Issa Rae is not mincing words about where Hollywood stands right now. 

Speaking at TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood Summit in Los Angeles, the writer-producer said the industry’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion has shifted so sharply that DEI has effectively become “a bad word.” Rae said she is seeing less investment in inclusive storytelling and described the moment as one where people in the business are clearly moving with caution. 

Rae said the fear is not just coming from the top. She explained that even executives of color are “tiptoeing,” worried that backing certain projects could cost them their jobs. Rae has spent her career building outside the traditional system, first through her YouTube work and later through HBO’s “Insecure,” which helped turn her into one of the most influential creative voices in TV. 

That experience is part of why Rae said creators today have to be smarter about how they package and sell stories. She noted that sometimes a project centered on a Black woman gets pitched in a more universal language, even when that framing feels uncomfortable, because Hollywood still responds to certain labels more readily than others. Rae said her company Hoorae’s commitment to inclusive storytelling is not changing, even if the climate around it has. 

The larger point from Rae is simple: Hollywood may be trying to rename the conversation, but the pressure on Black creators is still real. And if the industry is drifting backward, Rae is making it clear she does not plan to drift with it.