Diana Ross‘ daughter just made it very clear: she’s got no problem dating down… in age.
Tracee Ellis Ross recently got real about her dating life on Michelle Obama‘s podcast In My Opinion (IMO), where she explained why she tends to date younger men. It turns out, it’s not just about age—it’s about her own life experience, independence, and what she’s looking for in a partner.
During the conversation, Michelle Obama asked Ross why she chooses to date younger guys, and Ross admitted she had to ask herself the same thing.
“I had to ask myself that question, too,” she said. “What’s this about?” While she did joke that younger men are often “hot and gorgeous,” there’s more to it than just that.
For Ross, it’s about being in a phase of her life where she knows exactly who she is. “I am a full, very whole person who knows myself, who is in charge of my life and who lives a very full, robust life,” she shared.
It’s not just about age—she’s looking for someone who matches her energy and independence.
Tracee Ellis Ross says she only dates younger men because of the toxic masculinity in men her age.
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One of the main reasons she gravitates toward younger men is that many men her age are still caught up in toxic masculinity and old-fashioned views of relationships. “A lot of men my age are steeped in toxic masculinity,” Ross explained. “They’ve been raised in a culture where there is a particular way that a relationship looks.”
She also talked about how in past relationships, she’s felt controlled or treated like a possession, and she’s just not interested in going back to that. “Anything that starts to smell of that for me, I am… I did enough of it where I was controlled and felt like I was a possession or a prize,” she said. “I just have no interest in it, and I will not do it again.”
For Ross, it’s about finding someone who can meet her where she is in life—someone who respects her autonomy and isn’t stuck in the old patterns that no longer serve her.
By dating younger men, she feels she can avoid the baggage that comes with toxic dynamics and focus on building something healthier.
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