Devale & Khadeen Ellis Explain Why They Reject Standard Gender Roles In Their Relationship
On today’s edition of “Tamron Hall,” power couple Devale and Khadeen Ellis joined the Tam Fam and opened up about what keeps their 20-year relationship, sharing advice for parents juggling it all. The podcast hosts dished on why they aim to work together as a team rather than take on traditional gender roles. Later on the show, podcast host and book influencer Zibby Owens discussed her journey from influencer to author and her first novel, “Blank.” Plus, jazz/rap trio Digable Planets performed their iconic hit “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat).” See more inside and a video clip…
Devale and Khadeen Ellis on their book “We Over Me” and why they aim to work together as a team rather than take on traditional gender roles:
Devale said, “Well for me, it’s different because I’ve watched traditional wives and husbands. My grandfather and grandmother were traditional, my parents were traditional but in the Black community, there was never a time where Black women were just stay-at-home moms. Think about how we grew up in this country. Black women always worked. So I watched the Black women in my family work and still cook and clean and be present moms so when I chose a wife and she chose me, I knew I was going to have to do my best to not only be a supportive husband but also be a supportive business partner because if she has dreams, I got to be the voice that amplifies that, like that’s my wife! She’s got to go be great in her own life!” Khadeen said, But even just with us in a household that is so busy day-today, it’s literally, ‘what person in this moment, which parent is better equipped to deal with this situation and this issue at this time?’” Tamron explained that her husband takes her son Moses to school, “Look, I can’t take my son to school because he holds onto me like ‘The Color Purple’ ending like Nelly and Sealy. I mean, we’re like ‘you can never part!’ So for I think like three months now, I have not taken my son to school. I pick him up, I cannot take him! He will fall on the floor so my husband knows, you have to get up extra early. These are the parts of the machine, this is the pivot. Sometimes it’s 50/50 and sometimes it’s 100 and I’m not doing anything!” Khadeen chimed in, “I was about to say that! The beauty of it too is that Devale and I have such a great partnership and I love and I appreciate that he really finds ways to push me to the forefront after dedicating a decade to our family. Having children, getting back, having children, getting back and now he’s like, ‘Whatever it is you want to do, tell me how I can help you navigate that,’ and I love that.”
DEVALE ELLIS, KHADEEN ELLIS
(DISNEY/Jeff Neira)