Matt and his fiance Anansa Simms were smart to make therapy the focal point of their new reality series, ‘The Barnes Bunch’.
The Big Picture
- Matt Barnes and Anansa Simms struggled in a toxic relationship, receiving backlash after a breakup.
- Their public breakup led to public accusations and death threats on social media.
- The couple reconciled, seeking therapy for their blended family of six children and prioritizing mental health.
Matt Barnes has been a part of two extremely volatile public relationships, one of which was on full display on a reality series. His relationship with his ex-wife and mother of his twin sons, Gloria Govan ended in one of the biggest NBA scandals in history when Gloria married Matt’s former teammate, Derek Fisher. The aftermath of the divorce and child custody battle has continued to play out in the court of public opinion, with Matt accusing Gloria earlier this year of stealing almost $25k from one of his American Express cards. Labeled a good-looking bad boy of the NBA, Matt enjoyed the company of several other celebrity chicks before returning to what he believes is the love of his life, his college sweetheart, model Anansa Simms.
Matt and Anansa met while attending UCLA and have nurtured an on-again-off-again-type relationship ever since. Being the daughter of one of the world’s most recognizable supermodels, Beverly Johnson, Anansa was no stranger to the celebrity lifestyle. Still, the two struggled to keep their chemistry in a harmonious place. Unfortunately, Matt hadn’t done much healing before entering the relationship and the couple experienced a very public breakup that included throwing ugly digs and accusations back and forth via social media in front of an audience of both fans and haters.
By the end of 2020, Anansa and Matt were yesterday’s news, leaving both of them with more scars than they entered the relationship with initially. Anansa recalls receiving death threats on social media after their breakup and was accused of attempting to keep Matt away from their son, Ashton. She says the period after thebreakupwas an extremely dark time for her and Matt acknowledges during a confessional interview that he should’ve done more to protect her from the public backlash.Fast forward to 2022 and the two have reunited yet again, but this time both are in a much better space. They decide to make counseling a part of the relationship and Matt proposes in December 2022. Unlike their first go-round, the couple agrees to seek out tools to help them create the type of relationship that will last forever and allow them to be partners. Each episode of their new reality series The Barnes Bunch details a portion of the couples’ therapy sessions that allows the audience to participate in their therapy process in real time.
Matt Barnes and Anansa Simms Center Couples Therapy to Keep Their Relationship Afloat
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In the first episode, the therapist asks Matt how he is handling the attention of women pursuing him when he is away from his family. The couple experience an honest moment and Anansa admits that knowing Matt is being pursued by other women when he is a way that works towards making her feel insecure. With infidelity being an issue in the couples’ past, the therapist challenges Matt to find a process on how to handle the dilemma that will make Anansa feel comfortable. The couple begins actively working through the conversation but doesn’t find a resolution by the end of the first episode.
Besides their personal issues, the couple will work together parenting their blended family that consists of children from past relationships and the four-year-old son they share. With a house filled with teenagers, pre-teens and a pre-schooler, there are sure to be familial challenges and obstacles along the way.
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Produced by Oscar-winning actor and producer Jaime Foxx and Datari Turner, The Barnes Bunch manages to capture the busy lifestyle of Matt as he transitions from NBA star to a successful podcaster and TV/Film producer and creator, all while parenting their blended family of six children and preparing to become a husband again. Anansa is focused on motherhood for their lively brood but navigating her fledgling modeling career under the watchful eye of her iconic mother. The family dynamic plays out each week but begins with the couple sitting together for an authentic therapy session. Audiences can see this while the couple prioritizes their mental health and works to create a healthy relationship for the benefit of their family.
For fans who empathized with Matt after his ex-wife married his former teammate, it’s a welcome change to see him in a great space thriving in this new relationship. For the WE TV audience, bombarded with toxic relationships and dysfunctional unions, The Barnes Bunch offers a fresh perspective for couples that may need inspiration when attempting to pivot from toxicity to authenticity.
The Barnes Bunch airs every Friday on We tv and can be streamed on ALLBLK.
This article was originally published on collider.com