Jodie Turner-Smith gave us an all-too-real insight into the life of a co-parent. We can’t help but admire her vulnerability and honesty. The actress shares 4-year-old daughter Juno with ex-husband Joshua Jackson. She filed for divorce last fall, citing “irreconcilable differences,” but a year later, the estranged couple is still figuring out how to co-parent.
“When you break up with someone, it’s an adjustment period for everyone because you’re used to being with your kids all the time,” Turner-Smith says. ‘But no one hands you a manual.’ Related Articles Keki Palmer’s latest video of Baby Leo hints at the fate of her co-parenting relationship with ex Darius Jackson
New parents may feel unprepared when bringing a baby home, but the transition to co-parenting can be even more anxiety-inducing. It doesn’t necessarily take nine months to prepare. There aren’t that many “how to” blogs out there. And as the Murder Mystery 2 actress said, there’s no manual.
“Everyone is trying to figure it out,” she continued. “Each parent has a different life, and how you decide to co-parent can only complicate things further, especially if the reason for the separation is because of differences in each other’s lives.”
And Jackson and Turner-Smith certainly lead different lives at the moment. While Turner-Smith is filming The Agency in London, Juno attends school with her father in Los Angeles. Turner-Smith travels back and forth to the pond frequently and does her best to never be away from her daughter for more than five days at a time. (Yes, it happens that often.)
“This is something I’m going to look back on and think, ‘Wow, I survived that,'” Turner-Smith told Glamor. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” Related Articles Keki Palmer’s latest video of Baby Leo hints at the fate of her co-parenting relationship with ex Darius Jackson
Jodi Turner-Smith arrives at the 2024 Costume Institute Exhibition “Sleeping Beauty: Reawakened Fashion Met Gala” on May 6, 2024 in New York, New York. Christine Callahan/Everett Collection
But this isn’t the first time she’s faced hardship as a working mother. As the star of Anne Boleyn, which was filmed just months after Juno was born in April 2020, she was constantly looking for a “fucking back room” to pump out breast milk.
“I was feeding (Juno) every three hours and then she got sick and had a respiratory infection,” Turner-Smith said. “We were filming in a cold, damp castle and I was pumping in the back room. My daughter started getting used to the bottle. She refused my breasts on weekends. I was in shock the whole time and thought my milk was going to dry up.”
This is one of the reasons why Turner-Smith (and probably most other mothers out there) called motherhood “literally the craziest, most beautiful, thankless, emotional job in this whole wide world.” Maybe.
Of course, all eyes are on Turner-Smith, as Jackson is dating (or dating) actress Lupita Nyong’o, who Jackson wasn’t seen with in June. Separated partners starting a new relationship is also a difficult situation that all co-parents must learn to deal with without a manual.
“He can do whatever he wants,” she answered diplomatically, seemingly unconcerned. “Please be kind to Juno and be kind to Juno’s mother too. I will be Juno’s mother forever.”
And that’s certainly a point that can’t be debated even without written instructions.
These celebrity exes are doing co-parenting right.
