Catching Up With Janet Hubert
Janet Hubert became the beloved aunt of a generation as Vivian Banks on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” in the early 90s. And the actress, dancer and author didn’t let her firing from the show slow her down. She continues to shine on the small screen including a recurring role on “One Life to Live,” among other projects. As her TV One “Life After” special premieres, the Hollywood veteran shares with Heart & Soul why she isn’t letting a serious muscle condition slow her down and how friends like Angela Bassett have made her rich.
HEART & SOUL: Before the fame of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” you had a full career in the arts, including dancing and acting. Are you still dancing?
JANET HUBERT: I am a dancer at heart. I was in the original production of Cats and have worked with the best including Katherine Dunham. I consider myself a real athlete and my body shows. I have suffered for years from a painful trigger point syndrome. I don’t dance like I use to but work out as much as I can.
HEART & SOUL: How does the condition impact your body?
HUBERT: It impacts everything as my muscles pull and standup. Trigger points, cannot be seen on an MRI or CAT Scan, so my motor system is impacted without warning. I’ve had muscles in my forehead pull so hard that I can’t hear. I’ve gone to 40 doctors over the last eight years and was misdiagnosed by about 15. My advice to women is to always get more than one opinion and to listen to your body. If left untreated, this condition can lead to a heart attack
HEART & SOUL: Even with such a serious condition, you still are working and vocal in the public eye.
HUBERT: I can’t let this stop me. I have a son to raise. He graduated a year early and is going to college in the fall. When Vivan Banks was pregnant on the “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” I was really pregnant. I gave birth to him and then I was let go. There was no mercy for a new momma. I was vocal then about the responsibility of hip hop artists to our kids and I was told to shut up. I have nothing to loose by standing up for children and I still speak out. These are the people who will take care of us when we are 90.
HEART & SOUL: Definitely. I saw you at the opening Cicely Tyson’s Performing Arts School last year and you said your good friend Angela Bassett invited you.
HUBERT: Angela Basset is one of my dear, true friends. I can call her today and tell her I’m coming to L.A. and she will say, ‘girl, stay with me.’ We knew each other before fame. The sisters in this business know the deal. Jennifer Lewis was there during “The Fresh Prince.” I also have great friends who are not in the business and have been blessed with lifelong friends. Success isn’t about the money, but the people who you share your life with. People say I’m bitter, and I think get real. I’m rich in many ways.
HEART & SOUL: Indeed. You are also happily married. How has a healthy relationship enriched your life?
HUBERT: I married an angel, I really did. I married someone I can be myself with and wish every woman to have the love I have. My husband and I have had one fight in nine years. The secret to our happy relationship is neither one of us has to be right and there are no expectations. He isn’t sitting around waiting for me to cook. I’ve turned into a much more doting wife than I would ever be for anybody else because he has my front, my back, my side and my middle. My tip for other women is to look for a working man. If he’s good with is hands, he will know how to hold your heart and respect the ground and the stone you walk on.
Here’s a sneak peek of her TV One interview:
Tune in to TV One July 19th at 9pm (ET) for Janet Hubert’s “Life After” special.
She’s still gorgeous as ever.