Dating is hard. And I'm not saying that as an admission. I'm saying it as an absolute. When it comes to you and I, there's horror stories for days. But for celebs? You know the story: a celebrity is asked if they are dating anyone, and they all sing the same song: "I am too busy to date, I date my [insert job description here]," when really, we all know it's real out here and that they're struggling just like we are.
You see, usually with us common dating folk, we're dealing with projected generational traumas, a normalized overworked millennial culture, and so much more that I need pages and pages of writing space to discuss. But throw in fame, paparazzi, and millions of devoted fans, and things can get even more complicated. This made me wonder: what is dating like for celebrities? What do they experience while out here in the Wild Wild West and they're looking for a boo?
Well, Ari Lennox says online dating has caused men to no longer want to talk on the phone.
One of our faves, Ari Lennox recently, and candidly, opened up on the topic on her Instagram Live, by saying she prefers men over the age of 33 for a very common reason: she doesn't want to text all day.
"I want to talk on the phone, I want to get to know people. I was talking to this guy and I asked him, 'hey, why don't you call me?' And he was like, 'oh, it's not really my thing.' In my head I was thinking, 'oh, you're really not my thing.' Blocked."
She continued:
"How are you getting to know me if we're not talking on the phone? It's just something about meeting people online, it's like you're desensitized to real life. When a guy is calling, that's so attractive. I love personality, good energy, consistency. We're getting to know each other. Like, dating is exhausting."
Jamie Foxx is over the scene that comes with dating in Hollywood.
He may look like a young whippersnapper, but Jamie Foxx is tiredddd of the chaos that comes with dating.
"It's tough out there. I am getting older but people think I am younger. I was at a club the other night and a group of girls shouted my name. I was like, 'Hey, what's up?' and they said, 'We go to school with your daughter!' You have to be so careful."
He added:
"When I was asked the other day by a 20-something girl how old I was, she looked at me as though 49 was a terminal disease!"
Aoki Lee Simmons says her last name often interferes with her having a love life.
Aoki Lee Simmons minds her business and stays to herself. So when she went on IG Live to discuss dating with her followers, she opened up about her struggles as well.
"I just can't date. Does that make sense? I can't be on Tinder without being concerned that someone is creepy or looking to get to know my family or be weird...but I'm also not famous enough to be dating famous people. So I just kind of sit at home, by myself. It's very sad. Yeah."
She then added:
"I was banned on Tinder for...drum roll, please...impersonating a celebrity, celebrities don't slide in my DM, and my sister has been dating the same guy for like five years so she doesn't help either."
And when a fan commented that she 'looks like her dad,' she responded, "Yeah, that's why I'm single. Thanks."
Tiffany Haddish was stood up by Drake, and swore off dating for a while.
Now we know our girl Tiffany Haddish is in a happy relationship with rapper Common, but prior to her current relationship, she was ghosted by Drake (who is ironically is a nemesis of Common). She shared her experience on Jada Pinkett Smith's Red Table Talk, where, after agreeing on a day for a date, Haddish texted the rapper to solidify plans, day-of.
"Then I'm like, 'So what time are you heading out? Are you sending a car, like where we going? And he's like, 'Oh man, my bad, family emergency. I'm in Canada right now.' And I was like, 'OK! OK!'"
She added:
"I could have made $100,000 today, but I was trying to see what that D do. But all right!"
And Keke Palmer prefers to date outside of the celebrity world.
Last year, Keke Palmer: opened up about online dating during the pandemic with Harper's BAZAAR. Although she is currently in a relationship with Darius Daulton, she still rings true to her words:
"I've always had the same philosophy when it comes to dating. Not that I wouldn't give someone a try. But trying to keep my private life outside of my work life, to me, it's easiest when you don't date someone with the same career. I think a lot about, like, Does this person really like me for me? And it's not just romantic relationships. It's friends too. That wavering, that's the most traumatic thing about fame."
And definitely don't expect for her to post much about her love life online:
"I don't really do relationship stuff online, mainly because I don't know how I would do it without looking, like, cheesy or something, you know? Yes, I'm a hundred percent authentic, but there is stuff that I do save for family and friends. But at the same time, when it comes to romance, [posting about it] doesn't really come naturally to me, so I feel like, why force it?"
Although I am, and forever will be, #teamlove, there's something refreshing about hearing how celebrities deal with the same struggles as we do from time to time. So for now, and just for now, we'll just accept that bae is close, but not close enough. In the meantime, we'll be waiting.
What have your dating experiences been like so far this year? Let's talk about it!
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Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
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Self-Validation, No Meals After 5 P.M. & The Wellness Rituals That Helped Lizzo Take Her Power Back
Don't let the "weight release" fool you, Lizzo's transformation wasn't just physical. It was spiritual, emotional, and deeply personal. In her Women's Health cover story, the "Good As Hell" artist opened up about the low point that became the catalyst for radical change in her life, inside and out.
In the summer of 2023, Lizzo found herself at the center of what she calls painful allegations when some of her former dancers filed a lawsuit against her. The 37-year-old singer has denied their claims, and though she has experienced "backlash my entire career," going through such legal woes coupled with public scrutiny proved to be detrimental to her mental health, leading her to one of the darkest periods of her life.
She told Women's Health, "I got very paranoid and isolated. I wasn’t even talking to my therapist. I wasn’t present. I wasn’t open. I wasn’t myself anymore."
After spending months in isolation, Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, decided to go to a tour stop on the Renaissance World Tour. She was nervous that the public would shun her, boo her, or reject her, but instead, she was embraced. It shifted something in her and after feeling so in the dark, she saw the light again. "It made me feel like, wow, maybe I don’t want to die," she shared with Women's Health.
"That was the kick-starter to me being like, ‘Okay, Melissa, get your ass in gear and take your f*cking life back.’"
Her first step in Operation Get Your Life Back? Cutting out the external noise. She gave her team total control of her social media and stopped looking at comments. "My validation was from external sources, people telling me they loved me, or that I look good, and accepting me," she explained. "But if that’s all I’m getting my validation from, when it changes—and it will, because people are not always going to like you—what happens? Where are you going to get your love from?"
Lizzo continued, "I can convince myself that I’m beautiful, my body fine, no matter how big or small. But reminding myself that you can’t let others tell you who you are—that was hard work."
Lizzo started going to therapy again, she started practicing quigong meditation, reading books, journaling, and doing sound baths. She released unhealthy relationships, drank echinacea tea, and began incorporating Pilates as a means to "feel sacred" and "be gentle" with herself.
But what many have interpreted as a "weight loss transformation" after she popped out sharing she met her "weight release" goal earlier this year, Lizzo has clarified that it has been something deeper for her than the aesthetic of a smaller body. "I wanted to be big-girl skinny," she told the mag. "Every big girl knows what I’m talking about. Big-girl skinny is 250 pounds." According to her, it was her back issues that inspired her to take the physical part of her wellness journey seriously.
I DID IT! #weightrelease
@lizzo I DID IT! #weightrelease
Through her friend Kelly Rowland, she linked up with her now-trainer Marvin Telp and developed a fitness regimen that prioritized strength and intention. Her weekly schedule now includes moves like single-leg deadlifts, reverse flies, and lateral lunges, along with infrared sauna sessions and cardio. Add to that a change in eating habits after realizing her vegan diet no longer served her (to be fair, she wasn't doing the vegan thing the "healthiest" way).
All the meat substitutes, bread, cashew cheese, and soy left her bloated and lightheaded, so now she's switched things up a bit to fill the nutritional gaps. When it comes to diet, it's heavy on the protein and vegetables for Lizzo. A typical day eating looks like scrambled eggs and cauliflower hash browns for breakfast, Thai chicken salad or lettuce wraps for lunch, and turkey meatloaf with greens for dinner.
She also has a strict cutoff of no meals after 5 p.m. to support her GERD and give her body the time it needs before bed to digest her food sans the acid reflux. Of her relationship with food and wellness, she told Women's Health, "There's a balance. I think that's what true health is."
Read Lizzo's full cover story with Women's Health here.
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