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Tracee Ellis Ross is opening up about her friendship with Michelle Obama, revealing that she refuses to call the former First Lady by her first name.
The 49-year-old actress talked with Jimmy Fallon about her experience filming the eight and final season of ‘Black-ish,’ which includes a special cameo of Michelle on the popular show.
And while Tracee and Michelle have become great friends, the Hollywood star says she still calls her Mrs. Obama, even though Michelle has repeatedly asked her to call her by her first name.
“I was raised in the generation where your teachers and your friends‘ parents are Mr and Mrs. So, in public she’s Mrs Obama, former First Lady. There’s no question. I was calling her that also as my friend,“ Tracee confessed.
Adding that Michelle said to her, “‘Seriously, this has to stop.’ And I was like, ’O.K. Mrs Obama.‘I curtsied as I did it. We were doing a conversation for the United States of Women and in front of the audience, she was like, ‘Seriously, you have to call me Michelle.‘”
The actress also says she got very emotional when she was preparing to film the last episodes of the show, declaring she was a “mess” after spending a lot of time with the cast throughout eight seasons.
“You spend so much time with everybody. It’s your family. I spent more time pretending I was married to Anthony than not. You’re with them from five o’clock in the morning until late at night,” she continued, “I feel like there were two things that helped me remember the time was passing: the kids growing up and Anthony’s facial hair. By the end, he was like ZZ Top!”