The Evolution of Issa Rae
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Actor, creator, producer, director, and businesswoman are some of the many titles that Issa Rae holds! With two summer movie hits on the way, Spider-Man and Barbie, she is continuing to take over Hollywood! She is the epitome of Black excellence and is making her mark across the entertainment business. Here is her story. Enjoy!
BORN
Issa Rae, born Jo-Issa Rae Diop was born on January 12, 1895, in Los Angeles, California. Issa is one of five siblings. Her father was a pediatrician and her mother was a teacher.
Read more
Aside from Halle Bailey, Here Are Other Black Disney Actors and Characters We Love
Megan Thee Stallion Becomes 1st Black Woman to Land Forbes 30 Under 30 Cover
15 Priceless Black Twitter Moments Worth Remembering [Updated]
CHILDHOOD
Issa Rae’s Dramatic Family History Is Like a “Soap Opera” | Finding Your Roots | Ancestry©
Issa lived in several places growing up, including Senegal, where her father was born and rasied. For two years, her family lived in luxury with a security guard, maids, and a huge home. Unfortunately, that state of bliss quickly ended when her father’s plan to build a hospital in Senegal was destroyed by the government, making him lose a lot of money.
CHILDHOOD
Her family moved back to the United States to Potomac, Maryland, and eventually back to Los Angeles, and her father’s medical career got back on track.
STARTED ACTING
Dorm Diaries - The Pilot
Issa started acting in high school but did not go to college for it. In 2007, Issa graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in African and African American Studies. She founded Blackstage Theater Company at Stanford where she did adaptations of Spike Lee films and also filmed Dorm Diaries about Black life at Stanford.
STARTED ACTING
She then went to try acting with a fellowship at New York’s Public Theater but didn’t like it. She felt it was too “white” and too abstract. However, the experience led her to think more about creating her own space for Black filmmakers.
RISE TO FAME VIA YOUTUBE
AWKWARD Black Girl | “The Stop Sign” [S. 1, Ep. 1]
The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl was a comedy web series that began in 2011 on Youtube about a Black girl who went by “J.”The show follows J who awkwardly navigates the corporate world, relationships, and all of life’s uncomfortable moments. In 2016, it was adapted into HBO’s Insecure.
HARDSHIP
I Hate L.A. Dudes sold for ABC’s Shonda Rhimes Shondaland in 2013, but the deal fell through. However, HBO then gave Issa Rae a chance with what we now know as Insecure.
BECOMING AN AUTHOR
In 2015, Issa wrote and published a book titled The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl based on her hit Youtube series of the same title. The book is full of funny essays about being a Black misfit.
INSECURE
Issa Rae’s Transformation Throughout Insecure | Insecure | HBO
Issa Rae’s most famous work was HBO’s Insecure! Insecure premiered in 2016 following Issa and her best friend Molly’s ways of navigating all of life’s ups and mostly downs. Insecure lasted for five seasons and was nominated for Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, BET Awards, and more!
PRODUCER
As Insecure was airing, Issa was spending time expanding her producer career by producing and acting in The Photograph (2020), The Lovebirds (2020), Sweet Life: Los Angeles (2021), A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019-), and more.
ROMANCE
After the emotional wrap of Insecure, Issa Rae announced that she traveled to France to marry businessman, Louis Diame in 2021. The couple met in college. Issa Rae keeps her personal life as private as possible, feeling like it’s more important for people to know her for her businesses and art than her relationships.
MEDIA BUSINESS MOVES
Issa Rae is a businesswoman! In 2014, Issa Rae co-founded the management company, ColorCreative. In 2019, she launched Raedio, a record label, and in 2020 she launched Hoorae, her media production company.
COFFEE SHOPS AND BETTERING LA
Issa Joins The Climb | Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen Opens in Inglewood
Issa co-owns four Hilltop coffee shops in California. She feels strongly about supporting local businesses by Black people and people of color. In 2018 at her opening of the View Park location she expressed the need for coffee shops saying, “Coffee shops facilitate productivity in so many ways, they facilitate collaboration. I’ve personally have done all my writing in coffee shops. So it always disappointed me that there weren’t any that were black-owned (or) people of color-owned in my neighborhood.”
SUMMER TAKEOVER
Issa Rae Talks Playing Spider-Woman & Teases BARBIE Movie (Exclusive)
In 2023, Issa Rae made her return to the big screen, voicing the character Jessica Drew in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and the highly anticipated Barbie movie.
More from The Root
Sign up for The Root's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
