How Jada Pinkett Smith and Sheree Zampino Bonded After Bumpy Road

The path was not always super smooth when it came to their pursuit of happiness.

Jada Pinkett-Smith reflected on the now-unbreakable bond built between her and Will Smith‘s ex-wife Sheree Zampino during the latest episode of Red Table Talk. (Sheree and Will—who are parents to Trey, 29—split in 1995 after three years of marriage, with Jada and Will tying the knot two years later).
 
“We have developed a really nice sisterhood,” Jada said during the Oct. 19 episode. “But it hasn’t been easy along the way,” adding that “sometimes we did have to fake it to make it.”
 
As Jada—who shares son Jaden, 24, and daughter Willow, 21, with Will—noted, the concept of blending families without a “blueprint” presented its challenges.
 
“For me, it really was just about maturity,” Jada said. “Not understanding the marital dynamic. Like, ‘OK, if divorce papers are sent and people are over it, then this is done.’ Guess what? It ain’t never done…So that was my biggest misconception—that this woman is part of this family.”