Issa Rae

Not to be confused with Iso Rae.

Issa Rae
Rae in 2017
Born
Jo-Issa Rae Diop

(1985-01-12) January 12, 1985 (age 39)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesJoissa Diop-Diame
EducationStanford University (BA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • writer
  • producer
Years active2011–present
Notable workAwkward Black Girl, Insecure
Spouse
Louis Diame
​
(m. 2021)​
Websiteissarae.com
Signature

Jo-Issa Rae Diop[1] (born January 12, 1985),[2] credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer.[3][4] Founder of Hoorae Media, she achieved wider recognition as the co-creator, co-writer, and star of the HBO television series Insecure (2016–2021), for which she was nominated for multiple Golden Globes Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards.[5][6]

Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl.[7] Since 2011, Rae has continued to develop her YouTube channel, which features various short films, web series, and other content created by black people.[8][9] Her 2015 memoir, titled The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, became a New York Times bestseller.

Rae has also starred in feature 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), receiving nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics' Choice Movie Awards with the cast. She also voiced Jess Drew / Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and Beyond the Spider-Verse (upcoming). Rae provided the voice work for the short film Hair Love, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2020.[10]

In 2018 and 2022, Rae was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world,[11][12] and in 2014 in the Forbes '30 Under 30' list in the entertainment section.[13] She was recognized with the Peabody Trailblazer Award and the Producers Guild of America Visionary Award.

  1. ^ Wortham, Jenna (August 4, 2015). "The Misadventures of Issa Rae". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "UPI Almanac for Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020". United Press International. January 12, 2020. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020. …actor/singer Issa Rae in 1985 (age 35)
  3. ^ "Breaking the Silences - Finding Your Roots". Apple TV. January 5, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  4. ^ Navidi, Leila (February 18, 2020). "A conversation with Issa Rae at Target headquarters". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 7, 2022. Writer and comedian Issa Rae
  5. ^ Hughes, William (June 23, 2016). "Issa Rae is still an Awkward Black Girl in the trailer for HBO's Insecure". The A.V. Club.
  6. ^ Respers France, Lisa (July 5, 2016). "Issa Rae's 'Insecure' may already be a hit". CNN.
  7. ^ Gopalan, Nisha (February 28, 2013). "Issa Rae on Awkward Black Girl, Her Shonda Rhimes Show, and Hating L.A. Guys". Vulture.
  8. ^ Kang, Inkoo (August 7, 2015). "Issa Rae's Long Road: When Are We Finally Going to Stop Wondering if Women of Color Are "Relatable"?Tumisang Marumo's friend Waxx". Indiewire. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  9. ^ Johnson, Margeaux (October 1, 2014). "Issa Rae's Color Creative Calls for TV Diversity". EBONY.
  10. ^ ""Hair Love" Scores a Major Win for Representation at the Oscars". Teen Vogue. February 10, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  11. ^ "Issa Rae: The World's 100 Most Influential People". Time. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  12. ^ "Zendaya, Issa Rae, Mary J. Blige, And More Top The 2022 TIME 100 Most Influential List". Essence. May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Forbes30Under30-2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).