Jenna & Friends could be ‘Jenna & the Wade Family’ soon. Dwyane Wade returned to Today for a second spelling of co-hosting with Jenna Bush Hager. Every step of the way, it was Jenna who surprised him with very emotional gestures. After bringing D-Wade’s mom and sister, and even reuniting him with Scandal’s Mellie, aka Bellamy Young, there was another big gesture the Today fam pulled. They made a phone call to Gabrielle Union. She responded the way we hoped.

“the today show called… so we Wade’d. 😉thank you for having us,” Union posted on her Instagram after she dropped by Today. She didn’t join as a guest during her husband’s first stint in March. So this time, the Wade family pulled out all stops.

Following up on the heart-to-heart with Jolinda and Tragil Wade, who arrived from Chicago, about his childhood, Dwyane spent his last day as a co-host getting interviewed by his youngest daughter, Kaavia. They hung out at American Girl, with Kaavia being her usual ‘shady baby’ self.

Kaavia made the journey from California to Today’s studio in New York with her mom, and Union revealed a lot about her relationship with D-Wade. After wrapping his second successful co-hosting series at Jenna & Friends, Wade was grateful to his wife for making it special. “Today was the best day and show. Thank you baby,” Wade commented under her post.

They revealed their ‘real’ first meeting, which was not the Super Bowl party that started their relationship. It was during rookie D-Wade’s first All-Star Weekend years earlier. “The first time we interacted at all, I ran up to him from behind and grabbed him up and I was like, ‘Ahh,'” Union recalled. “He turned around, and it was not my friend. And I said, ‘O,h you’re not him.”

He, however, recognized the actress from the iconic Bring It On franchise. But Union had simply apologized and walked away. They’d meet years later and begin dating then. It wasn’t easy, as Union recalled how they navigated their relationship with a blended family.

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade get candid about family

When Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade met at the party, Union realized the much younger man was more her vibe than her ex, who happened to be at her party. They married in 2014 but had a brief breakup before that wedding. During their break, D-Wade had a son, Zavier, with Aja Metoyer. He was already a dad to two children, Zaire and Zaya, from his previous marriage, and adopted his nephew, Dahveon.

Before they married, D-Wade actually hesitated to introduce Union to his eldest kids. “Introducing her to the kids would be the biggest step. Because you know, when it’s you and you, like it’s great,” Wade said. “And now you got to enter the kids into the relationship, and that was a little difficult because they were so young. And you don’t know the right time, you don’t know the right verbiage.”

He introduced Gab as ‘Nickie,’ from her middle name, Monique. He admitted she didn’t initially sign up to be a stepmom, and it was difficult at first. But they eventually built a bond with Union. Gab opened up about making their blended family work. And part of that was understanding her own role. “My job is not to be their mom,” she explained to Bush Hager. “My job is to be another consistent, loving, nurturing adult that really cares about their life and their peace. And making sure that they have the life that they want.”

What Wade proudly gushes about is how Gab has a special relationship with Zaya, whom she met at three years old and came out as trans to the family at 12. The result we could see through D-Wade’s family time on Jenna & Friends. Fans are just as grateful for Union’s candour. And maybe a little campaign for Jenna & Friends to get in-Wade-ed a third time has begun.