SmartLess - Wondery Presents Even the Rich: Gabrielle Union

Episode Date: April 25, 2023

Even the Rich is a podcast from Wondery that tells the jaw-dropping stories about the tumultuous lives of the world’s elite, from the greatest family dynasties to pop culture superstars.Their newest season is all about the teen movie icon Gabrielle Union. After spending her childhood trying to assimilate, she thought her success meant someone else had to fail. But when she’s faced with hard choices beyond her control, she realizes that the only way to find real success is to come together.Hosts Brooke and Aricia will take you through her life, how she shook off her need for perfection, found her true self, and created the life she always wanted.This is just a preview of Even the Rich. You can listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts, or at Wondery.fm/ETR_Smartless. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Even the Rich is a podcast from Wondery that tells the jaw-dropping stories about the tumultuous lives of the world's elite from the greatest family dynasties to pop culture superstars. Recent seasons of Even the Rich have explored icons like Lucille Ball before she became America's queen of comedy and how her wildly successful career hit a painful, private life. Another explores the life of the legendary Dolly Parton who began her career as a poor girl from rural Tennessee with a big heart and an even bigger dream. But even Dolly's yellow brick road was checkered with struggles. I'm about to play a clip from Even the Rich. While you're listening, follow Even the Rich wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, Prime members, you can binge the entire series ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. This episode contains references to sexual assault and racist behavior.

There's also some strong language. Please be advised. It's 1986 in Pleasanton, California. A ninth grade class is reading out loud from the adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 14-year-old Gabrielle Monique Union is sitting in the back of the classroom tensed over her book. Her eyes flick over the printed pages in front of her. Gabrielle knows what's coming and she wishes she could run out of the classroom. She's fast. No one would be able to catch her. As Gabrielle's insides twist and clench, the classroom is silent except for the lone voice of a single student.

The overhead fans spin the sweat and chalk-scented air around the room. Gabrielle has lived in Pleasanton for three years. She's one of only a handful of kids of color in her grade. She's effortlessly cool, whip-smart, athletic, and beautiful. But sometimes she feels completely invisible, as if she could win a Nobel Prize and find a cure for male pattern baldness and still get less praise than a white kid with potential. I mean, I hate that I can relate to that, but I can.

I know. Gabrielle's dad never beats around the bush when it comes to assimilation. He's always told her she'd have to be bigger, badder, and better than everyone else just to be seen as anything even approaching equal. She has to be twice as good at everything just to avoid fading into the background. But today, fading into the background is not the problem. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn uses the N-word 219 times. And every time a student reads out loud,

Gabrielle feels the sting of the slur like a slap across the face. Some of her classmates even turn around and make eye contact with her as they say it. And every single time, it makes her feel awful. The emotions that bubble up to the surface leave her with one conclusion. She needs to push away her blackness. Yeah, unfortunately not an uncommon experience for minorities in this country. I know, it's sad. Gabrielle tries to swallow her feelings.

She keeps her head down and concentrates on the novel in front of her. As her turn to read draws closer, she tries to figure out if the paragraph she'll have to read contains the N-word. Gabrielle takes a deep breath and hopes she doesn't have to say it. Because she doesn't have anyone to look at. There's no one for her to turn around and point to. Except herself. All Gabrielle wants is to be just like the other kids.

She wants them to like her. Even though they don't want to be anything like her. From Wondery, I'm Brooke Sifron. And I'm Aurecia Skidmore-Williams. And this is Even The Rich, where we bring you absolutely true and absolutely shocking stories about the biggest celebrities the world has ever seen. It's a show about power, how you get it, how you keep it,

and what happens when you nearly lose it all. It's also about how the rich are just like us. Because even the rich fall in love and break up and struggle. And know that you can be overwhelmed and you can be underwhelmed. But wonder if you can just be...whelmed. Gabrielle Union is an outspoken activist and advocate who's been thriving in show business for 30 years. Rising to fame for her roles in 90s TV shows and teen movies,

Gabrielle has carved out her own success in a racist and sexist industry. She's been candid about the struggles in her personal life. And she's opened up about being the wife to NBA star Dwayne Wade and stepmother to his children. Now, with her family expanding, Gabrielle's growing and changing into the most authentic version of herself. But she didn't blossom into a butterfly overnight. In this four-part series, we explore Gabrielle's evolution,

her struggle with internalized racism, her fear of being othered, and her belief that finding success in Hollywood meant tearing down other women to make room for herself. This is Episode One, a more perfect union.