Tracee Ellis Ross took to Twitter on Saturday, January 20, to address speculation that she demanded a higher salary to continue starring on Black-ish.
“There has been a lot of conversation and speculation the last few days regarding my Black-ish salary. I was in a renegotiation, like many actors find themselves in during the fourth season of a successful show,” Ross, 45, began. “I wanted to be compensated in a way that matches my contribution to a show that I love for many reasons, including the opportunity it allows me to reshape what it is to be a fully realized black woman on TV.”
— Tracee Ellis Ross (@TraceeEllisRoss) January 21, 2018
Then, referring to a report published by The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, January 18, which stated she was getting paid significantly less than her costar Anthony Anderson and was considering appearing in fewer episodes if she wasn’t brought “up to Anderson’s level,” Ross wrote: “The words and thoughts that were in the original article that started this public conversation were not mine; there were never any threats. I wish I would have been called by the reporter to confirm that.”
“Having had my renegotiation become a public conversation was awkward, but I’m grateful for the outpouring of support,” the Girlfriends alum continued before adding, “I’m truly thankful that important conversations are taking place about fighting for women’s worth and equality, and tightening the pay gap in every industry.”
Ross’ alleged pay disparity is not the only one to make headlines recently. As previously reported, Mark Wahlberg was paid $1.5 million to reshoot scenes for All the Money in the World after Kevin Spacey was replaced following sexual misconduct allegations, while his costar, Michelle Williams, received less than $1,000 for the 10-day shoot.
Catt Sadler, a former host of E! News, left the network in December after she learned that she was being paid significantly less than cohost Jason Kennedy, who started working at the show the very same year. The revelation prompted several celebrities to show their support for Sadler, including Eva Longoria and Debra Messing, who called out E! while on the network’s live red carpet broadcast from the Golden Globes earlier this month.
