Issa Rae

Biography

JoIssa Rae Diop (born January 12, 1985), known professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, and producer. She achieved recognition as the co-creator, co-writer, and star of the HBO comedy series Insecure (2016–2021), for which she was nominated for multiple Golden Globes Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards. Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl (2011–2013). Her 2015 memoir,  The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, became a New York Times bestseller. In 2020, Rae formed the production company Hoorae Media. Rae has also appeared in films, with roles in the drama The Hate U Give (2018), the fantasy comedy Little (2019), the romance The Photograph (2020), the romantic comedy The Lovebirds (2020), the comedy thriller Vengeance(2022), and the comedies Barbie and American Fiction (both 2023). She also had a voice role in the short film Hair Love (2019) and voiced Jess Drew / Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). In 2018 and 2022, Rae was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world and in 2014 in the Forbes '30 Under 30' list in the entertainment section. She was recognized with the Peabody Trailblazer Award and the Producers Guild of America Visionary Award. Description above from the Wikipedia article Issa Rae, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Daily Show

The Kelly Clarkson Show

Saturday Night Live

All Movies (23)

• Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse2027 · as Jessica Drew (voice)
• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie2026 · as Honey Queen (voice)
• Escape Room2025
• American Fiction2023 · as Sintara Golden
• Barbie2023 · as Barbie
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse2023 · as Jessica Drew (voice)
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Creating the Ultimate Spider-Man Movie2023 · as Self
• Vengeance2022 · as Eloise
• Insecure: The End2021 · as Self
• Coastal Elites2020 · as Callie Josephson
• The Lovebirds2020 · as Leilani
• The Photograph2020 · as Mae Eames
• Hair Love2019 · as Natural Hair Vlogger / Mom (voice)
• Little2019 · as April Williams
• The Hate U Give2018 · as April Ofrah
• Moonlight2017 · as Rachel
• A Bitter Lime2015 · as Jane Johnson
• Rubberhead2014 · as Bride 2 (segment "Absorption")
• Perfect Strangers—
• Good People, Bad Things—
• Untitled Set It Off Remake—
• Untitled Friendship Breakup Film—
• Babies—

All TV Shows (38)

• Picture This2026
• Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television2025 · as Self
• No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski2025 · as Self
• Hollywood Black2024 · as Self
• Hot Ones Versus2024 · as Self
• Young Love2023 · as Angela Young (voice)
• Project Greenlight2023 · as Self
• The Hair Tales2022 · as Self
• Sherri2022 · as Self - Guest
• The Jennifer Hudson Show2022 · as Self
• Roar2022 · as Wanda Shepard
• Legendary2020 · as Self - Guest Judge
• #blackAF2020 · as Issa Rae
• Tamron Hall2019 · as Self - Guest
• The Kelly Clarkson Show2019 · as Self
• A Black Lady Sketch Show2019 · as Daffodil Dunham
• A Black Lady Sketch Show2019 · as Butterfly
• A Black Lady Sketch Show2019 · as Jess
• A Black Lady Sketch Show2019 · as Trina
• Desus & Mero2019 · as Self
• Desus & Mero2019 · as Self - Illustrious Guest
• Insecure2016 · as Issa Dee
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter2015 · as Self
• Hot Ones2015 · as Self
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors2014 · as Self
• BoJack Horseman2014 · as Dr. Indira (voice)
• Late Night with Seth Meyers2014 · as Self - Guest
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self
• Finding Your Roots2012 · as Self
• Black Mirror2011 · as Brandy Friday
• Conan2010 · as Self - Guest
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen2009 · as Self - Guest
• The View1997 · as Self
• The Daily Show1996 · as Self
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Host
• The American Film Institute Salute to ...1973 · as Self
• The Oscars1953 · as Self - Presenter