Since 2019, Devale and Khadeen Ellis have been bringing their full authentic selves to the forefront with their podcast Dead Ass with Khadeen and Devale. Through their platform, the Black Love docuseries alums openly shared their journey as parents, husband and wife, and individuals.
After six years, the happily married couple tells Black Love that they were ready to go out with a bang, ending their beloved iHeartRadio podcast with a multi-city live tour.
“I was hanging up my microphone guys. I said, ‘You know what? I think we’ve shared all that we have to share,’” Khadeen says. Devale adds that the couple was done sharing until positive feedback and pleas for the podcast to continue from their supporters convinced them otherwise.
The couple, who’ve been together since they were 18 years old, wanted to move away from the original “battle of the sexes” idea that was the foundation of their podcast. Similar to them as a couple, they wanted to evolve into something better and “show people how much better we can be doing it together.”
Using the same mindset of their New York Times bestselling book, “We Over Me,” the Ellises wanted to show their supporters the strength of their love and communication in marriage when they are working together. With this in mind, Ellis Ever After came to fruition. Their rebranded podcast features different perspectives and elements with the same candid, hilarious energy from their origin.
“The biggest change is that we are better together, like we are going to argue in public and make fun of each other, but we’re doing it in jest because remember we’re better together.” Devale tells Black Love. “This works only because we’re a team.”
One new aspect the pair plan to introduce is a segment called “Op or No Op,” where they’ll go through pop culture and ask if they have an opinion on any given topic. While sometimes they may have strong opinions on a specific topic, other times they’ll recognize that they are not well versed enough to speak on it. The idea behind this portion of their new format is to normalize people choosing to refrain from making a comment.
As they enter this new era in their lives and career, they want their supporters, who they affectionately refer to as their “extended family,” to know that they appreciate them. They may be evolving, but they intend to be the same hilarious and candid duo they’ve been since their humble beginnings in their Brooklyn apartment.
With almost 4.5 million of their “extended family” following their lives across social media and Youtube, Devale and Khadeen have always offered an honest and authentic look into partnership, parenting, marriage and finances, and even how to fix a broken marriage. For the Ellises, looking back on their journey makes their wins “that much sweeter.” Although there were many time periods where they struggled, they preserved and became stronger as a couple and as individuals.
“It wasn’t just aimless throwing dreams out there,” Khadeen says, referring to the early stages of their relationship when they would talk about their goals. “It was like, ‘how are we going to make this happen?’ And, it just makes the story that much sweeter when we reflect on it and we look at all of the obstacles, the things we’ve overcome, [and] the things we’ve done together [with] our greatest accomplishments being our four sons and getting to just raise them, be active parents and teach them all that we know and learn from them as parents, and then be able to share that with the world.”
“Our intent is to share love so that people can see, like love really conquers everything. In our darkest times, I could look at her and be like, ‘Yo, what we’re gonna do?’ [and] she’d be like, ‘I don’t know, but we got each other, so let’s figure it out.’” Devale adds. “And we [are] here. It’s like, all we want to do is share that with people.”
Above all, the couple just want to show the world how much they love each other and the empire they’ve built. As they gear up to celebrate their 15-year marriage anniversary in July and 23 years together in October, they are celebrating their healthy relationship and “being able to come out on top” together throughout the years.
“We’re closer now than we were when we were younger,” Devale says. “We understand each other more, [so] we have a greater sense of empathy and grace for each other. Because when you [are] with somebody for 23 years, you know this person is for me.”
The proud dad of four explains that their thought process over the years has changed. During their earlier years together, he says they would question why they would do certain things or act certain ways. However, with time came a deeper understanding and a shift in how they approach a disagreement.
“The thing that’s worked the best for us, that created the evolution of Devale and Khadeen, is first allowing each other the space and grace to grow as individuals, which can be particularly difficult when you’re within a relationship, especially at a young age,” Khadeen says. “Being transparent and being honest has always been our thing, and that at least gives each other the permission to make the choice to be here.”
As they enter their new era, the couple is looking to continue growing and reaping the benefits of their hard work. Devale tells Black Love that he hopes Ellis Ever After becomes an even bigger platform, so that it will be the go-to for everyone to get information on the Ellises — as well as healthy relationships, marriage and finance, pop culture and more.
Khadeen’s main hope for this next era in the Ellis’ lives is one filled with harvesting their hard work and selflessness. For decades, the pair have poured into the lives of many — selflessly giving of themselves to become a blessing to others. As they move into their next stage, the actress hopes they can harvest the seeds they sowed and continue to grow as a loving Black family.
“My hope for this next era and for my boys is that … it will be the season of all those dreams coming to fruition,” she says. “I’m looking forward to this season, which I hope will be an era of harvest for us as we continue to give back and love people accordingly.”
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