Jada Pinkett Smith’s premiere episode of “Red Table Talk” featured an emotional sitdown with husband Will Smith’s ex-wife Sheree Fletcher and the two women uncovered some old wounds that needed to be soothed.
Smith wed the “Bright” actor in 1997 following the demise of his three-year marriage to Fletcher in 1995. But when the stars began dating, Smith had to get used to the idea of co-parenting her step-son, Trey Smith, with Fletcher.
And the adjustment wasn’t easy.
“When I think back on where I was, some of my insensitivity, some of my inconsideration just in regards to you guys unwinding a marriage,” Smith says on the debut Monday, May 7 episode. “And then me trying to get in there and like … ‘So this what we need to do.'”
Fletcher remembered a time when she called Smith’s home to get in touch with Trey and she “wasn’t really respectful” when Smith answered the phone. Smith said she didn’t appreciate Fletcher’s tone and hung up on her.
“I called back and happened to say, ‘B—, you livin’ in the house I picked out,” Fletcher says. “And you said, ‘It’s my house now.”
“I want you to know that Will Smith let me have it,” Smith recalled, noting her husband told her that Fletcher was his son’s mom and it wasn’t her place to do such a thing.
“The next time I saw you was in the foyer of my house,” Fletcher recalls. “You took the initiative to make things right. And the one thing I will say about you, you would always say, ‘Ree, I apologize.’ You always owned it. Thank you for that.”
In an emotional moment, Fletcher remembered being against letting Trey meet Smith. After Fletcher shared that her son came back home saying he “really liked” Smith, both women burst into tears.
“Thank you for loving my baby,” Fletcher says at the 7:39 mark. “That was a turning point because I did see your heart with Trey. I did see that you loved this kid … and I saw a woman who was doing the very best she could.”
Fletcher later added that she chose to end her marriage with Will and lamented the fact that she “broke up a family.”
“I didn’t give Trey what I wanted for him,” she says tearfully. “I didn’t give him what he needed. I didn’t give him what his brother and sister had. That’s hard. … It still hurts.”
Similarly, Smith was hurt by the difficulties Trey has to deal with after growing up with younger siblings Jaden and Willow.
“But I know you and I both know that he has — we’ve all come here with our burdens, ” Smith says crying.
Sill, the two commended one another for being a great mom and bonus mom to Trey.
After watching the episode, many viewers related to the dynamic between Fletcher and Smith and commended the women for opening up about their journey.
“Wow!!! This conversation was so spot on with how co-parenting can be,” one Facebook Watch viewer commented. “I’ve got a wonderful bonus mom and am happy that both my moms have found a close bond over the years.”
“That was a wonderful conversation, more mothers and bonus moms need to have that conversation,” someone else said. “I feel like I should have has this conversation with my step son’s mom in the beginning of a new family dynamic.”
“This was so amazing….so inspiring and just everything that I needed and wanted to hear,” another person said. “Thank you sooooo much Jada and family for giving us women something to be able to relate to! I love it! Can’t wait until the next episode.”
“I am not a mother but really connected with Jada when talking about expectations and how it kills joy for the present,” a watcher wrote. “Something I need to work on. Thought the entire show was really beautiful and uplifting. Looking forward to more.♥️”
