Between 2001 and 2006, Gabrielle Union was married to former NFL player Chris Howard. The two met at a party in 1999, but rushed into their marriage – according to Union – and eventually separated in 2005 before seeing their divorce finalized the following year. Looking back, it wasn’t a healthy relationship at all.
Union recently opened up about her failed first marriage and while she definitely regrets ever letting it get past the dating phase, she certainly doesn’t seem to regret any of the mistakes made during the marriage – including the infidelity and frequent cheating on both sides. In fact, she barely feels any guilt over it.
She expressed as much on the Armchair Expert podcast, hosted by Dax Shepard – calling the marriage ‘dysfunctional from day one.’ She got candid about the relationship and how she ‘definitely was not getting wife of the year awards’ for her toxic, unhealthy, rude, and unfaithful behavior during the marriage.
“In my first marriage, neither one of us felt like the marriage should get in the way of our dating,” Gabrielle Union told Dax Shepard during the podcast. “A part of it was like keeping up with his activities, like, ‘Oh, that’s what you’re doing? You’re going to feel this one.’ And I just felt entitled to it as well,” she explained.
While she partly blamed her cheating on her husband’s alleged infidelity, she also expressed how she felt entitled to do what she wants. “I was paying all the bills. … Like my dad before me, whoever has the most gets to do whatever the hell they want,” she said – a sentiment that isn’t sitting right with her fans.
In talking about her experience with infidelity, Dax Shepard chimed in with his own experience in an open relationship – one that lasted nine years (before marrying Kristen Bell). He explained how he made some questionable decisions and, while he regrets some of those decisions, he doesn’t regret all of them.
Gabrielle Union agreed with his comment and mentioned how she wishes she ‘had more guilt for some of that,’ but she doesn’t. “It was such a stupid relationship that should have never got out of the dating phase,” she explained, adding that couples therapy only confirmed that they weren’t meant for each other.
Gabrielle Union is Now Happily Married to Dwyane Wade
In 2008, Gabrielle Union started dating future NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade – just two years after her divorce from Chris Howard was finalized. Wade was also coming out of his first marriage to his high school girlfriend, Siohvaughn Funches – the two married in 2002, split in 2007, and divorced in 2010.
While Union and Wade temporarily split sometime in 2013, the couple ultimately made up and got married in Miami, Florida on August 30, 2014. At that point, Union became a stepmother to his three children – two of which were from his first marriage and the third from Aja Metoyer (when Wade and Union split).
On November 7, 2018, Wade became a father for the fourth time and Union became a mother for the first time when they welcomed their first daughter together – Kaavia. The baby was born via a surrogate. Wade has also been responsible for raising his nephew (sister’s son), 17-year-old Dahveon Morris.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Gabrielle Union’s Adorable 3-Year-Old Daughter Shares a Brutally Honest Fact About the Actress
In 2017, Union opened up about her experience with infertility – citing eight or nine miscarriages and nearly three years of failed IVF treatments. It took a surrogate for them to finally welcome their first bundle of joy into this world, but it was worth the wait, the pain, and the grief as they now have a loving family.
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.