‘Her Body Was Perfect Before’: Tracee Ellis Ross Speaks Out About Altered Photo of Her Butt and Fans Rave Over the Actress’ Body

One asset of actress Tracee Ellis Ross became the topic of conversation on Monday, Sept. 28.

The “Black-ish” star took to her Instagram Story to address a viral image of her derrière that had gone through Photoshop and that began circulating on the web after a Twitter user shared the image on Sept. 28. The actress shared a side-by-side photo of the original image from 2015 and the 2020 altered photo. She captioned it, “my actual booty,” and “looks like someone tried to round me up to the nearest dollar.” Fans began praising Tracee after Hollywood Unlocked shared the news that someone tried to enhance her already curvy figure.

Tracee Ellis Ross addresses edits someone made to a photo of her. (Photo: Tracee Elliss Ross Story/Instagram)

One fan said, “The original is just as good as the photoshop 😭.”

“Her body was perfect before, the photoshop was unnecessary,” a second fan wrote.

A third fan gushed, “The real photo looks way better😍😍.”

“Tracee has natural cake. People’s perception of booty is warped,” a fourth fan replied.

A fifth fan raved, “Tracee definitely doesn’t need any extras. She got it!”

Tracee Ellis Ross relaxes at a picnic table as she enjoys the summer weather. (Photo:@traceellisross/Instagram)

The photo was a behind-the-scenes shot of Tracee when she and her Blackish co-star Anthony Anderson hosted the BET Awards back in 2015. She was seen wearing all-black attire. The actress wore a black latex bodysuit, with Christian Louboutin pumps and gold earrings. For makeup, she went with a more natural look with a pop of color. The 47 year old was seen rocking a red lip and winged eyeliner. She completed the look with a high-top knot bun.

This isn’t the first time the “Girlfriends” star had the internet buzzing. Back in August, Tracee had fans salivating after she posted two photos of herself in a sexy two-piece black bikini relishing the summer weather as she sits on a picnic bench. She captioned the Aug. 2 post, “Pool party! Except I don’t have a pool. And I’m too scared to have a party, Siri play “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.” She paired the look with her glowing skin and Nike Air Jordan sneakers, with her hair styled in a high bun. The photo generated more than 1 million likes and over 21,000 comments.

One thing that fans can appreciate about Tracee aside from her beautiful looks is her way of being authentic and staying true to herself.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top