How Gabrielle Union and Jada Pinkett Smith stopped speaking for 17 years

Jada Pinkett Smith and Gabrielle Union have made amends after 17 years.

The two actresses "haven't really spoken" for 17 years, Pinkett Smith revealed on her online talk show "Red Table Talk," though neither can remember why they stopped speaking.

Before the latest episode of her show, Pinkett Smith decided to reach out to Union and bury the hatchet.

"This is a very special show for me because what I decided to do was make this about creating a new girlfriend," Jada said on the episode posted to Facebook Monday. "Gab and I, we had a bit of a break, we don't know how, and she's been open to this healing, she's been open to this conversation."

Later she told Union, "It felt so good on the phone with you to even just go, 'Hey, I'm sorry that I didn't even take the time to talk to you, you know?'"

Union admitted that she didn't try to talk to Pinkett Smith either and instead told herself, "it's not gonna affect my life," even though she said it did.

"Every time we would see each other we were always cordial and always nice, but it was always tension," Pinkett Smith shared.

Both said they have been working on becoming better people. Union admitted that she used to be a "hater" because of low self-esteem. Pinkett Smith said she's been "cleaning up a lot of stuff" in her life, adding that Union is part of that.

"Having this moment with you is helping me in that process," she said.

Union responded, "It was like a gorilla hopped off my back that I didn't even know it was there, and I needed that. I needed you."