Issa Rae Calls Out Hollywood’s "Identity Crisis" with D.E.I.
The producer/director/actor spoke about telling inclusive stories in a Hollywood that now treats diversity like “a bad word.”
Issa Rae attends the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Hollywood Palladium on February 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Kevin Mazur
Issa Rae is calling out Hollywood’s reluctance to embrace diverse voices in the wake of the backlash against D.E.I. initiatives. The actress/producer spoke to The Wrap about an industry downturn in representation both behind and in front of the camera. Reflecting on her career beginnings, she explained that she built her own digital audience with her web series, The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl, because she understood getting a Black woman-centric show on air would be a tough task in 2011.
“I started Awkward Black Girl because there was a dearth of representation in the industry, and it felt like this was my opportunity to put an archetype into the space that didn’t exist at the time,” Rae said. “And now, even after so much progress, we’re kind of back to limited representation and having to stake claim of our stories. We’re back where we started, in a way, but wiser.”
Rae noted that even executives of color have told her that they can’t bring her own for fear of losing their jobs.
“I’m seeing it. Just blatantly. People aren’t investing like they were before,” she said. “[DEI] has changed meanings and has become a bad word.”
She made it clear that her production company, Hoorae, is forever committed to telling inclusive stories.
“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,’” she explained. “As icky as that might feel, it gets the show sold.”
“I feel like Hollywood is in an identity crisis right now, and so they’ve turned to creators and social media in an attempt to try to bring them into the system,” she said. “I don’t think that that’s the right model.”
Rae says that proof of concept gets executives’ attention because they no longer want to read a spec script or discover unknown talents. She advises creators to stay focused and engage with their audiences directly, honing their storytelling voice.
“Hollywood has gotten a bit lazier in their discovery, whereas they’re not reading as much,” she said. “It’s been disheartening to see Hollywood not make the extra effort to discover other voices outside of what’s already been risen to the top as popular.”
