Ross is the daughter of actress and Motown recording artist Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein. She began acting in independent films and variety series. She hosted the pop-culture magazine "The Dish" on Lifetime. From 2000 to 2008, she played the starring role of Joan Clayton in the UPN/CW comedy series "Girlfriends", for which she received two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. She also has appeared in the films "Hanging Up" (2000), "I-See-You.Com" (2006), and "Daddy's Little Girls" (2007), before returning to television playing Dr. Carla Reed on the BET sitcom "Reed Between the Lines" (2011), for which she received her third NAACP Image Award.