Why Tracee Ellis Ross Kept Her Distance From SZA at the Met Gala

"I'm not falling for that s--t again!" the actress tells Conan O'Brien

By Zach Johnson May 11, 2018 11:25 AMTags

In head-to-toe Versace, SZA sizzled on the 2018 Met Gala red carpet. "Ashley Graham was freaking out over SZA," an eyewitness tells E! News. "It was a really funny fan girl moment. When they got to the top of the stairs, Ashley was yelling her name to get a picture together."

But Graham wasn't the only celebrity excited to see the "All the Stars" singer at the star-studded event. Tracee Ellis Ross, who turned heads in a Michael Kors gown, Loriblu heels and Repossi jewelry, made sure to get a photo with SZA inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art Monday night. But, as the black-ish actress explained on Conan Thursday, getting close to SZA proved to be more dangerous than she'd anticipated. "I love me some SZA! We took a selfie together, and I don't know if you can tell, but that beautiful headpiece she has on was so sharp on the ends. In our selfie, she caught on to a tuft of my hair. I was like, 'Oh, God!'" she said. "So, when a photographer came over to take a picture, I was like, 'I'm not falling for that s--t again!'"

Kevin Mazur/MG18/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Conan O'Brien joked, "You can see in the photo that you're desperately [backing up]."

"I was like, 'I will not lose an eye!'" Ellis Ross laughed. "'Not even for SZA!'"

"It does look like if s--t broke out and a brawl started, SZA could just start swinging her head around," O'Brien joked. "You could get behind her and she would get you through the crowd!"

"Absolutely," Ellis Ross said. "I would get on her back and we would go! We would go!"