Will Smith and Ex-Wife Sheree Zampino’s Relationship Timeline: Divorce, Coparenting and More

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Will Smith and Ex-Wife Sheree Zampino's Relationship Timeline: Divorce, Coparenting and More

The way they were. Will Smith and his ex-wife, Sheree Zampino, are proof that it's possible to stay friendly post-split — but it isn't always easy. The former couple, who share son Trey, were married for three years before calling it quits in 1995. Smith went on to tie the knot with Jada Pinkett Smith two years later. During a May 2018 episode of Red Table Talk, the two women opened up about how their own relationship has changed over the years. "Because I did not understand marriage, I did not understand divorce, I probably should have fell back," Pinkett Smith said of her early romance with the Oscar winner. "[Will] was 'div.' The 'orced' hadn't happened yet." Smith appeared on his wife's talk show five months later, reflecting on how he and Zampino met. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum visited the set of A Different World in 1991 with the intention of meeting Pinkett Smith, who was starring on the series at the time. However, Zampino caught his eye in the audience. [jwplayer d1J7jDa3-zhNYySv2] "The dude that was going to introduce me to Jada was with another girl and I was like 'Who is that?'" the Philadelphia native recalled in October 2018. "And it was Sheree. I went to Different World to meet Jada, and met Sheree and ended up marrying Sheree and having [my son] Trey with Sheree." The I Am Legend actor is also the father of son Jaden and daughter Willow, whom he shares with Pinkett Smith. In August 2022, Zampino opened up about the tougher parts of coparenting with her ex-husband and the Daytime Emmy winner. "I'm not gonna say that it's easy," she said on the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast. "My heart is always for my child. My child comes first. He really does. ... When you have a mutual respect, it becomes easier." The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills personality continued, "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. ... You got three different dynamics, three different personalities and different belief systems, different way of doing things. 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." While the blended family has done their best to stay cordial through the years, Zampino doesn't always love being branded as Smith's former spouse. "It could be worse. I could be connected to Charles Manson," she quipped to Entertainment Tonight in November 2020. "You know, it's not my label, and I can't control the labels that other people put on me. But the reality is, that is a part of my history. But I'm not behind anybody. I'm not in anybody's shadow." Scroll down for a look at Smith and Zampino's relationship timeline: [podcast_block]

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1991

The pair met on the set of A Different World, where Smith was initially brought to be introduced to Pinkett Smith.

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1992

Smith and Zampino's son, Trey, was born the same year they tied the knot.

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1995

The Men in Black star and Zampino got divorced after three years of marriage. He went on to wed Pinkett Smith in 1997.

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1998

During an interview with Rolling Stone, the Shark Tale actor said the "largest part" of why his first marriage didn't work was because he "didn't trust women" after being cheated on in the past. "Jada put me back together," he said.

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2016

Zampino clarified why her relationship with Smith ended amid rumors that he was unfaithful. "It's absolutely not true," she said in a video at the time. "Our marriage ended because we were so young. Marriage isn't easy, especially at that age. And now we're trying to be parents, navigate through our marriage ... I couldn't reconcile all of that."

She concluded, "I left because I was unhappy. It's really that simple."

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2018

The Bravo star shed more light on what caused her to pull the plug on the marriage, telling Hollywood Unlocked, "With Will's career taking off ... I didn't feel like [we were] a team. It just felt like, 'Wow, you could've gotten anybody in this position.' I didn't feel like I was chosen."

That year, Pinkett Smith gave insight into where Zampino and Smith stood as coparents. "She and Will have their own relationship," the Matrix Resurrection star said on Sway's Universe. "She's gone on vacations with Will, without me, with Trey. Because I feel as though Trey needs to feel that dynamic between his two parents — that's very important that he can feel that connection and feel where they do meet."

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2020

During an appearance on Red Table Talk, Smith referred to his divorce as an "ultimate failure" and "the worst thing in my adult life." At the time, Zampino told Entertainment Tonight that she "challenged" her ex-husband's perspective.

"I don't want to be in the same sentence with 'failure,'" she explained. "When you look at what we've been able to do, the marriage didn't work, but we are a success. The love that we have for each other, the coparenting journey — and not doing it perfectly, but being effective, and being an example for other people. So, we're — I'm — a part of his greatest success."

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2021

The "Wild Wild West" artist revealed in his memoir, Will, that he wanted to stay with Zampino until their son got older. "That's what my parents did," he wrote. "To me, age 13 felt like an OK time for my parents to say, 'This is not working out.' 13 years old worked for me. So I would have stayed together until Trey was 13 and then moved on."

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2022

"Epic Night!" Zampino captioned a photo with Smith at the 2022 Oscars after he took home the best actor trophy for King Richard — and after his altercation with Chris Rock. "Congratulations again - when 1 wins we all win! #family1st."