Tessa Thompson Opens Up About Her Relationship With Janelle Monáe And Being Bisexual

Tessa Thompson is having a moment. After more than a decade in the business, the actor is has hit her stride. The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honoree recently starred in Marvel’s blockbuster hit, Thor: Ragnarok, HBO’s acclaimed drama Westworld, and she just wrapped filming on Creed II. As her career continues to heat up, many are curious about her relationship with singer Janelle Monáe.

Thompson and Monáe have been rumored to be a couple for quite some time now, and according to a new interview with the Creed star, it seems like the pair have a special bond.

“It’s tricky, because Janelle and I are just really private people and we’re both trying to navigate how you reconcile wanting to have that privacy and space, and also wanting to use your platform and influence,” Thompson told Net-A-Porter, noting people have reached out to her to let them know how Janelle’s work has helped them come out to their family and friends.

While Thompson hasn’t previously spoken publicly about her sexuality (Monáe came out earlier this year as pansexual), the actor said her family is very open-minded about her attraction to both men and women.

“I can take things for granted because of my family – it’s so free and you can be anything that you want to be. I’m attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don’t even have to have the discussion,” she explained.

As for her relationship with Monáe, Thompson didn’t quite confirm they were a couple, but she did call the singer “her person.”

“That was something I was conscientious of in terms of this declaration around Janelle and myself. I want everyone else to have that freedom and support that I have from my loved ones,” Thompson said. “But so many people don’t. So, do I have a responsibility to talk about that? Do I have a responsibility to say in a public space that this is my person?”

While fans certainly would love confirmation that Thompson and Monáe are an item, the actor said she isn’t concerned about what people think — or assume — about her relationship with the Dirty Computer singer.

“We love each other deeply,” Thompson admitted. “We’re so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, that’s okay. It doesn’t bother me.”