Tracee Ellis Ross has a hilarious reason that she used to hate her Black-ish co-star Anthony Anderson. The two lead the cast of the acclaimed ABC sitcom as Dre and Bow Johnson. Black-ish also features big names like Yara Shahidi, Jenifer Lewis, and Laurence Fishburne. It focuses on Dre and Bow's family, as well as their jobs as an advertising executive and anesthesiologist, respectively.
Black-ish has been a total success for ABC in its seven seasons. It's been nominated for and won several major awards since its premiere in 2014. It's also inspired the spinoffs Grown-ish, which follows Shahidi's character Zoey to college, and Mixed-ish, a prequel focused on Bow's childhood. Though Mixed-ish was cancelled in May 2021 after two seasons on ABC, Grown-ish is currently airing season 4 on Freeform. Grown-ish will likely soon be the only show set in the universe established by creator Kenya Barris, as Black-ish is set to end with season 8.
As the beloved series nears its conclusion, it makes sense some of its stars are looking back. Appearing on EW's The Awardist podcast, Ross and Anderson discussed their relationship prior to working together on Black-ish. Ross admitted, "I hated him," explaining it came down to a co-hosting gig the two took on in 2005, where Anderson "did something while we were working, I thought it was totally inappropriate!" Anderson shared, "I made a fart joke!," with Rose elaborating, "You made a fart joke at my expense on stage!" She went on to say:
I was like, 'Not appropriate! I don't know you that well! What are you thinking?' And I held this resentment forever... And now, look — I love this man! This man is like the best TV husband ever.
Considering the great chemistry and comedic energy Ross and Anderson display on Black-ish, it's interesting to hear Ross wasn't always sold on her future co-star. The two have not only gone on to work together well but have formed one of the most beloved and realistic couples on TV. It's for the best that Ross was able to forgive Anderson enough to collaborate again on Black-ish. They've both been integral to the show's success, to the point where it's impossible to imagine someone else playing their characters.
It will be interesting to see what season 8 has in store for Bow and Dre. Being that it is a family sitcom, it seems likely the two will end the series in a good place, though Black-ish hasn't been afraid to tackle tough dynamics between them in the past. Ross and Anderson will have their pick of projects to choose from after the show ends, but hopefully they find time to work together again at some point in the future. However, it might be best for them to avoid co-hosting awards shows for the time being.
Source: EW's The Awardist