Is 'Black-ish' Star Tracee Ellis Ross Quitting Over Gender Pay Gap?
Is "Black-ish" star Tracee Ellis Ross planning to quit the show? The actress is currently negotiating her contract with ABC for the fifth season but there might be some problems with a gender pay gap.
According to reports, Ross receives significantly less than what her male co-star Anthony Anderson gets. Sources said that she won't quit the show if she doesn't get equal pay. She might, however, consider cutting down on her appearances so that she can also work in other projects.
Some industry members, however, don't agree with Ross' plan to scale down work on "Black-ish" because it will be seen like a retreat when the women are supposed to be fighting for equal pay. The issue raises valid concerns that the #TimesUp movement hopes to be in conversations in Hollywood.
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#TimesUp aims to protect women working on film and television either as a star or behind the scenes. It sprung from the hundreds of sexual harassment cases that came out due to the Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey scandal.
A spokesperson from the ABC, however, stated that Ross and Anderson's fees are not equal because the latter is also one of the show's executive producer who helped build "Black-ish" from the ground. Ross could also receive an increase in her pay for the fifth season since negotiations aren't finished.
Ross has been with "Black-ish" since the show started in 2014. She received several nominations for playing Bow Johnson, the mom of five children. In 2016, Ross won the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Comedy for "Black-ish." The last time an African-American actress won the award was 35 years ago.
Gender pay gap issues aside,Ross, the daughter of legendary singer Diana Ross, said that work on "Black-ish" is truly interesting. She likes that it's a comedy show that touches on topics like postpartum depression, aging, police brutality and other social issues.
"There is something that we're doing on 'Black-ish' that is allowing a platform for me to expand an idea of what we have seen on television from black women," she told ABC News.
"Black-ish" airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. EST on ABC.
