Issa Rae is an American actress, producer, director, writer and web series writer. She is best known for her YouTube series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl (2011-2013), in which she created, wrote, directed and starred as the character named J. She is also known for creating, co-writing and playing a character of Issa Dee in the HBO TV series Insecure between 2016-2018, as well as her guest roles of Lisa in The Number (2012-2013), Mama Moth in Society of True Friends (2013) and dr. Indira in BoJack Horseman (2018). Issa produced television series Little Horribles(2013), 6 episodes of Inside the Web Series TV Documentary (2013), Roomieloverfriends (2013-2014), The Choir (2013-2015), First (2014-2015) and Insecure (2016-2018). She is also an accomplished writer, known for her book titled The Misadventures of the Awkward Black Girl which became a New York Times bestseller when it was published in 2015. Issa amassed a large number of social media followers with more than 1 million followers on Twitter and more than 2 million followers on her Instagram account.

Born name

Jo-Issa Rae Diop

nickname

In which

Sun sign

Capricorn

Place of birth

Los Angeles, California, United States

Residence

Los Angeles, California, United States

nationality

training

Issa Rae attended a predominantly black middle school in the View Park-Windsor Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. While there, she was scolded for not appearing “black” and found her time there difficult.

She graduated from King Drew Magnet High School for Medicine and Science in Willowbrook, Los Angeles, California, USA. After high school, Issa enrolled at Stanford University in Stanford, California, USA, and majored in African and African American Studies in 2007.

After graduating from college, Issa received a theater scholarship in New York City, New York, USA with the renowned The Public Theater arts organization. She also took classes at the New York Film Academy in New York, USA and doubted whether to go to law or business school, but ultimately decided to follow her passions as a producer and actress.

occupation

Actress, Director, Producer, Writer, Web Series Writer

family

• Father – Abdoulaye Diop (pediatrician, neonatologist)
• Mother – Delyna Hayward (Teacher)
• Siblings – She has 4 siblings.
• Others – Ralph Hayward (maternal grandfather), Joyce Hayward (maternal grandmother), Isseu (paternal grandmother), Rae Louise Hayward (aunt) (artist)

Manager

Issa Rae is represented by –

• ColorCreative (company) in Los Angeles, California, USA
• Issa Rae Productions (company) in Los Angeles, California, United States
• United Talent Agency (UTA) (talent agent, performance, voice, writing) in Beverly Hills, California, USA
• 3 Arts Entertainment (Manager) in Beverly Hills, Kalifornien, USA
• AM PR Group (publicist) in Los Angeles, California, USA
• Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller (legal representative) in Beverly Hills, California, USA

Genre

Alternative / Indie

instruments

Life

labels

unknown

To build

Slim

Height

5 feet 9.5 inches or 176.5 cm

weight

63 kg

friend/spouse

Issa Rae dated –

1. Louis Diame (2019-Present) – Issa has kept her in a long-term close relationship, but Louis, a businessman, has joined her on the red carpet a few times. The reason she was so secretive was because she just didn’t want others to have their opinions on who she should date. In March 2019, fans noticed that she wore an engagement ring in her cover photo for Essence magazine . This led to her friends and co-workers congratulating her on the engagement, though she hasn’t commented on the matter, nor has Louis.

race/ethnicity

Schwarz

She is of Senegalese descent on her father’s side and African-American descent on her mother’s side.

hair colour

dark brown

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• Tall, lean physique
• full lips
• Afro or long haircut
• Sparkling white teeth

brand promotion

Issa Rae supports brands like:

• Samsung Mobile USA (2018)
• Customs of Tai Etsy Store (2018)

Issa Rae has appeared in the TV commercials for –

• Samsung Galaxy Note9 (2018)
• Samsung Mobile – Do it yourself (2018)
• Comedy Central (2019)
• HBO – Make A Little Trouble (2019)

Issa Rae has also promoted Sterling Family Trust charity causes, raising $700,000 for the family of Alton Sterling, who was killed by police officers in 2016.

Known for

• Starring as J in her own web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl (2011-2013), as well as Lisa in The Number (2012-2013) and Issa Dee in Insecure (2016-2018)
• Producer for TV series How Men Become Dogs (2013), The Choir (2013-2015), First (2014-2015) and Insecure (2016-2018)

As a singer

Issa Rae had an uncredited musical performance of a song Freestyle in the episode The Decision of her YouTube web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl in 2012.

first movie

Issa Rae made her feature film debut as Jane Johnson in a drama film titled Bitter Lime in 2015.

First web show

Issa Rae first appeared as J in an episode titled The Stop Sign of the web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl on February 3, 2011.

Personal trainer

Issa openly admitted that training is notnatural for her, and was far from her favorite pastime. However, when she saw herself on TV, Issa realized that she needed to make time and that working out was an important way to take care of her body, both physically and mentally. Issa has been working hard to break her habit of making apologies and New Year’s resolutions that have always failed.

She started finding an easy way to get her workouts in – waking up early, around 4:55 a.m., and starting to walk and jog without thinking too much. Though Issa still feels like doing this every day is a chore, she claimed that it has helped her with creativity, mental health, and helped her get to know each other better.

Issa Rae favorite things

• Personal Quote – “I thrive on obstacles. If I am told that this is not possible, I push harder. “
• Person – Michelle Obama

Issa Rae Facts

1. She was born in Los Angeles, California, USA but lived briefly in Dakar, Senegal and grew up in Potomac, Maryland, USA.
2. In 6th grade, she moved to the View Park-Windsor Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
3. Her father had a medical practice in Inglewood, California while her mother taught students in Louisiana. Issa’s parents divorced when she was in high school.
4. Her birth name Jo-Issa comes from a combination of her grandmothers names – Joyce and Isseu. Her middle name was taken in honor of her aunt’s name – Rae, who was an artist but died at an earlier date.
5. During her studies she wrote and directed plays and made music videos.
6. Issa met one of her best friends, Tracy Oliver, in college. Tracy played Nina in The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl (2011-2013) and helped her produce the web show.
7. Issa began work on her comedy series pilot in 2013. It wasn’t until early 2015 that the project was titled Insecure and then picked up and greenlit by HBO.
8. TV Series Insecure was released in 2016 and was named one of the top ten television programs of the year by the American Film Institute in 2017.
9. Insecure received two Golden Globe Award nominations in 2017 and 2018 and one Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2018.
10. In 2012, Forbes magazine included Issa Rae in their annual “30 under 30” list in the entertainment category.
11. It wasn’t until college that she learned to embrace her long, natural, curly Afro hair. Issa said she was taunted for it, which forced her to wear hoods and scarves and just hide it in every possible way.
12. When asked about her products designed to keep her Afro hair curly and long, she said she’s used three brands: Hair Rules , SheaMoisture , and Natural Splendor . However, she emphasized that every hair is different and it takes a while to figure out what works for each individual.
13. The best advice anyone gave her was don’t be afraid of being a b*tch. Issa claimed that she realized her fear of upsetting people wouldn’t get her very far in the industry and just wouldn’t get the job done as efficiently.
14. Issa appeared in the music videos for Pharrell Williams’ song Happy in 2013, Jay-Z’s Moonlight in 2017, and Drake’s Nice for What song in 2018.
15. She received the Vanguard Award at the February 10, 2017 Essence Black Women In Hollywood event.
16. She has appeared on the covers of Women’s Health magazine (2019), Essence (2015, 2019), Gloss (2018), Ebony (2018), Marie Claire (2018), and AdWeek (2017).
17. In April 2018, the US government named her one of the 100 most influential people by ZEIT magazine, and actress Mindy Kaling wrote her tribute.
18. In April 2019, it was announced that her TV series, Insecure , would not air in 2019. Issa said it will likely return in 2020, prompting outrage from loyal fans who have been eagerly awaiting the new episodes.
19. Visit their official website @ issarae.com.
20. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.