The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is getting some fresh blood for season 12. Sheree Zampino, the ex-wife of Will Smith, is joining the cast of the hit Bravo series as a “Friend.” She’ll be joined by fellow newcomer Diana Jenkins, who is joining as a full-time cast member. Sheree, 54, is close friends with Garcelle Beauvais, who is returning for the new season alongside Kyle Richards, Lisa Rinna, Erika Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke, and Crystal Kung Minkoff. Kathy Hilton will be back as a “Friend.”
Sheree remains close with Will, 53, to this day. They were married from 1992-1995, and the couple welcomed a son Trey Smith, 29, in 1992. Sheree ultimately was the one to file for divorce, noting years later on Facebook that “Our marriage ended because we were so young. It’s just a lot of responsibility. Marriage is not easy. Especially at that age.” Will went on to marry actress Jada Pinkett, 50, on New Years Eve 1997, and despite some drama, they’re still together to this day.
Sheree and Trey remain part of Will and Jada’s blended family, which includes the couple’s son Jaden Smith, 23, and daughter Willow Smith, 21. She was even present for his 50th birthday celebration when he bungee jumped out of a helicopter over the Grand Canyon. We’ve got five things to know about the OG Mrs. Smith, Sheree Zampino.
1. Sheree and Will met when he was trying to get a date with Jada.
The Fresh Prince had seen Jada on the NBC sitcom A Different World and he visited the set hoping to meet her. Sheree was there with a friend named Billy while visiting their then-writer pal Orlando Jones. Billy then slipped Will Sheree’s phone number and he later called to ask her out. “I went to Different World to meet Jada and met Sheree and ended up marrying Sheree and having Trey with Sheree. I didn’t meet Jada that day…We had all these near misses,” Will shared in a 2018 episode of Red Table Talk.
2. Will calls his divorce from Sheree his ‘ultimate failure’.
“Divorce was the worst thing in my adult life. Divorce was the ultimate failure for me. I’ve been hurt a lot in my adult life, but I don’t think anything touches the failure of getting divorced from my 2-year-old son’s mother,” Will emotionally confessed in a June 19 Father’s Day edition of Red Table Talk.
3. Sheree is an entrepreneur.
She has her own online boutique called Sheree Elizabeth that sells everything from clothing and accessories, to jewelry and sunglasses. She also has her own recently relaunched skincare business, WHOOP ASH.
4. Sheree is petite!
She stands at just four feet 11 inches tall. Apparently Will likes petite women, as wife Jada is only one inch taller than Sheree at five feet even.
5. Sheree loves to cook.
She shares photos of her amazing home cooked meals via her Instagram account. Next to an Aug. 24, 2020 photo of son Trey digging in to several delicious dishes, Sheree wrote in the caption, “He loves his mother’s cooking! And she loves it!!!.” She uses the hastag “#REEcipe” for her recipes so fans can easily search them.
