Gabrielle Union is no stranger to cheating scandals. In a recent episode of the “Armchair Expert” podcast, the actress shared that she too was guilty of having her cake and eating it too in her first marriage.
Union was married to former NFL running back Chris Howard from 2001 to 2006. Their relationship was far from perfect, and in the past, she has even referred to it as being doomed from the start. “I definitely was not getting Wife of the Year Awards,” she said. “I had some focus issues, you know.”
Union, 50, wrote about some of the couple’s troubles in her first memoir, “We’re Going to Need More Wine.” She detailed how Howard proposed to her with a bucket of KFC beside him on the floor, potato wedges in one hand, and a ring in the other, as well as how she discovered the athlete had been unfaithful — and ultimately continued to cheat throughout their union — prior to the two of them ever walking down the aisle.
But instead of moping over the lack of trust, the actress told podcast host Dax Shepherd that she was like, “Oh, that’s what you’re doing?” and hit back by indulging in dalliances of her own. Her thought was, “You’re gonna feel this one.” The “L.A.’s Finest” lead added that in some way she felt entitled to cheating and doing whatever she pleased.
“I felt that that’s what comes, the spoils of riches. Like my dad before me, whoever has the most gets to do whatever the hell they want is what I thought,” said Union. She added that her desire for extramarital affairs was fueled by the fact that she was “horny for validation and having certain kinds of guys like me and want me. That made me feel like I was worthy, good, and valuable, and deserving.”
Following her divorce from Howard, she went on to meet then-Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade. They began dating in 2009 and later wed in 2014. While their ceremony was likened to something out of a fairy book tale, it too has had its share of ups and downs. In particular, Union and the NBA championship winner faced a hurdle in their relationship when Wade fathered a child with another woman in 2013. At the time, the couple was reportedly on a break. While promoting her second memoir, “You Got Anything Stronger,?” Union said that the woman she is today would not have stayed in the relationship.
She told Essence, “Who I am, the healing that I’ve fought for, the peace that I have fought for, I wouldn’t. I just wouldn’t. That’s not what happened, but there is wisdom from perspective and time and therapy and personal evolution and accountability that changes things,” she said.