The Barnes Bunch is airing on WE tv, and the show’s stars told BOSSIP why they’re not ducking “all the smoke” from possible detractors.
Matt Barnes and Anansa Sims are letting the world in on their relationship which includes a blended family of six kids and Anansa’s supermodel mom, Beverly Johnson.
Source: Courtesy / WeTV
As previously reported the full-court series follows the NBA champion and successful Podcaster alongside his fiancée, model, and reality personality as they navigate “love, forgiveness, and personal growth while reconciling their past.”
Speaking of their past, the two didn’t shy away from discussing their previous breakup that made headlines. In a recent episode, the two reflected on it during couples therapy where Matt admitted that he felt overwhelmed after they got pregnant with their son, Ashton, just one year into their relationship.
Matt recently told BOSSIP that he and Anansa had no qualms about discussing their relationship considering that they felt protected by Barnes Bunch executive producers like their friends, Jamie Foxx and Datari Turner of Foxxhole Productions.
“I myself had a little bit of; I wouldn’t call it hesitation, but obviously my experience with Basketball Wives wasn’t the best,” he told Managing Editor Dani Canada. “I felt more comfortable this time around with Jamie being a longtime friend and Datari [Turner] being a long time friend of hers and having people who understood us and respected us and understood that our family is more important than anything,
Source: Courtesy / WeTV
I think it was really important to kind of have that security ’cause we’ve both been down this journey before, whether it be failed relationships or reality TV. So this time around I just wanted to make sure that we were respected and protected from the outside, but then also, you know, with anansa really and I just really being us and with this show,
I think you see who we are,” he added. “I think for me in particular, there’s a narrative of maybe who I was on the court and I’m just kind of showing them the other side of the athlete, the media personality, the father, the partner, the day-to-day of who I am and then who we are as a couple.
“There’s always a little bit of scariness when it comes to that,” he added. “But we trusted the people that brought us the project and we took a leap of faith.”
Anansa also shared a similar sentiment.
“I personally didn’t have any hang-ups,” said the model. “I just love us so much and I just believe in us and our love story. For me I just know the realer that we are, I feel like we could help people we and help ourselves so I didn’t really have any hang-ups.”
“And also being good friends with Datari Turner since I was 17 years old, I trusted him and his partner Jamie Foxx as a friend of Matt’s We just had a great team to make us feel comfortable that we were you know gonna make a quality show that’s positive.”
Source: Courtesy / WeTV
Anansa also added that she’s not worried about any possible negativity from social media considering that she’s hoping to grow thicker skin from this experience. The model has been open on The Barnes Bunch about how negative Instagram comments about their split previously affected her, but now she’s more ready to block out the noise.
“I like to focus on positivity,” Anansa told BOSSIP. “Like my whole page is about being positive. [If] you’re on my page, You’re going to be positive. If you’re not, you’re going to get blocked.
You can bring that stuff other places, it’s fine but on my page, I like people that support us in our journey. Not everybody’s going to get it or understand and that’s okay. For me, I struggled during our breakup with some of the horrible cyberbullying that was going on.”
“But part of that helps me get thicker skin and learn that it doesn’t matter what any of the people say except people in your household, the people that you love, that really know you the most,” she added.
“Unfortunately, when you have a public break up and even a public makeup, people don’t really get to see what happened, it looks like it’s a roller coaster and even though that was in 2020, you know sometimes that follows us, I think what the show will do is give people and inside look into who Matt and Anansa are. We’re just real down to earth people people.”
After noting that watchers will continue to see the love shared between them and their kids, and their relationship’s ups and downs, Anansa told BOSSIP she’s excited for viewers to continue meeting her legendary mom, Beverly Johnson.
Source: Courtesy / WeTV
Affectionately known as “Safta” by her grandchildren, the first Black woman to appear on the cover of numerous fashion magazines is letting her personality shine through on The Barnes Bunch.
“I love that you’re gonna see a side of my mom that is not just supermodel Beverly Johnson,” said Anansa. “You’re gonna see her as a grandmother, as a mother, super supportive of Matt and I through our breakup, through our makeup, everything, because she’s been there; she has the wisdom and the knowledge.
And she’s super amazing as a grandma, but I mean, just to be honest, I’m her only child and she was rocking the runways in Paris when I was little. So seeing me with all these children and in the house and just kind of doing the opposite of what she did and she loves it.
“Then when she steps into that role it’s hilarious to try to see her wrangle everybody [with] homework cooking and doing all the things that she didn’t really do,” she added. “So I love it, I love her effort and for her this is the best time. She’s told me so many times that being a grandma helping me, and giving Matt and me the time we need to do date nights and things, this is like the best time for her. “
Watch our Barnes Bunch exclusive with Matt and Anansa Sims!