<p id=”par-1_91″>Actor <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/gabrielle-union/?swcfpc=1″>Gabrielle Union</a> has made a name for herself through films like “Bring It On” and “Deliver Us From Eva,” but she is much more than just someone who can play a role. Union has always been someone who isn’t <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/gabrielle-union-learned-forgive-dwyane-wade-fathered-child-triggers.html/”>afraid to speak her truth</a>, even if it means allowing herself to be vulnerable. During a podcast appearance with Jay Williams back in 2022, Union revealed that part of the reason she learned to stand up for herself was because she was “raped at gunpoint” when she was just a teenager.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Gabrielle-Union-life-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Gabrielle Union” class=”wp-image-3794813″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Gabrielle Union | Manny Hernandez/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-gabrielle-union-revealed-she-was-sexually-assaulted-at-gun-point”>Gabrielle Union revealed she was sexually assaulted at gun point</h2>
<p id=”par-2_73″>During an interview with Jay Williams on “The Limits” podcast back in 2022, Union opened up about her past and what helped her learn to stand up for herself. “I think the first time I really had to stick up for myself was at 19, shortly after being <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/gabrielle-union-reflects-on-her-past-rape-to-spotlight-police-inequality.html/”>raped at gunpoint</a> at Payless Shoe Source, where I worked my summer job during, you know, my freshman year before my sophomore year,” she said.</p>
<p id=”par-3_52″>After the assault happened, Union learned that the store’s corporation knew there was a former employee robbing stores. “They had this information. And he had robbed several. And they knew exactly who he was. And they didn’t share that information with us.” Ultimately, when she became a victim, she decided to sue.</p>
<p id=”par-4_16″>“And I had enough,” she continued. “And I brought them to their knees. And they settled.</p>
<p id=”par-5_26″>And I realized, I can do something about the f****** that we experience. And I learned that lesson at 19. I got fed up at 19.”</p>
<p id=”par-6_53″>Union has taken that confidence and kept it with her throughout her entire life. And while the situation was devastating, it’s part of what made her who she is today. She also revealed that, at 19, she took out student loans, so she would never be dependent on her parents for money again.</p>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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Gabrielle Union Revealed She Felt ‘Betrayed’ By Dwyane Wade ‘Again’ Right Before They Had a Baby </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-gabrielle-union-has-always-been-honest-about-who-she-is”>Gabrielle Union has always been honest about who she is</h2>
<p id=”par-7_90″>In 2021, Union released her second memoir, “You Got Anything Stronger?” which detailed other areas of her life that hadn’t been as touched on in her previous one. One story was that of dealing with the fallout of learning her <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/gabrielle-union-said-leave-dwyane-wade-dont-be-ride-or-die.html/”>now-husband, Dwyane Wade</a>, had fathered a child with another woman while the two were briefly broken up in 2013. Union and Wade seem to have a strong relationship, but Union’s honesty has inspired people; she revealed that she still continues to work toward forgiving Wade every day, even years later.</p>
<p id=”par-8_21″>Wade noted during her “The Limits” conversation that forgiveness can be “continuous” and “lifelong” and that she was alright with that.</p>