-Welcome back to the show. -Hello, Jimmy.
-It is always so fun to see you.
-It's so good to see you. -I love hanging with you.
The series finale of "Black-ish" aired a couple of months ago.
-First of all, that it's a couple of months ago
is even crazy. Where's time going?
-I know. -Nuts.
-But it was beautiful. It was great.
It was everything that I wanted it to be.
I loved it so much. Eight seasons.
-Eight seasons. 170-some odd episodes.
-Wow. Do you remember -- Do you remember --
-Every single one. -Yeah, no, exactly.
You remember the one episode --
-Yeah, I said --
-Do you remember the audition was what I was gonna say?
Like -- -Oh, yes, I do.
[ Laughter ] It was so funny.
So, first of all, Kenya Barris, creator of --
-Genius. -Yes, genius.
He wrote on "Girlfriends,"
so I knew Kenya and he told me he wrote this part for me
and he let me read the script. I was so excited. I kept calling
my agent, like, "Have you got anything? Like, anything?"
And they were like, "No, nothing." And I was like,
"Seriously, though, because he wrote it for me.
So, like, that's weird. [ Laughter ]
But that's okay. Like, maybe it'll come in, it'll be fine.
So then it came in and it was an audition.
[ Laughter ]
-The part that he wrote for you. -Yeah, it's an audition.
-Okay, gotcha. -So I go to the audition
and this is ridiculous.
-That's hilarious.
-And there's all these women there.
And I was tired because
I had flown in and I fell asleep on the floor.
And then I go in for the audition
and there's Anthony and, like, it's in a little theater
and there's Kenya and all of them were in there,
everybody, we do the audition.
It was great. It was Valentine's Day.
Anthony was giving out roses like it was the --
What's that show called? "The Bachelor."
Like it was "The Bachelor," which I thought was
kind of charming. -He's a charming --
He's a charming dude.
-Eh. -Yeah.
-Anyway, audition was great.
And then when we finished the audition,
he leaned out the door and he said to all the girls,
"Go home! We found her."
-No, he did not. -He did.
-He did not. -But still, I didn't know.
-Is that right? -Well, because --
So I don't always trust it, because early on in my career,
you know, they do the breakdowns.
And when you're an actor that doesn't have an agent,
you follow the breakdowns and you go -- and you --
So there was an audition that said "A Tracee Ellis Ross type,"
but they wouldn't see me.
-You're like, "I'm -- I am Tracee Ellis Ross."
-They were like, "No, no, no, we're looking for a type."
-A Tracee Ellis Ross type. -A type.
"We don't want the real thing."
Yeah. -Is that right?
-That's right. -Isn't that interesting?
-That's right. But, you know, now it's --
I'm on "Jimmy Fallon." You know what I'm saying?
-Yeah, exactly right. Come on.
I mean, you've been -- [ Cheers and applause ]
The show's received, I want to say,
like almost 30 Emmy nominations.
You've been nominated five times.
-I've been nominated five times, yes.
-You are phenomenal in this.
-Thank you.
-You know, I just saw you present on the Oscars,
the Academy Awards. -Oh, yeah.
-Yes. -That was quite a night.
-Do you like being a nominee
or do you like being a performer on the Oscars?
-Oh, I always like being a nominee,
but I love going to awards shows,
mostly because I love getting dressed up.
-Yeah. -I mean --
-You get dressed up and you get to go
to these amazing parties.
-You get to go to these amazing parties.
Usually, you know people because now when you're in the --
if you've gotten to a point of being nominated,
you see your friends. It's like really fun to do that.
But also, you get to see very exciting people.
[ Laughter ]
-Like, very exciting people.
-Who freaks you out? -I saw Brad Pitt once.
-Oh! Now we're talking!
Now we're talking. -I saw Brad Pitt, okay?
I saw Brad Pitt. I don't think Brad Pitt saw me,
but I saw Brad Pitt.
-Wait, so you saw Brad Pitt.
-I looked right into his eyes, Jimmy.
And I was like, "Ah!" [ Laughter ]
It was like -- It was like when,
you know, like, if you see a bear,
you don't want to make eye contact.
-Yeah. -I was like, "[inhales]
[ Chuckles nervously ]"
Nothing happened. Then he walked away.
-You felt all the feels. -I felt all the feelings.
Same thing happened -- Keanu Reeves.
Oh, my God. Come on. I mean, I'm 49.
-People just heard that story and they had the feeling.
-I'm -- I'm 49.
I grew up on the Keanu. I mean, get out of here.
You know what I mean? Keanu Reeves -- like, stop it!
-Hey, just get out with the Keanu.
Get out -- -Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves --
This is not the type of guy that I usually date,
but whatever, you know what I mean?
This is very exciting movie stars.
-Where did you see the Keanu Reeves?
-On a very small elevator, Jimmy.
Oh, my God. I got on on the fourth floor.
I think he got on on three. We were only going to one.
-[ Laughs ] But still -- -But when he got on,
I was like, "Oh, my God."
So, like, I held my breath and I was ready because I was like,
"Oh, God. Here comes the marriage proposal."
[ Laughter ]
-He met -- It was a meet-cute.
He ran into you, a meet-cute on the elevator,
and he just gets on one knee. -I was ready.
You know what I mean? -Yeah.
-So I like -- [ Gasps ] -- held my breath.
And then I was like, "Oh, no, no, I should introduce myself."
But then the elevator door opened and he walked off.
-And he left. -And that was it.
And then, yeah, that was it. So --
-But Brad, were you more composed with Brad Pitt?
-No, no, no.
Composure is not a word that's used to describe me, Jimmy.
That's not -- That's not the thing for me.
-But you -- you actually brought us a video.
-Well, when I got back hours later,
the energy was still coursing through my veins.
-Just so you can see how much energy comes out of
the great Tracee Ellis Ross,
take a look, after seeing Brad Pitt.
-I saw Brad Pitt!
I looked in his eyes. He didn't look at me,
but ♪ ohhh ♪
♪ Ohhh ♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Laughs ]
-♪ Ohhh ♪
I saw Brad Pitt!
-[ Laughs ] -I love that.
-And by the -- I feel like I turned into my mom
in "Mahogany" in that moment. -[ Laughs ]
-I was just spinning around like life had begun.
-That's so fun. You made, like you said,
over 170 episodes of "Black-ish."
-Oh, my goodness.
-This past season, you co-wrote an episode
that had Michelle Obama.
-I co-wrote the episode about perimenopause,
and then the first episode of the season,
Michelle Obama came.
-I mean, just -- -You know, it's like --
[ Cheers and applause ]
-That one about --
-Which do you want to talk about?
Let's -- Maybe we talk about Michelle Obama.
-Well, I mean, I don't mind talking about menopause either.
-Well, peri-- perimenopause. Don't rush me.
[ Laughter ]
-But here's why I like the show.
Here's why I like "Black-ish,"
because you could be funny, but also talk
about serious issues. -Yeah.
-And you got that across and that --
you've got to be proud of that. -Yeah.
I leave with so much joy and pride.
The subject matter that we touched on,
the way we, you know,
gave America a Black family as an American family.
And, yeah, there were so many things.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Really explored as a woman so many different spaces
and places and anchored in the show
was this couple that loved each other, which I really love.
We loved and liked each other,
so it wasn't based on that traditional
rolling your eyes at your partner.
-Yeah. -That I loved, yeah.
-Congrats on a fantastic eight seasons, buddy,
and thank you for coming on the show.
[ Cheers and applause ] You're so good.
-I really -- I really thought Brad was gonna show up.
-No. -No Brad.
-No Brad. No Brad Pitt.
♪ You didn't meet Brad Pitt, you didn't meet Brad Pitt ♪
But I want to show everyone a clip.
Here's Tracee Ellis Ross in the final season of "Black-ish."
Take a look at this. -Ahh.
I think we should sell this house...
and move to a Black neighborhood.
-Really? -Really.
Can you imagine if DeVante got to grow up around successful
Black men and women that were not in his family?
We've done Sherman Oaks.
Like, we did it, and it was good.
It was great.
I just think it's time for us to do something new.
-Let's do it.
You have always had my back.
-Always.
-Mama was wrong.
-[ Laughs ]
-What? -After 20 years,
you finally figure out what to say to turn me on, baby.
-Oh! -Say it again.
-Mama was wrong. -Oh, my God.
-Yeah, that's exactly right. [ Cheers and applause ]
Tracee Ellis Ross, everybody!
All seasons of "Black-ish" are available to stream on Hulu.
More "Tonight Show" after the break.
Stick around, everybody.