Sheree Zampino is opening up about what it's like co-parenting Trey Smith with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star admits it hasn't always been easy -- and if it looks easy, it's because they've all put in the work.
During a recent episode of the Behind the Red Velvet podcast, Sheree shared why she, Will and Jada have not only been able to make their co-parenting relationship work, but also thrive. Sheree said that, ultimately, it will always come down to realizing who their priorities are in life.
"I'm not gonna say that it's easy. I think early on my heart is always my child. My child comes first," Sheree said. "So, it's not about me anymore. We're not together [meaning Sheree and Will]. It's about him. Then Jaden comes along, then Will's got these babies. So, how do we do this where we honor them and put them first and we don’t deprive them of any good thing? [The] good thing being the relationships they have with each other. The relationship they have with me. The relationship my son has with Jada, you know?"
Sheree and the King Richard star were married from 1992 to 1995 and share one child, 29-year-old Trey. Will and Jada married in 1997, and they share two children -- Jaden, 24, and Willow, 21.
The former Hollywood Exes star said getting on the same page was, and is, key. She also gave Jada a lot of credit for helping make it a seamless transition for a then-young Trey.
"When you have a mutual respect it becomes easier. When you take yourself out of the way, like, it’s not about me," Sheree explained. "It’s about him, and my thing was, with Jada, it was like, ‘As long as she treats him well, we’re good. We’re good.' And she’s treated him well and she’s loved him. Sometimes moms get jealous. It’s like, 'I’m getting jealous over another woman because she’s treating my child right?’ What?! That’s insane. Don’t you want her to treat your child right? It could be worse. Think of the flip side of that. It could be horrible. If the new wife or the new girlfriend is treating this baby right, you shouldn’t have any problems. Really, what’s the problem? It’s not rocket science. It's not hard. That part of it is not hard."
But there have been challenges, and Sheree admits they've bumped heads from time to time.
"You got three different dynamics, three different personalities and different belief systems, different way of doing things," she said. "And there were times where we have bumped heads and it hasn’t been pretty. But listen, we get back on that horse and we press on. We do what we have to do because again, at the end of the day, it’s about the kids. We have a responsibility to them."
Proving just how close they've been, back in 2018, Sheree served as the inaugural guest on Jada's popular Facebook Watch show, Red Table Talk. The emotional chat (both women cried) made headlines, as Sheree and Jada explained their past beef and current friendship in-depth for the first time.
Sheree, who in 2020 opened up to ET about being identified as "Will Smith's ex-wife," brought Jada to tears when she thanked her for "loving my baby," Trey.
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