Diana Ross’ family members were the true stars of her jaw-dropping Met Gala 2025 gown.
The “Queen of Motown” turned heads on the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in May 2025 by wearing an 18-foot long white shawl that was embroidered with the names of her five children and eight grandchildren. The concept for the garment was developed by designer Ugo Mozie and Diana’s youngest son, Evan Ross, who accompanied her to the Met Gala.
“Evan is very creative, and he is a fashionista! Evan is very good friends with Ugo Mozie, the designer,” she told People in 2025. “He wanted me to be able to tell my own story with my adult children and grandkids’ names embroidered on the cloak. It was a monumental love fest. And it seemed to have been an ideal look for the Met Gala.”
Family remains central to the music icon’s life. Throughout the years, Diana has been married twice — to music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein from 1971 to 1977 and later to the late businessman Arne Næss Jr. from 1986 to 2000 — and frequently put her five children ahead of the demands of stardom.
Diana Ross’ Met Gala 2025 gown. Savion Washington/Getty Images
Keep scrolling for more information about Diana’s family.
Berry Gordy
The Motown Records founder had a crucial role in crafting The Supremes’ rise to fame in the 1960s. He pushed Diana Ross as the frontwoman and even later changed the group’s name to Diana Ross and The Supremes.
Along the way, Berry and Diana had a torrid romantic relationship. The record executive described Diana as “the great star of my life” during a 2013 interview on CBS Mornings.
“That first night, I tried to make love to her and it didn’t happen. And that was like the most embarrassing thing of my life,” he remembered. “When you think of someone as a princess, the queen of your life, your mind plays tricks on you. And, of course, she made a joke out of it … It’s like: ‘Well, you could look at it this way: At least you have power over everything else.’”
The Supremes singer opened up to People in 1977 about the way her personal and professional relationships with Berry were intertwined.
“[Berry] did it all for me,” Diana said. “He was father, mother, brother, sister, lover.”
Diana became pregnant with Berry’s child around the time they split in late 1970. Diana soon married her first husband, Robert Ellis Silberstein, and Silberstein raised the baby, Rhonda Ross Kendrick, as his own. (Rhonda learned that Berry was her biological father when she turned 13.)
Robert Ellis Silberstein
Diana Ross tied the knot with music executive Robert “Bob” Ellis Silberstein in Las Vegas in 1971, while pregnant with Berry Gordy’s child. They went on to share two more daughters: Tracee Ellis Ross, born in October 1972, and Chudney Ross, born in November 1975.
The couple went through a high-profile split in the late 1970s, with Bob publicly accusing Berry Gordy of exerting undue control over Diana’s career and private life.
Diana Ross with her husband, music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein, in September 1973. Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
“My wife belongs to that company [Motown],” he complained to People. “She’s totally dominated by a man [Berry Gordy] who never read a book in his life.”
Diana shut down her husband’s criticism of Motown, telling the publication, “I wanted [the relationship] that way. It was safe.”
Berry did not respond at the time.
Gene Simmons
Diana Ross and Kiss frontman Gene Simmons were introduced by the rocker’s then-girlfriend Cher in the late 1970s. In his 2002 memoir Kiss and Make-Up, Gene revealed that Cher suggested he get together with Diana to shop for Christmas presents one year.
“I remember coming in and immediately thinking two things about [Diana]: first, that she was very sensual, and second, that she was in firm control of her career,” Simmons explained. “While we were talking, she made me coffee, and then she offered me a piece of chocolate cake. This isn’t a euphemism. I inhaled it so quickly that she offered me a second piece, and that one went away too.”
Gene insisted that he was “not sure that either of us had any hidden agenda” but they both quickly realized “something was happening.” According to Gene, Cher remained friendly with both when he broke up with her for Diana.
“She’s turned into our biggest fan,” Simmons claimed.
Gene and Diana were together throughout the early 1980s. Their relationship came to an end in 1984 when the Kiss singer met Playboy Playmate Shannon Tweed at a party. Speaking to The Los Angeles Times in June 2011, Gene said that he quickly told Diana about his feelings for the model — only to discover a shocking family connection between his new girlfriend and his most recent ex.
“Within three weeks, I was shocked to find out that Shannon Tweed is in some ways Diana Ross’ sister-in-law,” he said. “Because unbeknownst to me, Shannon’s sister, Tracy, was actually married to Chico Ross, Diana’s brother. If God and the fates have a sense of humor, that’s pretty bizarre.”
Gene and Shannon got married in 2011. They share two children: Nick, born in January 1989, and Sophie, born in July 1992.
Arne Næss Jr.
Diana Ross and her second husband, Norwegian businessman Arne Naess Jr., were married in a civil ceremony in New York City in 1986. They later had a wedding reception in Romainmotier, Switzerland, on February 1, 1986.
Diana became a stepmother to Arne’s three children from a previous relationship: Katinka, Christoffer and singer Leona Naess. The couple welcomed two sons of their own during their 14-year marriage: Ross Arne Næss, born in October 1987, and Evan Olav Næss Ross, born in August 1988.
Diana’s spokesman Paul Bloch announced to The Los Angeles Times in May 1999 that they’d separated after 13 years of marriage.
“[Arne and Diana] stated that they will remain great friends and their main and only concern is the welfare of their two sons, Ross, 11, and Evan, 10,” her representative said.
Arne, an accomplished mountaineer, died at age 66 in South Africa in January 2004 after he suffered a catastrophic 320-foot fall while climbing the Groot Drakenstein mountains, The Los Angeles Times reported at the time. Diana eulogized her ex-husband in a TV interview shortly after Arne’s death.
“I will truly miss him … but he’s always there for me because I look at my sons and I see him,” she told Norwegian TV. “My sons have his body. I see his ski-jump of a nose. He’s there in them, and they have his spirit.”
Rhonda Ross Kendrick
While Rhonda Ross Kendrick’s biological father was music executive Berry Gordy, she was raised by Diana Ross’ first husband, Robert “Bob” Ellis Silberstein. Bob and Diana tied the knot when she was two months pregnant with Rhonda, who arrived on August 14, 1971.
Rhonda confirmed to The New York Post in 2015 that she didn’t learn the truth about her biological father until she was 13.
“The bottom line was, I looked just like [Gordy], and my sisters looked just like their father, a 6-foot-tall Jewish-American man,” she recalled.
Rhonda said she felt some level of comfort after learning the truth because her siblings always looked on Berry as an “uncle.”
All aboard! One of the trends at the 2025 Met Gala that got Us talking was the dramatic, very long, supersized trains. Diana Ross, Serena Williams, Shakira and more stars took over the blue carpet with their billowing trains at the Monday, May 5, event, which was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in […]
“I’d meet fans on the street who’d say, ‘Oh child, we knew you were Berry Gordy’s daughter — you look just like him,’” she joked to the Post.
In that same interview, Rhonda spoke about her mother’s dedication to her children at the height of her stardom.
“We were not raised by nannies,” Rhonda said. “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. 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.”
Much like her mother, Rhonda is a talented musician and actress who earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for playing Toni Burrell on NBC soap Another World.
She married jazz musician Rodney Kendrick in 1997. They share a son, Raif-Henok Emmanuel Kendrick, who was born in 2009.
Tracee Ellis Ross
Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein’s oldest biological daughter together was Tracee Ellis Ross. The future Black-ish star was born on October 29, 1972.
Speaking to Flaunt Magazine in 2023, Tracee explained that there were “certain unique things” that came with being Diana’s daughter even though her mother was never a “partier.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Michael Jackson was around,” Tracee reflected. “Marvin Gaye called the house all the time. Cher and my dad and my mom and Michael played doubles tennis. Andy Warhol photographed me. You know what I mean?”
She added, “All of that stuff was just a part of my life. But at the same time, the feelings and the experiences and the way my mother created home life for us was very ‘normal.’”
Tracee became a household name all on her own for playing Joan Carol Clayton in 172 episodes of the classic sitcom Girlfriends before landing a leading role as Dr. Rainbow Johnson on Black-ish. She has received four Emmy nominations throughout her career.
Ashlee Simpson, Evan Ross, Diana Ross, and Tracee Ellis Ross in February 2019. EAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty Images
She opened up to Glamour in 2018 about her decision to prioritize her career over getting married or starting a family.
“It’s really interesting to be a woman and to get to 45 and not be married and not have kids,” she said at the time. “I’m a good friend, a solid daughter, a hard worker, my credit is good, I take out the garbage before it gets smelly, I recycle, and I won a Golden Globe!’
Chudney Ross
Diana Ross and Robert Ellis Silberstein welcomed their third daughter, Chudney Lane Silberstein, on November 4, 1975.
According to her LinkedIn, Chudney received an English and fine arts degree from Georgetown University and was also on the school’s rowing team. She later taught elementary school and opened the Santa Monica, California, bookstore Books and Cookies.
Us Weekly reported that Chudney and her longtime partner, Joshua Faulkner, welcomed daughter Callaway Lane in 2012.
“We are so excited to welcome Callaway Lane to the world!,” Chudney later announced via Facebook. “She was born on September 19, 2012, at 6:40pm and weighs 7 lbs 8 oz!”
Inside Wedding revealed in 2015 that Diana helped Chudney and Joshua plan their destination wedding in Maui.
“My mom loves a fun project having to do with her children,” Chudney told the publication.
Ross Naess
Ross Arne Naess was born on October 7, 1987, just one year after Diana Ross married her second husband, Arne Næss Jr.
Ross got engaged to his longtime partner Kimberly Ryan less than two months before they welcomed their son, Leif Naess, on June 5, 2016. Their younger son, Indigo Naess, was born in August 2017.
Harper’s Bazaar confirmed that Diana officiated Ross and Kimberly’s wedding at Rancho Dos Pueblos in Santa Barbara, California, on June 10, 2017.
Ross produced the 2014 horror thriller Acid Girls.
Evan Ross
Arne Næss Jr. and Diana Ross’ youngest son, Evan, was born August 26, 1988.
He opened up to Larry King in 2018 about the way his father’s death in a rock climbing accident in 2004 had a profound impact on his life.
“I haven’t climbed since [he died]. My father died [rock] climbing in South Africa,” he explained. “He was a climber. He climbed all the seven peaks of Mount Everest … I used to climb with him … but I haven’t climbed since his passing.”
Evan ultimately returned to rock climbing while filming his reality show that same year.
During an appearance on the “Hollywood Unlocked” podcast in 2024, Evan discussed the pressures of living up to his mother’s legacy in entertainment.
“I think now, in the industry, being conscious of what you say and, in general, I’ve watched somebody who’s done it so amazingly and has really built such an incredible career that you have to be conscious of it,” he noted. “I think, a lot of times, there’s a pressure there.”
Ashlee Simpson and her husband, Evan Ross, made a rare red carpet appearance with all three kids. The couple attended the Inside Out 2 premiere at El Capitan Theatre on Monday, June 10, in Hollywood, California, accompanied by daughters Jagger, 8, and Ziggy, 3. Bronx, 15, whom Simpson, 39, shares with ex-husband, Pete Wentz, was […]
Evan further explained, “You can’t just decide to do whatever you want. You can — but you also have to do it in a way that you feel is going to be good for your family and everything.”
He started acting as a teenager with memorable movie roles in ATL and Pride before landing a recurring role on the TV reboot of 90210 and later playing Messalla in both Hunger Games: Mockingjay films. Evan has also pursued music, including releasing the 2018 EP Ashlee + Evan with his wife, Ashlee Simpson.
He married Simpson in August 2014. They share a daughter, Jagger Snow Ross, born in July 2015, and a son, Ziggy Blu Ross, born in October 2020. (Ashlee also shares an older son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, born in November 2008, with her ex-husband, Pete Wentz.)
