Will Smith and Trey are often seen together sharing memories from the past. The father and son have come a long way since Smith divorced Trey's mother, his first wife.
Divorce often becomes messy and ugly, leaving the kids feeling helpless as they're torn between the two most important people in their lives. Some might even feel forced to pick sides between their parents, while others end up feeling ignored. When Will Smith separated from his first wife, Sheree Zampino it affected their son, Willard Carroll “Trey” Smith III. The young boy left neglected when his father went on to start his new family. But when Smith realized his mistake, he tried hard to make it right with his eldest son. Today, the father-son duo are so close that their relationship will be envied by anyone.
According to People, Smith shared an emotional video of him from his hotel room in Abu Dhabi. He was in the country with Trey and was looking forward to spending some quality time with his eldest kid. “So I’m in Abu Dhabi at the F1. I brought my son Trey. We been hanging and usually I take my kids separately on stuff just so they have their individual daddy time,” said the Men in Black actor.
"So we been doing this, me and him hanging out at the F1. And he just hit me with, ‘You know what dad? I just realized you’re not just my dad.’ He paused and he said, ‘I’m pretty sure you’re my best friend.'”
His son's response hit him hard. He said, "I was like, ‘Whoo. Yeah, man. Probably. Probably.” Sharing the details of the incredible moment with his son, the actor recalled their troubled relationship in the past. He did not shy away from saying that they had a broken relationship, admitting that the divorce was responsible for it.
The father wrote, “It has not always been like this between Trey & I. We STRUGGLED FOR YEARS after my Divorce from his Mother. He felt betrayed & abandoned," according to the Instagram post. He called their union a "blessing."
“It is a Wild Blessing to recover & restore a Loving Relationship with My Beautiful Son! @treysmith0011," he concluded.
In response to the video, Trey reposted it on his account and shared his feelings. In his caption, he wrote, "Awwwww shucks [heart emoji] you too big guy." In another post, alluding to his time with his father, he stated, "WE always have the BEST time," according to EOnline.
Trey is often seen spending time with Will and the rest of the family. They seem to have a genuine affection and love for each other. Talking about the renewed relationship with his boy, Smith said, "This relationship with Trey is brand new. When you get divorced and then start another family, that had effects on Trey that we’re still healing and overcoming. Really in the last two years has there been enough wisdom and emotional development to be able to lovingly address the issues. We’re diving into creating a divine, loving friendship," according to USA Today.
He admitted that there was a time he failed and after knowing where he went wrong, he is in an attempt to make it right between them. "You cannot get around spending time if you want to build love. It’s something I failed at for most of Trey’s life, but I’m going to dedicated the rest of my life to making up for it," said Smith, according to USA Today.
Besides having a good relationship with his son today, he also shares a friendly relation with his first wife. They value each other and even post tributes to each other on special occasions. "Happy Bday, @shereezampino. #BestBabyMamaEver! :-) I Love You, Ree-Ree," wrote Smith on Zampino's birthday, according to EOnline. Jada Pinket Smith, who is now married to Smith also shares a friendly bond with Zampino.
Though they had a rocky start, the two women came together Jada's show Red Table Talk to discuss their relationships with Smith. Jada stated that she started her relationship with Smith only after the divorce and did not have any kind of affair with him during his marriage. Clearly, in spite of the divorce, the two families have managed to come together. Smith shares a great bond with all three of his children and is a proud parent.
References:
https://people.com/movies/will-smith-emotional-post-son-trey/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqsdyB3hwzL/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.eonline.com/news/991048/will-smith-opens-up-about-his-strong-relationship-with-son-trey-after-revealing-they-struggled-for-years
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2019/03/26/smith-has-brand-new-relationship-son-trey-exclusive/3282953002/