Gabrielle Union Says She’s In Her Vulnerable Era And Doesn’t Want Her Relationship To Be 50/50
Gabrielle Union became a trending topic in 2023 when she said she goes 50/50 with her husband Dwayne Wade. The actress recently shared that she’s changed her stance on the matter after some self-reflection. During an appearance on the Balanced Black Girl podcast, the Being Mary Jane actress shared how her perspective has shifted and why.
“I famously said, 50/50 or bust, right? And I meant that financially, spiritually and emotionally,” Union said, adding that her need for control was “a trauma response. “It’s never wanting to be so out of control [that] I don’t have control over what is happening to my body. And ’50/50’ is…I’m not going to be vulnerable enough to trust you with 100% of anything, not my heart, not my cash, not my energy.”
The 52-year-old continued: “I realized that so much of my anxiety—I was diagnosed with PTSD after being sexually assaulted at 19—the extreme anxiety, the anxiety attacks, being hyperfocused on efficiency and time and being fiercely independent, are trauma responses. And there’s just a lot of days that I have 10%, and I need him to be 90. There are days I don’t have shit, and I need him to be 100.”
Since her comments in 2023, Union has experimented with letting the former NBA player pay a larger chunk of the mortgage. She also said during the interview that it’s less about what her husband can afford and more about her vulnerability.
“It’s being vulnerable enough to be open enough to know that I’m OK. I’m OK as his wife,” she said. “He’s OK as my husband. I’m OK in this family. I’m OK in this home. I deserve it… and so, I’m trying to expand my heart, expand all of the notions of what vulnerability can look like.”
Around the time Union’s interview went viral, the former NBA player expanded on how they manage their money while on Club Shay Shay.
“I have 20 to 50 responsibilities, and my wife has 20 to 50 responsibilities, and when I say that, that means she has her mother, she has her sisters, she has her dad, so she has a lot of things she’s responsible for,” the athlete explained at the time. “She pays 100% of that and you know what I do? I pay 100% of my life. So in our life, our home we purchased it together 50/50. Our daughter―anything that goes on with our daughter, we share it together.”
It’s refreshing to see the actress be transparent about her pivot and it’ a reminder that it’s ok to change your mind. The couple have been married for some time now (over a decade!) having tied the knot in August 2014. They share one daughter together–Kaavia James Union Wade–also known as shady baby. They also co-parent Wade’s older children from previous relationships.
