Yes, Yvonne Orji Is Still Saving Herself For Marriage, But Hopes This Year Will Be The Last
Yvonne Orji is such a damn breath of fresh air. And thankfully so, she has been in full promo mode, making her television rounds to discuss both her new book, Bamboozled By Jesus, and the new and highly-anticipated final season of the extremely popular show, Insecure. The Nigerian-American actress and comedian most recently has been spotted on The Ellen Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where she opens up on a plethora of subjects, from manifesting a future daytime talk show, all the way to comparing Ashton Kutcher to Jesus himself.
And listen, our girl is our girl, (which she always will be), so to hear her fresh, and comedic, quickness back on our radars--as if she ever left them--is what we undoubtedly love to see. And despite starring in a show based on the insecurities we all feel when stepping into our true selves, Yvonne feels pretty damn comfortable with who *she* is, with one of those things being a 37-year old virgin.
She's discussed her virginity multiple times on the past, once telling People:
"Before any of [the fame] happened, I sat down with myself and with God and thought, when I make it, how do you want me to represent you while I'm here? It was like, OK, I know why I'm here. It's to make you proud. People ask about it because they're curious, or they may not understand. How will they ever get understand if I don't talk about it? I can inform your curiosity, as opposed to everyone being in the dark and just sort of creating their own narrative about it."
And while at Jimmy Kimmel Live!, she touched on the subject again, when asked about it, immediately looking to the camera and saying, "Where is he? Hurry up, wherever you are. Hurry, OK? Please." Jimmy then asks a legit question, if she feels waiting gets more or less easier as time passes, which she says:
"I mean, I don't know because this is the last year. Wherever you are, hurry. December 2nd is my deadline. We've been in COVID for a long time, those are dog years, fam, OK?!"
Of course, this is all in jest, as Orji takes her Christianity and virginity very seriously. She discussed her path to the decision on The Breakfast Club, where she said:
"Personally, I had plans to have sex when I turned 18. I was dating [redacted] and I had it figured out. But, I got to college at 17 in D.C and then I got saved. It comes out, I don't hide it. The same way people know they've had a one-night stand, you can say that so I can this."
And although she has she has somehow become the "face of virginity" in Hollywood for the culture, she joins the ranks of others such as Sherri Shepherd, Jordin Sparks, and Lolo Jones who waited, (or are waiting), for marriage before having sex, or even now-married women, such as Tamera Mowry-Housley, Mariah Carey, Meagan Good, and Ciara, who all remained celibate with their spouses until they all said, "I do."
"It's like society has allowed us to normalize a lot of sex but hasn't allowed us to normalize the option to also not have sex...It's not like a crusade. I'm not like, 'Guys! Let's all not have sex together.' I can say, 'Hey, I'm Nigerian and I love God and I'm funny, or 'I like to snort when I laugh really loud, I still shop at the 99 cent store.' Like there's so many things about me and not just the one that I'm not doing."
We couldn't agree more, queen.
Watch Yvonne's full appearance at Jimmy Kimmel Live! below:
And as a bonus, here's her wildly popular TED Talk on why 'the wait' is sexy:
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Featured image by Matt Winkelmeyer/2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS
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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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