Shonda Rhimes slams 'ignorant' column about diversity on television

Shonda Rhimes has been at the forefront of pushing for more diversity on television, which is why she was stunned to see a Deadline column that actually wondered if there was too much diversity on television.

On Tuesday, Deadline columnist Nellie Andreeva asked if the increase in roles for minority actors was “too much of a good thing.” She noted how many roles that may have gone to white actors are going to actors of minorities, following the success of the Rhimes-produced How To Get Away With Murder and Fox’s Empire. Some of pilots in development have been “off-limits” for Caucasian actors, Andreeva writes.

Just after the story was published, Rhimes tweeted her reactions. “1st Reaction:: HELL NO. Lemme take off my earrings, somebody hold my purse! 2nd Reaction: Article is so ignorant I can't even be bothered,” she wrote.

She then retweeted many other Twitter users who were also stunned by the article. That includes the New York Times’ Dave Itzkoff, who wrote, “Just astounding that something so tone deaf could be published in 2015 by a supposedly credible news source.”

Rhimes also retweeted Jamil Smith of The New Republic, who wrote, “What troubles me is the decision-makers in Hollywood who will read that @Deadline tripe about black actors in television and say, ‘Exactly.’”

It is true that the networks are moving towards more racially diverse shows, following the success of Rhimes’ work and other shows, like Empire or ABC’s Fresh off the Boat and Black-ish. For example, ABC’s Uncle Buck series will feature an all-African American cast. Laverne Cox of Orange is the New Black got her own pilot at CBS, as did Wesley Snipes.

Rhimes has had issues with journalists in the past, once calling out a New York Times writer for calling her an “angry black woman.”

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