For "black-ish's" Emmy-nominated star, Tracee Ellis Ross, everything could be coming up gold-ish on September 18th.

Currently in contention to take home the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her turn as the sitcom's surgeon/wife/mom Bow Johnson, the actress -- a longtime TV favorite since her stint on "Girlfriends" -- recently revealed a juicy smattering of insider info, including the first person she called after learning of her Emmy nod (if you were guessing her mom, pop music icon Diana Ross, you'd be correct), her thoughts on playing Bow's surprise pregnancy, and soaking in watching her TV kids grow up on set.

Who did you call when you found out you got the Emmy nomination?

Tracee Ellis Ross: I called my mom. Well, let me say the first thing I did was I ran around the dining room table. Then I opened my front door, ran outside, and was standing in the courtyard of my house. And I, out loud, said, "Wait -- where am I going? No, call someone! Call someone!" I just got really excited.

We screamed for a little bit. It was really cute.

Some shows just, all of a sudden, get locked into the pop-culture consciousness. Why do you think that is with "black-ish"?

I think it has a combination -- it's connected to all the things happening. A combination of what's happening in our country right now. This idea of family comedy, I think, is very important. I think people had to warm back up to the idea of it.

We'd been doing reality television for so long -- and sort of salacious television -- that I think people kind of had to warm back up to the idea of a family comedy to sit down with your family. And I think that kind of happened. And I also think that the longer that we're together, the better -- it's the day-old chili. Wine gets better over time. I think we're just sort of finding it in a way that only happens over time.

What do you still like about Bow?

Oh, there's so much I still like about her. She is a woman that's representing what so many women are doing out in the world right now, having careers and lives -- and not just right now. Honestly, that we've been doing for so many years.

And I love that this character is not just a reflection of her husband, that she really has a full life. And that she's not overwhelmed by her life but instead, excited by it. So that's a lot of what I love about her.

How do you think this pregnancy is going to affect her?

I'm not really sure. We've come back right at the exact -- sort of next week kind of thing. So I think we'll get to see how that unfolds, which I'm excited about.

I think there's a lot to explore in that area ... having this mirroring effect of how women are getting pregnant at older and older ages, and that it's no longer the 27-year-old pregnancy that is the norm. It's sort of across the spectrum. So I'm happy to reflecting that.

How did you know you were going to be pregnant?

I saw it in a script. I was like, "Okay!" I was really excited. I mean, honestly, I love the way it unfolded. I love that it was sort of not like this thing that we were trying all season. It was sort of this unexpected gift. And that moment that it was revealed at the end of that episode was really, really special. It was such a lovely moment between Dre and Bow looking at the stock of their life together and how this is just another extension of that.

Have you tried on any prosthetics for the tummy?

I have not. I'm hoping I can just have a really gluten lunch and just eat a lot and just let it stick out. I won't have to suck anything in.

You've shown a very motherly attitude toward the kids in your cast as well.

It's not just wonderful watching them grow up -- it's actually really a wonderful experience working with them. They're really wonderful people. And they all have these wonderful, beautiful personalities that add so much to our job.

And there's only so bad a day can be when you have kids on set. I mean, the greetings that you get in the morning. The goodbyes at the end of a day, it's just very special. And they're also just very special people.

How did your mom parent you?

My mom, she is such a supportive mom. She was the one that like when we came home from school, if you told her a grade or whatever, she would like, " But did you do your best? If you did your best, and you're happy with it, then we're good." So that's always the way my mom parented. I will tell you that my mom is really big on laughing, and she loves comedies.