Tracee Ellis Ross’ mom, Diana Ross, fostered tight bonds between her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.

“It was very clear to me that I was wanted before I got here. To my siblings too — and we’re a very bonded group still,” the black-ish star told The Standard in 2021.

The Candy Cane Lane actress credits her famous mother with fostering a tight-knight bond between her and her brothers and sisters, which is still apparent to this day. The siblings often spend holidays together, and Tracee has thrived in her role as an aunt to her nieces and nephews.

Tracee has two sisters and two brothersEvan Ross, Tracee Ellis Ross, Chudney Ross, Rhonda Ross Kendrick and Ross Naess.

She also has three step-siblings from her mother’s previous marriageTracee Ellis Ross hugging her stepsister Leona Naess.

Rhonda found out about her biological father when she was almost 13Diana Ross, Berry Gordy and Rhonda Ross Kendrick pose in the press room at the 2017 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California.

Tracee and her siblings were raised in New York and ConnecticutDiana Ross with daughters Chudney Ross, Tracee Ellis Ross and Rhonda Ross circa 1976 in New York City.

While Diana shared in Secrets of a Sparrow that it was a tumultuous time for her, her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren helped her decide to stay in New York. The “Chain Reaction” vocalist was excited to see her kids making “incredible progress” at their new school.

Diana tried to give her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren a normal upbringingRhonda Ross, Diana Ross, Tracee Ellis Ross, Berry Gordy, Evan Naess and Ross Naess at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.

“She’d do a gig in Atlantic City and helicopter back and forth to be there in the mornings to get us off to school,” she told the New York Post in 2015. “My grandmother was around till I was 13, so we had that support, but my mother didn’t work on Christmas, New Year’s or any of our 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡days.”

“My mom always joked: ‘I’m not leaving you guys any of this money. I made this money for me! I’ll make sure there’s a roof over your head. You can have health insurance and food. But other than that … ’ ” Tracee shared with The Guardian in 2020.

The Candy Cane Land star revealed she worked as a salesperson at Ralph Lauren in high school. “There was a commitment on her part to a normalcy that I have taken into my adult life,” she added.

Rhonda and Evan are also entertainersEvan Ross attends the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in October 2022 in Los Angeles, California. ; Rhonda Ross Kendrick attends the Byron Allen’s 5th Annual Oscar Gala 2023 Benefiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Like Tracee, both Rhonda and Evan have pursued careers in the entertainment industry. Rhonda started as a teenager in the ’80s, first appearing in The Last Dragon. She also starred in several other films and TV shows, including the soap opera Another World — for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 1998.

Rhonda then followed in her mother’s footsteps as a talented singer and songwriter, using her music to question the “constructions of race, gender, 𝓈ℯ𝓍uality and spirituality,” per a bio. In 2004, she released a live album with her husband, pianist Rodney Kendrick and in 2016, she unveiled her debut studio album, In Case You Didn’t Know.

Apart from collaborating with Diana on the song “All Is Well,” she was tapped as an opening act for her on tour. Speaking with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Rhonda said she was “very moved” by her mom’s request because it meant that “she respects [my s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s] and she feels that it’s a good companion to what she is doing and I agree.”

Evan has also pursued his own music career, releasing several solo singles throughout the years as well as a collaborative 2018 EP with his wife Ashlee Simpson under the duo name Ashlee + Evan. He has also succeeded as an actor with credits in shows and movies, including ATL, Girlfriends, The CW’s 90210, The Hunger Games and The United States vs. Billie Holiday.

Chudney owns a bookstore in CaliforniaChudney Ross attends the Byron Allen’s 5th Annual Oscar Gala 2023 Benefiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

While the Books and Cookies storefront in Santa Monica, California, has since closed, the business continues to operate online. Chudney also published her own 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren’s book titled Lone Bean in 2012.

Ross and Evan own restaurants around Los AngelesEvan Ross and Ross Naess attend Art with a Cause on July 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

“I don’t know if I would call myself a restaurateur or even if I am inspired to become one. I love being around people in a social environment. Even when I was young, I loved getting dressed up and going out, especially to dinner,” Evan told Food & Beverage Magazine. “I embrace the energy, and when I was young, I got involved with clubs [Warwick]. I am enjoying being a part of these two restaurants.”

Diana inspired all of her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren to be individualsDiana Ross accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to her by her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren Chudney Ross, Evan Ross, Rhonda Ross, Tracee Ellis Ross and Ross Naess, during the 2007 BET Awards.

“My mom made it very easy for us to express ourselves,” Evan shared on the Not So Hollywood podcast in 2023. “There was no bad ideas. She wanted us to be creative and always gave us that confidence.”

Tracee is an aunt to her siblings’ 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥renTracee Ellis Ross poses with her family.

“I love being an aunt. I am an aunt to my nieces and nephews,” Tracee said on NPR’s It’s Been A Minute. “It is a role that I love that I just cherish, that allows for deep connection and also a real sort of playfulness.”