The #TimesUp movement is bringing closed-door conversations to the forefront not just about sexual harassment, but also about gender pay disparity.
In a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, a recent #TimesUp meeting among actresses revealed that Tracee Ellis Ross is making significantly less than her male co-star Anthony Anderson for her role on ‘black-ish.’
via THR:
According to a source who attended, the Wahlberg-Williams discrepancy was discussed at length, as was Tracee Ellis Ross getting paid significantly less than her Black-ish co-star Anthony Anderson.
With negotiations for the fifth season ongoing, sources say Ellis Ross feels that if she isn’t brought up to Anderson’s level, she may opt to appear in fewer episodes to make up the disparity by guesting on another show. The tactic has split opinions within Time’s Up, with some worried that it’s more a retreat than a forward-looking solution (fitting in extra work isn’t always feasible, and often an actress wouldn’t earn as much guesting as she would as a network star). A network source says a new deal will significantly increase her compensation and cautioned that Anderson and Ellis Ross’ roles aren’t equal given that he has been attached to Black-ish from the start and is an executive producer. Still, until a few weeks ago, this type of candid conversation would never have taken place outside an actress’ agency.
Let’s be honest — Tracee is a major draw for the ‘black-ish’ audience. While both Anthony and Tracee have been nominated for multiple Emmys and Golden Globes for their work on the show, Tracee actually won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017.
