Kenny “The Jet” Smith provides his expertise on the NBA on TNT’s Emmy Award-winning show, “Inside The NBA.” But Smith will now invite viewers inside of his world on TBS’ new reality series, “Meet the Smiths.”
The show will feature Smith’s life at home with his wife and five kids.
Smith, and his wife, Gwendolyn Osborne Smith, and daughter, Kayla Smith, recently stopped by rolling out’s studio to discuss their new TV venture.
What can viewers expect from “Meet the Smiths,” your new reality show?
Kenny: I think it’s more of an unscripted comedy than it is a reality show. We had a couple of times when we thought about doing it over the last few years. We met with a great production company and decided to do it. [There’s] a lot of laughter and a lot of jokes. The things that are my pain, people find comical. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a family show. We have kids from 2 to 21. So we’re changing diapers and graduating college in the same year.
Kayla, you’re 21 now. Do you find it awkward or embarrassing bringing guys home?
Kayla: I don’t really introduce a new guy to him until I know for sure. So that’s some advice. Don’t introduce guys to your dad until you know for sure. My dad embarrasses me sometimes, but other times I think he’s cool.
How do you handle her dating, Kenny?
Kenny: If I meet a guy that she’s dating, I’m going to say, “I just want to let you know that I really love my daughter.” I’m just going to let him know that there’s a man in the house that really loves his daughter. I was 21 and I remember when I met the dad like that, I treated the girl totally differently and I was on a straight path. But when there’s no dad around, you have to learn to love them. It’s just keeping it straight.
Gwendolyn, are you more relaxed when it comes to your kids dating?
Gwendolyn: In that department, I’m a little more lenient. I think that I have a good relationship with the girls. I’m very understanding. I was a teen mom, so I wasn’t exactly the best teenager. But I know what could happen. We have a no judgment policy. So KJ just went to prom and I texted him and told him to have an epic time, but be safe.
Kenny, you travel from L.A. to Atlanta to do “Inside the NBA.” How do you maintain a stable marriage while on the road so much?
Kenny: The difficult part is that most people feel a relationship is marriage when actually marriage is the relationship. So when you think of it that way, you come into a unity in a different way. First thing is fulfilling each other’s needs. As much as there might be differences and all of that, the other person’s needs have to be met. If you think of that first, it’s like being selfless helps you to be selfish.
Gwendolyn, what are keys for keeping the marriage fresh when your spouse is away from home a lot?
Gwendolyn: He’s really good at putting things into stories. I think that marriage, like any relationship, there [are] the positives and the negatives and you’re constantly weighing things out. You do that with any relationship. At the end of the day, you just decide if the structure of it is worth it. What we believe in, how we want to raise our children together. So when you look at it that way, you know it’s worth getting through the tough patches.
“Meet the Smiths” airs every Friday at 9 p.m. on TBS
