In an interview with Time Magazine published on Thursday (February 1st), Issa Rae continued to share her thoughts on the cancellation of Black shows in Hollywood. In addition to her show, Rap Sh!t, being cancelled in January, Today reports that other Black-led shows such as The Wonder Years, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Grand Crew, South Side, and All Rise have gotten the axe recently.
“I’ve never seen Hollywood this scared and clueless, and at the mercy of Wall Street,” Rae told the outlet. The Insecure creator noted that studios want “universal” stories now, despite the push for more diversity onscreen in 2020.
“There is a bitterness of just like, who suffers from you guys pulling back? People of color always do,” she added. According to Time, a UCLA diversity report found that in 2022, diversity among actors, directors, and writers in Hollywood fell back to 2019 levels.