Making it work. Sheree Zampino may be extremely close to her ex-husband Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, but their dynamic has taken a lot of effort.
“I’m not gonna say that it’s easy,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 54, explained during her Monday, August 1, appearance on the “Behind the Velvet Rope” podcast. “My heart is always for my child. My child comes first. He really does.”
The Bravo personality and the Oscar winner, 53 — who split in 1995 after three years of marriage — share son Trey, 29. Since the King Richard actor married Pinkett Smith, 50, in December 1997, Zampino has maintained a friendly relationship with both her ex-husband and the Magic Mike XXL actress, even appearing on the premiere episode of Red Table Talk. (Smith and the Baltimore native share son Jaden, 24, and daughter Willow, 21.)
“When you have a mutual respect, it becomes easier,” Zampino explained of the coparenting dynamic she has with the Men in Black star and the Daytime Emmy winner. “With Jada, it was like, as long as she treats [Trey] well, we’re good. We’re good. And she’s treated him well and she’s loved him.”
Still, the Whoop Ash founder admitted that the trio have experienced their ups and downs over the years. “You got three different dynamics, three different personalities and different belief systems, different way of doing things,” she explained. “And there were times 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.”
Earlier this year, Zampino was present to celebrate Smith’s Academy Award victory with the rest of his family, posing for a photo with his trophy after the ceremony. “Epic Night!” she wrote via Instagram in March. “Congratulations again – when 1 wins we all win! #family1st.”
Though the entrepreneur was happy to share in her ex-husband’s big night, she joked that she’s slightly less excited about the prospect of him watching her on RHOBH. Zampino joined the cast as a friend for season 12, which premiered in May.
“I don’t know how I feel about sending a text to Will and Jada saying, ‘I’m gonna be on the show about four minutes, can you watch the whole 44?’” she quipped on Monday, adding that she hopes the duo aren’t viewers. “I don’t feel called to do that.”
When host David Yontef theorized that the Philadelphia native and the Girls Trip star probably don’t even know the difference between Dorit Kemsley and Sutton Stracke, Zampino noted that stranger things have happened. “That could be a secret obsession,” she joked. “You never know!”