Gabrielle Union got candid on money matters and how her Black Hollywood community is essential to her success. Speaking with journalist Kelley Carter last week at the 2025 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) in Miami, the two women discussed the intricate details of “sisterhood and savings” and made space for the actress to channel her lived experiences into heartfelt dialogue.
Hundreds of festival attendees loaded into the New World Center at South Beach for the intimate conversation. After being introduced by Erica Hughes, Senior Director of Multicultural Marketing at Ally, the Bring It On star and the acclaimed reporter graced the stage and got right into the topic at hand.
With complimentary black and white outfits, the women, who are friends in real life, opened their world and broke down what happens in the group chat.
“That’s what it takes, decentering sometimes yourself to make more room for other people, which just feels crazy, because it feels like we don’t have that much, but it’s the only way,” exclaimed the Bring In On actress.
In the conversation full of gems, the 52-year-old detailed how Tisha Campbell saved her life, the strong bond she shares with other Black actresses, how they work together to ensure everyone is paid, and being the bridge for a new generation of Black talent.
Read below for highlights from the Sisterhood & Savings panel hosted by Ally at the 2025 ABFF with Gabrielle Union and Kelley Carter below.
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How Tisha Campbell Saved Her Life
Image Credit: Phil McCarten/Getty Images In the conversation, Gabrielle Union revealed a time when Tisha Campbell saved her life. In a colorful memory, the actress reflected on a star-studded house party that resulted in Campbell gifting her therapy.
“Tisha and her then-husband had invited us up for a 4th of July at Big Bear Lake. And it’s like all the successful Black people. It was like Eric LaSalle was the most successful Black actor on TV at the time on ER. And he had this huge house on the lake, the biggest house on the lake. We all took a little extra pride in that,” she detailed.
“Even in this rarefied air that I had found myself in, there was a sadness that was on me. And Tisha was like, ‘I don’t think you’re okay. Do you need help?’ And I just broke down. And she was like, ‘I will pay for…’ I think it was like 20 sessions of therapy, which, out of your insurance… That’s a massive gift to give someone. And it was the gift that saved my life and got me to finally choose me.”
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Relating To Taraji P. Henson
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/WWD via Getty Images In 2023, when The Color Purple musical was reformatted into a film, actress Taraji P. Henson initially made headlines not for her performance as Shug Avery but for her determination to speak up for the cast to be paid their worth. While on the press run, Henson emotionally declared, “I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost.”
As she spoke to the audience at ABFF, Gabrielle Union reflected on how most Black actresses related to Henson’s frustrating plight.
“Sometimes those group chats give you the blueprint on how to navigate it. For somebody who calls a thing a thing all the time, who gets cease and desists… who’s not afraid to sue somebody, I’m probably not the most popular person around Hollywood. You could try it, I’ma sue you, I’m three for three.”
She continued to detail through applause, “But there was something that I think broke in a lot of us watching Taraji on The Color Purple press tour where she’s trying with as much grace as she can muster to explain this business and explain what is right and explain who gets what and why and how Black actresses, no matter how accomplished, no matter how many a*ses we put in the seats, no matter how much our overall box office is, over $1,000,000,000, by the way, it never seems to impact our value.”
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How She Defines Success
Image Credit: Kelvin Bulluck During the conversation that revolved around money, Gabrielle Union reflected on how financial markers are not her indicators of achievement.
“It’s constantly evolving as I evolve, as I allow myself to evolve,” reflected the movie star on how she defines success. “At the beginning of my career, [it] felt like the next job… As my quote got bigger and bigger, I was like, ‘Oh, I made it. This is success.’ And by how we generally measure success, I felt very successful.”
She continued, “But the problem with that is, it’s contingent on being chosen over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. That’s a Hollywood career, being chosen. So when you talk about the pick-me…It stopped being as fulfilling. It just felt like a trap, because now I have to top that. Now I’ve gotten my family used to a certain amount of financial liberty, if you will, and opportunity. I have to keep providing. And when they say ‘more money, more problems,’ people have higher expectations. Now I look at success as being able to do what I love while maintaining my peace. The money will come and go.”
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How She’s Changing The Game
Image Credit: Kelvin-Bulluck As explained by Gabrielle Union, her willingness to slide into the DM’s of a younger actress and offer resources and mentorship, share and donate to GoFundMe campaigns, and advocate for Black women across the board comes naturally. Despite the hidden threat of being blacklisted, she continues to maintain her dedication to being the change.
“Part of it is giving some money back. It doesn’t always need to be you. When you get that opportunity, sometimes it’s better to pass it along, to make sure somebody else’s quote is made,” she detailed on how she is making sure to spread the wealth.
“So I have a production company. I know my attorneys are like, ‘Do you want to make money, girl?’ But I’ll give up producing credit to make sure somebody else gets their credit. I’ll give up money to make sure someone is made whole. That’s what it takes, decentering, sometimes yourself to make more room for other people, which just feels crazy, because it feels like we don’t have that much, but it’s the only way.”
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