Tracee Ellis Ross Is More Herself Than Ever

Tracee Ellis Ross signs on to our Friday evening Zoom call a minute early. She’s sporting her juicy, jet-black curls slicked back into the glossiest bun and a pearly white smile stretching from ear to ear. Though she spent her afternoon on five back-to-back video meetings, Ross’s infectious energy is still at a 10. This week, in particular, she’s riding on a high after creatively directing a photoshoot for her hair-care brand, Pattern Beauty. “It’s been a packed but wonderful week,” she says. “I love our Pattern shoots.”

Pattern Beauty celebrates its fifth anniversary this September. The brand entered the market with a core collection of seven products for curly, coily, and tight textures—ranging from conditioners to serums—and has since expanded to offer over 76 products. Seeing an idea that once lived in your head now sit on the shelves of global beauty retailers is bound to make anyone deeply reflective, and Ross is certainly living in a contemplative state these days. 

“The world has a lot to say about what women should be doing,” Ross says. “A lot of things have been said to me about what gives a life meaning. Pattern has contributed to the meaning of my life in such a profound way.” 

The impetus to start Pattern Beauty and subsequently reshape the hair-care industry rests in Ross’s lifelong hair journey. Like many Black women, Ross’s curls carry stories of exploration; experimentation; and, admittedly, exasperation. “As a child, my aunts, grandmother, and mother would do my hair,” the 51-year-old says. “Then, I started going to the salon to get blowouts every Saturday around third grade. I eventually started relaxing my hair until I was in 10th grade. When I stopped using relaxers and heat, I went through a tortuous journey of trying to meet my hair where it was. I remember saying in high school, ‘I wish someone would make a line of products that looked pretty on my counter and worked well on my hair.’ That is what brought me to Pattern because it was during those years that I gained so much experiential knowledge with my hair.”

While Ross yearned for an inclusive, aesthetically pleasing brand as a teen, it wasn’t until 2008 that she crafted her first pitch deck. That year, she had just finished shooting Girlfriends, the eight-season sitcom following the lives of four Black women as they navigate their personal and professional lives. In the series, Ross played Joan Clayton, a successful attorney with an impeccable fashion sense and gorgeous curls. The series propelled Ross into the spotlight as a bonafide beauty muse, and her on-screen celebration of her natural hair struck a chord with Black women who tuned into the show.

“I remember going to a store in Los Angeles to buy hair products, and one of the employees said, ‘You have no idea how many women bring pictures of you into the store and say they want your hair. I always tell them they need to get a sew-in,'” Ross says. “I told the employee that’s not true—they just need the right products.”

Ross’s path to addressing the glaring gap in the beauty industry is far from linear. It took 11 years for her vision to take shape. While one may believe Ross’s celebrity status would’ve immediately attracted like-minded investors and automatic cosigns, that narrative isn’t part of Pattern Beauty’s origin story. “In those 11 years, I tried all different avenues to figure out how to do this,” she says. “I didn’t know how to take a dream and [turn it into products.] I had people read my pitch and tell me I should make a line of wigs instead. I had someone say to me, ‘Why you?’ and tell me I should just partner with a professional hairstylist.”

Ross’s hurdles offer a glimpse into the barriers Black entrepreneurs disproportionately face in business. Pervasive discrimination often affects our access to mentorship; information; and, most importantly, capital. However, amid these unsettling plights, Black founders like Ross find themselves leaning on their unwavering commitment to empowering their community to guide them through their most challenging days. “I heard so many ‘noes,’ and there was a lot of disappointment,” she says. “But I learned how to let a ‘no’ teach me something and keep me on my course.”

For Ross, the pieces of the Pattern Beauty puzzle all started to come together once she aligned with brand incubator Beach House Group (home to Shay Mitchell’s Béis and Millie Bobby Brown’s Florence by Mills). Now, five years in, Pattern Beauty has more than established itself as a household name in the hair-care world. You can walk into Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Nordstrom, and Macy’s and see the joy-inducing yellow, black, and white packaging perched on the shelves. The brand has garnered praise from every beauty publication imaginable, securing Byrdie Beauty Awards for its Curl Mousse in 2024 and Detangling Nectar in 2023. And, of course, Ross and her team continue to delight consumers by bringing dynamic products and tools to market each year, donating 1% of every purchase to various nonprofits benefiting women of color.

Pattern Beauty has effortlessly escaped the stereotypes attached to celebrity brands because of its authentic commitment to innovation and impact. In other words, Pattern Beauty’s work speaks for itself, as opposed to Ross always having to speak for the brand. “We’re not a celebrity brand,” Ross says. “Yes, we’re a brand, and I am the CEO and founder, but this isn’t a licensing agreement. It’s my baby, but this brand isn’t about me. It’s about offering resources and products to the community.” 

Ross has been adamant about using Pattern Beauty as a vehicle for communal change from the start—from implementing give-back programs to partnering with historically Black colleges and universities. “I feel very responsible to my community,” Ross says. “If I am in a room, it’s important that I open that space up to more than just me. I want to join the chorus of people making the world safer so we can all be who we are.”

In building a socially driven brand, assembling a like-minded, forward-thinking team to help you meet your goals is nonnegotiable. Pattern Beauty’s leadership team comprises prolific Black women—Christiane Pendarvis signed on as Co-CEO in October 2023 after helming Savage x Fenty; Ni’Kita Durham-Wilson entered the organization as vice president of product development in December 2023 after leading the team at Ouai; and Tiffani D. Carter joined as chief marketing officer in May 2024, coming from Danessa Myricks Beauty.

“To look around and see a team of people who now see Pattern as part of their dream as well is incredibly moving,” Ross says. “I’ve built such a beautiful team of people who each have their own expertise. Even though I’m the CEO, I like to hear what everybody else has to say. I don’t know everything, and don’t pretend to know everything.”

Though Ross came to the table with foundational business savvy, being CEO has required her to surrender to being a student. “Initially, I didn’t have a total grasp on the language used when dealing with product development, marketing, and branding,” she says. “Now, I can say what I mean very quickly and easily. I’ve become a savvy CEO and founder.”

While growing as a leader, Ross has continued to soar as an actress. For the first few years of the brand’s existence, she juggled her Pattern Beauty projects with her on-screen responsibilities for Black-ish. From 2014 to 2022, Ross played Rainbow “Bow” Johnson, an accomplished doctor, mother, and wife, on the hit ABC series. Her standout performance culminated in those pinch-me moments every actor dreams of, like winning a Golden Globe Award and being nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards. “I’m so proud of the work I’ve done,” Ross says. “I did 16 years of television between Girlfriends and Black-ish, and it was really good, high-quality television. Girlfriends and Black-ish are two special shows that will live on in the zeitgeist of television.”

Ross will be the first to admit that she thrives in front of the camera; she’ll also tell you that filming a show while scaling a multimillion-dollar company is a laborious task. She says that having time away from television has allowed her to fully immerse herself in building her business, pointing out that this is the first year in her decades-long career that she hasn’t done much acting.

After spending two years away from television studio lots, it’s impossible not to ask Ross, “Would you ever return to the small screen?” Her answer: Yes… with some caveats. “With Girlfriends and Black-ish, we shot eight months out the year and did about 24 episodes each season on both of those shows,” she shares. “I don’t know that I’d do that again, but I’d love to get back on TV if I can find the right project.”

As she searches for a show that aligns with her desires, the multihyphenate has turned her attention to one-off opportunities, like films. Following Black-ish, Ross starred in three movies in 2023: thriller Cold Copy, comedy-drama American Fiction, and comedy Candy Cane Lane. Each role required her to tap into vastly different parts of herself and flex diverse acting muscles. “Cold Copy, for example, was really fun because it was the first time I played someone manipulative and evil,” she says. “That’s the fun of being an actor. You get to try on different personalities and stretch yourself creatively.” 

Ross’s penchant for creative expression also paved the way for her to start her production company, Joy Mill Entertainment. She inked a multiyear deal with ABC Signature to create broadcast, cable, and streaming content in 2020, and her company is now housed at the network’s studio. The 2022 documentary The Hair Tales marked Joy Mill Entertainment’s first release—each episode unpacked the complexities of Black hair and spotlighted stories from Black women like Oprah Winfrey and Issa Rae. The powerful inaugural project captures the essence of the stories Ross aims to tell under the entity. “As a producer, I’m looking for stories that expand how we understand ourselves and each other,” she proclaims. “I want to tell stories centered around a sense of joy and light.”

Up next, Ross is producing a Roku Original series, Tracee Travels. Anyone who knows Ross, whether in real life or through the internet, knows she’s an avid traveler. Her Instagram feed is like a digital passport, stamped with picturesque shots and videos (like her poolside “first dip” moments) of her solo jaunts across the world. The positive response she’s received from her community on her globetrotting posts sparked the idea for the forthcoming show, debuting in 2025. “There’s something really interesting about the experience of having the courage to live as who you are and seeing if you can do that out in the world,” she says. “It’s something I do on a regular basis, and I’m excited to film and share my experiences.”

In this season of her career, Ross is grateful for the opportunity to blend her passions with her work and only take on jobs that move her spirit. “I’m at a place in my life where I get to say ‘no’ to things,” she says. “I never thought I would get here. It’s exciting to be able to choose what I want to do.”

While being able to cherry-pick roles may be a new reality, it’s a benefit that Ross has worked diligently for decades to reap. She began envisioning the life she wanted as a child and set out to make it happen as a teen, weaving through a tenure as a model and fashion intern (at Mirabella and New York magazine) before finding her footing in entertainment. 

“I didn’t know I wanted to be an actor initially,” she says. “As a kid, I wanted to be like my mom [Diana Ross]. I wanted to be a lady on stage in a sparkly dress. In high school, I started modeling. It wasn’t quite for me, but my mom says it helped me find myself; it was the first time I got to be myself in front of people and have a captive audience. During college [at Brown University], I discovered acting; it was the first time I felt all of me come to life. I haven’t stopped acting since.” 

It’s been 28 years since Ross made her screen debut in the independent drama Far Harbor, and this October, she’ll celebrate her 52nd birthday. While ageism still runs rampant in Hollywood (and society at large), women like Ross are living proof that age is just a number. “We live in a culture obsessed with youth,” she says. “I have to say, I’m obsessed with growing up. The sense of maturity that you gain is sexy.”

Getting older has made Ross wiser and more confident without question. Her enhanced self-possession is boldly evident in how she shows up online and on camera; however, Ross notices her evolution most in the littlest moments throughout her day-to-day life. “Being frank, I think I’m sexier than I’ve ever been,” she says. “That’s not to say that my tummy is as tight as it once was, but my sense of self is so present in a way that I couldn’t have even grasped when I was younger. I couldn’t imagine having some of the conversations I now have. Being able to deliver on my promises, being accountable for who I am, and showing up in the lives of others are things I’ve learned to do over time. Having that sense of self is beautiful and is something I learned from older women.” 

Amid the ever-growing demands of life, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and not recognize how much you’ve matured, personally and professionally. When Ross entered her fifth decade on Earth, it encouraged her to pause and take a full self-inventory. “I’m in a real transition,” she says. “It’s challenging from a physical perspective and wonderful from an emotional and spiritual perspective. There’s a genuine sense of being a grown-up now.” 

The grown-up version of Ross is also not afraid to give herself her flowers, rightfully so. “I’ve always been about the work,” she says. “I work hard because I care about what I do. Up until I turned 50, my head was down doing the work. At 50, I looked back and realized I’ve done a lot of things. And there’s still a lot more for me to do.”

What does “more” mean to Ross? It’s a question she’s undoubtedly spent time meditating on. “One of the things I learned about myself early on is that I manifest quickly,” she says. “So, I am very specific about my words and what I want.”

As a founder, her wishes for Pattern Beauty’s future are crystal clear. “I hope we continue to be an expansive beauty company that not only celebrates Black beauty but also continues to support Black organizations and women of color,” she says. 

As an actress, Ross itches to get back on camera, telling me she wants to do another thriller. “It’s not easy to get things made these days,” she says. “Between the pandemic and the strike, the industry is trying to make sense of it all. But there’s so much wonderful material out there, and I’m sure the right opportunity will come.”

As an individual, Ross looks forward to continuing to discover herself. “I dream of being more myself, continuing to enjoy my life, and breathing deeply and fully into this next chapter.” With that, she’s also open to inviting new possibilities into her life. “I am dreaming about partnership and what that might be,” she says. “I want something that will be additive to [my life.] I’m pretty much a unicorn, and I’m looking for another unicorn.” 

Ross’s ability to recognize and celebrate herself is precisely what makes her a muse. While she is most often lauded for being an award-winning actress, trend-setting hair chameleon, and couture connoisseur, it’s how Ross moves through the world with unabashed authenticity and assurance that inspires most of all. Her individuality and ingenuity permeate everything she touches—from Pattern Beauty to her production company. There’s no other way to sum it up: Tracee Ellis Ross is and will always be a shining example of pure joy personified.