Raven-Symone has been in the public eye since she was just 3 years old, playing Olivia on The Cosby Show. From there, she released her debut album in 1993 and landed her own Disney Channel show, That’s So Raven, in 2003. After 25 years in the entertainment industry, she’s ready to control her own destiny, and that includes shrugging off the labels people try to put on her.
During an episode of OWN’s Oprah: Where Are They Now?, Oprah Winfrey asked about Raven-Symone’s sexuality — a topic of discussion since the actress/singer tweeted this last year:
I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you
— Raven-Symonè (@MissRavenSymone) August 2, 2013
While Raven-Symone ackowledged that she’s currently in a relationship with a woman, she doesn’t feel the need to identify as gay. “I don’t need language, I don’t need a categorizing statement for it,” she said. “I don’t want to be labeled gay. I want to be labeled a human who loves humans. I’m tired of being labeled.”
What she said next really bowled Winfrey over. “I’m an American; I’m not an African-American.”
“Oh, girl, don’t set Twitter on fire,” the host said.
Watch their exchange below:
Raven-Symone hasn’t released an album since her self-titled 2008 project.