Issa Rae Receives Variety Entertainment Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Issa Rae received the Entertainment Entrepreneur of the Year Award at Variety’s L.A. Power of Women event on Wednesday in Beverly Hills. The award was presented by U.S. Bank senior executive vice president Courtney Kelso and honored the Emmy-nominated actress, writer, producer and entrepreneur.

Rae created, executive produced and starred in HBO’s “Insecure,” which ended its run in 2021. Kelso welcomed Rae to the stage, saying the comedian has “put her own community here in L.A. front and center across her incredible ventures.”

Rae began her acceptance speech by joking that she hadn’t written anything inspirational, as she’d been distracted by everything happening across the nation, “the industry [eating] itself,” climate disasters, politics and the rise of AI. But she did identify one force that continues to create instability: “This is all men’s fault. Rich, white men to be specific” she joked, drawing laughter from the audience.

“It is hard to feel like a powerful woman when men keep fucking everything up,” she said.

She then took a serious tone when detailing the struggles she’s faced, sharing that “it’s hard to feel inspired when you feel helpless and useless.”

As a writer, Rae said she experiences those feelings often, but she has also learned that she can direct her energy toward the things she knows she can control.

“I can decide who I’m around, who I work with, who I champion, who I invest in, whose stories I tell, who I platform, who I respond to,” she said. “I can use the power I do have to pour into my little community to make sure whatever success I’m lucky enough to have doesn’t stop with me.”

She shared that “even when I’m tired, pissed off or deeply uninspired by what’s happening around me, I can honestly say that nothing can stop me from trying to figure out where I can be useful. Because as discouraged as I may get, I’m never going to stop trying.”

Rae concluded her speech by saying, “Maybe that’s all any of us can do — is just figure out where we have some power and use it the fuck for good, please. So that’s what I’m going to do. I hope you guys do too.”

Rae’s on-screen credits include Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” the “Black Mirror” episode “Hotel Reverie” and “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” which she also executive produced. She also voices Jessica Drew in Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and Angela in the HBO Max series “Young Love.” As a producer, Rae worked on the 2023 film “Gray Matter” and executive produced the HBO Max series “Rap Sh!t.” She also produced “One of Them Days,” starring Keke Palmer and SZA. She is set to write and executive produce a new HBO comedy pilot, which is an untitled “male friendship show.”