Who originally played Aunt Vivian in the first three seasons?

Who originally played Aunt Vivian in the first three seasons? Janet Hubert played her. Hubert portrayed Vivian Banks, commonly called Aunt Viv, from the series premiere in 1990 through the end of season three in 1993.

Vivian was Will Smith's aunt and Philip Banks's wife, serving as one of the Banks family's most intelligent, grounded, and authoritative adults. Hubert's performance helped establish Aunt Viv as more than a comic supporting character: she was a professor, a mother, and a strong voice in stories about family, class, race, and ambition.

A common mix-up comes from the character's recasting. Daphne Maxwell Reid took over the role beginning in season four and played Vivian for the remainder of the show's six-season run. Reid did not play the original Aunt Viv, and Karyn Parsons played Hilary Banks, Vivian's daughter. Hubert later appeared in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion, where she and Will Smith discussed her departure from the sitcom.