Jada Pinkett Smith and Sheree Zampino recall blazing arguments over ‘blended family’

Jada Pinkett Smith told Sheree Zampino ‘it’s my house now’ when she moved in with Will Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith (EPA-EFE)

Could you be friends with an ex? That’s the big question explored in an episode of Red Table Talk shared on Instagram this week.

Jada Pinkett Smith, 49, speaks with Sheree Zampino, 53 – who used to be married to Pinkett Smith’s husband, Will Smith, 52 – about the ups and downs of having a ‘blended family’.

Zampino and Smith had a son, Trey, and were married for three years until they split in 1992. Smith married Pinkett Smith in 1997 when she was three months pregnant with her son Jaden.

A family like this, which consists of a couple, the children they have had together, and their children from previous relationships, is what is often referred to as a ‘blended family’.

Although the family members openly talk about getting on well with each other today, it hasn’t always been easy for them.

Alongside the clip of Pinkett Smith and Zampino’s discussion, the caption reads: “Creating a blended family unit isn’t easy. We’re inspired by what Jada and Sheree have built, but it took work getting there.”

The video shows the two women reflecting on their relationship with each other in the early days.

“You picked up the phone and I wasn’t really respectful,” Zampino recalls. “I’m calling to talk to Trey but I had to go through you.

“You basically let me know, ‘I don’t really appreciate your tone’. I was like, ‘It don’t matter’. And you hung up on me.”

The pair break out into laughter as Zampino continues: “I called back and I happened to say, quote: ‘B*tch you living in a house that I picked out.’

“You said, ‘It’s my house now.”

Explaining the turning point in their relationship, Zampino adds: “The next time I saw you, you [were] in the foyer of my house. You took the initiative to make things right.

“And the one thing I will say about is that you will always say, ‘Ree, I apologise’ You always own that. Thank you for that. “

Responding to the conversation, one fan wrote: “We have a blended family. My husband’s ex is not in the picture but my husband, myself, the children’s father and the kids are a blended family. It takes maturity and wanting to be an example to our kids of what a blended family looks like.”

Another follower who related replied: “This should be normal. I will never understand people that make life more difficult than is necessary. This way means everybody wins!”

And a fan asserted: “When QUEENS can connect and reconcile… it’s power in that. I admire them both.”