Issa Rae says black stories are ‘less of a priority’ for TV bosses after two of her shows were axed – despite studios vowing to boost diversity in wake of Black Lives Matter
Issa Rae has criticized TV bosses for not doing enough to tell black stories despite studio pledges to increase diversity on screens.
The Barbie and Insecure actress, who is originally from Maryland but now lives in LA, spoke out after two shows she was working on were axed.
The 39-year-old actress, writer and producer burst onto the scene in 2010 with the YouTube series The Mis-Adventures of an Awkward Black Girl, and her star has continued to rise ever since.
However, two of the shows she has been a producer on have been canceled by TV bosses in recent weeks; Rap S***, which had a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and A Black Lady Sketch Show.
After both shows were axed, the talent hit out at networks, saying she’s ‘pessimistic’ about the future of Black stories being told on the big and small screens.
Actress, producer and writer Issa Rae (pictured) has criticized the film and television industry for its lack of diverse output
“You see very clearly now that our stories are less of a priority,” Issa shared Net-A-Porter.
Issa, the daughter of a Senegalese and American teacher, has demonstrated her commitment to sharing black stories from a young age.
During her student years at Stanford University, she founded a theater company to bring such stories to the stage.
And since founding his production company Hoorae Media, Issa has dedicated resources to crafting stories that represent the black community.
However, she said she is concerned about the number of black TV shows that are not being renewed for new seasons.
“You see so many black shows being canceled, you see so many leaders — especially on the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) side — being canceled,” she said.
After the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement that followed, TV studios pledged to rethink their hiring practices to increase diversity.
However, a study from 2023 from the University of Southern California found that many of these promises never materialized as studios still failed to produce films by people of color.
Her criticism follows HBO’s decision to ax Rap S*** (a scene from the show is pictured), which she created and produced. The show follows two estranged high school friends outside of Miami who reunite to form an all-female rap group hoping to make it in the music industry
The study found that in 2022, the number of films with protagonists from ethnic minority backgrounds had dropped from 2021 to just 31, compared to 37 the previous year.
“I’m pessimistic because there’s nobody holding anybody accountable,” Issa said of the lack of progress.
She continued: ‘And of course I can, but also at what cost? I can’t force you to do my things’.
Issa’s Rap S*** ended after its second season, which ended on December 21, when Max (formerly HBO Max) did not renew the show.
The series was Rae’s follow-up to her hit HBO series Insecure, which she starred in for five seasons on the cable network until 2021.
Although Rae — whose Barbie movie recently earned several SAG nominations — did not star in the series, she created and executive produced it, while Syreeta Singleton also produced and served as showrunner.
Rae created and executive produced the series with Syreeta Singleton, who also served as showrunner; Rae pictured in July 2022 in LA
Rap S*** was Rae’s scripted follow-up to her acclaimed HBO series Insecure (pictured). She can currently be seen in Barbie and American Fiction
“I am so proud of and grateful to Syreeta, our cast, writers and crew for making this show possible,” Rae said in a statement to Variety. “Thanks to Sarah Aubrey and Suzanna Makkos for fighting the show, and much love to the fans who tuned in weekly to root for our girls.”
Rap S*** followed the journey of two former high school friends, Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), as they rekindle their friendship in Miami years later.
The reunited friends start their own rap duo with ambitions to make it big in the music industry.
Rae’s Insecure character also had aspirations of being a rapper early in the show’s run, though subsequent seasons mostly ditched that storyline in favor of focusing on her drama-inducing romantic relationships.
“I love this show and I’m so proud of the work we’ve done,” Singleton said in his own statement. ‘We created something fun, raw and original and we did it our way! I will be forever grateful to Issa, our incredible cast, the amazing writers and crew who made this show possible. And so grateful to Max for giving us the chance to bring Rap S*** to the screen.’
The Barbie star (Issa is pictured in the hit film) said diversity and inclusion boards rarely materialize
A statement from Max thanked Rae ‘for creating Rap S***, an exceptional comedy with compelling social commentary that reached viewers in a way that only Issa’s talents can accomplish.’
“A huge thank you to Issa, showrunner Syreeta Singleton and the teams at Hoorae and 3 Arts Entertainment for introducing us to Shawna and Mia, a duo whose journey fans have invested in and continued to root for through everything ,” a spokesperson for the streamer added. “We’ll never get Seduce and Scheme out of our heads, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Although it did not win any major awards, it did earn nominations from the Gotham Awards for Breakthrough Series and a Best Lead Performance nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards for KaMillion.
The NAACP Image Awards nominated Rap S*** for Outstanding Comedy Series, while Singleton was nominated for Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (TV).
Rap S*** was supposed to begin its second season on Max on August 10 last year, but the prolonged actors’ strike put the show on hold until November 9.
The series was a hit with critics from the start, with both seasons receiving an astounding 100 percent fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
Following her on-screen turn in the massively successful Barbie, Rae is back on screen in the critically acclaimed film satire American Fiction, starring Jeffrey Wright and an adaptation of Percival Everett’s acclaimed 2001 novel Erasure.