Issa Rae has never shied away from championing Black voices and projects in Hollywood. But according to her, things are much trickier now than they used to be thanks to society’s sudden aversion to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
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The “Insecure” creator essentially said as much during a recent conversation for The Wrap’s CreatorsxHollywood Summit, where she spoke out against Hollywood’s “blatant” rollbacks in support of diverse TV shows and movies—despite the numbers showing that they perform well. Explaining how she’s seeing it in the executive rooms, Rae chalked it up to the demonization of the word “DEI” in today’s climate.
“I’m seeing it. Just blatantly. People are scared and…not necessarily investing in the same way that they would’ve before. Even executives who are of color are also like, tiptoeing, ‘well I can’t cosign you ’cause I’ma lose my job,’” Rae said. “And that’s scary to see and sad to see because [DEI] is kinda like a bad word now…It’s changed meanings and has become a bad word.”
Despite the unfortunate scenario now, Rae was adamant that it’s not affecting nor changing what she or her production company is setting out to do and maintained that she’ll continue to tell stories for and prioritize a diverse audiences. She then let on the trick she’s using now to push those projects forward, revealing that you have to shift from the demographic to a broader selling point.
“You have to be smarter about how you package and market [projects]. You tell them, ‘It’s not a show about a Black woman, it’s a show about class.’ As icky as that might feel, it gets the show sold,” Rae said.
Once people onlone got wind of her comments, they couldn’t help but express their concerns, too.
“She’s said what we’ve been saying out loud already since 2021 but yeah. This is where we are at and why so many folks are doing stuff independently,” wrote one user on X/Twitter.
Another commentator added, “This is actually the truth across many industries and speaks to how racism is so pervasive and how language is extremely powerful.”
“Honestly, they need to be hit with a lawsuit because we shouldn’t have to keep jumping through hoops to have our stories told,” one other user wrote.
Added another: “Sad times we’re living in that people of color have to jump through loopholes to get things made because the evil racist are ruining everything cause they only want themselves on screen.”
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