Sheree Zampino and Jada Pinkett Smith have forged a tight and supportive bond during the course of the latter actress’ 27-year marriage to her ex-husband, Will Smith.
The two women had a rather contentious relationship during the early years of Smith's marriage to the "Matrix" star. Smith previously admitted that he and his oldest child "struggled for years" after his divorce from Zampino, leaving Trey feeling "betrayed & abandoned."
Throughout the years, they all managed to hash out their differences and co-parent successfully. Their now blended union has allowed them to vacation as a family and for Zampino, on occasion, to tag along on Smith’s various trips even when his wife is not in tow.
Sheree Zampino, ex-wife and mother of Will Smith's son Trey, admits she harshly judged is current wife, Jada Pinkett Smith when the actress began dating Smith. (Photos: Shereezampino/Instagram; Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic)
But the olive branch that made the aforementioned possible was a bit unthinkable when the Hollywood duo first became an item in 1995.
Zampino, creator and founder of Whoop Ash body butter, recently divulged that though she did not have a role in vetting her ex’s love interests, she did not initially see Pinkett Smith as an ideal partner who would also have influence over their son. At the time the two actors began dating, Trey was 3 years old.
Zampino told the hosts of “Hardly Initiated" last week that she managed to not harbor any ill feelings about either her or Smith moving on after their marriage fell apart nearly three decades ago. The couple tied the knot in 1992 but were divorced by 1995. The latter year is also the same 12-month span that the “Pursuit of Happiness” star began dating Pinkett Smith.
“It’s funny ‘cause when I look at it, it was really like a few months after ‘cause it took about six months once you file for it to be final. But it felt like when I filed, it felt like it was over for me… So, it didn’t feel like it was too soon,” said Zampino about the Oscar winner quickly finding a new partner.
But what did strike a nerve with her was another woman being in the place of a caretaker for her only child.
“Just the idea of another woman around my son — you know, that was a tough one,” she admitted. “I never felt like my position was threatened, like as his mom. I’m his mom. Nobody can take my place in that area. I’m his mother; that’s who I am. But is she gon’ be good to my kid? You know what I mean. You gonna have somebody — they gonna treat him the way he deserves to be treated. That’s what I was concerned about.”
My husband, Will Smith, and his ex-wife sometimes take trips when i’m not there — Actress Jada Pinkett Smith 🎥: @redtabletalk
https://t.co/4SblrmeXcC
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) October 21, 2022