“Why Don’t You Just Go Be With Other People?”: Gabrielle Union Gave Her Two Cents on “Dysfunctional” Relationship With Ex-NFL Star Before Marrying Dwyane Wade

Before meeting and marrying Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union had made a name for herself in Hollywood. She featured in movies like 10 things I hate about you, Bring It On, and more. While she navigated her way through the world of acting, she met ex-NFL star, Chris Howard. The duo began dating, got married, and eventually got a divorce in 2005. Their time as a couple was reportedly tumultuous. Recently, Union opened up about the same.

On the Dax Shepard podcast, Gabrielle Union spoke about the troubles and difficulties of her first marriage. She recollected the words of her therapist while also giving insight into her thought processes during her relationship with Chris Howard. Union also justified some of her actions that ended up creating controversy.

Gabrielle Union on her first wedding

The actress stated that Howard and she were “dysfunctional from day one”. She revealed that even her therapist was surprised at how they were working as a couple. This surprise rose from the fact that the duo, in terms of morals and values, was not aligned. Additionally, they had nothing in common. Gabrielle added that what she had with Howard was “such a stupid relationship” and the wedding should have never happened.

Following this, Shepard brought up the topic of infidelity, Howard and Union’s five-year-long relationship had moments of infidelity. According to the couple’s therapist, this was the one thing Union and Howard had in common. Gabrielle recounted the exact words of her therapist. She said, “The only thing you have in common is other people, so why don’t you just go be with other people”? 

Read More: NBA Legend Dwyane Wade and Wife Gabrielle’s Noble Gesture on Christmas for Families in Need

While wishing that she felt a little more guilty for her actions, Union claimed that she felt entitled to do so. She said, “I was paying all the bills, I was working my a** off, and I felt like that’s what comes, the spoils of riches”.

Union added that there were also moments when she craved for validation that she received from others during her marriage. These drastic differences and the complicated state of things led to their divorce in 2005.

Chris Howard responded to these comments

As Union’s comments made the news, Chris Howard responded on Fox News Digital. He stated that he was unaware of these comments and didn’t want to talk about them further. However, he did mention that he is aware of how Union is living life now and wished her the best of luck in all her endeavors.

Watch This Story: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, and other NBA stars honoring their spouses with tattoos

Years after her divorce, in 2014, Union tied the knot with Dwyane Wade. Wade and Union have a baby girl together who was born in 2018.