Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, 47, wants Black women to shake up their dating habits and explore what it’s like to go out with men outside of their race.
One-third of the iconic girl group TLC told Essence that she isn’t just honing in on dating Black men.
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 02: Chilli visits Planet Hollywood on February 2, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Getty Images)
“I want for women — especially for women of color — to not be so closed minded when it comes to love,” the self-identified mixed performer said. “God made all of us and you may not find your husband because you’re trying to stick to one group. You’ve got to be open. You want the person who’s the best person for you, no matter what color he is.”
As for her own dating life, Chilli explained she’s seeing “one guy, but we’re testing the waters.”
“He is not Black,” she noted.
Yet while Chilli’s current date isn’t Black, the majority of her high-profile romances have included African-American men.
As recently as 2016, Chilli was linked to Nick Cannon after the “No Scrubs” singer was featured in his steamy music video for the song, “If I Was Your Man.” A source told E! News at the time that while the pair were seen spending lots of time together that summer, they were simply “enjoying getting to know each other.”
But that fall, Cannon told Entertainment Tonight Chilli is “an outstanding and amazing woman. And despite being pictured getting flirty with the TLC member outside a nightclub, he added, “I’ve known her for so, so many years … we’ve been friends.”
And who could forget the singer’s relationship with R&B heartthrob Usher? The sizzling couple dated for two years in the early 2000s before the “No Limit” singer’s alleged infidelity tore them apart.
Chilli had also dated producer Dallas Austin for eight years beginning in 1990, with whom she welcomed son Tron Austin in 1997.
There’s been a rising trend of mostly Black celebrity women and even scholars strongly encouraging Black women to date interracially. This trend is growing with little consideration for the longterm implications.
