Tracee Ellis Ross Says Barack Obama 'Failed Her' As a Friend

Tracee Ellis Ross used a late-night stop to share an awkward moment with a very notable friend.

During an Aug. 14 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live—guest-hosted by Nicole Byer—the 52-year-old said she once told former President Barack Obama he had “failed” her as a friend after a breakup.

As Ross remembered it, she ran into Obama and he told her, “I could have told you that,” about the relationship. “And I was like, ‘Well, you failed as a friend. Like, it was your job to say that before,’ ” she said.

The story resurfaced as Tracee Ellis Ross revisited her April conversation with Michelle Obama on the former First Lady’s "IMO" podcast, where Ross and Michelle’s brother, Craig Robinson, exchanged thoughts on relationships while answering a listener's question.

Ross said she does lean on the Obamas for guidance—“I do call about dating advice”—but she hasn’t asked Barack or Michelle to set her up. Dating apps aren’t her thing because she feels like she’s “shopping for a partner,” and she prefers to meet people “in the wild.”

She added that she likes being set up and has “posed the question to many a friend,” noting, “I’ve never asked Michelle to set me up, which I think perhaps is dumb, and I need to get on that,” while wondering if she may have “missed” her chance.

Tracee Ellis Ross also described a recent date that went sideways fast. Calling it “very bad,” “so awful,” she said they’d just received drinks when her date propped his phone against the glass to watch a basketball game.

She tried to go with it—“So who’s playing?”—but says he put a hand up as if to say, “Don’t let me miss anything.” Ross texted friends from the table and left after one drink. “My favorite is that he’s continued texting,” she said.

Beyond the dating talk, Tracee Ellis Ross is spotlighting life on the road in her Roku reality series Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross.

The premise isn’t tied to being single: “No. It’s called solo travel because anyone can solo travel, even if you’re in a marriage, in a whatever that is. Solo travel is an experience in and of itself,” she said.