Janelle Monáe
Speculation about Janelle Monáe and Tessa's relationship began in April 2015, when Tessa appeared as a backup dancer in the singer's "Yoga" music video. The pair were then photographed for the first time together the following month at the 2015 MOCA gala. Romance rumours around the duo intensified at the beginning of 2018, after they played star-crossed lovers in the "emotion picture" version of Janelle's Dirty Computer album and attended the Los Angeles premiere of Annihilation.
During an interview with Porter Edit in June 2018, Tessa addressed the rumours head-on. "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," she said.
Tessa continued, "We love each other deeply. 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." Her comments led many to believe the two had been romantically involved. The actress later clarified in a tweet that "I didn't say I was in a relationship. But I said lots of other things."