Tracee Ellis Ross grew up rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, but one of her mom Diana Ross‘ friends left a particular impression.
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Tracee, 52, named some of the celebrities she has been “starstruck” by on the Tuesday, July 14, episode of the “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast, recalling how she met Lucille Ball as a young girl and Marvin Gaye regularly called the family home.
She then said, “Andy Warhol painted me and my sisters,” referring to her siblings, Rhonda, 54, and Chudney, 50. (Diana shares Rhonda with Berry Gordy and Tracee and Chudney with first husband Robert Ellis Silberstein.)
“I was not starstruck – I was actually frightened,” the Black-ish actress went on to reveal.
“Probably the look? He had a very distinct look,” host Keke Palmer suggested, referring to Warhol, who was known for his shock-white hair.
Tracee responded, “I did not understand what was happening.”
In 1981, Warhol photographed Diana, 82, Tracee and her sisters for silkscreen artwork commissioned by the legendary singer. One of the portraits was later used by Diana for the cover of her 1982 album Silk Electric.
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Tracee previously opened up about growing up with a famous mom in a 2023 interview with Flaunt magazine.
The Girlfriends star said that while there were often A-list names around, her mom wasn’t a big “partier.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Michael Jackson was around. Marvin Gaye called the house all the time. Cher and my dad and my mom and Michael played doubles tennis. Andy Warhol photographed me. You know what I mean?” she shared.
Despite Diana’s fame, Tracee said she had a fairly normal childhood.
“My mom, of course, has led a very public life, but she is such a private person and such a home person. She’s a mom before she’s ‘Diana Ross,'” Tracee said. “My childhood was very anchored in real family life. My mom was home, my mom came and woke me up for school.”
“Yes, my mom had a unique job, but I wasn’t this crazy person standing out in my school because of that, or was in a situation where my life was so different from everyone else,” she continued. “There were certain unique things, but my mom woke us up for school in the morning. We would sit down and have dinner together. She would record when we were asleep at night. She never left for longer than a week. All of those kinds of things were very much a part of who I was.”
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This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 5:58 AM.