Anthony Anderson’s name started trending for reasons unrelated to his blockbuster movies, TV show, stand-up set, or even his beloved alma mater, Howard University.
After closing the chapter on a long-running divorce, the Emmy winner has gone public with his relationship with talk show host Rocsi Diaz.
The two have been spotted together for weeks, but a recent interview has the public questioning whether the timeline of when they first met overlaps with a period when Anderson was still married.
During Anderson’s Jan. 29 appearance on IRL with Angie Martinez, the 55-year-old described their relationship as something that formed without planning.
“People like how long has this been going on?’ It was something that just happened. We just happened to be in the same place at the same time, at the right time…in life,” he said.
Anderson and Diaz have moved in overlapping entertainment circles for years but have been seen together publicly.
During Golden Globes weekend in January, they were spotted at Netflix’s afterparty walking hand in hand, telling TMZ paparazzi, “Friends are always friends.” The attention was heightened by Anderson’s recent physical transformation after losing nearly 50 pounds due to lifestyle changes tied to managing his Type II diabetes.
😍 Anthony Anderson & Rocsi Diaz fuel the dating rumors after the Golden Globes. https://t.co/Ie5Pu27QW0 pic.twitter.com/R0CzsTkSIX
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 12, 2026
A week later, Anderson attended the premiere of Netflix’s revival of “Star Search.” When asked about his relationship status, he revealed that he was “no longer a bachelor,” according to People.
The confirmation came nearly two years after Anderson finalized his contentious divorce from his ex-wife, Alvina Stewart. The two married in 1999, share two children, and had reconciled after an earlier divorce filing before ending their marriage in 2023.
It’s unclear exactly when she and Anderson began dating, but he told Martinez they met when she started working for BET, likely before 2006.
“I met Rocsi with Kevin Liles before she started ‘106 & Park.’ We’ve become friends over almost 20 years. Played spades games, have the same friend group, and all that.”
When The Shade Room shared the interview clip, commenters focused less on the confirmation itself and more on the timeline Anderson described.
“So she was around his wife and waited her turn,” one commenter wrote. Someone agreed, “Friends def be waiting in line for a turn.”
“My man’s said ‘I cleared the way for it to happen.’ So basically he divorced his wife and got with the ‘best friend’ that his wife has been accusing him of cheating with the entire time,” another wrote.
“I bet the wife knew something was up with them, interview her!” one wrote.
On X, one social media user took a jab at Anderson’s comment and Diaz’s past, writing, “Like she ‘just happened’ to be in Lisa Raye’s marital bed with her husband while she was away.”
Before Anderson, Diaz was in an on-again, off-again relationship with R&B singer Joe that allegedly ended for good in early 2024. She was also rumored to have romantic ties with the likes of Eddie Murphy and Former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands Michael Misick during his marriage to LisaRaye.
However, when dodged rumors about Anderson during an exchange with Deion Sanders on the Tubi original talk show, “We Got Time Today.”
“How are you compounding these initials A.A.?” Sanders joked, before Diaz began mentioning her platinum status with American Airlines to avoid giving a real answer.
Diaz tried to change the conversation, forcing Sanders to discuss his “glow” since going public with actress Karrueche, while admitting she did not introduce them before dating.
Putting the focus back on her, the NFL legend yelled into the camera, “With Anthony Anderson, we’ll be right back with Anderson.”
“My relationship ain’t for reality shows or YouTube yet, so when I’m established, I’ll let you know,” Diaz said before going on to announce the next segment.
Good woman, good person, has added so much to my life, and my days, and my moments, and… I’m smiling”
— Jay (@Jayy_Hardyy252) January 24, 2026
-Deion Sanders says about Karrueche while trying to get Rocsi to talk about her relationship with Anthony Anderson pic.twitter.com/DW4yrxNY8B
During the podcast with Martinez, Anderson described himself as an “evolved” version of himself after divorce, who learned to prioritize his personal life over work.
“At one point not too long ago, I sat back and thought about the relationship that I would like to have at this point in my life, and I realized that I was never going to have that if I was to continue doing what I was doing,” he explained.
The “Kingdom Come” star said he had to make some drastic personal life changes, believing that “you receive what you’re asking for.
“And this is where I am right now,” he concluded. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
With the relationship now confirmed, the focus online hasn’t shifted to romance so much as sequencing, with many people trying to pinpoint exactly when things changed.
Anderson has maintained that he and Rocsi Diaz were longtime friends before becoming a couple, but his comments have shifted the focus from romance, with many people trying to pinpoint exactly when and where it all began.
