Issa Rae
Actress • YouTuber • Writer • Director
Birth Name: Jo-Issa Rae Diop
Birth Date: January 12, 1985
Age: 39 years old
Birth Place: Los Angeles, California
Born in Los Angeles in 1985, Jo-Issa Rae Diop lived in Dakar, Senegal for a short time, but was raised in Maryland until sixth grade when her family moved to Los Angeles. Diop attended Stanford, graduating in 2007 with a major in African and African-American Studies. While in college, she was active in the arts, making music videos and creating a mock reality series called "Dorm Diaries." In 2008, a friend began calling her Issa Rae, and Diop decided that she would use the name for her creative endeavors. After graduation she received a theater fellowship at The Public Theater in New York and began taking film classes. An article bemoaning the lack of African-American geeks portrayed in media led Rae to create "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl" (YouTube, 2011-2013). Rae and her friend Tracy Oliver both produced and acted in the first season, which debuted on YouTube in 2011. The overwhelmingly positive response led the two to launch a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $50,000 to fund more episodes of the show. Rae partnered with Pharrell Williams and premiered the second season of the show on his YouTube channel, iamOther. The show won the Shorty Award for Best Web Show in 2012 and ended its run in February of 2013. In 2015, Rae published a memoir titled "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl," and in 2016, she starred in and produced the critically acclaimed series "Insecure" (HBO, 2016-). Between seasons of the series, Rae appeared in the acclaimed drama "The Hate U Give" (2018).
Credits
The 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Young LoveStream
Project Greenlight: A New GenerationStream
Project Greenlight: A New GenerationStream
BarbieStream
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseStream
Gray MatterStream
American FictionStream
The Hair TalesStream
Sherri
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Hell of a Week with Charlamagne Tha GodStream
Rap Sh!tStream
Rap Sh!tStream
Rap Sh!tStream
RoarStream
VengeanceStream
Insecure: The End
Insecure: The End
ET Canada Weekend
CBS Mornings
Sweet Life: Los AngelesStream
Sweet Life: Los AngelesStream
Coastal ElitesStream
GMA3: What You Need to Know
The Photograph
The Photograph
The LovebirdsStream
The LovebirdsStream
Dark City Beneath the Beat
The Read With Kid Fury and Crissle
The Kelly Clarkson ShowStream
Tamron Hall
GMA3: Strahan, Sara & Keke
A Black Lady Sketch ShowStream
Today With Hoda & Jenna
Desus & Mero
Little
Hair Love
Today 3rd Hour
American Woman With Brooke Baldwin
The Hate U GiveStream
Access
Sister Circle
Black Girls Rock!
Live with Kelly and Ryan
The Fusion Feed
Excellence in Black Hollywood: A News One Now Primetime Special
Desus & MeroStream
InsecureStream
InsecureStream
InsecureStream
InsecureStream
Insecure: Extras
The Daily Show with Trevor NoahStream
The Late Show With Stephen ColbertStream
Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter
The Breakfast Club
Hot OnesStream
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
q
The Breakfast Club Power Hour
Late Night With Seth MeyersStream
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonStream
Take Part Live
The Real
Exhale
The Root 100
Katie
Finding Your RootsStream
CBS This Morning
Dish Nation
On Story
ConanStream
The Talk
Talk Stoop
The Project
Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream
etalk
Entertainment Tonight Canada
ET Canada
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream
The View
Access Hollywood
Extra
Charlie RoseStream
Entertainment Tonight
CBS News Sunday Morning
Good Morning America
Saturday Night LiveStream
Sesame StreetStream
Today
Photos
News aboutIssa Rae
2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards: How to Watch, Presenters, Nominees & More
14 Best TV Shows From Black Directors to Watch Right Now
27 Best Behind-the-Scenes Moments From 2024 Golden Globes
‘Insecure’ Lands on Netflix, ‘Band of Brothers,’ ‘Six Feet Under’ & More Coming Soon
Premiere
Issa Rae & the ‘Rap Sh!t’ Cast on What Makes the Show Different From ‘Insecure’ (VIDEO)
‘Rap Sh!t’ Trailer: Aida Osman & KaMillion Star in Issa Rae’s HBO Max Series (VIDEO)
‘Roar’: Apple TV+ Releases First Looks at Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo & More (PHOTOS)
Issa Rae, Amanda Seales & More Respond to ‘Insecure’s Alpha Kappa Alpha Backlash
Preview
‘Insecure’ Season 5: What’s Next for Issa’s Relationships With Lawrence & Molly?
10 Reasons to Tune Into the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmys
‘Insecure’ Sets Final Season Premiere Date as HBO Unveils Trailer (VIDEO)
HBO Max Announces ‘Summer of Unscripted’ Lineup With 3 New Reality Shows (VIDEO)
Issa Rae Gets HBO Max 8 Episode Order for ‘Rap Sh*t’
Issa Rae’s ‘Insecure’ Comes to an End: Season 5 to Be Its Last
Review
Roush Review: Seriocomic Confessions From 5 ‘Coastal Elites’
Issa vs. Molly: Who Was Right in the ‘Insecure’ Season 4 Feud?
Spoiler Alert
‘Insecure’ Finale: How Will Issa Handle That Lawrence Bombshell? (RECAP)
Preview
Kumail Nanjiani Compares ‘The Lovebirds’ to the Mystery & Hijinks of ‘The Thin Man’
13 ‘BoJack Horseman’ Celebrity Cameos That Surprised Us (PHOTOS)
Issa Levels Up in HBO’s New ‘Insecure’ Season 4 Teaser (VIDEO)
13 Celebrities We’d Love to See Host the 2020 Oscars (PHOTOS)
7 Affirmations From Issa’s Mirror Moments on ‘Insecure’
Where Is Lawrence on ‘Insecure’ Season 3? Details on Jay Ellis’ Absence
‘Insecure’ Season 3: Fictional Issa Reinvents Herself by Necessity
Issa Rae & Constance Wu Phone It in to Young Creators in Samsung’s Oscar Ad (VIDEO)
HBO Renews Issa Rae’s ‘Insecure’ for Third Season
‘Insecure’: 4 Ways Issa Dee’s Dating Life Is Just Like Ours
Issa Explores Her Rebound Days in Season 2 of ‘Insecure’
‘Insecure’ Season 2 and ‘Ballers’ Season 3 to Premiere in July
Sweepstakes
‘Insecure’ Sweepstakes: Enter to for a Chance to Win Season 1 on Blu-Ray
International Women’s Day 2017: How TV’s Top Female Stars Celebrated
‘Insecure’s Yvonne Orji on Playing Issa Rae’s Lovelorn Buddy
‘Insecure’s Issa Rae Talks About Being a Regular Person
