Tracee Ellis Ross Reveals Hilarious Friendship Moment With Barack Obama

Even Hollywood royalty like Tracee Ellis Ross has her awkward friendship moments, and she recently shared a funny story involving former President Barack Obama.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live over the weekend, the Black-ish star reflected on a past podcast interview with Michelle Obama, where the two discussed Ross’ dating life. Ross described the conversation with the former First Lady as enjoyable and candid.

However, the discussion on Kimmel veered back to her love life, prompting Ross to recount how Obama “failed her as a friend” during a previous breakup. She explained that shortly after ending a relationship, she ran into the former president and shared the news. Obama allegedly quipped, “I could have told you that.”

“I was like, ‘Well, you failed as a friend. Like, it was your job to say that before,’” Ross recounted, turning the encounter into a humorous moment.

Ross also revealed that while she often seeks advice from the Obamas on love and relationships, she has never asked them to set her up, something she now thinks might be worth trying given her dating misadventures.

“I like to get set up. I’ve asked many friends, but never Michelle, which I think perhaps is dumb, and I need to get on that,” she said.

Ross prefers meeting potential partners “in the wild” rather than through dating apps, emphasizing her desire to be authentic in her approach to love. Despite her openness about her personal life, she has made it clear that she no longer wants to be labeled the “poster child for singledom,” a title Oprah once jokingly gave her.

Now, with her new traveling series on Roku, Ross aims to shift the focus entirely, declaring she wants to be celebrated as the “poster child for living in your own skin.”