It's almost impossible to think of Will Smith without thinking of Jada Pinkett Smith. The "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star has been with the occasionally "entangled" actress for more than two decades. The Girls Trip heroine is actually Will's second wife; he was previously married,

It's almost impossible to think of Will Smith without thinking of Jada Pinkett Smith. The "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star has been with the occasionally "entangled" actress for more than two decades. The Girls Trip heroine is actually Will's second wife; he was previously married, albeit briefly, to actress-turned-reality star Sheree Zampino. The two were together from 1992 to 1995 and remain friends at the time of writing. In 2018, Will even wished Sheree a happy birthday on Instagram using the hashtag #BestBabyMamaEver. Of course, this was approved by Jada, who sent her own birthday greetings on a since-deleted Instagram (via E! ), calling Sheree "a gift" who "wishes [her] the world."

Getting along with your ex is not an unfamiliar concept, but what is a little unusual is for your wife to get along with your ex, essentially creating a bond that is completely separate from you. But as Chris Rock told Will in the comments section of the post, "Wow. You have a very understanding wife."

If one thing is clear, it's that this is an absolutely difficult family dynamic to understand . If we go back to the beginning, maybe we can shed some light on the complicated relationship between Will Smith and his first wife, Shirley Zampino.

A Different World Leads to a Different Girl

Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sheree Zampino's worlds have always seemed intertwined, even if they didn't always realize it. Their connection was so strong that Will's introduction to Shirley began with his crush on Jada. He saw Jada on an episode of the late '80s sitcom A Different World and he just wanted to meet her, so he arranged a set visit for his Fresh Prince co-star Alfonso Ribiero. But that's when things turned upside down.

The same day Will ended up on set, Shirley happened to be there visiting her friend and show writer Orlando Jones, who, ironically, was supposed to introduce Will to Jada. However, Sheree told Hollywood Unlocked that Will eventually got her phone number from another one of Jones' acquaintances, Billy Seeley, and the two began dating. They eventually married and had their first child, Trey, whom they married the same year.

In an episode of Jada Pinkett Smith's Red Table Talk, Will even admitted that he "went to another world to meet Jada," but instead he "met Sheree, ended up marrying Sheree and having Trey with Sheree," adding, "That day I didn’t get to see Jada…we had all these near misses.”

Jada Pinkett Smith has always been Will Smith’s go-to guy

Jada Pinkett has always been the apple of Will Smith’s eye, so much so that Will was in his He fell in love with Jada while still married to Shirley Zampino. Will and Jada finally met on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but Will claimed he couldn't get a divorce. The two started dating while he was still married, something the Set It Off star said she regretted doing. Jada told Access in 2018, "He was 'div' and 'orced' hadn't happened yet."

As he later revealed in Red Table Talk, Will was unable to act on his attraction and one night While having dinner with Sheree, he "broke down in tears" in the bathroom of the restaurant. He said he had a revelation and that he should be with Jada, not Sheree. This was definitely a situation that got very confusing very quickly.

Although Will doesn't believe in divorce, Shirley doesn't. She decided to do what Will felt he couldn't do and filed on Valentine's Day 1995, telling Will she no longer loved him. Sheree finally added "orced" to Will before the end of that year. Years later, Sheree went public further in a 2016 Facebook video, saying, "Our marriage ended because we were too young. Marriage is not easy. Especially at that age." The two were both in their early 20s when they got married.

Will Smith's fame is on the rise

During the time Will Smith was married to Shirley Zampino from 1992 to 1995, his schedule was certainly packed. As the star of a popular sitcom, Smith's film career also took off. 1993's Six Degrees of Separation was less a blockbuster than a vehicle that showcased Smith's range. Then came Bad Boys, the 1995 smash that launched Smith into an action star and began a string of stunning hits, including Men in Black, Independence Day and Enemy of the State. If Will Smith wasn't a household name at the beginning of his marriage to Shirley, he certainly became one by the end. In fact, by the late 2000s, he was declared "Hollywood's most profitable star" by Forbes (via Reuters ).

This obviously makes Sheree think she'll end up being a hangover from Will's rise to stardom. She later explained the dynamic in a 2016 Facebook video, saying "Will got bigger as his career went on. I got smaller and...we didn't have the tools to make it work." .” She elaborated in an interview with Hollywood Unlocked, “I think at that time when Will’s career was taking off — now starting to make movies, of course he had TV shows, rapping — he didn’t have the ability to give me what I needed… …I don’t feel like a team.”

Will Smith Didn’t Cheat on Sheree Zampino

One thing Sheree Zampino wants to make clear is that she was not unfaithful to Will Smith. The late actress Alexis Arquette refuted the claims in a 2016 Facebook post (via Page 6), in which she claimed Zampino got paid after catching Smith with her then-manager Benny Remuneration, so to speak. Medina Arquette further claimed that Smith was "flabbergasted on the set of [Six Degrees of Separation]" during a kissing scene with another actor instead of "persuading the director to film the back of his head in the frame" to make it Becomes look like they locked lips without actually doing it. This all seems to be Arquette.

To address these issues, Zampino addressed Arquette directly in her 2016 Facebook video, first saying "I don't know you and you don't know me" and then Explaining that if she would walk in on Smith there would be no hope of future reconciliation with anyone - man or woman. She went on to bluntly say, "Will was straight in 1992 and he was straight in 2016." As for why the marriage ended? "I left because I was unhappy; it really is that simple."

For the record, both Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have confirmed that there were no extramarital affairs during his marriage.

Will Smith's divorce from Sherri Zampino was his 'ultimate failure'

In June 2020, Will Smith sat down with Jada Pinkett Smith to talk about his Time with Sheree Zampino on the Father's Day special Red Table Talk. In the emotional chat, Will admitted that divorcing his first wife was the "ultimate failure" for him at the time. "I've been hurt a lot in my adult life, but I don't think it had anything to do with my failed divorce from the mother of my two-year-old son," Will told Jada.

The impact of this "failure" is also felt in his relationship with son Trey Smith, whom Will said he has worked hard to build a strong foundation over the years. In a November 2018 Instagram post, Will and Trey were smiling and enjoying each other's company, with Will writing: "It wasn't always like this between Trey and I. We struggled for years after my divorce from his mother. He feels betrayed and abandoned. Recovering and resuming a loving relationship with my beautiful son is a tremendous blessing." Will's goal (besides having Jada Pinkett as his wife) is to always make sure his family feels connected and Being loved and repairing his relationship with his son is a step in the right direction.

Sheree Zampino and Jada Pinkett Smith got off to a rocky start

One of the more fascinating aspects of the Smith family is how they manage to co-parent their children with Sheree Zampino. Trey Smith even calls Jada his "bonus mom." Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith's children, Jaden and Willow Smith, also had a close relationship with "Ree-Ree," spending a lot of time with her throughout their lives. Blended families even travel together and spend birthdays and holidays together. Of course, this isn't always the case.

The girls recall a time when things were not so friendly when Sheree was Jada's first Red Table Talk guest. Jada first addressed the awkwardness, asking Shelly if she remembered the phone conversation being filled with "arguments." Sheree called to talk to her then three-year-old son, Trey, but Jada answered and continued to tell Sheree she didn't like her "tone" and "hang up" on her. This prompted Sheree to call back immediately—and this is where the exchange really heated up. Sheree told Jada, "I happened to say, 'B***h, you live in the house I picked,' and you said, 'It's my house now.'" Things got so intense between the two , Will had to intervene. Jada explains, "Smith let me have it! His view was, 'That's Trey's mother, that's not your place.'"

Mutual Appreciation Makes a Beautiful Blended Family

at the start of their red table talk During the chat, Jada Pinkett Smith confessed to Sheree Zampino, "One thing I will say in hindsight: Because I didn't understand marriage, I didn't understand divorce. I would say I probably should have backed off... When I think back "I remember some of my insensitivity when I was there, some of my rash considerations about your dissolution of the marriage." Zampino was visibly pleased to hear Jada recognize her role in the dynamic, admitting that it was Jada who offered the olive branch after their initial head-butt. Sheree even said that when her stubbornness caused problems, Jada was always willing to "apologize" and "own it." The two later broke down in tears when Sheree admitted that the hardest part of their relationship was when Will first introduced Trey to Jada, which she initially objected to. "I will tell you, my son couldn't have asked for a better reward mom in that regard," Sheree said, adding, "Thank you for loving my kids." Jada responded: "You are a great 's mother."

The two even reconnected on an episode of Ask Jada LIVE: Blended Families to offer tips on how to tackle co-parenting issues. Sheree offers a more important piece of advice: "You have to be safe and secure because no one can replace you as a mom — your position is secure."

Will Smith and Sheree Zampino Still Moving On Without Jada Travel

As of this writing, blended families are extremely happy, setting a new standard for co-parenting and family dynamics. In an interview with Sway's Universe, Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she wasn't always there when Will Smith vacationed with Sheree Zampino and their son Trey Smith (they've been to Jordan and Israel). She explained that it's important for Trey to see positive interactions between his parents so that "he can feel connected." She continued: "If I'm going to love Trey, there's one aspect of Shirley that I have to embrace and love - consideration and respect." The

Matrix Reloaded star also said they're all family: "All those 'relationships' and 'people treating husband And the idea of ​​a partner and all of that, 'Man, no matter what...this is a man that [will] depend on me for the rest of his life.'" Jada elaborated further today, revealing: "Through me Through the journey, I learned to love [Will] in the purest way and everything that comes with it, and he is learning to do the same."

For most marriages, divorce is the end—but for For Will Smith and Shirley Zampino, divorce seems to be the beginning of life's ups and downs. We're all watching to see how the next chapter of their incredibly complicated relationship unfolds.