At a Glance
- Gabrielle Union had a severe hot flash at the 2025 Met Gala surrounded by A-list celebrities
- She was seated with Bad Bunny, Gigi Hadid, Sydney Sweeney, Maya Hawke, and Hunter Schafer
- Younger stars handed her napkins while she sweated through the moment
- Why it matters: She now uses the story to encourage women not to feel ashamed about menopause
Gabrielle Union is using her most embarrassing celebrity moment to start a bigger conversation about menopause. On January 14, the 53-year-old actress told Today with Jenna & Sheinelle how a sudden hot flash at the 2025 Met Gala left her drenched in sweat in front of fashion’s biggest names.
The Star-Studded Table
Union described the scene: “I’m there, at our table is Bad Bunny sitting across from me, Gigi Hadid sitting next to him, Sydney Sweeney, Maya Hawke, Hunter Schafer…me and my husband [Dwyane Wade].”
The evening stretched on with multiple after-parties, a sharp contrast to the couple’s usual routine. “We normally go to sleep after [daughter Kaavia] goes to sleep. We are watching Lottery Dream Home by 8 o’clock,” she joked.
The Flop Sweat Hits
Union decided an espresso would help her power through the long night. “Well, cue the flop sweat! And D goes, ‘Baby, you are sweating, you’re sweating!’ And I go, ‘I know!'”
Panic set in as she realized the hot flash was unstoppable. “What do I do? In front of these people?! All of the sudden I look up and Bad Bunny goes, ‘Are you okay?!’ And I can’t stop it. It’s just coming down in sheets,” she recalled.
Napkin Rescue
The younger celebrities sprang into action. “Everyone starts handing me their napkins. And I look over – and there’s Sydney Sweeney just dry,” Union said.
She summed up the humiliation: “I don’t want to have a hot flash in front of supermodels and the biggest rockstar on the planet. They’re handing me their napkins and I’m like, ‘It’s okay, nothing to see here!’ I was dying. It was literally the worst-case scenario.”
Finding the Humor
Union admitted she didn’t laugh that night, but perspective came later. “There’s a point where you’ve just gotta laugh it off,” she explained. “When I was re-telling the story, I was like, ‘This is actually kind of funny.'”
Now she wants the moment to serve a larger purpose. Union is encouraging women not to feel embarrassed about navigating menopause because it’s a natural transition. By sharing her story, she hopes to remove the stigma around hot flashes and other symptoms that affect millions of women.
Key Takeaways
- Union’s Met Gala hot flash happened in front of fashion and music royalty
- The incident turned into an impromptu napkin-sharing moment
- She now uses the experience to promote open conversations about menopause
- The actress wants women to feel comfortable laughing at these unavoidable bodily moments
