Earlier this month, Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she and Gabrielle Union had reconciled after 17 years of awkward run-ins and "stiff" photo ops. Both are hesitant to call it a feud but they went almost two decades without speaking and spent the whole time thinking the worst of each other so I’m going to go ahead and call it a feud. 

The semantics here aren’t important. The important thing is that Jada and Gabrielle reunited for a candid conversation on Jada’s Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk and deconstructed the reasons why they were feuding, even though they can’t pinpoint the exact genesis of their beef. Jada says it was due to, like all great feuds, “some petty ass sh-t.” They were avoiding each other at events and both recall uncomfortable encounters at The White House (Obama era, when black people were welcome there for parties) and at the NAACP awards. 

Jada also brings up the Gabrielle Union speech I referred to last time I wrote about Gabrielle and Jada.  Like I predicted, both actresses attribute the jealous and competitive mentality Gabrielle addressed in her speech to their attitudes towards each other. They both own their mistakes in a more direct and honest way than I have ever seen two actresses of their caliber do in public but here’s how Gabrielle explained her past: 

“It was like damn, I have been communicating through negativity…I [was] a hater, I [was] a troll. Life coach AJ Johnson was like, ‘all those negative things that had been happening in your life, it's exactly what you're putting out, you're getting back.’ I had to see myself clearly. It's ugly, it's hard, it's painful to recognize that you are the common denominator for the vast majority of your problems."

“That part.” When Jada agrees with something Gabrielle says throughout the episode, she nods and says, “That part.” She had me saying “THAT PART” out loud too. We write a lot about actresses aging in Hollywood and what that means for their careers and their presence on camera. Usually, their on-screen time diminishes as they age. We’re slowly starting to see that change on camera but what we’re also starting to see the wisdom that is shared off-camera. Gabrielle and Jada are 45 and 46, respectively. They’ve lived though some sh-t. They’ve made mistakes. They’ve come through. And now, they are sharing that wisdom together. TOGETHER. How many young girls and grown ass women need this message? Competition can be healthy but petty jealousy is not. That part. 

It wasn’t too long ago that being the host of an online show would signal the end of a career. It would’ve been seen as something an ‘over-the-hill’ actress would do because she couldn’t get jobs. Jada Pinkett Smith is not past her prime. She proved with Girl’s Trip that she is still able to deliver. Gabrielle Union is developing her own TV show. Their candor and ability to have start tough, public conversations haven’t been a detriment to their success – if anything, it has made them both more relatable and likable. 

Now, it’s time to put Gabrielle Union in the Girl’s Trip sequel and pair them together for the press tour because I’m now very into their budding friendship. At the end of the episode, Jada thanks Gabrielle and gives her a key necklace and says, "Let this key be a reminder that you are the key to your power."

THAT PART.