Dwyane Wade has been captivated by a Young woman.
The NBA legend was co-hosting TODAY with Jenna & Friends on July 8 when Jenna Bush Hager brought up how Brad Pitt said he was star-struck when he met Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, whom he co-starred with in โThelma & Louise.โ That prompted Jenna to ask Wade if heโd ever been star-struck.
โYeah, I get star-struck, but itโs normally people that you will not understand why, unless you understand me,โ he said.
He then told a story about how he and wife Gabrielle Union were out at an event one night in Los Angeles before he grasped what the Hollywood lifestyle is like.
โWe were out, and I wanted to go,โ he continued. โI had put on the wrong shoes. You know, I was trying to look good on the carpet. My feet was killing me, and so I was ready to go. I was probably getting on her nerves. But then, across the room, I saw a character that I love from โScandal.โ The character was Mellie Grant, aka Bellamy Young.โ
Young’s character was the wife of Tony Goldwyn’s Fitzgerald Grant, the fictional president of the United States.
โI yelled, โMellie!โโ he recalled as a photo of him with her and Union from the night in question splashed on the screen.
โI just screamed it,โ he continued. โI didnโt even know that was in me.โ
Jenna pointed out that Mellie isnโt Youngโs actual name, leading her to ask Wade how Young responded to him.
โShe turned around and she looked and waved and came over. And we started chatting it up. And my wife is like, โYou ready to go?โ Iโm like, โNo,โโ he said, while he and Jenna laughed about the meeting.
Wade said he gravitated toward Youngโs character watching โScandal.โ
โI just knew her as Mellie,โ he said. โYou know, Iโm a character guy. So when you watch shows, Iโm talking about when youโre making sure youโre sitting in front of the TV at a certain hour, you fall in love with the characters. And so Mellie Grant was mine.โ
Wade also said he hasnโt seen Young again since the night they met.
โBut we have the photo. Iโve never seen that photo. Can I get that?โ he said, before Jenna said they would get it to him so he โcould blow it up on your wall,โ while also mentioning Young, who has been on TODAY, is โthe loveliest.โ
For her part, Jenna has also been star-struck by none other than the man who sparked the conversation, Pitt. Jenna said she sat next to the โF1 The Movieโ star at the U.S. Open.
A photo of them at the tennis tournament then popped up on the screen.
โAre you looking at his glutes?โ Wade joked. โAre you trying not to look at him, though?
Jenna said she managed to inch her way closer to him after TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, who was also on hand, stepped away.
โFirst, Savannah was sitting next to him. Thatโs her in the blue dress. She got up to go the bathroom. I scooted over,โ she said.
Jenna also said her husband, Henry, encouraged her to talk to Pitt.
โHenry was sort of like, โChat him up. Say something to him.โ But I was too nervous. I didnโt. I never said a word.โ