The Truth About Tracee Ellis Ross' Relationship With Kenya Barris
Tracee Ellis Ross is an accomplished, successful, and well-off actor. That's why you've likely seen her on shows like "Girlfriends" and "Black-ish." The latter is not only where she showed off her on-screen talents and earned her countless fans — that is, on top of the ones that already adored her — it's also where she apparently connected with Kenya Barris.
Although Barris may not be quite as famous as Ross, he is also a successful figure in the entertainment industry. Along with being a director, producer, writer, and actor who has worked in both film and television, per IMDb — whose credits include 2017's "Girls Trip," 2019's "Shaft," and 2021's "Coming 2 America," not to mention "#BlackAF," "Mixed-ish," "Grown-ish," and "Old-ish" — Barris is also famous for being the creator of "Black-ish."
While Ross and Barris obviously have a professional relationship thanks to "Black-ish," there have been rumors that there might be — or rather, might have been — something more going on between the two. Keep reading to find out all of the details about this particularly intriguing pair.
Tracee Ellis Ross and Kenya Barris were linked right after his divorce was announced
In January 2020, LoveBScott reported that Kenya Barris and Tracee Ellis Ross were an item. The news came not long after Kenya's divorce from Dr. Rania "Rainbow" Barris became public.
Indeed, on August 12, 2019, AP News revealed that Kenya was ending his relationship with Rania after 20 years of marriage. AP also noted that the "Black-ish" creator has admitted that the fictional relationship between Ross' character of Rainbow and her on-screen husband (played by Anthony Anderson) was based on his own relationship with Rania. That includes the marital problems that were seen during the show's stories.
While Tracee and Kenya both stayed silent about their possible romance, he did open up about the end of his marriage. Kenya confirmed that he had split from his wife in April 2020, while opening up about both his professional and personal life on the "expediTIously with Tip T.I. Harris" podcast. "I'm going through a divorce right now," he told the host. He then added, "Who knows what's going to happen with that?" We do! Read on to find out what happened between Kenya and Raina following their divorce announcement.
Kenya Barris and his wife turned things around, but their relationship didn't last
Although rumors of a romance between Tracee Ellis Ross and Kenya Barris were buzzing at the beginning of 2020, it appeared as if their possible relationship had ended by the spring of that same year. Why do we say that? The Blast revealed on May 21, 2020 that Kenya was no longer seeking a divorce from his wife, Dr. Rania "Rainbow" Barris. Court documents show that Kenya asked for the legal request to be dismissed on May 15. For some time, the reconciled relationship appeared to be going strong.
In fact, Kenya gushed about his wife in a since-deleted Instagram post in July, confirming his deep love for her and calling her the love of his life. "Although our path is often obscured our destination is not. Thank you for dealing with me and our crazy life in the way that you have and that NO other woman EVER could have," he wrote under a selfie with Rania. "Know that there will NEVER be a time when your happiness is not on my heart."
However, the pair would ultimately separate, filing for divorce on June 1, 2022, as reported by People.
As of this writing, there's not indication that Kenya and Tracee are currently linked romantically. The actor likes to keep her romantic life under wraps and is happy to be doing her own thing.