Hollywood's Obsession with Whiteness is Showing Again
It's exhausting here
I’ve been bothered lately. I’ve been trying to put it out of my head, but there have been repeated instances that have been bothering me. This year, it feels like there’s been an overwhelming message of whiteness and our country’s obsession with it. This has always existed, but it continues to rear its head in many forms (and as I get older and unlearn what I was taught, the message has become increasingly glaring).
Even when I focus just on my industry, the entertainment industry, instead of the world at large, I’m constantly slapped in the face with this subliminal messaging. Actually, it’s not subliminal. It’s blatant.
From studios rolling back “DEI initiatives,” to Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle *operative word American* jeans campaign (if you think the messaging behind “good genes” was innocent, then I beg you to look up the definition of dog whistle), to this photo of the showrunners nominated for Emmys this season that was just released.
Something is wrong with this picture, but Hollywood sees this picture as just right.
As someone who plans on being a showrunner one day, it’s…upsetting.
This is a photo of all the showrunners nominated for Emmys this year—the writers/creators of TV shows—and it’s overwhelmingly white. White men and white women. Quinta Brunson is on this list, but wasn’t present in this photo. She is the only non-white showrunner nominated.
When a Black person calls something like this out, we get deemed “biased.” We allegedly only want someone to win or get nominated “just because they’re Black.” No, it’s not because the work was incredible, for who are we to dare have taste, it’s just because someone is Black.
But the tables are never turned. These people never once think to check if they are biased. If the roles were reversed, I’d say, “You only like them because they’re white.” Which, based on much of history, I’d say is a pretty accurate statement. But that statement never gets said.
If time and time again you only see one group of people as the best…don’t you think that’s, I don’t know, biased? Who am I even trying to convince? They like it this way.
It can’t be an accident. This is intentional.
I love some of the shows nominated this year—I wrote Substacks on a few of them— and admire some of these show creators. But to think that the top of the top in television is solely white people is ridiculous. It gives the message that this is the only work that is artful, the only work worth awards, the only work people should watch.
I don’t believe this lie, but I’m still angry that this lie gets told. Because this lie determines investments. Determines shows being sold. Determines culture being shaped. Determines jobs available. Determines whose stories can be told.
Did you know it costs money to submit a show for an Emmy nomination? That’s how award shows work. You have to submit to be considered, and those submissions cost money. From shows that get greenlit, to shows that have the biggest backing, to shows that have the biggest marketing campaigns, to shows that end up winning awards, it’s all a money game. And the only investment the Emmys are displaying is whiteness.
The gatekeepers are truly exhausting. It’s very frustrating and can make you feel gaslit.
Variety reports that the 2025 Emmys nominations diversity is the worst showing for actors in the past 5 years. I wonder if anyone is accounting for writers because it sure looks bleak.
I went to a writers’ event recently, and a Black woman showrunner said something to the effect of—Hollywood is racist, sexist, and homophobic. It’s always been this way, we weren’t supposed to be here! So, to get extra worried about that now is pointless. Keep showing up and keep being yourself.
That was paraphrased, but I say it to remind myself that people have created things before me, and people continue to find unique and interesting ways to get seen and show up. None of this is impossible.
But fuck the way this system is.
Some great shows I watched this year (that are new/current) that have non-white showrunners are:
Forever, created by Mara Brock Akil
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, by Jeff Trammell
Squid Game, created by Hwang Dong-hyuk
Dandadan by Hiroshi Seko (anime but still counts)
Abbott Elementary, created by Quinta Brunson
I plan to watch Ironheart, I just haven’t gotten to it yet!
I should also mention that I recently met Mara Brock Akil at an inspiring night for Natalie Guerrero’s new book, My Train Leaves at Three. They dug into the writing process and had a very thoughtful discussion, and both of these women were oh so gracious when I met them.
I also saw a Mara Brock Akil career retrospective with a Q&A, and she said something that she realized (again, paraphrased) is that her work creates currency, an ecosystem. She creates jobs, gets viewers, earns the networks money, etc, when she makes her shows. That is powerful and that is valuable. To me, hearing that was powerful and insightful. I’m adding this tidbit again as a moment of encouragement. That work is powerful.
While this post was mostly venting frustrations and not full of my usual humor, I still have hope for the future.
No matter the awards, many people are out here doin’ the damn thing. I just hope the award shows catch up. And I still plan to create shows. And get an Emmy at that!
What new shows have you been watching?
As the genocide continues to intensify in Palestine, my friend is helping get the word out about a GoFundMe for a couple in Gaza. They were recently married and have a baby on the way. If you can, please donate here.
I had some shows recently I didn’t get to share about in time. If you need a laugh, check out my sketch team’s YouTube. I hope you have a great week and find some positivity despite the chaos.
Cheers,
Paige Elson
That photo is so disturbing. Where are we supposed to go from here?