Those familiar with the Smith family dynamic know Will Smith's ex-wife, Sheree Zampino,
is often part of the picture.
So just who exactly is she, besides baby mama to their son Trey?
Here's the truth about the mother of Will's first son.
Way back when, Smith visited the set of A Different World, determined to meet Jada.
But Zampino was also there that day visiting then-writer Orlando Jones… who was supposed
to introduce Will to Jada.
Instead, The Fresh Prince ended up calling Zampino, much to her surprise.
Will shared the story on Jada's Red Table Talk saying,
"I went to Different World to meet Jada and met Sheree and ended up marrying Sheree and
having Trey with Sheree."
He added,
"I didn’t meet Jada that day.
We had all of these near misses."
Will fell for Jada while he was still married to Sheree, but he claimed on the Red Table
Talk that he wasn't capable of divorcing her.
Zampino, however, was totally capable of filing for divorce on Valentine's Day.
She said on her Facebook page,
"Our marriage ended because we were so young.
It's just a lot of responsibility.
Marriage is not easy.
Especially at that age."
Another factor was Smith's rising profile.
"Will was becoming bigger and bigger with his career.
I'm becoming smaller and smaller and smaller.
And I just didn't have the tools."
Zampino was quick to point out that their split had nothing to do with any alleged infidelity
and abuse.
And for the record, Will and Jada also insist there was no affair.
The amicable relationship between Zampino and Jada wasn't always so warm.
The two women recalled a specific phone conversation they had early on, which they both labeled
as quote "fighting words" during their Red Table Talk.
Zampino admitted she instigated the incident with a disrespectful tone, which led Pinkett
Smith to hang up the phone.
"I called back, and I happen to say, quote, 'B---h you living in the house I picked out.'
You said, 'It's my house now.'"
Smith was none too pleased with Jada and let her have it.
She remembered,
"His take was 'That is Trey's mother and that's just not your place.'"
Sheree credited Jada for apologizing afterward.
And that, along with the way Jada embraced Trey, has helped the two turn what easily
could have remained a rivalry, into a friendship.
Sheree remembered,
"I said, 'How did you like miss Jada?'
He said, 'I really liked her, Mommy.'"
As the two broke down in tears, she added,
"Thank you for loving my baby.”
Zampino seems to have entered the skin care industry purely by accident.
She told Hollywood Unlocked she was looking for honey-based recipes and ended up with
what would become her Whoop Ash body butter.
"I'm gonna whoop your ash.”
Initially, she shared her homemade product with friends but then at the encouragement
of pals like Jada, turned it into a legit beauty line.
"She's like this is amazing you have to go into business you have to do this."
But Sheree has since pressed pause on Whoop Ash because of her interest in other outlets.
While she didn't exactly elaborate, one other business venture we do know about is her online
boutique, Sheree Elizabeth.
A former fashion design and marketing student, Zampino told Reality Check in 2015 that she
planned on starting her own fashion line, but just like the co-parenting book she was
writing and the art show she hoped to put together, it doesn't seem to have materialized
yet.
Would you be okay with your significant other vacationing with their ex… without you?
Well, Jada told Sway's Universe that she lets Will vacation with Sheree without her for
the sake of their son, Trey.
The exes have taken Jada-less trips together to Israel and Jordan, among other places.
Jada said,
"Trey needs to feel that dynamic between his two parents.
That's very important - that he can feel that connection and feel, y'know, where they do
meet."
It's possible that Zampino's greatest skill is the one that's been taking a backseat all
these years.
She's a talented painter, as evidenced by what she posts on Facebook, but she doesn't
showcase it as much as she does her other outlets.
Yet, she clearly has a gift.
She's just trying to find the perfect time to share it.
In 2018, she said of her art show that she keeps putting off,
"I said it last year, I said it the year before, but this is my year.
2018.
The end of this year is my show.
Get ready, get ready, get ready."
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