Issa Rae says DEI has become a ‘bad word’ in Hollywood as executives of color ‘tiptoe’ to keep jobs

Actress Issa Rae said Thursday that she believes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has become a toxic topic for the entertainment industry.

“I’m seeing it,” the “Insecure” actress said while participating in TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood Summit. “Just blatantly. People are scared and just not necessarily investing the same way that they would have before. Even executives who, you know, are of color are also like tiptoeing like, ‘Well, I can’t co-sign you because I’m going to lose my job.’ And that’s scary to see and sad to see because it’s kind of like a bad word now.” 

“We all know that, typically, when we’re talking about diversity, equity [and] inclusion, it is about giving people opportunities that would otherwise not have them as opposed to pity hires and pity shows and the like,” she continued. “It’s changed meanings and has become a bad word, but it hasn’t affected what we do and who I create for and what our company creates for and who we prioritize. And it never will.”

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Rae was asked about Hollywood and other major industries rolling back DEI initiatives since President Donald Trump took office again in 2025. As a series creator herself, Rae admitted that people have to be “smarter” about how they package diverse projects.

“Like, ‘It’s not a show about a Black woman, it’s a show about class,'” Rae said. “As icky as that might feel, it gets the show sold. You know, a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.”

Rae claimed that minorities were “back to limited representation” in entertainment that she hasn’t seen since beginning her YouTube series “Awkward Black Girl” in 2011.

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“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,” she 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 has pushed politics and representation in the past. In 2025, she canceled a sold-out show at the Kennedy Center after Trump was named chairman of the center.

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“Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue,” Rae wrote on Instagram.