
I’ve always enjoyed the company of men. I don’t just mean on the romantic tip — I mean, I can talk to my male friends for hours on end. And dealing with male clients? Oh, I always gain a new insight or revelation. That’s why it truly does excite me whenever I get a pitch approved where I can pick men’s brains to see what’s going on in there.
When it comes to sex, specifically, some topics that I’ve already covered include “So...15 Men Told Me About What They LOVE During Sex,” “12 Men Share What Turned Them Out During Sex That Just Might Surprise You” and “12 Men Told Me What They Love So Much About Vaginas.” And while those were quite fascinating and insightful, today, we’re going to approach sex from a bit of a different angle.
Although social media likes to act like men are only one-dimensional when it comes to copulation, I know that is a lie. At this point, I’ve talked about intimacy with a ton of guys who have not only stated that sex is so much better for them when an emotional connection is involved, but they’ve also expressed to me what the combination of really being into someone before actually getting into them (if you know what I mean) has meant as far as raising the bar in the bedroom is concerned.
And so, in the effort to buck all of the nonsense on the relationship side of TikTok (as far as the minds of men go), I decided to interview 10 guys on an experience of intimacy that impacted them in a way that it ended up not only physically unforgettable but emotionally hard to top as well. For obvious reasons, I left their relational status out (because it’s not a given that the experience was with someone who they are seeing now), and middle names are always used so that people can speak with ease.
Are you ready to see how just one experience can change everything for a man? Here we go.
GiphyAndrew. 33.
“Since no one is going to know that it’s me, I’m going to tell it how it really is. I’ve had a lot of sex, but no one has topped my first love to this day. She wasn’t the first person I’ve had sex with, but she was the first person I was totally into. Guys don’t bring it up much because it’s assumed that we just have sex with our d-ck and not much else, but when you love a woman? I mean, really love her and you’re able to be close to her in a sexual way? It doesn’t matter how good somebody else may be in bed; the way that you feel entering into someone you are crazy about makes it the best sex you’ve ever had. And since guys don’t fall in love often…it’s a rare thing.”
Roland. 27.
“The first time I had sex after a girlfriend of mine told me that she loved me; I think that has been my best experience yet. Some of you don’t want to hear it but men like to be loved on for more reasons than what we have or what we can do for someone else. The girl that I’m talking about was that kind of woman. She didn’t just tell me that she loved me; she gave me many reasons why. That took my guard down and made me trust her to the point where whatever — and I mean, WHATEVER — she wanted that night, she could get it. I haven’t thought about that time in a long time. I’m gonna ask my boys this same question at golf. It’s kind of deep.”
GiphyGalen. 30.
“I’ve only had one one-night stand, and I’m confused if it counts because it wasn’t casual. It was with a woman I met at a deli that I rarely go to. We ordered the same thing, so we went to get the food at the same time, we struck up a conversation. That turned into sharing a table outside, and that turned into drinks later that afternoon and then dinner. We couldn’t run out of things to talk about, which was weird because I’m naturally to myself, and it usually takes a while to warm up. Her mind was crazy in a good way; I just kept wanting to know more. We ended up at her house for coffee, and that turned into sex on her couch. I’m not going to lie — the first two times were quick. She hyper-stimulated me! We went out a few times after that and had sex, too, but things eventually faded because nothing could beat that first time. Sometimes it’s the person. Sometimes it’s the setting. Sometimes it’s the timing. That time it was all three. Haven’t beat it yet, and not sure I will. Damn.”
Ellison. 40.
“My wedding night, no question. Culture is crazy when it comes to marriage these days, but I was raised to take it seriously. Telling someone you love them is one thing, but pledging your life to someone else is next level. When I think back on our wedding day, it was a good day; people don’t like to mention how stressful it can be. I couldn’t wait to get alone and just be with the woman who I could call my wife. We did have sex before getting married but having sex with your ‘girlfriend’ isn’t the same thing as gettin’ it in with your wife. We belonged to each other, and our wedding night made that official. Every time I whispered ‘Mrs [so-and-so], it damn near got us both off.”
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GiphyGerritt. 25.
“Reconnecting with an ex. You have someone in your life who you know that if you had met at a later time, things would be better because you both would be in a better place? That was me and my ex. Nothing crazy broke us up but when we hooked back up online and then met up in person, the sex we had that first time? I have never experienced anything like it. I think it’s because we missed each other and were just meeting another version of ourselves at the same time. What a wild question to ask someone, girl? This shit is deep!”
Yusef. 47.
“It might be a bad comparison but it’s the one I’ve got. They say that the biggest problem with heroin is the high that you get from it the first time you try it; you won’t experience it unless you overdose, and by then, it’s too late. When your first time having sex is with someone who you love — it’s not even about all of the tricks. You both might even be virgins and don’t know what the hell is going on. The point is being so close to someone you love a lot…guys don’t fall in love a billion times like a lot of women do. It’s probably once or twice, max. And when you enter into someone you love for the first time? Men aren’t going to admit it but most of us spend the rest of our lives trying to replicate that experience again. Most of us never do.”
GiphyTorrance. 43.
“What an interesting question. I do have an immediate answer: it was with my best friend. We just broke up with our exes and got together to talk about how sick we were of their s-it. I don’t think I realized that I suppressed any attraction for my friend because she was basically always seeing somebody. After a few shots and some puffs, we were in my bed, and that was the best sex that I’ve had to this day! We had no walls, no secrets, and weren’t trying to change each other. No vulnerabilities meant no inhibitions. Next level sh-t.”
Shellie here: This actually reminds me of the Black indie movie A Second Chance. If you’ve never seen it before, it’s on Tubi. It’s cute.
Hawkins. 29.
“The first time we had sex after having our first child. Her last trimester was rough. Of course, after months of no sex, I was horny as hell, and then we had to wait the standard few weeks after she gave birth, and then she was going through some body image issues. She was self-conscious, but I didn’t care about how she looked. I missed it. I’ll admit that, at first, all I could really think about was how much I missed sex. But when I really thought about it and was like, ‘This woman gave me what no other woman has: a son’, she was sexier than she ever had been to me. Her body was different, but I didn’t care. She made a miracle happen. The lust caught me completely off guard. I couldn’t get enough of her that night!”
GiphyThaddeus. 34.
“It’s when my wife and I decided to call off our divorce, and we had sex that night. Lust is cool. Love is, too. But go through some things with someone, tough sh-t, and then come back together for no other reason than you choose to. That ‘I chose you’ sex? I felt like I damn near was gonna explode that night because I wasn’t just attracted to her; I really trusted her. We decided to spend the rest of our marriage trying to top that night. We sure as hell have been having a ball trying, I’ll tell you that!”
Rexell. 30.
“Game night with friends. When it’s couples, a game that displays who knows their partner best is almost always gonna go down. One night, we played three of those games, and my girlfriend and I won each one over some folks in the room who’d been married for years. I didn’t expect it to be a turn-on but the fact that we had learned each other so well and she kept up with some minute details about me had me almost hard, right there on the couch. Sex when you are known and connected is the best sex you’ll ever have. Good times, good times.”
____
See…I told you that when it comes to intimacy, men are not “kiddie pool” shallow. Just like us, many of them crave some type of real mental and emotional connection because, even to them, it makes sex better.
Just a reminder to prioritize quality time with your partner.
It’s great for your relationship. It makes what goes down in your bedroom so much better, too.
10 men just sat up here and cosigned on it.
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Featured image by Giphy
Exclusive: Viral It Girl Kayla Nicole Is Reclaiming The Mic—And The Narrative
It’s nice to have a podcast when you’re constantly trending online. One week after setting timelines ablaze on Halloween, Kayla Nicole released an episode of her Dear Media pop culture podcast, The Pre-Game, where she took listeners behind the scenes of her viral costume.
The 34-year-old had been torn between dressing up as Beyoncé or Toni Braxton, she says in the episode. She couldn’t decide which version of Bey she’d be, though. Two days before the holiday, she locked in her choice, filming a short recreation of Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough for Me” music video that has since garnered nearly 6.5M views on TikTok.
Kayla Nicole says she wore a dress that was once worn by Braxton herself for the Halloween costume. “It’s not a secret Toni is more on the petite side. I’m obsessed with all 5’2” of her,” she tells xoNecole via email. “But I’m 5’10'' and not missing any meals, honey, so to my surprise, when I got the dress and it actually fit, I knew it was destiny.”
The episode was the perfect way for the multihyphenate to take control of her own narrative. By addressing the viral moment on her own platform, she was able to stir the conversation and keep the focus on her adoration for Braxton, an artist she says she grew up listening to and who still makes her most-played playlist every year. Elsewhere, she likely would’ve received questions about whether or not the costume was a subliminal aimed at her ex-boyfriend and his pop star fiancée. “I think that people will try to project their own narratives, right?” she said, hinting at this in the episode. “But, for me personally – I think it’s very important to say this in this moment – I’m not in the business of tearing other women down. I’m in the business of celebrating them.”
Kayla Nicole is among xoNecole’s It Girl 100 Class of 2025, powered by SheaMoisture, recognized in the Viral Voices category for her work in media and the trends she sets on our timelines, all while prioritizing her own mental and physical health. As she puts it: “Yes, I’m curating conversations on my podcast The Pre-Game, and cultivating community with my wellness brand Tribe Therepē.”
Despite being the frequent topic of conversation online, Kayla Nicole says she’s learning to take advantage of her growing social media platform without becoming consumed by it. “I refuse to let the internet consume me. It’s supposed to be a resource and tool for connection, so if it becomes anything beyond that I will log out,” she says.
On The Pre-Game, which launched earlier this year, she has positioned herself as listeners “homegirl.” “There’s definitely a delicate dance between being genuine and oversharing, and I’ve had to learn that the hard way. Now I share from a place of reflection, not reaction,” she says. “If it can help someone feel seen or less alone, I’ll talk about it within reason. But I’ve certainly learned to protect parts of my life that I cherish most. I share what serves connection but doesn’t cost me peace.
"I refuse to let the internet consume me. It’s supposed to be a resource and tool for connection, so if it becomes anything beyond that I will log out."

Credit: Malcolm Roberson
Throughout each episode, she sips a cocktail and addresses trending topics (even when they involve herself). It’s a platform the Pepperdine University alumnus has been preparing to have since she graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism, with a concentration in political science.
“I just knew I was going to end up on a local news network at the head anchor table, breaking high speed chases, and tossing it to the weather girl,” she says. Instead, she ended up working as an assistant at TMZ before covering sports as a freelance reporter. (She’s said she didn’t work for ESPN, despite previous reports saying otherwise.) The Pre-Game combines her love for pop culture and sports in a way that once felt inaccessible to her in traditional media.
She’s not just a podcaster, though. When she’s not behind the mic, taking acting classes or making her New York Fashion Week debut, Kayla Nicole is also busy elevating her wellness brand Tribe Therepē, where she shares her workouts and the workout equipment that helps her look chic while staying fit. She says the brand will add apparel to its line up in early 2026.
“Tribe Therepē has evolved into exactly what I have always envisioned. A community of women who care about being fit not just for the aesthetic, but for their mental and emotional well-being too. It’s grounded. It’s feminine. It’s strong,” she says. “And honestly, it's a reflection of where I am in my life right now. I feel so damn good - mentally, emotionally, and physically. And I am grateful to be in a space where I can pour that love and light back into the community that continues to pour into me.”
Tap into the full It Girl 100 Class of 2025 and meet all the women changing game this year and beyond. See the full list here.
Featured image by Malcolm Roberson
Jon B. Talks New Album, 18-Year Marriage & Being A Girl Dad
Since 1995, Jon B. has been entertaining us with his soulful voice, belting out R&B classics like “They Don’t Know” and “Someone to Love.” Despite his immense success, Jon decided to prioritize his family and take a step back from the music scene. He got married, and together, he and his wife had daughters. While he didn’t release any new music during this period, Jon remained dedicated to his fans by touring and maintaining his connection with them.
"I'm raising two daughters," he tells xoNecole exclusively. "One is 11 now, and one is 18, and both need their dad. Besides being a father, a rock star on the weekends, and a husband of 18 years, the real thing that kept me the busiest over the last 10 years was the road, keeping the bread on the table, and staying with my fans. Nevertheless, connecting with the fans and keeping that relationship alive. Regardless of whether I was on the radio every five minutes or whatnot. I just wanted to keep that relationship alive, and the best way to do that is just go and perform."
A decade later, Jon B. dropped a new album, WAITING on YOU. The album title alone is a nod to fans who have been waiting on him to release new music. The "Are You Still Down" singer collaborated with Rick Ross, Alex Isley, Tank, and Donell Jones on the album, giving fans a little bit of everything.
"Compiling this album was a labor of love because it was me sort of picking the gems. I wrote so many songs over the last 30 years. I wanted to go back and dust some old gems off and see if I can rework these records," he says. "Some of them are kind of reworks from back in the day, from back in the late '90s. I just kind of love the beat. One of the songs on my album is a vintage cut. I'll call it a vintage cut because I did it in '98. It's a song called "Pick Me Up."
"There's a little bit of the old and a little bit of the new, but WAITING on YOU, I felt was an appropriate name for the album, being that it was 10 years and it's really about my relationship that I have with my fans. Not only is it the relationship I have with my wife and my children, it's the extended relationship I have with with you guys, the listeners."
"There's a little bit of the old and a little bit of the new, but WAITING on YOU, I felt was an appropriate name for the album, being that it was 10 years and it's really about my relationship that I have with my fans."
His wife and kids are his biggest supporters and he shared that they sometimes give their opinion on his music. When it comes to his relationship with his wife, he says communication and patience are the keys to lasting. "I don't mean to sound like Dr. Phil up in here, but 18 years, going on 19, and it's like, I'm not counting, but I guess we're doing something right because we're very happy people," he says.
"I'm making music that reflects what I feel in my heart, which is pretty cool to share with the world now as a grown ass man instead of a guy who was growing up and had an old soul and I was figuring stuff out. I'm grateful for those records, but I really feel like these records are like a guy celebrating everything that I've been blessed to experience so far."
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