NEWSTracee Ellis Ross Reveals How Barack Obama 'Failed' Her as a Friend in Comical Dating Story
It is safe to say that Tracee Ellis Ross won't be using Barack Obama for dating advice!
Aug. 15 2025, Published 5:54 p.m. ET
During her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, August 14, Tracee Ellis Ross recounted a story about how former president Barack Obama let her down as a friend after he didn’t inform her about a boyfriend who ended up less appealing than she had first believed him to be.
“I broke up with someone, and I remember running into the former president and he was like, ‘I could have told you that,’” Ross told Jimmy Kimmel’s guest host Nicole Byer. “And I was like, ‘Well, you failed as a friend!’”
Tracee Ellis Ross Jokes About Not Using Michelle Obama to Set Her Up on a Date
The actress said she might consider asking Michelle Obama for dating advice.
As the Girlfriends actress laughed, she added, “Like, it was your job to say that before, you know what I mean? Like, nip it in the bud.”
She later joked with Byer about how she’s never utilized Michelle Obama to find her a match — something she’s considering in the future.
“I’ve never asked Michelle to set me up, which I think perhaps is dumb, and I need to get on that,” the black-ish star admitted.
Tracee Ellis Ross Explores Dating Younger Men
Tracee Ellis Ross said she is open to exploring dating younger men.
In April, the 52-year-old joined Michelle on her “IMO” podcast, where she delved into how she prefers dating younger men.
“A lot of men my age are steeped in a toxic masculinity and have been raised in a culture where there is a particular way that a relationship looks,” Tracee explained. “Anything that starts to smell of that for me — I did enough of it where I was controlled and felt like I was a possession or a prize — I just have no interest in it. And I will not do it again.”
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Tracee Ellis Ross Isn't Interested in Immature Men
The actress said it isn't her job to 'teach' a man how to be a man.
The actress elaborated on her “openness” to explore younger men by explaining how she no longer wants to serve as her partner’s mother or teacher.
“I have long been past the age where I feel like it’s my job to teach somebody or grow them up,” she shared. “That, I’m not interested in.”
Tracee is currently single and has kept her love life under lock while thriving as a Hollywood actress. Her most well-known relationship was with music manager Abou “Bu” Thiam from 2011 until 2013.
'I'm Dreaming About Partnership'
Tracee Ellis Ross recently said she is 'dreaming about partnership.'
The Reed Between the Lines star has never been married and has no children. She did, however, open up in a September 2024 interview about her readiness for romance.
“I am dreaming about partnership and what that might be,” Tracee told the publication. “I want something that will be additive to [my life.] I’m pretty much a unicorn, and I’m looking for another unicorn.”
