Following her 2023 divorce from Cory Hardrict, the “Sister, Sister” star Tia Mowry is finally dating someone new, and fans are intrigued.
Mowry has people talking again, but this time it’s not just about her love life—it’s the ripple effect it’s having across the internet. After debuting her new beau, the conversation quickly shifted from curiosity to critique, with some fans praising her confidence while others leaned into a familiar double standard, questioning the age gap in a way that rarely surfaces when men date younger women.
As the “cougar” label started circulating, the moment sparked a broader debate, pulling in comparisons to other celebrity women who’ve faced similar scrutiny and raising the question of how young is too young?
Mowry was spotted out and about kissing a man who looks much younger than her 46-year-old ex-husband. For years, many have been pushing Mowry to go back to her 22-year relationship and marriage, while she leaned further towards a new man she’s been dropping hints about for months.
The mystery man, now identified as 25-year-old artist Javoné Williams, wore an all-white look with pants and a shirt. He is a former teacher, artist, and mentor from Cleveland, Ohio.
Mowry matched his look, wearing a white top, jacket and mint-colored shorts. The two were spotted holding hands in two images that have now broken the internet.
“Got her a YN OKAYYY,” said one online user who noticed he looks much younger than Mowry. Another wrote, “Yet some people thought she had got back with Cory because she hid him but why would she hide Cory when we already know him? I kept telling people that wasn’t him.” A third added, “We see ya, girl.”
No matter if it’s quirky and funny to some or empowering to others, Mowry and others like her have been taking advantage of finding love with men much younger than themselves.
Some say it’s for emotional vitality, sexual freedom, or a desire to escape the rigid expectations of midlife crisis claims. This dynamic, typically involving women over 35 and partners at least 10 years younger, is increasingly seen as a way to experience “fresh love” that prioritizes joy and presence over traditional long-term scripts.
Ask actress Gabrielle Union, 53, who will celebrate 11 years of marriage to former NBA star Dwyane Wade, 44, this August. Union addressed the ongoing criticism of her marriage from Wade’s mother over their age gap and their “50/50” dynamic, as she pushes back against the double standards women face in relationships.
“I live it. I married my husband when I was almost 41, and everyone was like, ‘oh,’” Union told Business Insider at a screening of the film. “People start to police what your dreams should be. What you should even want at your age, at your ‘big age.’”
Other married examples include Meagan Good, 43, and Jonathan Majors, 35, and tennis icon Venus Williams and Andrea Preti, two couples who got married after dating for less than 2 years.
But couples with larger age gaps often get harsher looks and criticism, such as Cher, 79, who dates Alexander “AE” Edwards, 39, and reality star Draya Michele, 41, who has a nearly 2-year-old daughter with her boyfriend, NBA star Jalen Green, 24.
39 year old Reality Star & Model Draya Michelle announces she is pregnant with 22 year old NBA star Jalen Green’s child. pic.twitter.com/5qkJ2Te7NS
— Pop Brains (@popbrains) March 8, 2024
Even Madonna, 67, makes a splash on the internet when sharing images of herself and her 29-year-old model boyfriend, Akeem Morris.
While women like them continue to spark debates for dating younger partners, the same “cougar” chatter has now started circling Mowry too—though she seems to be brushing past it by leaning into things that make her feel confident, playful, and, as some fans see it, youthful on her own terms.
Mowry has also been leaning into content creation, sharing bold looks and playful lip-sync videos with a bit of edge. In her latest clip posted April 8, the mom of two brought high energy to Deja Vu by Beyoncé, strutting and posing in a sheer black lace dress with heels, shades, and a leather coat. The quick video only lasted seconds, but it was more than enough for fans to start dissecting every detail.
“Maybe it’s déjà vu… or maybe I’ve always been this woman,” she writes in the caption.
“The Game” star posted a February dump this year, confirming she has a new man in her life after three years of working on herself. She had never posted his face, only his hands and feet, but now they fans know who he is, many are pushing Mowry into the cougar category.
Others simply cheered her on, writing, “Yasss my gurl, Tee is having fun and living her best life. Get it gurlie, love this season for you.”
Now that that cat is out of the bag, many are happy she is experiencing the love she says she manifested with him.
The “Seventeen Again” star told PEOPLE, “I will say that I’ve been in a place of solitude for a very long time. And there, I was really able to learn who I am, what it was that I wanted, and what it was that I needed. And I manifested this. I really did.”
After confirming that she likes to speak things into existence, she said, “Visualization, I’m a huge believer of visualizing things and visualizing feelings. And I just started to stop just talking bad and poorly about dating because it was very easy to do that.”
She told the outlet that she is “very happy” but said, “I want to protect [our privacy].”
Mowry has two children: son Cree Hardrict, 14, and their daughter Cairo Hardrict, who were both born during her 16-year marriage to Hardrict. It’s unclear if Cory has met her new man, but hopefully, it’s an easy and smooth greeting, unlike their first red carpet appearance after the divorce.
