Loni Love, comedian and co-host of the Emmy-winning talk show The Real, has been an open book when it comes to her relationship with actor James Welsh. The couple first went public in 2018, and Love’s happy glow is still shining bright. But apparently, some folks seem to have a problem with the fact that Welsh happens to be white.
In a recent tweet, Love addressed people who have criticized her for being in an interracial relationship while pointing out what she feels is a double standard about interracial relationships had by Black women versus Black men. “Amazed at times at the folks concerned that I am dating a White male but for years Black males have dated White and ‘Exotic’ women and no one questions it,” she tweeted.
In response to her tweet, Love received tons of support from her followers. “Don’t pay those people any mind; love who you love & who loves you in return!” one fan tweeted. “You are a grown woman with your own agency! Do you!” said another fan.
The host told The Real viewers in March that she and Welsh met through a dating app. When co-host Jeannie Mai asked what made him stand out among other men she had communicated with on the app, she responded, “He was very consistent. There were some guys that would text and some guys that didn’t. The thing is, they didn’t know who I was. Being consistent and able to communicate with me was big.”
In April 2019, Love opened up to People about her how her relationship requirements began to change as she matured. “The older I get, the simpler I’m getting,” she said. “When I was looking for somebody I was just looking for the compatibility part. The thing I think that I was missing in my life was that I was always conforming to what the man wanted instead of saying this is what I want to do.”
The comedian revealed she had been married once before in her book “Love Him Or Leave Him, but Don’t Get Stuck With the Tab.” After getting back out in the dating scene, Love decided to approach things with a more open mind. “I left it open. I was getting all types of men. The mindset that I had was let me find out who the person is before I go judging and saying ‘Oh, I can’t date you because of this or that.’”
She continued: “Everybody is so surprised and I’m surprised myself. But it really doesn’t matter. I’m the first African American woman he’s dated and he said he just didn’t think about it. It’s not a big deal. We get along, we like each other, we understand each other.”