Issa Rae
{{short description|American actress and writer (born 1985)}}
{{distinguish|Iso Rae}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Issa Rae
| image = Issa Rae, producer, writer, and actress, at SXSW 2025 01 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Rae at SXSW 2025
| birth_name = Jo-Issa Rae Diop
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|1|12}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| education = Stanford University (BA)
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|writer|producer}}
| years_active = 2011–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Louis Diame|July 2021}}
| signature = Issa Rae signature.svg
| website = {{URL|issarae.com}}
}}
Jo-Issa Rae Diop{{cite news|last1=Wortham|first1=Jenna|title=The Misadventures of Issa Rae|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/magazine/the-misadventures-of-issa-rae.html|work=The New York Times|date=August 4, 2015}} (born January 12, 1985),{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2020/01/12/UPI-Almanac-for-Sunday-Jan-12-2020/8721578623716/ |title= UPI Almanac for Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020 |work= United Press International | date= January 12, 2020|access-date=June 27, 2020 | archive-date= January 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113032052/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2020/01/12/UPI-Almanac-for-Sunday-Jan-12-2020/8721578623716/ |url-status=live|quote = …actor/singer Issa Rae in 1985 (age 35)}} known professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer.{{Cite web |date=January 5, 2021 |title=Breaking the Silences - Finding Your Roots |url=https://tv.apple.com/us/episode/breaking-the-silences/umc.cmc.3idcf58pqpwkjf9925cu7h7fx |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=Apple TV}}{{Cite news |last=Navidi |first=Leila |date=February 18, 2020 |title=A conversation with Issa Rae at Target headquarters |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/a-conversation-with-issa-rae-at-target-headquarters/567990731/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |quote=Writer and comedian Issa Rae}} She achieved recognition as the co-creator, co-writer, and star of the HBO comedy series Insecure (2016–2021), for which she was nominated for multiple Golden Globes Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards.{{cite news|last1=Hughes|first1=William|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/issa-rae-still-awkward-black-girl-trailer-hbos-ins-238704|title=Issa Rae is still an Awkward Black Girl in the trailer for HBO's Insecure|work=The A.V. Club|date=June 23, 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Respers France|first1=Lisa|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/05/entertainment/issa-rae-insecure-hbo/index.html|title=Issa Rae's 'Insecure' may already be a hit|work=CNN|date=July 5, 2016}}
Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl (2011–2013).{{cite news|last1=Gopalan|first1=Nisha|title=Issa Rae on Awkward Black Girl, Her Shonda Rhimes Show, and Hating L.A. Guys|url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/02/issa-rae-awkward-black-girl-interview.html|work=Vulture|date=February 28, 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/issa-rae-vs-hbo-when-are-we-finally-going-to-stop-wondering-if-women-of-color-are-relatable-20150807|title=Issa Rae's Long Road: When Are We Finally Going to Stop Wondering if Women of Color Are "Relatable"?Tumisang Marumo's friend Waxx|last1=Kang|first1=Inkoo|date=August 7, 2015|work=Indiewire|access-date=April 25, 2016|archive-date=May 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508104555/http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/issa-rae-vs-hbo-when-are-we-finally-going-to-stop-wondering-if-women-of-color-are-relatable-20150807|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/issa-raes-color-creative-calls-for-tv-diversity-111|title=Issa Rae's Color Creative Calls for TV Diversity|last1=Johnson|first1=Margeaux|date=October 1, 2014|work=EBONY}} Her 2015 memoir, titled The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, became a New York Times bestseller. Rae formed the production company Hoorae Media in 2020.
Rae has also featured in films, with roles in the drama The Hate U Give (2018); the fantasy comedy Little (2019); the romance The Photograph (2020); the romantic comedy The Lovebirds (2020); the comedy thriller Vengeance (2022); and the comedies Barbie and American Fiction (both 2023). She also had a voice role in the short film Hair Love (2019) and voiced Jess Drew / Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).{{cite web|date=February 10, 2020|title="Hair Love" Scores a Major Win for Representation at the Oscars|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/oscars-2020-hair-love|access-date=January 19, 2022|website=Teen Vogue|language=en-US}}
In 2018 and 2022, Rae was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world,{{Cite magazine|title=Issa Rae: The World's 100 Most Influential People|url=https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217607/issa-rae/|access-date=September 22, 2020|magazine=Time|language=en-us}}{{Cite web |title=Zendaya, Issa Rae, Mary J. Blige, And More Top The 2022 TIME 100 Most Influential List |url=https://www.essence.com/celebrity/time-100-2022/ |access-date=May 25, 2022 |website=Essence |date=May 23, 2022 |language=en-US}} and in 2014 in the Forbes '30 Under 30' list in the entertainment section. She was recognized with the Peabody Trailblazer Award and the Producers Guild of America Visionary Award.
Early life
Jo-Issa Rae Diop was born in Los Angeles, California.{{cite news|title=Jo-Issa Rae Diop Potomac Maryland Birth Index|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VG62-5PG|agency=FamilySearch|date=January 12, 1985}} Her father, Abdoulaye Diop, is a pediatrician and neonatologist from Senegal, and her mother, Delyna Marie Diop (née Hayward), is a teacher from Louisiana.{{cite news|last1=Obaro|first1=Tomi|title=Issa Rae on Her New Memoir and Being "Halfrican"|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/February-2015/Issa-Rae-and-Samantha-Irby/|work=Chicago|date=February 16, 2015}} Her parents met in France, when they were both in school.{{cite web|url=http://www.okayafrica.com/issa-rae/|title = Who is Issa Rae?|date = March 6, 2017}} She has four siblings. Her father has a medical practice in Inglewood, California.{{cite book|last1=Rae|first1=Issa|title=The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl|date=2015|publisher=37 Ink/Atria – Simon & Schuster|location=New York, NY|isbn=9781476749051|oclc=901338241}}{{rp|xiii}}
The family lived in Dakar, Senegal, during some of her childhood.{{cite magazine|last1=Brown|first1=Stacia L.|title=Meet the Black _________|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/121020/issa-raes-misadventures-awkward-black-girl-reveals-real-rae|magazine=The New Republic|date=February 10, 2015}} She was raised mostly in Potomac, Maryland, where she grew up with "things that aren't considered 'black,' like the swim team and street hockey and Passover dinners with Jewish best friends."{{cite news |last1=Hua |first1=Vanessa |date=May 2012 |title=Awkward Stage: A web sitcom's quirky black heroine is poised for takeoff |url=https://stanfordmag.org/contents/awkward-stage |work=Stanford Magazine}} Rae was raised Catholic, her mother's faith.{{Cite web |date=2018-09-20 |title=Exclusive preview: Issa Rae on Ramadan and growing up between America and Senegal |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/exclusive-preview-issa-rae-ramadan-173056559.html |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=Yahoo Life |language=en-US}}
When Rae was in sixth grade, her family moved to the affluent View Park-Windsor Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, where she attended a predominantly black middle school. Rae graduated from King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science, where she started acting. Her parents divorced when she was in high school.{{rp|100–102}} Rae is fluent in French.{{cite web|url=http://www.oprah.com/entertainment/issa-rae-interview-august-2017-o-magazine|title= Issa Rae's Motivational Mantra (and 5 Other Facts)|work=O, the Oprah Magazine|publisher=Harpo Productions|access-date=October 20, 2020}}
In 2007, Rae graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in African and African-American Studies. As a college student, she made music videos, wrote and directed plays, and created a mock reality series called Dorm Diaries for fun. At Stanford, Rae met Tracy Oliver, who helped produce Awkward Black Girl and starred on the show as Nina.
After college, Rae received a theater fellowship at The Public Theater in New York City. Oliver and Rae started taking classes together at the New York Film Academy. Rae worked odd jobs and at one point was struggling to decide between business school and law school, but abandoned both prospects when Awkward Black Girl gained wider popularity in 2011.{{cite news|last1=Gray|first1=Emma|title=Issa Rae, Creator Of 'Awkward Black Girl', Felt Like Her Voice Was Missing From Pop Culture – So Here's What She Did|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/issa-rae-awkward-black-girl_n_4209313.html|work=The Huffington Post|date=November 5, 2013}}
Career
=''Awkward Black Girl''=
{{main|Awkward Black Girl}}
Rae's web series Awkward Black Girl premiered on YouTube in 2011.Brown, S Tia (September 12, 2011). "Nerdy Girls Rock". Jet. Vol. 120. Iss. 11. p. 31. The show follows the life of J (played by Rae) as she interacts with co-workers and love interests who place her in uncomfortable situations. The story is told through a first-person narrative as J usually reveals how she feels about her circumstances through voice-over or dream sequence.
The series went viral through word of mouth, blog posts, and social media, resulting in mainstream media coverage and attention.{{cite news|last1=Whitfield|first1=Fredricka|title='Awkward Black Girl' web hit|url=http://www.cnn.com/videos/living/2011/10/08/whitfield-issa-rae-interview.cnn|format=video interview|work=CNN|date=October 8, 2011}}{{cite news|last1=Anderson|first1=Stacy A.|title=Diverse Web series grows through social media|url=http://www.phillytrib.com/entertainment/diverse-web-series-grows-through-social-media/article_7da9523e-033d-5218-aef4-4b87d7655150.html|work=The Philadelphia Tribune|agency=The Associated Press|date=September 12, 2011}}{{cite news|last1=Andrews|first1=Helena|title=Embracing the Awkward, One Webisode at a Time|url=http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2011/07/awkward_black_girl_interview_issa_rae_talks_to_the_root/|work=The Root|date=July 6, 2011}} In an effort to fund the rest of the first season, Rae and producer Tracy Oliver decided to raise money for the series through Kickstarter. On August 11, 2011, they were awarded $56,269 from 1,960 donations and released the rest of season one on Rae's YouTube channel.{{cite web|title=Update 1: Update Video: Thank You for Over $40K Raised!|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1996857943/the-misadventures-of-awkward-black-girl/posts/106068|website=The Misadventures of AWKWARD Black Girl|publisher=Kickstarter|date=August 8, 2011}}
Rae partnered with Pharrell and premiered season two of the series on his YouTube channel iamOTHER.{{cite news|last1=Shannon|title=Pharrell Williams Teams Up With Awkward Black Girl & Launches New Brand|url=http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2012-06-15/pharrell-williams-teams-up-with-awkward-black-girl-launches-new-brand|work=Pink is the New Blog|date=June 15, 2012|access-date=February 6, 2016|archive-date=May 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529225145/http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2012-06-15/pharrell-williams-teams-up-with-awkward-black-girl-launches-new-brand|url-status=dead}} Rae began releasing other content on her original channel, predominantly created by and starring people of color.{{cite news|last1=Caramanica|first1=Jon|title=Issa Rae and 'Awkward Black Girl' Are Breaking Ground|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/arts/television/issa-rae-and-awkward-black-girl-are-breaking-ground.htm|work=The New York Times|date=July 13, 2012}}
In 2013, Awkward Black Girl won a Shorty award for Best Web Show. Rae created Awkward Black Girl because she felt the Hollywood stereotypes of African-American women were limiting and she could not relate to them:
I've always had an issue with the [assumption] that people of color, and black people especially, aren't relatable. I know we are.Sherman, S. (2015). Issa Rae, "Making The black Experience Relatable". Sun Reporter, 9.
By using YouTube as her forum, Rae was able to have autonomy of her work because she writes, films, produces, and edits most of her work. Rae's other shows—Ratchet Piece Theater, The "F" Word, Roomieloverfriends, and The Choir, among others—also focus on African-American experiences that are often not portrayed in the mainstream media.{{cite news|last1=Favreau|first1=Jon|title=Creativity Roundtable: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Donald Glover, Issa Rae and Damien Chazelle in One Epic Conversation|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/lin-manuel-miranda-donald-glover-issa-rae-damien-chazelle-one-epic-conversation-956697|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=December 16, 2016|format=Video roundtable includes transcript}} Rae's YouTube series often imitate the production style of network television comedies, including "cut-away scenes" showing imagined behavior, similar to those seen in Scrubs and How I Met Your Mother.{{Cite book |last=Symons |first=Alex |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1349461077 |title=Women Comedians in the Digital Age |publisher=Routledge |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-003-26868-0 |edition=1st |location=Abingdon, Oxon |pages=133 |oclc=1349461077}}
=''Insecure''=
{{main|Insecure (TV series)}}
In 2013, Rae began working on a comedy series pilot with Larry Wilmore, in which she would star.{{cite news|title=Issa Rae & Larry Wilmore To Create 'Non-Prophet' For HBO|url=http://www.vibe.com/article/issa-rae-larry-wilmore-create-non-prophet-hbo|work=Vibe|date=August 6, 2013}} The series, about the awkward experiences of a contemporary African-American woman, was eventually titled Insecure. HBO picked up the pilot in early 2015 and it was subsequently greenlit.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2015/10/issa-rae-insecure-comedy-series-hbo-1201584383/|title=Issa Rae Comedy 'Insecure' Gets HBO Series Order|first=Nellie| last=Andreeva|website=Deadline Hollywood|language=en-US|date= October 15, 2015|access-date=January 9, 2016}} Since its release in 2016, the series has received critical acclaim; Eric Deggans of NPR wrote that "Rae has produced a series that feels revolutionary just by poking fun at the life of an average, twenty-something black woman."{{cite web|title=At TV Press Tour, Actors And Producers Of Color Speak Of Hollywood Struggles|website=NPR|date=August 2, 2016 |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/08/02/488380575/at-tv-press-tour-actors-and-producers-of-color-speak-of-hollywood-struggles|last1=Deggans |first1=Eric }}
In late 2016 Rae's mother, Delyna Diop, was featured in season 1, playing Rae's role model in her guest appearance.{{Cite web |date=2016-11-21 |title=Did You Catch This Surprise Cameo On Insecure Last Night? |url=https://madamenoire.com/726846/catch-surprise-cameo-insecure-last-night/ |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=MadameNoire |language=en-US}}
In 2017, the American Film Institute selected Insecure as one of the top 10 Television Programs of the Year.{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/afiawards/AFI-Awards-2017.aspx|title=AFI Awards 2017|website=www.afi.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208174824/http://www.afi.com/afiawards/AFI-Awards-2017.aspx|archive-date=December 8, 2017|access-date=January 26, 2018|url-status=dead}} For her acting work on the show, Rae has received two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2017 and 2018,{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/issa-rae|title=Issa Rae|website=www.goldenglobes.com|language=en|access-date=January 26, 2018}} as well as three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
In 2018, at the 77th annual Peabody Awards, Insecure was honored for "creating a series that authentically captures the lives of everyday young, black people in modern society."{{cite web|url=http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/insecure|title=Insecure (HBO)|access-date=January 18, 2019}}
On November 14, 2016, HBO renewed the show for a second season.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/11/westworld-divorce-insecure-renewed-season-2-hbo-1201853994/|title='Westworld', 'Divorce' & 'Insecure' Renewed For Season 2 By HBO|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=November 14, 2016|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=November 14, 2016}} The second season premiered on July 23, 2017.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/IssaRae/status/841695814627938305|title=Issa Rae on Twitter}} On August 8, 2017, it was announced that the show was renewed for a third season,{{Cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/08/hbo-renews-insecure-for-season-three.html|title=Insecure Is Hella Renewed for Season Three|last=Lockett|first=Dee|work=Vulture|date=August 8, 2017 |access-date=August 8, 2017|language=en}} which premiered on August 12, 2018. Season five premiered October 24, 2021. The final episode of Insecure aired December 26, 2021.
=Film work=
Released in 2020, The Photograph follows the journey of Issa's character, Mae Morton, and LaKeith Stanfield's character Michael Block, as the two search for the backstory of Mae's mother. The New York Times said the film is "an unabashedly old-school love story".{{Cite news|last=Dargis|first=Manohla|date=February 13, 2020|title='The Photograph' Review: An Unabashedly Old-School Love Story|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/movies/the-photograph-review.html|access-date=April 2, 2021|issn=0362-4331}} Empire magazine said that "The Photograph is an African-American romance that, for the most part, feels relatable and true".{{cite web|title=The Photograph|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-photograph/|access-date=April 2, 2021|website=Empire|date=February 3, 2020 }}
Released in 2020, The Lovebirds directed by Michael Showalter, Rae played the role of Leilani. The film also starred Kumail Nanjiani, who played Jibran, Leilani's boyfriend. Throughout the film, the couple struggles to maintain their relationship and during this, they face an eventful murder.
=Book=
Rae's first book, a memoir titled The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, was released in 2015 and became a New York Times bestseller.{{cite web|last=Luther|first=Alison|date=May 14, 2019|title=What Issa Rae reads|url=https://shereads.com/what-issa-rae-reads/|access-date=December 17, 2020|website=She Reads|language=en-US}} In the book, she chronicles her life through a series of humorous anecdotes and opens up about her personal struggle with not fitting in, and not being considered "black enough" at times.
= Other work =
In 2016, Rae created the podcast called Fruit.
On October 11, 2019, Google announced that Rae would be an additional voice to the Google Assistant. Users could make Google Assistant speak in Rae's voice by saying "Ok Google, talk like Issa."{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B3cPBsalahR/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/B3cPBsalahR |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |url-access=registration|title=Google on Instagram: "Meet the new voice of your Google Assistant: @issarae! 🤩 She's taking over our story today—follow along or say "Hey Google, #TalkLikeIssa"…"|website=Instagram|language=en|access-date=October 14, 2019}}{{cbignore}} Issa's voice was available until Friday, October 1, 2021.{{cite web|date=September 29, 2021|title=Issa Rae's Voice is Leaving Google Assistant|url=https://voicebot.ai/2021/09/29/issa-raes-voice-is-leaving-google-assistant/#:~:text=Writer%2C%20director%2C%20and%20actress%20Issa,an%20option%20starting%20in%20October}}
Also in 2019, Rae, through her newly launched record label Raedio, partnered with Atlantic Records to produce "Kinda Love" by singer-rapper TeaMarrr.{{cite web|title=Issa Rae of 'Insecure' Launches Her Own Record Label with TeaMarrr's 'Kinda Love'|url=https://news.amomama.com/177253-issa-rae-insecure-launches-her-own-recor.html|date=October 23, 2019}}
In March 2021, Rae's production company, Hoorae, signed a five-year film and television deal with WarnerMedia.{{cite web |last1=Jackson |first1=Angelique |title=Issa Rae Inks Eight-Figure Film and Television Deal With WarnerMedia |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/issa-rae-hbo-max-warnermedia-film-television-deal-1234935944 |website=Variety |access-date=April 4, 2021 |date=March 24, 2021}} In 2021, Sweet Life: Los Angeles, a reality television program created by Rae, was produced as part of this deal.{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=May 18, 2021 |title=HBO Max Orders 'Sweet Life: Los Angeles' Reality Series From Issa Rae |url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/hbo-max-orders-sweet-life-los-angeles-reality-series-issa-rae-1234759126/ |access-date=May 20, 2022 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}
Rae is a co-owner of Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, a Los Angeles-based independent coffee chain.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-01 |title=Issa Rae Just Opened Her 4th Coffee Shop Location: 'This Is For The Dreamers And Doers' |url=https://www.essence.com/news/money-career/issa-rae-hilltop-coffee-shop-dtla/ |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=Essence |language=en-US}}
Personal life
Rae's birth name, Jo-Issa, comes from a combination of the names of her grandmothers: Joyce and Isseu. Her middle name, Rae, is after an aunt, who was an artist.
Rae married her longtime boyfriend, Louis Diame, a Senegalese businessman, in a private ceremony in France in July 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.ebony.com/entertainment/issa-rae-engaged-to-longtime-boyfriend/|title='Insecure' Creator Issa Rae Engaged to Longtime Boyfriend|last=Washington|first=Jasmine|date=April 1, 2019|website=EBONY|language=en-US|access-date=May 13, 2019}} Rae first wore her engagement ring publicly on the cover of Essence magazine's April 2019 issue.
Public image and activism
In 2012, Rae was included on the annual Forbes '30 Under 30' list in the entertainment section.{{cite web|title=Forbes 30 Under 30|url=https://www.forbes.com/special-report/2014/30-under-30/hollywood-and-entertainment.html|date=2014|work=Forbes}} She was listed two times in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
In May 2015, Rae appeared on the cover of Essence magazine's Game Changers issue, alongside Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, Debbie Allen, and Mara Brock Akil. Rae expressed her desire for more people of color working in production behind the scenes to make a lasting impact in the television industry.{{Cite news |date=April 13, 2015 |title=Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, Debbie Allen, Mara Brock Akil and Issa Rae Cover ESSENCE's 'Game Changers' Issue |url=https://www.essence.com/2015/04/14/shonda-rhimes-ava-duvernay-debbie-allen-mara-brock-akil-issa-rae-essence-cover |access-date=January 26, 2018 |work=Essence |language=en}} On the red carpet at the 2017 Emmy Awards, Rae told reporters, "I'm rooting for everybody Black." The quote went viral and appeared on T-shirts and in the song "Sue Me" by the rapper Wale.{{Cite news|title=Issa Rae Shares Story Behind "I'm Rooting For Everybody Black" Meme|url=https://www.okayplayer.com/news/issa-rae-rooting-for-everybody-black-meme-interview.html|access-date=July 22, 2020}} Rae was also vocally supportive of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.{{cite web |last1=Omokha |first1=Rita |author-link=Rita Omokha |date=August 2, 2023 |title=Issa Rae Talks Mentoring Young Black Creatives Amid Hollywood Strikes |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a44711740/issa-rae-strike-mentorship-program-interview/ |access-date=August 2, 2023 |website=Elle]}}
Rae is an advocate for civil rights and women's rights movements. Her work includes themes of equality and social justice. She works closely with organizations like the ACLU, BLD PWR, and Black Lives Matter.{{cite web|date=July 3, 2020|title=Issa Rae Breaks Down What Defunding Police Means to Her|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/issa-rae-talks-defunding-police-activist-groups-support-1301125|access-date=April 2, 2021|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}} Rae has used her platform to bring attention to police violence and brutality against African-Americans. Following the police shooting of Alton Sterling in 2016, she raised $700,000 for the Sterling Family Trust to help pay for the Sterling children to attend college.{{Cite book |title=Modern HERstory : stories of women and nonbinary people rewriting history|last1=Blair |first1=Imani |last2=Le |first2=Monique |isbn=9780399582233|edition=First |location=California|oclc=1019616770|date=October 15, 2018 }} Also in 2020, Rae told the Hollywood Reporter about how she and her staff wanted to support initiatives within organizations like Black Lives Matter and BLD PWR in order to hold the police accountable and to defund the police following the perceived rise of police brutality. Rae also spoke of supporting these initiatives in hopes to also aid protesters working against the violence and brutality.{{cite web |last1=Gardner |first1=Chris |title=Issa Rae Breaks Down What Defunding Police Means to Her |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/issa-rae-talks-defunding-police-activist-groups-support-1301125/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=July 3, 2020 |access-date=18 February 2025}}
Her show Insecure has changed the public perception of the South Los Angeles community by highlighting Black businesses.{{Cite magazine|last=Chuba|first=Kirsten|last2=|first2=|date=September 2, 2021|title=Tiffany Haddish, Issa Rae and Other Industry Locals on South L.A.'s Gentrification: "A Blessing and a Curse"|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/real-estate/tiffany-haddish-issa-rae-south-los-angeles-gentrification-1235002564/|access-date=September 3, 2021|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US}}
Filmography
=Film=
File:Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, and Tina Gordon (1).jpg with co-stars Regina Hall and Marsai Martin and director Tina Gordon]]
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="3" scope="row" | 2014
|Black Twitter Screening |{{n/a}} |Short film; writer only |
| Protect and Serve
|Police Recruit |Short film; also executive producer |
| A Bitter Lime
|Jane Johnson | |
| scope="row" | 2018
| April Ofrah | |
| rowspan="2" scope="row" | 2019
| Little | April Williams | |
| Hair Love
|Mother |Short film; voice role |
| rowspan="3" scope="row" | 2020
| Mae Morton | rowspan="2" | Also executive producer |
| The Lovebirds
| Leilani |
| Coastal Elites
| Callie Josephson | |
| scope="row" | 2022
| Eloise | |
| rowspan="3" scope="row" | 2023
| Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Voice role |
| Barbie
| President Barbie | |
| American Fiction
| Sintara Golden | |
| scope="row" | 2027
| {{pending film|Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse}} | Jess Drew / Spider-Woman | Voice role; In production |
{{pending films key}}
=Television=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| scope="row" | 2012–2013
| The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl | J | Main cast; also creator; director and writer for episode: "The Sleepover"; producer for episode: "The Check" |
| scope="row" | 2012
| The Couple | Lisa | Episode: "Exes and Texts" |
| scope="row" | 2012–2013
| The Number | Lisa | 6 episodes |
| rowspan="4" scope="row" | 2013
| True Friendship Society | Mama Moth | Episode: "Pilot Part Two" |
| My Roommate the
| J | Episode: "Awkward Black Girl" |
| Instacurity
| Issa | Episodes: "The Birthday Party" and "Instacurity PSA" |
| Little Horribles
| Best Friend | Episode: "Sexual Activity"; also executive producer (3 episodes) |
| scope="row" | 2014
| Rubberhead | Bride 2 | Television film; segment: "Absorption" |
| scope="row" | 2016–2021
| Insecure | Issa Dee | Main cast; also creator & writer |
| scope="row" | 2018
| Dr. Indira (voice) | 2 episodes |
| scope="row" | 2019–2021
| Various | 6 episodes; also executive producer (16 episodes) |
| rowspan="3" scope="row" | 2020
| Herself (host) | Episode: "Issa Rae/Justin Bieber" |
| Sesame Street
| The Queen/The Princess | Episode: "Cardboard Castle" |
| BlackAF
| Herself | Episode: "yo, between you and me... this is because of slavery" |
| rowspan="2" scope="row" | 2022
| Roar{{cite web|last=Morgan|first=Maybelle|title=Roar Delves Into The Weirdness & Horror Of Being A Woman Today|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/roar-apple-tv-review|website=Refinery29|access-date=April 16, 2022|date=April 13, 2022}} | Wanda Shepard | Episode: "The Woman Who Disappeared" |
| The Hair Tales
| Herself | |
| scope="row" | 2023
| Angela Love (voice) | TV Series; 24 Episodes |
| rowspan="2" scope="row" | 2025
| ''No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski' | Herself | Episode: "Issa Rae's Senegalese Royal Roots" |
| Black Mirror
|Brandy |Episode: "Hotel Reverie" |
=As producer only=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Credits ! scope="col" class=unsortable | Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="4" scope="row" | 2013
| How Men Become Dogs | rowspan="3" | Executive producer | 9 episodes |
| Little Horribles
| 3 episodes |
| Inside Web Series
| Television documentary |
| Black Actress
| Producer | |
| scope="row" | 2013–2014
| Roomieloverfriends | Executive producer | 4 episodes |
| scope="row" | 2013–2015
| Executive producer; director (2 episodes); writer (12 episodes) | |
| rowspan="4" scope="row" | 2014
|Hard Times | rowspan="4" |Executive producer |Short film |
| So Jaded
| rowspan="3" | Television film |
| Words with Girls |
| Bleach |
| scope="row" | 2014–2015
| First | Co-executive producer (10 episodes); co-producer (1 episode) | |
| rowspan="2" scope="row" | 2015
| Get Your Life | Executive producer | |
| Killing Lazarus
|Producer | |
| rowspan="2" scope="row" | 2022
| Creator and executive producer | |
| Rap Sh!t{{cite web|last=Robertson|first=Darryl|title=Issa Rae To Executive Produce New HBO Series, "Rap Sh*t" |url=https://www.vibe.com/2019/10/issa-rae-hbo-rap-shit|website=Vibe|date=October 30, 2019}}
| Creator, executive producer and writer | |
| rowspan="1" scope="row" | 2025
| Producer | |
=Music videos=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;" |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Song ! scope="col" | Artist ! scope="col" | Role |
|---|
| scope="row" | 2013
| "Happy" | Dancer |
| rowspan="2" scope="row" | 2017
| "Moonlight" | Jay-Z |
| "Spice Girl"
| Aminé | Girlfriend |
| scope="row" | 2018
| "Nice for What" | Drake | Herself |
| scope="row" | 2019
| "Kinda Love" | TeaMarrr | Therapist |
| rowspan="2" scope="row" | 2020
| "Lights On" | Stripper |
| "Entrepreneur"
| Herself |
Awards and nominations
Works and publications
- {{cite book|last1=Rae|first1=Issa|title=The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl|date=2015|publisher=37 Ink/Atria – Simon & Schuster|location=New York, NY|isbn=9781476749051|oclc=901338241}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Wikiquote}}
- {{Official website|http://issarae.com}}
- {{YouTube|u=actingrl112|Issa Rae}}
- {{IMDb name|nm4793987|Issa Rae}}
- {{Instagram|issarae}}
{{Issa Rae}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Issa Rae
|list =
{{BET Award for Best Actress}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress, Comedy Series}}
{{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series}}
{{Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rae, Issa}}
Category:20th-century African-American people
Category:20th-century African-American women
Category:21st-century African-American actresses
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American screenwriters
Category:Actresses from Los Angeles
Category:Actresses from Maryland
Category:African-American female comedians
Category:African-American comedians
Category:African-American screenwriters
Category:African-American women writers
Category:American film actresses
Category:American people of Senegalese descent
Category:American television actresses
Category:Television writers from California
Category:American voice actresses
Category:American women comedians
Category:American women screenwriters
Category:American women television writers
Category:Comedians from Los Angeles
Category:People from Potomac, Maryland
Category:People from View Park–Windsor Hills, California
Category:Screenwriters from Maryland
Category:Stanford University alumni