Who Is N.Y.C. Mayor Eric Adams' Girlfriend? All About Tracey Collins

Mar. 15, 2025

Eric Adams and Tracey Collins attend The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City.Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

“Throughout my entire police career, none of my colleagues knew I had a son. I wanted to shield him from the reality of what I was doing. I became very private,” he said at a press conference in June 2021, perABC 7. “My secrecy is my family. I signed up for this life. They did not sign up for this life.”

In September 2024, Adams became thefirst N.Y.C. mayor to face criminal charges while in office. He was charged withfive criminal countsrelated to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals.

“I always knew that If I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became. I am innocent and I will fight this with every ounce of my strength and spirit," Adams told PEOPLE in a statement.

So, who is N.Y.C. Mayor Eric Adams' girlfriend? Here’s everything to know about Tracey Collins and her relationship with the politician.

She lives in New Jersey

Eric Adams and his girlfriend Tracey Collins attend Day 1 of the US Open 2022 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2022 in Queens, New York City.Jean Catuffe/GC Images

During the 2021 mayoral primary election and the early part of Adams' term, many speculated that he actuallylived in New Jersey. While he has maintained that his primary residence is in the N.Y.C. borough of Brooklyn, Collins lives in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where she and Adams own a home together.

“I never hid that I own a co-op in New Jersey with Tracey, but my permanent residence is in Brooklyn,” Adams toldPoliticoin June 2021.

Adams and Collins' Fort Lee home is reportedly in a high-rise building with a view of the Hudson River, according toThe New York Times.

Before living in New Jersey and working in the Big Apple, Collins was born and raised in New Orleans, per her 2008 book,Sweet Promptings: Showing Compassion for Others.

She works in the N.Y.C. Department of Education

Collins began working as a school administrator in the N.Y.C. Department of Education in 2008, according totheNew York Post. She was later named the D.O.E.’s senior advisor to the deputy chancellor for school leadership.

Adams wrote in his vegan cookbook,Healthy at Last, published in 2020, that Collins regularly worked 12-hour days and “never gets a break,.”

“She gets up at dawn to run the largest school system in the United States,” he added. “She oversees schools in Brooklyn and The Bronx. I have never met anyone more devoted to her job than Tracey.”

She was Adams' plus one at the Met Gala

Collins joined Adams at his mayoral inauguration in January 2021 but wasn’t on hand for any public events untilthe Met Galain May 2022.

Collins wore anOscar de la Rentagown for the occasion, which she borrowed with the help ofVogueeditor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

A rep for Mayor Adams toldtheNew York Postthat a member of Wintour’s team at Condé Nast assisted Collins in choosing a gown, which she requested be “elegant glam” and preferably in white.

“She was provided a few options, but the first dress she tried on looked incredible and that’s when she knew it was meant to be,” the rep said. “She never had to try on another dress.”

It was the first Met Gala for both Adams and Collins;The New York Timesreported that he introduced Collins as his “other half” at the haute couture soirée.

Since then, the pair have attended theU.S. OpenandNew York Fashion Week.

She and Adams went vegan together

Eric Adams reacts on stage during the National Urban League Conference Plenary II: State of Black America on July 28, 2023 in Houston, Texas.Arturo Holmes/Getty

Arturo Holmes/Getty

In his bookHealthy at Last, Adams wrote that he and Collins embarked on their respective vegan diets after she was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Adams had previously been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

“We do everything together, and I wasn’t ready to jump onboard unless she was,” he wrote. “Tracey and I aren’t people who do something halfway.”

Adams recalled that Collins emptied containers of many of her favorite foods and “signature dishes.”

“They were old favorites that made her think of her childhood, including the jambalaya with chicken that her mother used to make,” Adams noted.

He also wrote that after they began eating vegan together, they each lost 30 pounds, adapted their favorite recipes to be plant-based and learned new recipes, including a vegan pot pie with a cornbread crust.

She is a published author

Collins is the author of the inspirational bookSweet Promptings, published in 2008. Adams, then a New York state senator, wrote the foreword for the book.

The project highlighted random acts of kindness and the ripple effects of such gestures on people’s lives. Portions of the book’s proceeds were donated to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

She founded a nonprofit that Adams championed

In addition to her education and writing work, Collins founded the nonprofit Fully Persuaded for Children & Families in 2007. The organization focused on social-emotional education to improve decision-making, reduce violence and contribute to safer communities. Adams supported Collins' work during his tenure as a New York state senator.

One of Collins' initiatives with Fully Persuaded was a billboard campaign to “Stop the Sag” in 2010. In partnership with then-state Sen. Adams, the nonprofit encouraged teens and young adults in N.Y.C. to pull up their pants.

“While it is natural for youth to push the limits of what is acceptable, parents in the home and leaders in the community must step up when something is harmful,” Adamssaid in a statementat the time.

He continued, “This sagging pants culture represents an immature disregard for the basic civility, courtesy, and responsibility that our young men should display.”

Fully Persuaded shuttered in 2015.

She makes rare appearances with Adams

Eric Adams and Tracey Collins at the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City.Eric Adams X

Eric Adams X

While Adams and Collins cheer on each other’s professional ambitions, they don’t step out together often. On the rare occasion they do, though, the couple make the most of it, like during the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in N.Y.C.

“Hanging out here at the Macy’s Parade. Beautiful day for weather. Tracey likes the balloons,” he said. “Love them!” she chimed in before both wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

source: people.com