Gabrielle Union Says Her 17-Year 'Feud' With Jada Pinkett Smith Was a 'Media Creation'

"I didn't even know you guys were in anything," Kotb said to Union during the latter's appearance on Monday's "Today" show.

"Jada nor I ever used the word 'feud,' so it just became more of a media creation," Union explained. "Back in the day, neither one of us knows what originally took place back then, but the people that we had around us were like, 'Well, you know how she feels about you...' And then it was like, 'OK. Girl, bye.' For 17 years."

"And even though we're both very outspoken women -- we're both activists, our husbands are friends, I've worked with her husband -- we both felt we had too much pride and too much insecurities to just say, 'Hey, did that ever actually happen, or was that a creation of someone else who did not want to see two women rise together?'" she continued.

Union said she and Smith discussed their "feud" when she stopped by the latter's new Facebook talk show, "Red Table Talk," and decided that setting aside their pride would allow them to merge their platforms and create even more change.

"We're both talking about how to stop human trafficking, sexual trafficking. We're both outspoken about Black Lives Matter," Union explained. "We're both outspoken about so many things in our community, and we both have huge platforms -- imagine if we came together. And that's what we actually talk about on her show -- how we got over ourselves, how we both evolved -- no feud, just a lot of silence, to come together and creative something really beautiful and with a lot of healing."

Union also spoke about her decision to seek "joy, peace and grace" after revealing in her book that she was once raped at gunpoint.

"There were times where I was like, 'I am so unworthy of love. I'm so unworthy of respect. Obviously, I wouldn't have been raped if I was worthy,'" Union explained. "And so it really kind of kept setting me back, and then I got divorced. 'Obviously, I'm unlovable. Obviously, I'm not worthy to receive or give love.' Career setbacks in Hollywood -- again, it goes back to feelings of worthlessness."

"And then finally, at 44, I found my self-worth," she continued. "And I started saying, 'I want more joy, peace and grace in my life.' And so no matter what comes in my life -- whether that's friendships, relationships, business opportunities -- it all has to encompass joy, peace and grace. And then everything just changed."

Union plays a mother fighting home invaders in the upcoming thriller film, "Breaking In," which hits theaters this Friday.