Tracee Ellis Ross Gets Candid About ‘Girlfriends’ Reboot Potential: ‘I Genuinely Don’t Think It’s Ever Going To Happen At This Point’

Tracee Ellis Ross is shutting down rumors about a possible Girlfriends reboot. Ross, who played Joan on the popular UPN show, addressed the rumors during a recent interview with Vibe.

“The cast has always wanted to do it, but I’ll be honest with you, the ship has sailed,” Ross told VIBE. “I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. I think it would be a miracle.”

The rumors started when Persia White, who played the role of Lynn on Girlfriends, hinted that the show may come back. White went to Instagram in February and shared a clip that sparked some chatter among fans. The video showed White and her husband walking near the Paramount Pictures lot in Los Angeles, which is the same place where they filmed Girlfriends. White also told her followers that she recently met with Kelsey Grammer, who executive produced Girlfriends.

“Hello Girlfriends! Just got out of a meeting with KELSEY GRAMMER on the Paramount Pictures lot! Good thing are brewing,” White wrote on Instagram.

After speculations circulated for weeks following White’s post, Ross is now saying that the cast members are at different points of their lives at this moment and they don’t have any plans of coming back together.

“We have a thread of me and the girls and we text all the time; we talk about it, but I think we’re all at different places in our lives and our careers now,” Ross said. “I think there was a point 10 years ago and then when they [Girlfriends cast] came on Blackish — we were all game, but we couldn’t get the powers that be to get on board.”

Ross said the situation is pretty much out of her control even though she would like to see the show return.

“We’ve tried numerous times as a cast to make it happen, but unfortunately, we don’t own the rights to the show,” she said. “We are not the producers. We are not Mara Brock Akil, CBS Paramount, or whoever the people are that own the show. Golden, Persia, Jill, Reggie, and I have been game; we’ve all talked about it — but I genuinely don’t think it’s ever going to happen at this point.”

The 51-year-old star added that she is as heartbroken as the fans who want to see the show return, but she has accepted the fact that Girlfriends is not coming back.

“The truth is, I think we have been broken-hearted in the past, but now we are past being broken-hearted,” she said. “We’re so happy that the audience still loves the show, and still wants it, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen.”

As Blavity reported, Kelsey Grammer expressed his desire to reboot Girlfriends when he spoke with Deadline in November 2023.

“I would love to reboot Girlfriends and I would love to see Tracee [Ellis Ross] in that role again, he said at the time. “She was terrific in that. The show was a wonderful opportunity to see all those young women start out. It’s such a beautiful ensemble effort and I was very proud to be connected to that.”

Girlfriends premiered in 2000 and wrapped up in 2008 after eight seasons. The popular sitcom revolved around the lives of four Black women in Los Angeles. The entertaining storylines delivered humor whilst bringing attention to issues like dating, racism and inequality.

In 2009, Ross won a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. Girlfriends took home a BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2005. That same year, Ross won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.