Whitten riled by recent firing from NBC-TVs 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' - Janet Hubert-Whitten

Jet, August 9, 1993

Janet Hubert-Whitten, recently fired from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," told Jet that she is a scapegoat and the victim of a vendetta waged by NBC and the show's officials.

Ms. Hubert-Whitten said the network tried to reduce the number of episodes she'd appear in from 25 to 13 and cut her salary in half.

"They (NBC officials) kept calling me asking me to say the parting was mutual, but I'm not like that," she said. "I fight back. They intended to slap me on the wrist if I would behave like a good little nigger woman."

She admitted that she was moody on the set last season because of a difficult pregnancy. "I was extremely moody and gained 65 pounds. I was moody to the point of not talking to people. Every pregnant woman is moody. But, I was loyal and worked up to the day I delivered my son."

There was a lot of tension on the set of "Fresh Prince" last year "between factions but I was not in it. As a cast, we fought like all families do but we made up and got along." She did not elaborate on the factions. Jet was told that she had contacted Will Smith, star of the hit sitcom but was told he had nothing to do with her dismissal.

She said she has been made the scapegoat for a variety of problems that she had nothing to do with. She was not certain whether or not the network was upset at her for being pregnant in the first place.

NBFC issued a statement that read: "We were unable to reach agreement in renegotiating Janet Hubert-Whitten's contract for the next season with "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." She will not be returning to the show." There were no further comments on charges she made.

"They have taken my employment and are re-casting instead of saying they made a mistake. Some of my actress friends have been called in (to audition) but wouldn't do it. The offer they made me for 13 episodes was an insult. When you pay the White boy Ted Danson (of NBC's hit "Cheers") $450,000...Blacks are the lowest-paid performers on television. Here I was asking for a $5,000 increase. I accepted their third offer in good faith but they changed their minds. They wanted me to be a good little nigger woman and accept their first offer and come back to work."

Ms. Hubert-Whitten also complained about the direction of the show, suggesting that the role of the parents in the Banks household in the wealthy Bel-Air section of L.A. have been reduced and that the two daughters are "becoming sort of slutty."

Ultimately, she said she will remain "a strong Black woman. I've been out here doing this for 20 years. It was never just a pay-check to me. I have to think about dignity and pride as well as about mortgage payments."