who is described as a wise woman whom Hilary (Coco Jones) meets, and who ultimately becomes instrumental to the Banks family, according to Deadline.
The season will also feature Caroline Chikezie (“Power Book II: Ghost”), along with Tyra Banks, who was also recently announced as a returning guest star in a “full circle” moment, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Chikezie will portray Dominique Warren, the leader of Geoffrey’s (Jimmy Akingbola) former London gang. Meanwhile, Banks, who guest-starred on the original sitcom as Will’s on-again, off-again girlfriend Jackie, will be stepping into the role of a former college classmate with a lot of personality of Aunt Viv’s (Cassandra Freeman), whom she reunites with despite reservations.
News of Hubert’s return to “Bel-Air” feels like a full-circle moment. The actress, who originated the role of Aunt Viv in the show’s first three seasons from 1990 to 1993, famously exited amid reports she’d been fired, sparking a decades-long rift with Will Smith. The two ultimately reconciled during a heartfelt conversation for the show’s 30th anniversary reunion special.
During the discussion, Hubert clarified that she hadn’t been fired, but had chosen not to accept what she described as an unfair contract offer that reduced both her pay and creative freedom. At the time, she was caring for a newborn and supporting an unemployed husband, making the decision especially difficult. Smith, reflecting on the tension, admitted he had contributed to a difficult working environment, saying he’d once viewed “everything as a threat.”
Their emotional exchange ended in mutual apologies and an embrace, with Smith declaring, “You’re still my Aunt Viv.”
Since “Bel-Air” premiered on Peacock in 2022, several stars from the original series have made appearances. Daphne Maxwell Reid, who portrayed the second Aunt Viv in the sitcom, appeared in season 1. Vernee Watson-Johnson, who originally played Will’s mother, Viola “Vy” Smith, appeared alongside Reid as Janice. Joseph Marcell, the beloved original Geoffrey, showed up in season 3 as a figure connected to the new Geoffrey’s past. And Tatyana Ali, who played Ashley Banks in the 1990s classic, joined the series as Mrs. Hughes, a supportive English teacher in season 2.
When “Bel-Air” co-executive producer and writer Felicia Pride sat down with TheGrio to discuss her new book, “Come Close,” she also shared what excites her about the show’s final season.
“I love the work that we did on ‘Bel-Air’ season four, really showing Black love between Aunt Viv and Uncle Phil,” Pride told theGrio. “Season four is going to have some beautiful familial love, because I always define love very expansively. So I’m very, just very proud of the work that we did on ‘Bel-Air.’”
Season 4 of “Bel-Air” premieres on Monday, November 24.
