How to love a revolutionary: Jemele Hill and Tezlyn Figaro talk emotional support, real love and life beyond the spotlight

In a vulnerable moment from her “REVOLT News Weekly” interview with Tezlyn Figaro, award-winning journalist Jemele Hill opened up about the importance of having a partner who understands the difference between the spotlight and real life.

Figaro prompted the conversation by asking, “Can we help these brothers out just for a second? How was he able to be supportive for you, with having his woman in the spotlight — especially on something that was, you know, negative?”

Hill, who’s navigated everything from sports media stardom at ESPN to political commentary for The Atlantic, explained that her partner showed her who he was very early on. “He sent a lot of relationship cues about the type of man, the type of person and the type of partner that he was,” she said. “I liked him right away because he had a strong sense of who he was.”

How Jemele Hill balances public life, vulnerability and love behind the scenes

One key moment for her was taking him as her date to the ESPYs during their first year of dating. “I was curious as to how he would handle himself in this environment,” she said. “For a lot of men, it could be intimidating… folks can be extra, they can be on some fanboy stuff. You don’t want to take somebody into these kinds of situations, and they wind up embarrassing you.”

But he passed the test. “He was himself, he was super comfortable and we had a blast,” Hill added. “That’s when I knew… this is exactly what I had been looking for.”

What sealed the deal was how he supported her off-camera. “When I get home… I’m not trying to play TV host,” she said. “I just want to be loved on, nurtured, supported.” She admitted vulnerability is something she’s struggled with — but he makes space for it. “He makes me really, like, the best kind of version of myself.”

Check out the clip above!