Issa Rae, who went from creating her own series on YouTube to becoming a major player in Hollywood, spoke recently at TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood Summit, noting that she is now facing a new challenge in an evolving industry.
“I’m seeing it. Just blatantly. People aren’t investing like they were before,” Rae said. “[DEI] has changed meanings and has become a bad word.” The producer added that other minority executives have told her they “can’t cosign” her projects for fear of losing their jobs in the current climate.
Critics of DEI suggest the shift away from the policy may be a good thing for Hollywood—if it’s actually happening.
Issa Rae on Hollywood’s Shifting Investment Climate
When Rae launched her YouTube series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl in 2011, she felt that “there was a dearth of representation in the industry.” The project went on to build a large and dedicated fan base. Three years after the series ended, Rae was hired by HBO for Insecure, which she co-created, co-wrote, and produced. The show ran for five seasons, earning her multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
Issa Rae in Insecure – HBO, YouTube
READ: ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Set to Open Lower Than ‘Solo’ at Box Office
Some might assume that that level of success would have made it easier to get future projects off the ground. However, Rae argues that studios scaling back diversity, equity, and inclusion policies has created new challenges.
“After so much progress, we’re kind of back to limited representation and having to stake claim of our stories,” she said. “We’re back where we started, in a way, but wiser.”
Issa Rae appears to be arguing that the reduction of DEI frameworks (which in theory returns us to a state of merit-based opportunities) has removed pathways that previously helped streamline her projects from concept to production.
Changing Pathways in a Shifting Industry
The producer noted that the way she pitches projects has also had to change. “You have to be smarter about how you package and market [projects], Rae said, now that DEI is gone. “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.”
Issa Rae in Insecure – HBO, YouTube
READ: Sabrina Carpenter Canceled After Coachella Cultural Mix-Up Goes Viral
Taken as a whole, her comments paint a nuanced picture. Issa Rae is not arguing that interest in DEI itself has gone away. Instead, she suggests that the frameworks and policies that once helped move projects into production are now less visible or less consistently applied.
Additionally, Rae notes that “people aren’t investing like they were before.” She does not expand on the reasons for this shift. However, her comment points to a more cautious and selective investment climate. In this environment, investment decisions may be shaped more heavily by risk management, audience reach, and projected return rather than signaling or institutional priorities alone.
Hollywood’s Identity and the Question of Demand
Stepping back to look at the entertainment industry as an outsider, Rae expresses the view that Hollywood is in the midst of an identity crisis. “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,” she said.
Issa Rae for EW – Entertainment Weekly, YouTube
READ: Disney+ Members Offered Summer Resort Hotel Discounts at Walt Disney World
From a market perspective, what rises to the top and becomes popular is ultimately what takes root in culture and generates revenue. Critics of DEI argue that reduced emphasis on such frameworks reflects a return to audience-driven filtering, where projects succeed primarily through demand and performance rather than institutional support mechanisms.
Do you believe that DEI has become a “bad word” in Hollywood? Sound off in the comments!
UP NEXT: Sabrina Carpenter Defies Calls for Cancellation After Cultural PR Crisis at Coachella
Oh no! Now you have to get jobs based on talent and merit. How terrible!
And not being a criminal.
Getting showered with “Didn’t Earn It” awards simply because you are a black woman, doesn’t mean you are a good investment!!!
Maybe, just maybe there is a REASON for this? It’s still called “Didn’t Earn It” for a reason.
Having made a youtube series and some show nobody has ever heard of doesn’t exactly merit huge investments..
Where are all your “modern audience” you pandered to? Why aren’t they paying you for your “talent”?
Yes, and award ceremonies like the Oscars are still for DEI and DEI only. Ditto movies casting etc. All HR departments are DEI slaves. DEI is far from sent to Hell, from whose bourne it spawned.
Oh no, “Issa Reggin.” There goes the neighborhood.
Yes, and, RIP civilisation, for there goes Western Civilisation. These parasites feed off the benefits of Standard Of Living and wholesomeness of White culture, whilst destroying it.
The days of BLM worship of literal criminals are over. The insanity of it all.
DEI is a euphemism for ANYONE but a straight White guy.
Fornicate off DEI (Didn’t Earn It). You destroy every industry that you parasitise, and you are hypocritically waycist and sexist. The biggest lie told by DEI is that POCs racism, sexism etc is benign.
Just because they don’t use the term, doesn’t mean the practices have changed. It’s pretty easy to spot DEI projects.
I don’t really trust Hollywood or investors to just drop the cultural marxism they have been pushing for so long. In the end they don’t care about money, because they don’t gamble with their own money.
But if it’s really true, I could see us going back to a state like in the 1950s. Because what the wokeness did was to make people notice skin colors more than ever before. Because whenever there’s a non-white actor or character now, a lot of people immediately ask themselves: “Is this actor here because of merit and because the role requires it or is he/she here because of some agendas.” So if the movie makers are really concerned about earning money over pushing agendas, they might become careful with casting non-white actors at all.