‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s’ Daphne Reid – ‘Second Aunt Viv’ – Is Married to a ‘Sister Sister’ Star

While the entertainment industry had one of the slowest years in its history, there were plenty of bright spots. One of those was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion streamed on HBO Max. Fans of the TV show got to see the cast’s living members reunite to laugh, cry, and share stories about the show. Two of the cast members involved actually made up one role: Aunt Viv. The “second Aunt Viv,” Daphne Reid, had quite a long run on the show. Something else many may not realize about her is that she’s married to one of the stars of the sitcom Sister, Sister. 

What was the premise of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?’ 

The Fresh Prince was the first starring vehicle for Will Smith. The sitcom centered on a young man from Philadelphia. When he gets into trouble, his mom decides to send him to live with his Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivian in Bel-Air. Whereas Will is wisecracking and street smart, the Banks’ family are elite, sophisticated, and posh. The culture clash of this charismatic kid from Philly with California’s high society made for a hilarious TV show. 

While Will often clashed with his Uncle Phil, both his aunt and uncle cared for him and helped raise him. Aunt Viv was a pivotal role on the show. And while the Banks’ clearly had a great familial connection on-screen, off-screen was a different story. 

The two Aunt Vivs

According to TV Line, Aunt Viv was initially portrayed by a talented actor named Janet Hubert. Hubert and Smith reportedly clashed off camera. Smith was more than an actor on the show. He was a producer with significant influence and creative control. After 30 years of icy silence on the matter, Smith and Hubert made amends during the HBO Max reunion. Smith took the blame for the falling out, saying he now has a better perspective on being a parent that would have helped him deal with the situation better: 

“During her pregnancy, I wasn’t sensitive … I wasn’t perceptive. Now that I’ve had three kids, I learned some things that I did not know at the time, and I would do things very differently. I can see where I made the set very difficult for Janet.”

Though many people think Hubert was fired, she wasn’t. According to Hubert, the producers offered her a “bad deal” prior to the third season. Unable to stomach it financially, Hubert declined and the creative team decided to recast the role. That opened up a pathway for Reid to join the show. 

Both Aunt Vivs had their strengths, even if their performances were different. Reid became known for the role, though she also became known for being married to another sitcom star. 

Which ‘Sister, Sister’ star is married to ‘Second Aunt Viv’ Daphne Reid? 

During its run, Sister, Sister had many guest stars who were either famous at the time or would later go on to become famous. Reid was one of those, and it allowed her to play across from her real-life husband. 

According to TV Line, Reid guest-starred in a fourth season episode of Sister, Sister titled Double Exposure. She played a character who was a potential romantic interest for Ray. Ray was played by actor Tim Reid. The casting and the fact that the two share the same last name was hardly a coincidence. In real life, the couple is married. 

There’s no wonder the two were playing a possible couple – and that they had such great on-screen chemistry. It was clearly a case of art imitating life.