Actress Janet Hubert took to her personal Facebook page to express her opinion about Jada Pinkett Smith’s proposed Oscars boycott. Hubert portrayed the original and fan favorite Aunt Vivian in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990-93.
Hubert had a rocky history with Will Smith after he failed to support a conjoined effort to renegotiate salaries/wages, she said.
In a video post, she believes a boycott is not feasible for actors who are not as wealthy as the Smiths. She points out that the Smiths are part of the Hollywood elite and that they benefit from the system as-is. Social media erupted in both positive support and negative condemnation, but Hubert has a point. The Oscars is all about money, exposure and the opportunity for greater work in Hollywood.
Twitter users showed that they still love the character that defined her career. While many Facebook commenters supported her bold stance on the matter:
Signa Siggy JordanBravo….those who are not apart of the industry don’t see the bigger picture…Reality after the camera stops rolling and no one gets work then to boycott something that really don’t define some don’t matter…Let’s boycott things that’s harming our people…etc Kudos Well spoken some don’t agree because they lack understanding….Onelove
Monique ThomasMama Janet Hubert, YOU are as real as it gets!! Thanks for making my head spin in a good way. I understood what Jada meant and she meant well. HOWEVER, because you KNOW them, it takes on a whole different meaning. Thank you for the clarity of the entire situation. And yes, Idris Elba got ROBBED this year. He is a BEAST in his acting.
Penwah PhynjuarELBA WAS ROBBED LETS TALK ABOUT THAT!
Dark Skin Aunt Viv just strolled in the Smith's mentions like pic.twitter.com/zqEdzBI2sx
— Waiting To Oxtail (@CoreyPTownsend) January 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/JoellaDeville/status/689278660520456192
DAYYYUUUMMMMM Aunt Viv just wigged on Jada Pinkett Smith…😲😂 pic.twitter.com/dYjw7bYL0e
— Jeremy Nicolls (@JeremyNicolls) January 19, 2016
When you ain't got nothing to lose.. You do an Aunt Viv..
— Loni Love (@LoniLove) January 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/JSim07/status/689278916373041152
Damn Aunt Viv clapping back in the comments pic.twitter.com/rVDSkFwV2N
— Royce Morgan (@TheRoyceMorgan) January 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/TheDiLLon1/status/689276640371822593
https://twitter.com/TheDiLLon1/status/689273416197758976
Never saw light skinned Aunt Viv do this though pic.twitter.com/oGnN4hGh0N
— greg 🇹🇿 (@mojogodo) January 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/MatthewACherry/status/689289226572009473
https://twitter.com/DrTGIF/status/689294226392281088
Jada Pinkett watching this Aunt Viv video pic.twitter.com/CFJBAvIEQm
— Mark S. Luckie (@marksluckie) January 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/KimberlyNFoster/status/689293305146818564
https://twitter.com/gamesetmax1/status/689289770460147712
https://twitter.com/KrapmatiK/status/689286480041132032
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