Issa Rae has been vocal about her disappointment with Hollywood’s stalled efforts to tell a wider array of stories. And the situation on that front has grown even more dire since she last opined on the subject.
During a Saturday keynote conversation at South by Southwest, the creator and actress revisited the subject in the wake of many Hollywood’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts shuttering or rebranding in the wake of the second Trump administration’s hard-line stance against DEI. “I think diversity needs a better publicist,” said Rae. “The anti-DEI, the immediate retraction of any efforts to level the playing field and focus on our stories, I think it [comes from] a big misunderstanding and a fear.”
Rae went on to joke that her own publicist was too busy to take diversity on as a client.
Echoing some of her past frustrations, she also spoke a bit more optimistically about Hollywood’s executive ranks. (In a 2024 Time cover story, she said there weren’t “a lot of smart executives anymore.”)
“Some of these executives that are coming up are fighting to get new voices in despite resistance, despite their jobs being the line,” she said. “I admire those who are still pushing for diverse stories despite mandates.”
Rae was among the first public figures to distance themselves from the Kennedy Center in the wake of Donald Trump’s coup at the storied institution, naming himself chairman. Her feelings on the country’s hard-right swing were not articulated during the discussion, but they were certainly alluded to. Rae, as she explained it, sees a downside to Hollywood figures getting too vocal.
“Sometimes the onus is put on celebrities to put their voices out there,” she said. “I’m just like, ‘Y’all shut the fuck up and just support the people who are doing the work … and do that silently. That is the best way to make change, not to make yourself the center of it but to find somebody on the grassroots level and put your weight behind them.”
Rae was on hand to promote the miniseries Seen & Heard, which chronicles the history (and exploitation) of Black representation on TV. We wanted to make a comprehensive history to be able to showcase, with evidence, that this is how they built the success of their networks on our backs,” said Rae. “And that we almost don’t have anything to show for it is tragic. History repeats itself is all I’ll say.”
There was optimism, however, especially when the conversation turned to her recent success as a producer — the SZA-Keke Palmer comedy, One of Them Days. Rotten Tomatoes awards editor Jacqueline Coley asked how she approached the skepticism around the project.
“You approach it with a lot of frustration,” explained Rae. “We just wanted an opportunity to be successful. To get a theatrical release was already a huge milestone for us.”
One of Them Days, which is still in theaters, has already grossed nearly $50 million on a rather modest budget. Seen & Heard screens at South by Southwest on Saturday evening before hitting HBO and Max later in the year.