How did Bring It On star Gabrielle Union spend her first big pay cheque?
Gabrielle Union was "so stupid" with her first big pay cheque.
The 52-year-old actress found success in the late 1990s and early 2000s with appearances in hit films like Bring It On, 10 Things I Hate About You, and She's All That, but revealed that when she when she first came into money, she went against her father's advice and bought a brand new car.
Speaking as part of a panel discussion at the American Black Film Festival, she said: "So stupid. I went on the Mazda lot. I'm like, 'Oh, I've made it when I have a Mazda.' My dad's like, 'Don't buy a brand new car. It depreciates the second you drive it off the lot.
"I walked into Mazda and I bought myself a black on black Mazda Miata with leather seats. Lemme tell you about leather seats in Los Angeles. Do you know I scorched myself every time I got out? Yeah, that was my first purchase. And it depreciated the second I drove it off the lot!"
Gabrielle is now married to former NBA star Dwyane Wade, and previously revealed that the two of them split their finances equally.
Speaking on the Black Millionaires podcast, she explained: "In this household, we split everything fifty-fifty.
"But in the other households that each of us have to support, there's always this like, gorilla on your back, that's like, 'You better work, b****, you better work. Oh, you're going to sleep in?' You know, somebody might not eat.
"It's hard. It's hard to let that go. So I'm working on that.."
The actress - who has six-year-old Kaavia with Dwyane and is also stepmother to his other four children - admitted at the time that she still has a "scarcity mindset" from the days before she made it big.
She said: "I struggle with that, still.
"I think I just have more responsibilities for my money. I get nervous like, '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?'"
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
Second overall pick overshadowed as mum steals the show at NBA Draft
Dylan Harper's mum, Maria, stole the show on Thursday (AEST). After the former Rutgers star was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, social media was set ablaze as Maria Harper stunned and charmed fans who saw her join Dylan and his older brother, Ron Jr., alongside ESPN's Monica McNutt for the post-selection interview, the NY Post reports. Something that may have also surprised viewers was the fact that Harper's mum joined him for the interview, while his five-time NBA champion father, Ron Harper, stayed in the crowd. But the newest Spur said that his mother actually pushed him harder in basketball and that she even coached him from first grade to his senior year of high school, which was special for both of them. 'We're playing the sport we love. They're playing it, I'm coaching it. It's a family affair, and that's how pure it is in our family,' Maria told Jersey Sports Zone in April 2023. Maria, who is Filipino, immigrated to the United States at the age of 7 and grew up in Paterson, N.J. She and Ron met in 1998 and welcomed Ron Jr. in 2000. The two were then married in 2005, and Dylan was born one year later. Maria and Ron later divorced in 2012. Maria had nothing but praise for her son in his special moment on Thursday. 'His flat out love for the game, his determination, his humility and just his hard work day in and day out,' she noted as reasons he was able to make it this far. Family was a consistent theme for Harper while he addressed the media before the draft, and he consistently came back to praising his mum. 'My mom always tells me, 'Keep the main thing the main thing,'' Harper said. 'Basically like, 'Go worry about basketball, we can take care of the rest.' That's really stuck with me just because it allows me to work on my craft and work on the things that really matter – which is playing the game I love every day.' It's not the first time a draft pick's mum has stolen the show with Aussie Dyson Daniels being overshadowed in 2022 by his mother Brikkita.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Gabrielle Union 'can't afford' the career she'd like
Gabrielle Union "can't afford" to star in as many independent films as she'd like. The Bring It On actress - who has six-year-old daughter Kaavia with husband Dwyane Wade and is stepmother to his four children - doesn't have the "luxury" of complete creative freedom because she has to be mindful of how much money she brings in in order to look after her family, including her dementia-stricken father Sylvester Union. Speaking at the American Black Film Festival, People magazine reports she said: 'More recently, my father is in memory care. You know, nursing homes, what's covered by insurance, what's not, home health aids — like that all adds up and having to really be cognisant of an additional output, I have to go where the money goes. 'I don't have the luxury of taking all the independent films that I want because I can't afford to pay for my extended family in the way that they have grown accustomed to." Gabrielle, 51, believes many working actors these days need to have "multiple revenue streams" in order to supplement their income to afford more choice with their projects. She said: 'I have to factor in endorsements and brands and brand building. When you see celebrities have five to 11 jobs, there's a reason. 'We don't get paid what y'all think that we get paid, and that check is split so many ways. You have to have multiple revenue streams to do the job that you really love. So it kind of depends on what I've made that year on how creative I can be — and that's a damn shame, but that's reality.' Gabrielle previously spoke of her dad's struggle with dementia on his 80th birthday last October. She wrote on Instagram at the time: 'My Dad has dementia. He definitely thinks Dwyane is still playing for the Heat but otherwise remembers quite a bit. He remembers all the great times he spent in Hawaii, so we brought some Hawaii to my Dad. 'He remembers his love of Crown Royal and missing his friends and being able to just hang out and talk s***, so his friends showed up and showed out. 'What dementia has robbed him of, his heart and soul have recovered. When my Dad saw me, he said, 'I really love you.' And I said, 'I love you too Dad.' Then he replied, 'How's your Mom?' And with the gas face, I simply said, 'Sir.' He then asked if I was happy and I told him I was. He nodded and with a grin asked, 'You not taking no s*** are you?' And I said, 'Never.' "He told me he loved me again and that interaction stayed with me all day and made me pretty emotional. 'It all just reminds me to be a good, loyal friend, a great neighbor, prioritize your family, have a spirit of adventure and don't take no s***. And always show up and show love. Happy Birthday Dad! I love you [heart emoji] (sic).'
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Perth Now
How did Bring It On star Gabrielle Union spend her first big pay cheque?
Gabrielle Union was "so stupid" with her first big pay cheque. The 52-year-old actress found success in the late 1990s and early 2000s with appearances in hit films like Bring It On, 10 Things I Hate About You, and She's All That, but revealed that when she when she first came into money, she went against her father's advice and bought a brand new car. Speaking as part of a panel discussion at the American Black Film Festival, she said: "So stupid. I went on the Mazda lot. I'm like, 'Oh, I've made it when I have a Mazda.' My dad's like, 'Don't buy a brand new car. It depreciates the second you drive it off the lot. "I walked into Mazda and I bought myself a black on black Mazda Miata with leather seats. Lemme tell you about leather seats in Los Angeles. Do you know I scorched myself every time I got out? Yeah, that was my first purchase. And it depreciated the second I drove it off the lot!" Gabrielle is now married to former NBA star Dwyane Wade, and previously revealed that the two of them split their finances equally. Speaking on the Black Millionaires podcast, she explained: "In this household, we split everything fifty-fifty. "But in the other households that each of us have to support, there's always this like, gorilla on your back, that's like, 'You better work, b****, you better work. Oh, you're going to sleep in?' You know, somebody might not eat. "It's hard. It's hard to let that go. So I'm working on that.." The actress - who has six-year-old Kaavia with Dwyane and is also stepmother to his other four children - admitted at the time that she still has a "scarcity mindset" from the days before she made it big. She said: "I struggle with that, still. "I think I just have more responsibilities for my money. I get nervous like, '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?'"
