Tracee Ellis Ross is like the rest of us – trying to figure single life out.
The actress and mega-star joined Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson on their new podcast, IMO, this week to talk about dating, and the conversation felt like scrolling through your group chat. We’re talking jokes, knowledge gems, and that mix of “sad but true” moments you’d only share with your good girlfriends.
More than once, the podcast hit on topics we know all too well—stories that felt almost too familiar. So we pulled out some of our favorite moments from the episode.
Tracee Ellis Ross knows what she brings to the table, calling herself a “unicorn of a woman”
Tracee wasted no time connecting her experiences to what many of us deal with every day. She talked about navigating love and loneliness, dating different people, and learning to prioritize herself in a world that constantly asks women to compromise.
She was open about being single, stylish, successful—and still holding out for the right kind of love. “I’m a very unique sort of unicorn of a woman, and so it’s going to take a unique person,” she told Michelle and Craig. “In the meantime, I have really learned how to live my life and enjoy it and not sit around waiting.”
Tracee has experienced ‘grief’ from not having a partner, but doesn’t let those feelings take over
She was just as candid about the “grief” that can come with being single, especially when it comes to not having children or a partner. But she’s clear: those feelings don’t run the show. “As much as grief does surface for me around not having children and not having a partner, I still wouldn’t want the wrong partner,” she said. “You have to make my life better. It can’t just be, you know, I’m in a relationship, to be in a relationship.”
Tracee’s clarity is refreshing. Turning 53 this year, the Pattern Beauty founder has zero interest in fixing, raising, or settling for anyone. “I have long been past the age where I feel like it’s my job to teach somebody or grow them up. I’m not interested in that.”
Single or not, Tracee Ellis Ross is that girl—and she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be
She also shared how being single has helped her build deep friendships and create a solid support system. “Sometimes I think of all of the things I’ve done, the courage that I’ve had to have, and what I’ve had to learn how to navigate as a single person with no one to hide behind, and it’s built a really beautiful experience around me,” she said. “I have incredible friends.”
She’s also learned to trust the path she’s on. “Even though the grief does emerge and that comes and I hold that, I think of what I’ve done, and I think of I woke up every morning trying to do my best… So I must be where I’m supposed to be.”
Whether you’re dating, healing, or just living life on your own terms, this episode is worth the listen. Catch the full episode of IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson below and take your own notes.
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