If you only know Gabrielle Union from her "shady" Instagram captions or her gorgeous red carpet appearances with Dwyane Wade, you’re missing a pretty wild first chapter of her life. Before the "power couple" status and the adorable videos of Kaavia James, there was Chris Howard.
He’s the guy most people forget about.
Honestly, even Gabrielle seems to wish she could forget parts of it. She’s been incredibly blunt lately—especially on podcasts like Armchair Expert—about how that marriage was, in her words, a "stupid" relationship that should’ve never left the dating phase. It wasn't just a quiet Hollywood split. It was a messy, five-year rollercoaster of infidelity, "lick backs," and a therapist who basically told them to give up during the first session.
Who exactly is Chris Howard?
Long before he was known as the first husband, Chris Howard was a big deal on the football field. He was a standout running back for the University of Michigan Wolverines, helping them snag a national championship in 1997.
He had the talent.
The Denver Broncos drafted him in the fifth round back in 1998, but things got rocky fast. He had a fumbling problem—five fumbles in just two preseason games. That’s a career-killer in the NFL. He eventually landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is where he was playing when he met Gabrielle at a party in 1999.
By 2001, they were married. On paper, it looked like the classic "actress meets athlete" fairytale. In reality? It was "dysfunctional from day one."
The Entitlement and the Infidelity
Gabrielle has been surprisingly transparent about the fact that she wasn't exactly "Wife of the Year."
During their marriage, which lasted from 2001 to 2005 (the divorce was finalized in 2006), both parties were unfaithful. But the reasoning Gabrielle gave is what really set the internet on fire recently. She admitted to feeling "entitled" to cheat.
Why? Because she was the one paying all the bills.
At the time, her career was exploding with movies like Bring It On and Bad Boys II. Meanwhile, Chris’s NFL career was fizzling out. Gabrielle explained that she had this mindset—one she says she picked up from her father—that whoever has the "most" gets to do whatever they want.
"I was paying all the bills, I was working my a-- off, and I felt like that’s what comes with the spoils of riches."
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It was a toxic game of "keeping up with the Joneses" but with affairs. If she found out he was doing something, she’d make sure he "felt that one" by doing it right back. It sounds exhausting, right?
The Therapist Who Told Them to Quit
Usually, when a couple goes to therapy, the goal is to fix the bridge.
Not here.
Gabrielle recalls that they were "gifted" therapy sessions, and within the very first hour, the professional looked at them and basically said: I don't know how you guys even made it past dating. The therapist told them they had zero in common—no shared morals, no shared values. The only thing they had in common was "other people."
The advice was simple: Go be with other people.
Where is Chris Howard now?
While Gabrielle went on to become a global superstar and marry Dwyane Wade in 2014, Chris Howard took a much quieter path. He didn't stay in the NFL long after the divorce, retiring with stats that didn't quite live up to his college hype (123 rushing yards and one touchdown).
He eventually shifted into the business side of things.
Actually, he's done okay for himself. He spent time as an executive producer at Mosaic Entertainment Group in Atlanta and has worked in PR and private equity. He even made a brief comment after Gabrielle’s 2023 podcast interview went viral, saying he wasn't aware of her comments but was happy she was doing well. Classy move, honestly.
Key Takeaways from the Union-Howard Era
- Success doesn't fix a bad foundation. They had the money and the fame, but they lacked a basic connection.
- Financial power dynamics can wreck a marriage. Using "paying the bills" as a hall pass for bad behavior is a recipe for disaster.
- Listen to the experts. If a therapist tells you there's nothing there, it might be time to pack the bags.
- Growth is possible. Gabrielle is the first to say she’s a completely different person now. She had to do a massive amount of "inner work" to make her marriage with Dwyane Wade work, especially after they dealt with their own high-profile hurdles (like Wade fathering a child with someone else during a break).
If you're looking at your own relationship and it feels like a "lick back" competition, take a page from Gabrielle’s 2026 perspective: Choose yourself first, then choose a partner who actually shares your values. Don't wait five years to realize you're only together because you're both "horny for validation."
To dive deeper into how Gabrielle moved past this era, look into her second memoir, You Got Anything Stronger? She gets into the gritty details of her fertility struggles and the "fiery explosion" of her current life that helped her heal from the Chris Howard years.