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Tracee Ellis Ross on how she feels 'sexiest’ at 50, but also 'five years old' performing with mom Diana Ross
January 11 2023, 08:00

Tracee Ellis Ross is sharing her perspective on aging. 

During a recent appearance on the "Today" show, Ross shared how she feels about getting older. The actress turned 50 in October 2022, but that's not stopping her from pursuing her passions, saying: "I couldn't be happier."

"For me, it's about exploring who I am, and I couldn't be happier," Ross said on the show. "I was laughing backstage, do you remember Molly Shannon, '50! 50 years old I can kick my leg!’ I think I'm the sexiest I've ever been. I feel fantastic, and I feel like the world is my oyster." 

Fans have been able to watch Ross on TV since the 2000s, as she was on the hit show "Girlfriends" for eight years and was on "Black-ish" for another eight, from 2014 until 2022.

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While Ross hasn't appeared in any projects since "Black-ish" ended, she played a crucial role in getting the Hulu docuseries "The Hair Tales" made, shopping it around until she found the right fit.

"'The Hair Tales' on Hulu is a docuseries, a six-part docuseries, about Black women and our humanity told through the metaphor of our hair," Ross said. "We interviewed a notable person in every episode, but we were surrounded by academics, scholars and people in the salon, really sort of talking about the beauty, the celebration and the joy of who we are."

One of the exciting parts for Ross about getting to create "The Hair Tales," was working with Oprah Winfrey, who in addition to being interviewed by Ross for the docuseries, was also one of the executive producers on the project. When asked if interviewing Winfrey was intimidating, Ross exclaimed, "No, it was great. It was lovely."

Ross called the experience of working with Winfrey "really special." She noted that they "pitched a lot of places" before approaching Winfrey with the idea, "and without even finishing the pitch she was like, ‘Yes, I get it, you don’t have to explain this to me.'"

Ross also shared there are still a few things left on her bucket list she has yet to accomplish, both in her personal life and in her career.

"Oh my gosh there are so many things. Top of the list? I really want to do an action film! Top of the list, a partnership, I would love to find a life partner," Ross explained. "Let's see, what else can we do? I would love to write a book one day. There is so much to do."

Ross, who is the daughter of legendary singer Diana Ross, explained that no matter how successful she becomes in her own career, she is always nervous when it comes to sharing the spotlight with her mother. 

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"I get so nervous when I sing with her," Ross said. "I did a movie, I did ‘The High Note,’ I sang, I recorded songs, I was in the studio, I was on the stage singing with a microphone, no problem. I get on the stage with my mom, I'm 5 years old."