Issa Rae

Issa Rae
Born	Jo-Issa Rae Diop 12 1, 1985
Birthplace	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress, writer, producer
Known for	Insecure, Awkward Black Girl
Education	Stanford University (BA)
Spouse(s)	Louis Diame
Awards	Peabody Trailblazer Award; Time 100 (2018, 2022)
Website	[[issarae.com issarae.com] Official site]

Jo-Issa Rae Diop (born January 12, 1985), known professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer. She first attracted widespread attention as the creator and star of the YouTube web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl (2011–2013), a project that resonated with audiences seeking representations of Black womanhood that diverged from mainstream television archetypes. That early digital success led to a deal with HBO, where Rae co-created, co-wrote, and starred in the comedy series Insecure (2016–2021), earning multiple Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations over its five-season run. Beyond television, Rae has appeared in a range of film projects including The Hate U Give (2018), Little (2019), The Photograph (2020), The Lovebirds (2020), Vengeance (2022), Barbie (2023), and American Fiction (2023). She voiced the character Jess Drew / Spider-Woman in the animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). Her 2015 memoir, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, became a New York Times bestseller. In 2020, Rae founded Hoorae Media, a production company encompassing film, television, and digital content. She was included in the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world in both 2018 and 2022, and in 2026 signed a multiyear first-look producing deal with Paramount.

Early Life

Issa Rae was born Jo-Issa Rae Diop on January 12, 1985, in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Abdoulaye Diop, is a Senegalese-born physician and her mother, Delyna Diop (née Hayward), is from Louisiana. The name "Issa" is derived from the Arabic form of Jesus, reflecting her family's multicultural heritage.

Rae spent part of her childhood in Potomac, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., where she attended school and developed an early awareness of racial and cultural dynamics. She has described the experience of navigating predominantly white educational environments while also moving between different social and cultural spaces, a theme that would later become central to her creative work. She was subsequently raised in the View Park–Windsor Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, a historically African-American upper-middle-class community in South Los Angeles.

From a young age, Rae displayed an interest in storytelling and performance. She wrote and staged plays for family and friends as a child and later began creating short videos and sketches. Her New York Times profile noted that her formative experiences of feeling socially awkward and out of place—both in predominantly white and predominantly Black settings—profoundly shaped her comedic sensibility and her desire to depict nuanced portrayals of Black life that departed from stereotypes prevalent in popular media. These early experiences of cultural code-switching and social observation would become foundational to the narratives she later developed in both Awkward Black Girl and Insecure.

Education

Rae attended Stanford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Stanford, she became involved in theater and began creating content that explored the intersection of race, identity, and comedy. It was during her college years that she started developing the sensibility and skills that would define her later career, including writing, directing, and performing in student productions and independent projects. Her time at Stanford also exposed her to a diverse creative community and reinforced her ambition to create media content featuring underrepresented perspectives. After graduating, Rae pursued opportunities in entertainment in Los Angeles, initially working on various independent digital projects before achieving her breakthrough with Awkward Black Girl.

Career

Awkward Black Girl and Early Web Series (2011–2015)

Rae's career in entertainment began with the creation of the YouTube web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, which debuted in 2011. In the series, Rae starred as "J," a socially awkward young Black woman navigating the complexities of workplace dynamics, romantic relationships, and racial identity in contemporary America. The show was notable for centering the experiences of a Black woman in a way that was comedic, relatable, and free from many of the tropes that had characterized representations of Black women in mainstream television.

The series quickly gained a substantial online following. To fund production of additional episodes, Rae launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, which demonstrated the strength of her audience and the demand for content that reflected the kinds of stories she was telling. The show's popularity attracted attention from major media outlets and entertainment industry executives. An IndieWire article from 2015 addressed the broader industry question of whether women of color were considered "relatable" enough for mainstream audiences, a question that Rae's success in the digital space had already begun to answer.

Awkward Black Girl ran until 2013 and received a Shorty Award for Best Web Show. The series established Rae as a significant new voice in comedy and digital media. In 2014, she was named to the Forbes "30 Under 30" list in the entertainment category, further consolidating her reputation as an emerging figure in the industry.

During this period, Rae also participated in broader conversations about representation in the entertainment industry. She was featured alongside Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, Debbie Allen, and Mara Brock Akil on a 2015 Essence magazine cover dedicated to Black women in Hollywood.

In 2015, Rae published her memoir, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, a collection of essays reflecting on her experiences with race, gender, and self-identity. The book became a New York Times bestseller and was praised for its candor and humor. A Chicago Magazine feature profiled Rae alongside writer Samantha Irby, exploring how both authors used humor to address issues of race and identity in their work.

Insecure and HBO (2016–2021)

Rae's transition from digital media to premium cable television came with the development of Insecure, which she co-created with Larry Wilmore for HBO. The series was announced following a deal that paired Rae's sensibility from Awkward Black Girl with Wilmore's experience in television comedy. Insecure premiered on October 9, 2016, with Rae serving as co-creator, co-writer, executive producer, and lead actress, playing the character Issa Dee—a fictionalized version loosely inspired by aspects of her own experiences as a young Black woman living and working in Los Angeles.

The series explored friendship, romance, racial identity, and professional life in South Los Angeles, presenting a textured portrayal of Black millennial life. It was noted for its authentic depiction of the neighborhoods, music, and culture of South L.A., and for featuring predominantly Black casts and creative teams in both in front of and behind the camera.

Insecure ran for five seasons, concluding in December 2021. Over its run, the show received significant critical acclaim and awards recognition. Rae received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She also received multiple Golden Globe Award nominations. The series itself was nominated across multiple categories, and its second season was honored by the American Film Institute (AFI) as one of the top television programs of 2017. Insecure also received a Peabody Award.

The series' cultural impact extended beyond its critical reception. It became a touchstone for conversations about representation, gentrification in Los Angeles, and the complexities of modern Black womanhood. Rae used the platform to elevate emerging musical artists, frequently featuring independent and underground musicians on the show's soundtrack, which became a notable aspect of its cultural footprint.

Film Career

Concurrent with and following her work on Insecure, Rae expanded into feature films. In 2018, she appeared in The Hate U Give, a drama based on Angie Thomas's novel about the aftermath of a police shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. She played the role of April Ofrah, an activist. In 2019, Rae co-starred alongside Regina Hall in the fantasy comedy Little, and provided a voice role in the Oscar-winning animated short film Hair Love.

In 2020, Rae starred in two films: The Photograph, a romantic drama directed by Stella Meghie, opposite LaKeith Stanfield; and The Lovebirds, a romantic comedy-action film opposite Kumail Nanjiani. In 2022, she appeared in Vengeance, a comedy thriller written and directed by B. J. Novak.

Rae's 2023 film output was particularly notable. She appeared in Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, playing one of several versions of the Barbie character. She also had a role in American Fiction, a comedy-drama based on Percival Everett's novel Erasure. Additionally, she voiced the character Jess Drew / Spider-Woman in the animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Hoorae Media and Producing

In 2020, Rae established Hoorae Media, a media company encompassing her various production activities across film, television, and digital content. The company has served as the umbrella entity for her creative ventures, including audio content and brand partnerships.

In January 2026, Rae signed a multiyear first-look producing deal with Paramount, covering both film and television development. The deal, described as a three-year arrangement, positioned Rae as one of several high-profile talent creators aligned with the David Ellison-led Paramount. In interviews surrounding the deal, Rae indicated a focus on expanding her work as a producer and filmmaker, describing the next phase of her career as oriented toward projects that fulfill her creatively.

Entrepreneurship and Other Ventures

Beyond her work in entertainment, Rae has been involved in various entrepreneurial endeavors. She has spoken publicly about her approach to goal-setting and career management, describing a practice of writing down ideas and goals at the start of each year and revisiting them six months later. Despite her public profile and multiple Emmy nominations, Rae has discussed openly the tension between external perceptions of success and her own internal drive for continued growth, stating in a late 2025 interview that she sometimes feels "stagnant" despite appearing successful from the outside.

Personal Life

Issa Rae is married to Louis Diame, a Senegalese businessman. The couple's engagement was first reported in early 2019 after Rae was photographed wearing what appeared to be an engagement ring. Rae confirmed the engagement on Instagram. The couple married in a private ceremony in the south of France in July 2021. In February 2026, Rae mentioned in an interview with People that she spent Valentine's Day working on a screenplay, noting that her husband "was very understanding" about her dedication to her writing schedule.

Rae maintains connections to her Senegalese heritage through her father's family and has discussed the influence of her multicultural background on her identity and creative work. She is based in Los Angeles.

Recognition

Rae has received numerous awards and honors over the course of her career. For her work on Insecure, she received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She was also nominated for multiple Golden Globe Awards for the series. The series itself was nominated for a total of nine Emmy Awards across its run.

In 2017, Insecure was selected as one of the AFI's top television programs of the year, recognizing the show's creative achievement. The series also received a Peabody Award, honoring its cultural significance and storytelling quality. Rae was recognized with the Peabody Trailblazer Award and the Producers Guild of America Visionary Award, acknowledging her contributions to the entertainment industry as both a creator and producer.

Rae was included in the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world in both 2018 and 2022, marking her as a significant cultural figure beyond the entertainment industry. In 2014, she was named to the Forbes "30 Under 30" list in the entertainment section, an early acknowledgment of her growing influence.

Her memoir, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, achieved New York Times bestseller status in 2015, adding to her recognition as a writer. She has been featured on the covers and in profiles of major publications including Essence, the New York Times Magazine, and Chicago Magazine.

Legacy

Issa Rae's career has been defined by her role in expanding the landscape of American television and film, particularly with regard to the representation of Black women and the broader democratization of content creation through digital platforms. Her trajectory from YouTube creator to HBO showrunner to feature film actress represents a model for how independent digital content can serve as a pathway to mainstream entertainment success.

Awkward Black Girl demonstrated the commercial viability and audience appetite for stories centered on the everyday experiences of Black women, challenging industry assumptions about the marketability of such content. The success of the web series was instrumental in opening doors for Rae at HBO and subsequently in the broader film industry.

Insecure, over its five-season run, became a cultural reference point for conversations about race, class, gentrification, friendship, and romantic relationships in contemporary America. The show's attention to the geography and culture of South Los Angeles, its deliberate support of independent musicians, and its predominantly Black creative team behind the camera contributed to its significance as both an entertainment property and a cultural artifact.

Through Hoorae Media and her producing work, Rae has continued to expand opportunities for underrepresented voices in entertainment. Her 2026 first-look deal with Paramount positions her as a significant producer-creator in the next phase of her career, extending her influence beyond on-screen performance to the shaping of broader content strategies at a major studio.

Rae has spoken at length in public forums, including at the 2016 Television Critics Association press tour, about the structural challenges facing people of color in Hollywood, using her platform to address systemic issues in the industry. Her openness about the ongoing challenges of success and creative fulfillment—even at a high level of achievement—has resonated with audiences and creators navigating similar tensions in their own careers.