Shonda Rhimes maintains an image of a public creative figure working in a post-racial society in which people are judged on their merit and not the color of their skin. Rhimes down- plays race in most of her interviews for the show. She presents being an African American woman as secondary to being a television writer and creator. During the first two seasons, colorblind casting and Rhimes‘s discussion of race were at the forefront in the discourse sur- rounding the show. Almost any article about diversity on television or diversity in ensemble dramas cites GA as an excellent case study and notes the fact that Rhimes is African American. She was lauded as an example of diversity on a broadcast network.
456 Rhimes states this information in her tweets. For more information see
What is problematic about Rhimes‘s post-racial perspective are the contradictions in her statements regarding race. On the one hand, she wrote and casted the show without race or eth- nicity as a focus. Yet, she has a rule that pimps and drug dealers cannot be black. She also cre- ated the character of Miranda Bailey with race in mind. On the show, Bailey‘s nickname is ―the Nazi.‖ Rhimes is proud of the fact that because of colorblind casting, the role changed from a petite blond with ringlets to an African American woman. Rhimes‘s belief in a colorblind socie- ty becomes an issue because it falsely reflects an image that race is not an issue and racial inequi- ties are a thing of the past. Yet Rhimes herself, through her public statements, demonstrates that we are not in a post-racial society.
Tyler Perry is more candid than Rhimes when it comes to discussions about race. He acknowledges that things are not created equal in the industry. Perry promotes a neo-racial viewpoint. He speaks openly about the lack of opportunities for African American actors in Hol- lywood. However, he indicates that these talented actors have an outlet through his works at Ty- ler Perry Studios. TPS employs many African Americans for roles onscreen and for production in Atlanta. Perry‘s studio is the number one employer of African Americans in Hollywood. As the first African American to create and own a fully operational television and film studio, Perry is trying to make a difference. Although he is vocal about the inequities, he also admits that things are better than they were. Things are better in part because of the impact he is making in the industry.457 For Perry, financial successes have provided him with the means to have a loud- er voice than Rhimes about inequities in the industry. The $200 million, 100 episode order from TBS provided Perry with a bigger platform and increased media attention. The ratings success and TBS‘s additional order for 100 more episodes brought Perry into the forefront as a legitimate
457 Certainly behind-the-scenes Perry has made an impact with Tyler Perry Studios, which employs over
300 people in Atlanta. The on-screen representations of blackness in his films and television shows have also had a positive and negative impact, which will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter.
public creative figure in television. Also having complete creative control and ownership makes it easier for him to talk about these issues. He is very open about the challenges he had in the television industry before 2005. Network interference and lack of creative control forced Perry to wait to create House of Payne.
Perry has had tremendous success with the transition from plays to film to television largely because of his loyal, devoted audience. He acknowledges that the urban faith-based de- mographic has been overlooked in film and television and he creates shows for this ignored au- dience. Yet with his television show, he has expanded his audience. HOP is geared toward his African American fans but he has broadened the storylines to expand its appeal.458 Perry sup- ports a neo-racial perspective through his acknowledgement of inequities and underserved audi- ences in Hollywood as well as his devotion to creating works to correct this situation. Within the Neo-Cosby Moment, Perry (and not the industry more generally) is the one creating more oppor- tunities for African Americans. In addition, the success of HOP resulted in the creation of more black-oriented sitcoms on TBS and other basic cable stations.459 However, his success did not transfer to the broadcast networks; there has remained an absence of black-oriented sitcoms on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and The CW.
Whereas Rhimes promotes a post-racial perspective and Perry follows a neo-racial view- point, Tyra Banks falls somewhere in-between. When talking about the modeling industry, Banks follows a neo-racial perspective; she admits that things are not equal but better than they were. Tyra Banks is similar to Perry in that she wants to correct past injustices. However, these
458
"Tyler Perry Bringing the 'Payne' - and Ratings." According to the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau, TBS‘s audience is primarily white (69%); African Americans make up 20% of TBS‘s viewership. Yet, HOP was consistently in the top twenty five cable shows for black households. For more about black cable TV ratings visit
http://targetmarketnews.com/. For more about TBS‘s profile see "TBS Profile," Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau
(2012). http://www.thecab.tv/php/networkprofiles/12profileData/2012pdf/12TBS.pdf.
459 As of this writing, TBS, TV One, BET, and TV Land have at least one black-oriented sitcom. These
corrections are limited to modeling. Based on her experience as a model, she strives to promote and celebrate models of all colors, shapes and sizes. ANTM has been a successful platform for Banks. On ANTM, Banks has created a universe in which a model of any color can win the title of ―America‘s Next Top Model.‖ Banks has also shown diversity throughout the cycles from the model-contestants to the experts providing assistance and advice.
When it comes to the television industry, Banks sticks to a post-racial perspective in which race is not an issue at all. One reason for the differences in perspectives could be that Banks is removed from the modeling industry but is starting a new career in the television indus- try. While Banks modeled some from 2005-2010, she was not dependent on modeling as her only source of revenue. Her status as a supermodel as well as the success of ANTM and the Tyra Banks show provided her with the financial freedom to be candid about the limitations for work- ing models of color within the world of fashion. She will acknowledge what a big deal it is to showcase models of color but does not recognize the importance of her own role behind the scenes as a woman of color. Like Rhimes, Banks is one of the few successful African American female executive producers in the industry. She is proud that viewers watch the show and see that they can be models too. However, she does not mention how viewers watching could see Banks being a successful woman in television and strive to be that as well. Banks also says her only roadblock to becoming a successful television creator and executive producer was being a model.460 She does not mention the lack of black public creative figures or creators in reality television. In all likelihood, Banks does not discuss these inequities because she has not experi- enced them. In the Neo-Cosby Moment, Banks is an example of how stardom and celebrity are important to television production. Her success as a model provided an easier transition into tel-
460 Her modeling career gave her an advantage in terms of the show‘s concept and working as the host and
evision. Furthermore, Banks demonstrates the importance of reality television in the Neo-Cosby Moment for diversity behind and in front of the camera.
How Banks, Rhimes, and Perry talk about themselves as black public creative figures in the press and through their Twitter accounts and blogs provides information about how Ameri- can society addresses issues of race in the 2000s. The dominant ideology is a post-racial per- spective in which race is not an issue or factor. Rhimes is the public creative figure that most closely follows this perspective. By being post-racial, Rhimes has created a diverse ensemble cast drama. Donald Bogle describes the problem with having an ensemble cast drama that does not discuss race: "Cultural distinctions still exist, even if we don't feel that there is blatant racism in the workplace the way there once was. We don't want to see a racial or cultural problem every week, but at some point if you ignore them it becomes dishonest."461 The same can also be said about Rhimes‘s refusal to discuss race and what it means to be a black public creative figure in an industry in which there are few African Americans in these positions. This is also the case with regard to Banks‘s lack of discussion on the topic. Perry‘s discussions of inequities and ad- vancements in the industry, meanwhile offer more to discussions and analyses of the role race plays in American society. He also provides a more realistic point of view about race in Ameri- can society.462