Tracee Ellis Ross asks if Leno, Letterman snub was racism

Actress Tracee Ellis Ross says her hit sitcom “Girlfriends” was shut out of late-night television during its eight-season run, and she isn’t sure why — other than the possibility that race played a role.

Ms. Ross made the comments on Trevor Noah’s “What Now?” podcast, recalling that “Girlfriends,” which aired from 2000 to 2008 and starred Ms. Ross alongside Golden Brooks, Persia White and Jill Marie Jones, never landed a single guest appearance on “The Tonight Show” or David Letterman’s program despite strong ratings. The show earned just one Emmy Award nomination in its run, for outstanding cinematography.

Ms. Ross recounted that Jay Leno’s team once responded to her show’s popularity by saying, “We love Tracee. Call us when she gets something.” She said she never understood the remark, since “Girlfriends” was already a ratings success at the time.

She contrasted her experience with that of Tony Shalhoub’s USA Network comedy “Monk,” which she said drew a fraction of her show’s audience yet regularly booked late-night appearances. That gap, she told Mr. Noah, left her with one uncomfortable conclusion about why the doors stayed closed.

Ms. Ross has since received six Emmy nominations for “Black-ish,” including five for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series. She reunited with her “Girlfriends” castmates for a crossover episode of “Black-ish” in 2019 and again earlier this year when they turned out to support her Broadway debut, according to TheGrio.