- The topic on the recent episode of the Red Table Talk was toxic forgiveness.
- In the episode, Will Smith’s ex-wife Sheree Zampino joins as a co-host and she and Jada Pinkett Smith discuss co-parenting.
- Sheree says she has accepted she and Will are better off as co-parents.
On the latest episode of the Red Table Talk show, Jada Pinkett Smith invites Sheree Zampino - Will Smith’s ex-wife and mother to his firstborn son - to delve into their journey to building the sisterhood - as Jada refers to it - that they now enjoy.
The two start off by discussing where it all began and what it took for them to get to the point of understanding one another and the roles they play both in Will and Trey Smith’s (Will and Sheree’s son) lives.
With toxic forgiveness being the topic of the episode, the two women also acknowledge how much grace and forgiveness it took to successfully do the "blended family thing". Later they are joined by country music star, Jana Kramer, who comes to talk about her journey to forgiving her ex-husband, as well as therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab who also drives what she calls the "unforgiveness revolution".
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Here are five revelations about their journey to building a successfully blended family:
1. You have to fake it 'til you make it
“As we’re talking about toxic forgiveness today, sometimes we did have to fake it to make it,” Jada says to Sheree. “I mean, you and I have been in this process since we were babies and trying to have a blended family and not really having a blueprint of that.”
Jada recalls the discomfort they experienced in the beginning of their relationship because it was soon after Will and Sheree's divorce.
2. Jada realised signed divorce papers was not the end
“For me, it really was just about maturity. Not understanding the marital dynamic like 'okay, well, divorce papers are sent, and people are over it then this is done!;” Jada recalls.
However, she adds, she did not realise that just because the divorce papers were signed, it did not mean the storm was over. If anything, it was just getting started as they were now going to have to figure the next steps out as it pertains to Trey and that Sheree came with the package.
READ MORE | Six celebrity co-parenting goals
3. Jada admits to having been in the picture too soon
“I would have definitely taken a beat as far as putting myself within the dynamic of you guys. Let’s give it a year, let’s let you two flesh out-whatever y’all have to figure out,” she says.
Jada shares this as she reflects on how young they were at the time of Sheree and Will’s divorce and how publicly everything played out. She acknowledges that with all that pressure involved, maybe she should have let the two figure it out and adjust without involving herself in any capacity and has apologised to Sheree for that.
4. Difficult conversations have to be had one way or another
“Thank you because you’ve always been one to [say] 'I agree. I done missed it. Forgive me' and we’re able to move on,” Sheree says to Jada.
Shortly after, the women reflect on books or journals that they would send back and forth between each other where they would write and express things that otherwise might not have been easy to talk about in person. They say this helped them accept one another and helped them raise Trey with no qualms.
Jada also acknowledges that she did this because she knew she couldn’t claim to love Will’s son but hate the mother, whom he (Trey) loved.
5. Sheree and Will are able to go on trips without Jada
“They take trips and I'm not there - they do their thing. Not together romantically but if he's going on a book tour and [Will's] mom is going and his sister, it's fun for me to watch them enjoy each other,” Jada reveals.
This comes after Sheree explains that she has accepted that she and Will simply came together to make their son Trey and they’re better off as co-parents. Jada says, although Will and Sheree’s co-parenting relationship doesn’t bother her, it did take time for them to get to that point.
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