Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith have been married more than 20 years and most fans believe they are the epitome of “relationship goals.” But like millions of other couples, they too had their share of challenges. As part of Jada’s new show “Red Table Talk” on Facebook Watch, she’s openly up about personal issues she’s faced in hopes of helping others. This time around, Jada’s opening up about marriage and parenting. Her first guest on the show happened to be her husband’s ex-wife, Sheree Zampino. Before the show even kicked off, the famed actress stated that the platform was “the table of truth” and “the table of passion” and fans couldn’t agree more.
Before The Marriage:
During the discussion, Jada dropped a bombshell about her marriage to Will Smith admitting they began dating before he’d divorced Sheree. “He was ‘div,’” said Pinkett Smith. “The ‘orced’ hadn’t happened yet.” Jada’s mother, Adrienne Banfield-Jones also admitted she wasn’t exactly a fan of Will and she initially didn’t approve of the relationship because he was still married. “I think initially when Will first called you, I think he was still married or he was just separated, or something, and I said, he’s not available to you.”
So, of course, things didn’t start off great between her and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife Sheree. Although the ladies get along great today, they didn’t always see eye-to-eye. Jada admitted although she felt it was important to open the lines of communication with Sheree, she wasn’t always compassionate when it came to thoroughly understanding that Will and his ex were “unwinding a marriage.” “I thought it was important to have that conversation because she was my entry point to motherhood,” Jada said of the interview. “I was co-mothering with her. At that particular time, before [having a blended family] was popular, before it was even an idea, we were trying to create something that we had never experienced.”
As expected, accepting Jada wasn’t easy for Sheree. I fact, the Hollywood Exes reality star admitted the most difficult part about accepting Will and Jada’s relationship was when he opted to bring Tre into their equation. “The most difficult part was the week he told me he was introducing you to Tre, and I said ‘no, I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ And he said, ‘well, it’s happening.’”
Sheree also revealed how Tre actually felt after meeting Jada for the first time. His reaction brought tears to both of their eyes. She revealed Tre admitted he liked Jada. “Thank you for loving my baby,” Sheree said.
The Struggles of Co-parenting:
During the show, the ladies laughed about their initial struggles to find common ground. Based on what they had to say, it’s obvious they’ve had their share of disagreements. In fact, there were even times when people were cursed out and hung up on in the midst of heated arguments. Sheree laughed recounting one incident where she and Jada had it out. “I called back and happened to say, ‘B*tch, you livin’ in the house I picked out,” Sheree said while laughing. “And you said, ‘It’s my house now.”
Jada went on to share a confession about the incident. Although she was Will’s wife, he didn’t side with her because of that. The “Set It Off” actress revealed Will actually defended Sheree. “I want you to know that Will Smith let me have it,” Jada admitted.
“What was his take?” Sheree asked.
Jada revealed Will had no reservations about telling her the brutally honest truth. “His take was, that is Tre’s mother, and that’s just not your place,” Jada replied.
Sheree also admitted that Jada has never had a problem accepting accountability when she crossed the line. That’s something she’s always appreciated. “The next time I saw you was in the foyer of my house. You took the initiative to make things right. And the one thing I will say about you, you would always say, ‘Re, I apologize.’ You always owned it. Thank you for that.”
The ladies went on to discuss their respect for each other now.
It’s All Love:
The two ladies concluded the interview by complimenting each other. Looking back on their lives, Sheree admitted she couldn’t imagine her son having “a better bonus mom.” “I’ll tell you, on this side of things, my son could not have a better bonus mom,” Sheree said.
Jada added, “And he’s got a great mother.” Kudos to Jada and Sheree!
