In a candid interview for Marie Claire’s first-ever Motherhood issue, actress Gabrielle Union, 52, is opening up about the complex emotions she experienced while welcoming her daughter Kaavia James, now 6, via surrogacy with husband Dwyane Wade, 43.
Union shared that turning to surrogacy left her feeling deeply conflicted and emotionally exposed. “For me, it felt like failure. My body failed. It just felt like such a public humiliation,”
she admitted. “Surrogacy felt like a cuckold — watching somebody do something that I can’t do.”The Bring It On star elaborated on the mental toll of seeing another woman carry the child she longed to conceive herself.
“To be there for somebody else succeeding where I failed — it’s a mind f— for people who have had my journey and who feel similarly,” she said. “When it’s never been your reality, I get the urge to judge and cast aspersions, because we all want whatever route we took to be the ‘right’ way.”
Despite her gratitude, Union confessed that the experience remains emotionally unresolved. “I’ll never have peace with it, ever,” she revealed. “And that’s not about what anybody has to say that’s just… my yearning has never dissipated.”
Still, she emphasized her appreciation for the surrogate who helped bring Kaavia into the world. “I’m very grateful to our gestational caregiver. It’s just one of those things such a personal journey that I may never know full peace with my coulda, woulda, shouldas.”
Reflecting on the birth of her daughter, Union acknowledged the shift in perspective she’s worked to adopt. “Did I want the public applause and attention that come with being a public pregnant person? Maybe. But your baby is here. Your child is here. Healthy. Amazing.”
Union also made an appearance at the 2025 Met Gala on May 5, where she opened up to PEOPLE about family life and upcoming milestones. She and Wade are preparing for another emotional transition as their 17-year-old daughter Zaya, who is pursuing an astrobiology major, gets ready to leave for college in the fall.“Scared but excited for her,” Union said of the move. “We haven’t been able to help with homework since the fourth grade, so we definitely can’t help with astrobiology. But we’re excited for next year.”
One bright spot this school year has been Kaavia and Zaya attending the same school — albeit from opposite ends of the academic journey. “It’s funny because Zaya’s a senior and Kaavia’s in kindergarten at the same school,” Union shared. “During Kaav’s lunch, Zaya comes and hangs out with her. It’s really special that they get to share this time together, at least for one year.”Through emotional highs and personal reckoning, Union continues to share her motherhood journey with honesty and grace — revealing the joys, the struggles, and everything in between.
