VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Matt Barnes & Anansa Sims Discuss What Makes A Stable Relationship, Their Reality Show ‘Barnes Bunch’

Former NBA star Matt Barnes and his partner, Anansa Sims, gave some insight into what it was like to expose their family life to the camera in their new reality show, WeTV’s The Barnes Bunch, in their new uInterview.

The couple’s new show follows the former NBA champion and model as they raise their blended family. Their six children range in age from five to 15. Barnes has two children from his previous marriage, Sims has three children from previous relationships, and they have a son. 

Sims reflected on the start of their reality TV journey. “For me, I’ve been pretty open on social media, on my Instagram,” she said. “Matt used to not like all my videos and having to take a lot of pictures and stuff, but I wore him down. He got used to it. But a good friend of mine, Datari Turner, was like, ‘I love your Instagram, I love your family, I love what you show, and I think this could be a show if you guys are interested.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if Matt’s going to be on board,’ but Datari’s partner is Jamie Foxx, and that’s a good friend of Matt’s, so we let Matt know about it. He agreed, and we started rolling.”

Barnes had a more significant motivation, as well. “You know, putting some positive black family and unity in this reality space that’s saturated with negativity and ridiculous stereotypes,” he added. “We had a great opportunity that was presented to us, and we thought about it and agreed that it would be something cool to try. We had fun doing it.”

Barnes Bunch does not shy away from the more complicated aspects of marriage and very candidly displays Barnes and Sims’ dedication to learning and growing as a couple. Sims said, “What people didn’t know from our social media was that we did couple’s therapy, and that’s something we wanted to bring on the show and share, really help break the stigma of, ‘Oh, if you’re going to couples therapy you’re on your way out, it’s toxic,’ and look at it more of like learning yourself, learning each other as a couple.”

She added, “That was important to us because when we broke up, people only saw the drama, and when we got back together, they just saw us kissing and happy, and they were like, ‘What is up with this couple?'”

Barnes followed up, “This journey of building trust and love and communication is, I feel, like something that every couple goes through, and the fact that we’re allowing cameras in on that journey as we’re bettering ourselves, I think this journey will help other people realize. ‘Let’s try to better first ourselves, but then ourselves as a couple as well.'”

The Barnes Bunch airs Friday nights at 10 p.m. ET on WeTV.