Tracee Ellis Ross has denied a report alleging she threatened to cut back her Black-ish TV appearances if she didn’t get a pay raise equal to co-star Anthony Anderson‘s substantial salary. Tracee reportedly earns $80K per episode wile Anderson takes home $100K per episode.
The Hollywood Reporter claimed on Friday, that the 45-year-old actress was earning considerably less than her 47-year-old male co-star and she planned to cut back her appearances on the hit ABC sitcom if her salary wasn’t commensurate with Anderson’s.
But on Saturday, Jan. 20, Tracee took to Twitter.com to deny ever making such statements about her salary dispute with the network.
“There has been a lot of conversation and speculation the last few days regarding my Black-ish salary. I was in renegotiation, like many actors find themselves in during the fourth season of a successful show. 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, who is the daughter of ’60s R&B/Soul icon Diana Ross, won a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy — in 2017, and while Anthony has been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, he has yet to walk away with a coveted prize.
Many of Tracee’s fans believe she deserves equal pay to Anderson on that basis alone — despite the fact that Anderson holds dual roles as both actor and executive producer on the show.
Tracee went on to deny leaking the report to THR and she claimed she never issued any threats to ABC.
“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. 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.”
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