Gabrielle Union opened up about the pressure to make money and be financially successful on her own despite being married to millionaire and former NBA player Dwyane Wade.
As a seasoned actress with a number of successful roles under her belt, some following the couple might imagine that she’s living more than comfortably in her California mansion with her feet propped up.
However, in a recent interview, Union expressed worries surrounding the possibility of all of her prosperous earnings abruptly coming to a halt.
While speaking with Bloomberg Originals’ “Idea Generation,” the “Bring It On” star discussed how her acting career eventually led to her own entrepreneurial ventures that include a natural hair-care line and three critically acclaimed books.
During the 18-minute mark, the founder of Flawless by Gabrielle Union admitted that due to her current status, she now feels a larger amount of responsibility while her funds continue to increase.
Because of that, the 50-year-old constantly worries about her and those she is responsible for in the event she doesn’t land any additional work.
“I struggle with that, still. I think I just have more responsibilities for my money. I get nervous like,” said Union, “Oh God, that movie didn’t open you know what does that mean? Do I – Am I … Am I going to have enough to hold everybody up?’ ”
She went on to reveal that in her household with the retired athlete, the bills are split right down the middle.
“It’s weird to say I’m head of household ‘cause, in this household, we split everything 50/50,” Union disclosed.
As the conversation progressed, the UCLA graduate confessed her desire to put an end to her “scarcity mindset.” She explained how being accountable for people aside from those who reside in her home puts a lot of pressure on her employment.
“In the other households that each of us have to support, it puts this,” she began, “there’s always this like gorilla on your back that is like ‘You better work b—h, you better work, you better work. You, you’re gonna sleep in? Hmm?’ You know, ‘Somebody might not eat.’ ”
She added, “It’s hard. It’s hard to let that go. So I’m working on that.”
It wasn’t long before this clip from Union’s interview was reshared on The Shade Room’s Instagram. Fans in the comments section wrote lengthy messages, expressing their mixed opinions about her and her husband of nearly nine years and their financial arrangement.
“As an independent woman, I’d to declare that no woman should be this independent. The way my checking and savings are up (Kevin Hart voice) #issaroommatesis.”
“This man had a net worth of $170 million… a conversation of splitting rent would be insulting Idc if she got millions too. She can pay other s–t but that rent baby.. Naw.”
“Most of y’all have no man, no woman, cat, dog, a job, or any income but talking about y’all don’t do 50/50! Y’all can’t!”
“This is called doing what’s right for them. There is no right or wrong in this.”
Yet, a few critics slammed Union for oversharing. “I feel like Gabby talk to much” and “I don’t think we needed to know this information.”
The couple is known for taking extravagant world tours to different countries with their large family. Union, whose net worth is reportedly $40 million, is currently preparing for the release of her new rom-com film “The Perfect Find.” Meanwhile, Wade has an accumulated net worth of $170 million from endorsements, investments in media companies, consumer products and more.
Although Union and Wade split the bills 50/50, things were much different in her first marriage to former NFL player Chris Howard. The former couple met in 1999, married in 2001 and divorced by 2005.
Earlier this year, Union shared that her relationship with Smith lacked mutual trust and was riddled with infidelity on both ends. She compared her infidelity to what she notes she’d recognized with her father, a sense of being the breadwinner in the relationship where “whoever has the most gets to do whatever the hell they want,” she’s said.
