Even before she ended a 30-year drought for Black women at the Golden Globes,
Tracee Ellis Ross was
Born in Los Angeles, her mother is the iconic entertainer and former lead singer
of The Supremes Diana Ross and her father is Robert Ellis Silberstein,
who was Diana’s manager and husband in the ‘70s.
'My mom is a mom before she's a lady that sings on stage in sparkly clothes.
When we were kids she never left for longer than a week.
She would record at night when we were sleeping, so she would still
have dinner with us, put us in bed, and wake us up in the morning.'
Tracee’s youngest brother, Evan Ross, is a product of Diana’s second marriage
to Norwegian shipping tycoon Arne Naess, Jr.
Tracee points to shows such as ‘I Love Lucy’ and ‘The Carol Burnett Show’ as
She pursued a theater degree at Brown University and graduated in 1994.
Following graduation, Tracee took a gig as a contributing fashion editor
at New York Magazine, leveraging her former modeling career
and inherited sense of style while acting took a back seat.
Her first on-screen role was in the 1996 drama ‘Far Harbor.’
She was only a few small parts away from the big break
that would solidify her spot in the canon of Black television.
However, Tracee would soon learn that
‘Girlfriends’ brought together Tracee, Jill Marie Jones, Golden Brooks, and Persia White
'Ok ladies, take note. This is where I turn and he pops a wheelie
because I remind him that all of this booty could've been his.'
Tracee spent 8 years as Joan Clayton, a quirky lawyer riddled with relationship problems.
The show gained a massive following, and so when ‘Girlfriends’ was abruptly canceled in 2008,
'Nothing happened.' 'What do you mean nothing happened?'
“I was like, 'What happened? Where's my career? What happened?'
'Where's the movies? Where's my life? I don't understand. Where's the knight in shining armor?'"
She guest starred on a few shows, but quickly realized she’d have to be her own
knight in shining armor. In 2012, Tracee created a YouTube channel
and website to continue sharing her voice and joyous humor with world.
And her perseverance was about to pay off.
Tracee had breathed new life into her career, and was
In 2014, ABC’s ‘Black-ish’ introduced America to:
with powerful messages wrapped in the guise of a sitcom.
'You know what? I'm gonna set you up with an appointment at the hospital
so you can get a quick and easy physical.'
'Ok fine. I'll let one of those butchers look me over.'
'You know I'm one of those butchers, right?'
'I'm not saying you're a butcher.' 'Oh ok.'
Tracee plays Rainbow Johnson, a happily married anesthesiologist and mother of five.
Although that’s strikingly different from the life she leads as a single entertainer without children,
'On 'Girlfriends' and most of the roles that I play, I just play a Black woman.
But I, personally Tracee, I’m mixed. So I do have a different perspective about race
than somebody who is just of one culture. And my character, this is the first time
on television I'll actually get to play somebody who represents that.'
As actresses across Hollywood banded together to close the gender pay gap,
Tracee discovered that her TV husband Anthony Anderson’s salary was
significantly higher than hers. Word began to spread that she’d be scaling back her time
on the show if her compensation didn’t match her worth as an actor. At the time,
she addressed rumors briefly on social media. But she’s been private about the matter since,
only saying that the issue ‘has been resolved.’
In 2017, Tracee Ellis Ross became the first African American woman to win the
Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical, or Comedy
since Debbie Allen in 1983. Tracee’s honor also came 44 years after her mother
Diana Ross won a New Actress Golden Globe for ‘Lady Sings the Blues.’
Tracee Ellis Ross never hesitates to use her pervasive voice to fight for her passions.