Issa Rae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Issa Rae
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Rae at SXSW 2025
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Jo-Issa Rae Diop
January 12, 1985 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Education | Stanford University (BA) |
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| Years active | 2011–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Louis Diame
(m. 2021) |
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Jo-Issa Rae Diop (born January 12, 1985), known as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer. She became famous for creating, writing, and starring in the HBO comedy show Insecure. For her work on Insecure, she was nominated for many Golden Globes and Primetime Emmy Awards.
Issa Rae first got attention for her YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl (2011–2013). Her book, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, became a New York Times bestseller in 2015. In 2020, she started her own production company called Hoorae Media.
Rae has also acted in several movies. These include the drama The Hate U Give (2018) and the fantasy comedy Little (2019). She also appeared in the romance The Photograph (2020) and the romantic comedy The Lovebirds (2020). More recently, she was in the comedy thriller Vengeance (2022). In 2023, she starred in the comedies Barbie and American Fiction. She also lent her voice to the short film Hair Love (2019) and played Jess Drew / Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).
Issa Rae was named one of the "100 most influential people in the world" by Time magazine in 2018 and 2022. In 2014, she was on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list for entertainment. She has also received special honors like the Peabody Trailblazer Award and the Producers Guild of America Visionary Award.
Contents
About Issa Rae
Her Early Life and Education
Jo-Issa Rae Diop was born in Los Angeles, California, on January 12, 1985. Her father, Abdoulaye Diop, is a doctor from Senegal. Her mother, Delyna Marie Diop, is a teacher from Louisiana. Her parents met in France when they were students. Issa Rae has four siblings.
Her family lived in Dakar, Senegal, for some time when she was a child. She grew up mostly in Potomac, Maryland. There, she enjoyed activities like swimming and street hockey. She also celebrated Passover dinners with her Jewish friends. Rae was raised Catholic, following her mother's faith.
When Issa Rae was in sixth grade, her family moved to View Park-Windsor Hills in Los Angeles. She went to a middle school there that was mostly Black. She later graduated from King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science, where she started acting. Her parents divorced when she was in high school. Issa Rae can speak French fluently.
In 2007, Rae graduated from Stanford University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in African and African-American Studies. While in college, she made music videos, wrote plays, and created a fun mock reality show called Dorm Diaries. At Stanford, she met Tracy Oliver, who later helped produce Awkward Black Girl.
After college, Rae got a theater fellowship in New York City. She and Tracy Oliver also took classes at the New York Film Academy. Rae worked many different jobs. She thought about going to business or law school. However, she decided against it when Awkward Black Girl became very popular in 2011.
Her Career Journey
Awkward Black Girl Web Series
Issa Rae's web series Awkward Black Girl first appeared on YouTube in 2011. The show follows a character named J, played by Rae. J often finds herself in uncomfortable situations with her co-workers and people she likes. The story is told from J's point of view. She shares her feelings through voice-overs or dream scenes.
The series quickly became popular through word-of-mouth, blogs, and social media. This led to attention from major news outlets. To pay for the rest of the first season, Rae and producer Tracy Oliver raised money through Kickstarter. On August 11, 2011, they received $56,269 from 1,960 donations. They then released the rest of season one on Rae's YouTube channel.
Rae later teamed up with Pharrell Williams. The second season of Awkward Black Girl premiered on his YouTube channel, iamOTHER. Rae also started releasing other videos on her original channel. These videos mostly featured and were created by people of color.
In 2013, Awkward Black Girl won a Shorty award for Best Web Show. Rae created the show because she felt that Hollywood often showed limited and untrue stereotypes of African-American women. She said, "I've always had an issue with the [idea] that people of color, and black people especially, aren't relatable. I know we are."
By using YouTube, Rae had full control over her work. She writes, films, produces, and edits most of her projects. Rae's other shows, like Ratchet Piece Theater and The Choir, also focus on African-American experiences. These are often not shown in mainstream media. Her YouTube series often look like TV comedies, with "cut-away scenes" that show imagined situations.
Insecure TV Series
In 2013, Rae began working on a comedy TV show pilot with Larry Wilmore. She planned to star in it. The show was about the awkward experiences of a modern African-American woman. It was eventually named Insecure. HBO decided to make the show in early 2015.
Since it first aired in 2016, the series has been highly praised. Eric Deggans of NPR said that Rae created a show that felt "revolutionary" just by showing the life of an average young Black woman. In late 2016, Rae's mother, Delyna Diop, appeared in season 1. She played Rae's character's role model.
In 2017, the American Film Institute named Insecure one of the top 10 TV shows of the year. For her acting in the show, Rae was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a TV Series. She also received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
In 2018, Insecure received a Peabody Award. It was honored for "creating a series that truly shows the lives of everyday young, black people in modern society."
HBO renewed the show for a second season on November 14, 2016. The second season started on July 23, 2017. On August 8, 2017, it was announced that the show would have a third season, which began on August 12, 2018. Season five premiered on October 24, 2021. The final episode of Insecure aired on December 26, 2021.
Film Roles
In 2020, Issa Rae starred in The Photograph. She played Mae Morton, who searches for her mother's past with Michael Block, played by LaKeith Stanfield. The New York Times called it "an unabashedly old-school love story." Empire magazine said it felt "relatable and true."
Also in 2020, Rae played Leilani in The Lovebirds, directed by Michael Showalter. The film also starred Kumail Nanjiani as Jibran, Leilani's boyfriend. The couple tries to save their relationship while getting involved in a murder mystery.
Her Book
Issa Rae's first book, a memoir called The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, came out in 2015. It quickly became a New York Times bestseller. In the book, she shares funny stories from her life. She also talks about her personal struggles with not fitting in and sometimes feeling like she wasn't "black enough."
Other Projects
In 2016, Rae created a podcast called Fruit.
On October 11, 2019, Google announced that Rae's voice would be an option for the Google Assistant. Users could make Google Assistant speak in her voice by saying "Ok Google, talk like Issa." Her voice was available until October 1, 2021.
Also in 2019, Rae started her own record label, Raedio. She partnered with Atlantic Records to release "Kinda Love" by singer-rapper TeaMarrr.
In March 2021, Rae's production company, Hoorae, signed a big deal with WarnerMedia. As part of this deal, she created Sweet Life: Los Angeles, a reality TV show that was produced in 2021.
Issa Rae is also a co-owner of Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen. This is a local coffee shop chain in Los Angeles.
Personal Life
Issa Rae's birth name, Jo-Issa, is a mix of her grandmothers' names: Joyce and Isseu. Her middle name, Rae, is named after an aunt who was an artist.
Rae married her longtime boyfriend, Louis Diame, in July 2021. Louis is a businessman from Senegal. They had a private ceremony in France. Rae first showed her engagement ring publicly on the cover of Essence magazine in April 2019.
Film and Television Work
Issa Rae has acted in many films and TV shows.
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- Films: She has appeared in movies like The Hate U Give (2018), Little (2019), The Photograph (2020), and The Lovebirds (2020). In 2023, she was in Barbie as President Barbie and American Fiction as Sintara Golden. She also voiced Jess Drew / Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and is expected to return for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
- Television: Besides The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and Insecure, she has been in shows like BoJack Horseman (voice role, 2018), A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019–2021), and hosted Saturday Night Live (2020). In 2023, she voiced Angela Love in the TV series Young Love. She is also set to appear in Black Mirror in 2025.
Awards and Recognition
Issa Rae has won many awards for her work.
- She won a Shorty Award for Best Web Show for Awkward Black Girl in 2013.
- For Insecure, she won multiple Black Reel Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.
- She also won a Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy or Musical for Insecure in 2018.
- In 2020 and 2022, she won NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for Insecure.
- She received the Peabody Trailblazer Award in 2022 and the Producers Guild of America Visionary Award in 2022.
- In 2024, she won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Character Voice Performance – Motion Picture for her role in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
See also
In Spanish: Issa Rae para niños
