
Actress Tracee Ellis Ross embraces her independence at age 53. The “Girlfriends” star says she’s the “chooser” now after spending years waiting for a man to choose her.
The daughter of R&B/Soul legend Diana Ross made the comments during an appearance on the “What Now?” Podcast with host Trevor Noah.
Tracee said, “You can’t think that I’m gonna be the prize on your arm and be that thing where I get to fly like an eagle everyday and be as big as I wanna be, and as small as I wanna be, and as sexy as I wanna be. To do all this, and then I’m just gonna [mimics cooking a meal].”
She continued: “Don’t get me wrong. Like, I’m a caretaker, I’m gonna cook for you and all those kinds of things, but not because you expect it, not because you want it.”

Tracee said she’s not going to diminish herself to fit in a relationship box.
“I’m a solar system,” she added, “I don’t know if that makes dating hard. I’ve dated younger guys and that’s been interesting. And then sometimes it’s not – I mean, it’s individual, do you know what I mean?”
“It’s always individual,” said Trevor.
Tracee started to say, “Men my age,” but she cut herself off. “No, I’m not doing it. I’m not gonna do it,” she told South African comedian Eugene Khoza.
“But what I will say is, there are really great guys out there. I’m not one of those women who’s like, ‘I don’t know, ain’t nobody,’ I don’t agree with that. I think there’s really great guys out there.”
“I’ve spent years waiting to be chosen.”
Tracee Ellis Ross, who is 53 years old, says society tells women that having children and finding a partner is their worth and makes it clear that she’s not going to let not having a partner define her.
(? What Now? With Trevor… pic.twitter.com/WTpEJI5Gqa
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 13, 2026
Watch the full episode of What Now? with Tracee Ellis Ross below.

