Deray Davis, His Two Women & Why It's Important To Define Your Relationships
Plenty of men avoid claiming one woman while Deray Davis, comedian and star of Living With Funny, is claiming two, girlfriends Coco and Caro. The throuple, a three-person couple, has been happily existing for more than three years. Forget for a minute that many would consider their romantic situation a social taboo. All things considered, they are realistically in a successful, long-term relationship.
If you do your Googles, you may come across Deray’s ex, Claudia Jordan, who tweeted that their split was because “he had too many b-tches.” So, instead of cheating, Deray decided to keep it real. Who knows if this three-way love situation has more or less problems than a twosome. Either way, Deray's unapologetic approach to love will work for some people.
Here's why:
Relationships aren't always pretty.
Sure, the bae photos we rush to post to Instagram are cute as hell, but when the shit called life hits the fan, you better be in a situation that speaks true to who you are so you don’t lose yourself in the fray.
Relationships , specifically the relating part , are gritty and downright ugly at times. Therefore, you should only entertain a relationship that represents what you truly need. You may not need two committed lovers like Deray, but you should at least learn to accept your relationship exceptionalities.
[Tweet "You should only entertain a relationship that you truly need"]
Some couples live in separate homes, others take separate annual vacations, and some decide to never have children. Their decisions may go against the norm, but one thing is certain : at some point two people sat down and had a very honest conversation about what they need. And when you keep it 100 about what you're looking for in a partner, you're sure to find it.
We bend and break our own rules too often.
Plenty of women think a good man who is able to fully commit is a unicorn. We say we don't want this or that in a relationship when, in fact, often times, we less than our expectations in fear that speaking up will send him running to another woman's arms.
If Deray never spoke up and admitted to his penchant for variety, Coco and Caro would just be additions to the string of scorned women trailing behind him. Ladies, we need to be just as brutally honest about what we need. You can’t stay open to love if you’re not ready to accept your truths and stick to your "hell nahs."
Life shouldn't be harder than it already is.
[Tweet "We are constantly met with opinions we didn't ask for by people we don’t even know. "]
But it’s the time to fully embrace our Black Girl Magic, especially in relationships. It’s OK to love differently than other people. Gay, straight, trans, couple, throuple, situationship, monogamy — hell, some women have even married themselves (side eye). Be brave enough to own everything you want in love.
Customizing your relationships doesn’t have to be extreme. You don’t have to be willing to have a Friday night orgy just to exist in the fullness of your personal truth.
But you do have to be OK with yourself.
Be OK with who you may (or may not) find as you navigate through love’s waters.
Be OK with building something that may not fit into what’s expected.
Be OK with the growth that is supposed to happen when you love yourself enough to love someone else.
And if you feel so compelled , cop two boyfriends and see what it’s about.
Just make sure you report back to us! :)
Ashley Simpo is a writer, mother and advocate for self-care and healthy relationships. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @ashleysimpo. Check out her work and her musings on ashleysimpocreative.com.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
The Champion's Path: How Cari Champion Is Redefining Roles For Black Women In Media
Cari Champion has had many dream jobs. All of them have helped inform what she does and does not want for herself moving forward. “I get more and more curious. My dreams evolve. My desires change,” she said. “And I feel sorry for people who can’t experience that because it’s a beautiful feeling, it’s a beautiful challenge, and it makes you everything that you are.”
When we speak in late April, the journalist and media personality is preparing for a visit to Atlanta for The Black Effect Podcast Festival. The trip would allow her to spend time in a city that she said taught her a lot about herself and working in the media industry.
Champion was still early in her career when she worked for Atlanta’s CBS affiliate news station, where she was fired, reinstated, and subsequently quit after being accused of accidentally cursing on air in 2008. (“I didn’t. They knew I didn’t. I said ‘mothersucka,’” she said of the hot mic incident.) Still, the Los Angeles native insists she only has the fondest memories of her time in the southern city.
“I grew up in West LA, then moved to Pasadena, and those kinds of familial, tight-knit Black groups just didn’t exist. LA is spread out in a lot of ways,” she said. “To me, Atlanta ultimately built this woman that I am today and [is] why I speak so comfortably for us and for Black people. I had to have that entire experience.”
"To me, Atlanta ultimately built this woman that I am today and [is] why I speak so comfortably for us and for Black people."
It’s been 16 years since Champion moved from Atlanta and her career, as well as her desire to center Black voices in her work, has soared. After working as an anchor and court-side reporter for The Tennis Channel, she spent nearly a decade working as a host and anchor on ESPN for shows such as First Take and SportsCenter.
By the time she began hosting Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports, on Vice TV with Jemele Hill in 2020, Champion had increasingly become determined to shun the notion that only sports reporters and athletes could credibly discuss sports. The Vice show featured guests such as LeBron James and Magic Johnson, but also Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Sen. Cory Booker.
At a time when America was reckoning with its racial history, Champion solidified herself as a trailblazer for Black women in sports media, as well as a crucial voice for cultural commentary. Today, she regularly appears on CNN discussing sports, culture, and politics.
Champion is now hosting the fourth season of the podcast Naked with Cari Champion on The Black Effect Podcast Festival, which is a partnership between iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God, a media personality and a friend. “We kind of grew up together in this game. And when we first started figuring out or getting attention on a different type of level than we were used to, we learned a lot together,” she said of Charlamagne. “He put this network together for people who are beginning [and] people who are old-heads in the business. He wanted to make sure that all of us had a voice.”
It’s been an adjustment for a traditional TV reporter to transition into podcasting, but Champion said she’s found the medium to be a “much more freeing world.” When she’s speaking to guests such as talk show host Tamron Hall, singer Muni Long, or retired athlete Sanya Richards-Ross, she can “get lost in a conversation” and embrace a more casual environment than the structure of a cable TV show would allow.
Behind the scenes, Champion’s still doing her part to make sure there continues to be a pipeline of Black and brown women in journalism and beyond, too.
In 2018, she launched the nonprofit Brown Girls Dream and enlisted her celebrity friends to help mentor young women in a way that she felt she was never able to receive in the early years of her own career. “When I was at ESPN, I used to get all these emails from different Black and brown girls in the business. They wanted to talk to me about how they could [have the opportunity to] do the same thing [as me],” Champion said. “It fills my heart to see somebody actually get an opportunity to talk to somebody who can guide them through their career.”
Current Brown Girls Dream mentors include journalists Jemele Hill and Nichelle Turner, marketing executive Bozoma Saint John, and more. “These women are just the dopest ever and they take time out to give back to brown girls,” Champion said. “It’s special.”
When she reflects on representation in sports media roles, the Naked host said she’s inspired by the women of color she sees on television today. “I think women of color are doing great. It’s become more and more common to be on air and be Black girl magic,” she said.
“I think that the next level for us, in terms of Black and brown women in this business succeeding, is having true power over what our words are and what the content is,” she added. “Because, when push comes to shove and we want to really tell a story, we sometimes have to acquiesce, and we can't tell the story the way we want to. The next level is that we actually do have editorial control.”
"I think that the next level for us, in terms of Black and brown women in this business succeeding, is having true power over what our words are and what the content is."
Ultimately, Champion is still dreaming and looking to make an impact. She said she wants to eventually launch her own Black news network. “I would love to have a huge platform that focused on the stories that I think Black and brown women care about,” Champion said. “There are so many stories that are being missed.”
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image Emma McIntyre / Staff/Getty Images