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EssenceAs the daughter of the legendary Diana Ross, Tracee Ellis Ross admits she once had doubts she could establish her own identity. Now the black-ish star has achieved two decades of success in Hollywood, and she’s proud that she’s been able to make a name for herself apart from her famous mom.
Tracee, who graces the cover of the October issue of Essence, first appeared on the mag’s cover years ago with her mother — but things have definitely changed.
“As Diana Ross’s child, you wonder whether you will become anything in your own right,” she tells Essence. “So it was a really big moment to go from being on the cover of Essence with my mom to having my own cover.”
“Now I’ve had three on my own and one with my mom,” she continues. “That’s crazy! I feel a little humbled by that, knowing I have truly filled my own shoes.”
Tracee starred for eight years in Girlfriends, and when that series ended in 2008, she received very few offers for films. She remembers how that experience forced her to cope with rejection and become more confident in herself.
“It allowed me to continue to grow as a person and to realize I was deserving and worthy,” she says. ”I could own my success, but I could also own what might look like failure. I could literally be my own best friend and mirror, knowing that my worth is not tangled up in what I think I should be getting.”
Last week, Ross launched her new natural hair care line for black women, Pattern Beauty. Meanwhile, she returns to black-ish for season six, which debuts Tuesday, September 24 in its new 9:30 p.m. ET time slot on ABC.
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