Tracee Ellis Ross at a Glance
- Categories: Celebrities > Actors, Celebrities
- Net Worth: $16 Million
- Birthdate: Oct 29, 1972 (51 years old)
- Birthplace: Los Angeles
- Gender: Female
- Profession: Actor, Television producer
- Nationality: United States of America
- Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m)
Tracee Ellis Ross: Net Worth, Career, and Life of the ‘Black-ish’ Star
Tracee Ellis Ross’s Net Worth and Salary
Tracee Ellis Ross, the acclaimed American actress, comedian, model, director, and television host, has solidified her place in the entertainment industry. With a career spanning several decades, she has amassed a net worth of $16 million. Ross is best known for her iconic lead roles in the television sitcoms “Girlfriends” and “Black-ish.” Her versatility has also led to memorable appearances in films such as “Hanging Up,” “Daddy’s Little Girls,” and “The High Note.” Beyond her on-screen success, Ross is a savvy entrepreneur and the founder of the highly successful hair-care line, Pattern Beauty. Tracee Ellis Ross is the daughter of music icon Diana Ross and music business manager Robert Ellis Silberstein, which undoubtedly influenced her journey into the entertainment world.
‘Black-ish’ Salary Details
One of the significant financial milestones in Tracee Ellis Ross’s career came with her role in the hit sitcom “Black-ish.” During the first season of the show, her salary per episode was $60,000. While this was a substantial sum, her co-star Anthony Anderson, who also served as a producer, earned $100,000 per episode in the inaugural season. As the show gained popularity and syndication deals were secured, Tracee’s salary saw a significant increase. Her annual earnings rose to $200,000 per episode, which equates to approximately $4.4 million per season, reflecting her growing star power and the show’s widespread success.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Tracee Joy Silberstein, now known as Tracee Ellis Ross, was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1972. As the daughter of the legendary Motown singer and actress Diana Ross, and music business manager Robert Ellis Silberstein, she was exposed to the entertainment industry from a young age. She has Jewish ancestry on her father’s side. She has two sisters, Rhonda and Chudney, and two half-brothers, Evan and Ross. Additionally, she gained three stepsiblings from her mother’s remarriage to Arne Næss Jr.: Katinka, Christoffer, and Leona. Ross’s upbringing included attending prestigious schools such as the Dalton School in Manhattan and Riverdale Country School in the Bronx. She also attended boarding school at the Institut Le Rosey in Rolle, Switzerland. She then pursued higher education at Brown University, where she graduated with a degree in theatre in 1994. Following her academic pursuits, Ross ventured into the fashion industry, working as a model and contributing as a fashion editor to notable publications like New York and Mirabella magazines, further honing her skills in the creative world.
Television Career: From ‘Girlfriends’ to ‘Black-ish’
Tracee Ellis Ross embarked on her television acting career in 1998, with a role in the NBC television film “Race Against Fear: A Moment of Truth.” In the film, she portrayed a former high school track star struggling to speak out about the abuse she suffered from her coach. This was followed by a comedic performance on the MTV series “The Lyricist Lounge Show” in 2000. However, her breakthrough came in the same year when she landed the lead role of Joan Carol Clayton, Esq., in the UPN/CW sitcom “Girlfriends.” This show, which centered on the lives of a group of African-American women, ran for eight seasons and 172 episodes, and earned Ross two NAACP Image Awards for her outstanding performance. During this time, she also made a guest appearance on the sitcom “Second Time Around” and co-starred with her brother Evan and Queen Latifah in the HBO television film “Life Support.”
In 2011, following guest appearances on “Private Practice” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” Ross secured another prominent role in the BET family sitcom “Reed Between the Lines.” She starred in the show’s first season as Dr. Carla Reed, a psychologist balancing her career and family life. Her portrayal earned her a third NAACP Image Award. The role that brought her even greater acclaim arrived in 2014 when she was cast as Dr. Rainbow Johnson in the ABC sitcom “Black-ish,” starring opposite Anthony Anderson. “Black-ish” proved to be a major success, leading to numerous accolades for Ross, including several NAACP Image Awards, as well as Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. In 2019, she further expanded her influence by co-creating the “Black-ish” spinoff “Mixed-ish” with Kenya Barris, also serving as a narrator on the show.

(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Film Career: A Journey Through Hollywood
Tracee Ellis Ross’s journey into film began in 1996 with a role in the independent film “Far Harbor.” She followed this with another independent film, “Sue Lost in Manhattan,” in 1997. Her first role in a major studio film came in 2000, when she appeared in Diane Keaton’s dramedy “Hanging Up,” which also featured Keaton, Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow, and Walter Matthau in his final film role. Ross continued to take on roles in various films, including “In the Weeds,” “I-See-You.Com,” and Tyler Perry’s “Daddy’s Little Girls,” which starred Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba. Her filmography also includes “Labor Pains,” starring Lindsay Lohan and Luke Kirby. Ross’s most significant film role to date was in 2020, when she played the lead role of superstar singer Grace Davis in “The High Note.” The film featured a star-studded cast, including Dakota Johnson, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bill Pullman, Ice Cube, and Eddie Izzard. In addition to her acting performance, Ross made her singing debut on the film’s soundtrack, contributing tracks such as the lead single “Love Myself,” as well as “Stop for a Minute,” “New to Me,” “Bad Girl,” and “Like I Do.”
Music Video Appearances
Tracee Ellis Ross has also made a few notable appearances in music videos throughout her career. In 2004, she was featured in Kanye West’s video for “The New Workout Plan.” The following year, she was again featured in a Kanye West video, “Touch the Sky.” After a hiatus, Ross returned to music videos in 2018 with Drake’s “Nice for What.” Her most recent appearance was in the video for Tyler, the Creator’s “Earfquake” in 2019.
Personal Life and Business Ventures
Tracee Ellis Ross maintains a high degree of privacy regarding her personal life, so much of the details of her relationships remain private. However, it is known that she was in a previous relationship with Def Jam executive Abou Thiam. She has also been the subject of speculation regarding a romantic relationship with “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris. Besides acting, Ross is also a successful entrepreneur. She is the founder and owner of Pattern Beauty, a hair-care brand designed specifically for textured hair. Pattern Beauty offers a range of products, treatments, and accessories catering to various types of curly hair, solidifying her as a prominent figure in the beauty industry.
Real Estate Investments
Over the years, Tracee Ellis Ross has made several real estate investments. For about a decade, she resided in a home in Los Angeles, which she initially purchased for $910,000. She listed this property for sale in March 2022, with an asking price of $2.3 million. In 2007, she acquired a studio apartment in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood for $780,000. She later sold this unit in 2020 for $675,000, indicating her smart approach to real estate and investment strategies.
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