Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Women In Film / MaxMaraDeadline is dead to Shonda Rhimes.
The executive producer of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder took to Twitter Tuesday night to condemn the controversial Deadline column, "Pilots 2015: The Year of Ethnic Castings–About Time or Too Much of Good Thing?" The Golden Globe winner, like many stars, was outraged by columnist Nellie Andreeva's argument that TV casting has become too ethnically diverse.
"1st Reaction:: HELL NO. Lemme take off my earrings, somebody hold my purse!" Rhimes wrote. "2nd Reaction: Article is so ignorant I can't even be bothered."
In seven hours, Rhimes' tweet was favorited 1,110 times and retweeted 751 times.
In Andreeva's article, published Tuesday, she wrote, "Instead of opening the field for actors of any race to compete for any role in a color-blind manner, there has been a significant number of parts designated as ethnic this year, making them off-limits for Caucasian actors, some agents signal. Many pilot characters this year were listed as open to all ethnicities, but when reps would call to inquire about an actor submission, they frequently have been told that only non-Caucasian actors would be considered."
Andreeva also angered readers when she wrote that African-Americans "represent only 13 percent of the U.S. population. They were grossly underserved, but now, with shows as Empire, Black-ish, Scandal and HTGAWM on broadcast, Tyler Perry's fare on OWN and Mara Brock Akil's series on BET, they have scripted choices, so the growth in that fraction of the TV audience might have reached its peak."
Many actors, comedians, journalists and screenwriters joined Rhimes in denouncing Deadline's article via Twitter:
Andreeva's article comes at a curious time, as Rhimes was honored with the Ally for Equality award at Saturday's Human Rights Campaign Gala in L.A. "I really hate the word 'diversity.' It suggests something other. As if it is something special, or rare. As if there is something unusual about telling stories involving women and people of color and LGBTQ characters on TV," Rhimes, 45, said while accepting her award.
"I have a different word: normalizing," she said. "I'm normalizing TV."
Rhimes' speech moved some people to tears.
"Women, people of color, LGBTQ people equal way more than 50 percent of the population, which means it ain't out of the ordinary. I am making the world of television look normal. The goal is that everyone should get to turn on the TV and see someone who looks like them and loves like them. And just as important, everyone should turn on the TV and see someone who doesn't look like them and love like them," she said. "Because, perhaps then, they will learn from them."
Perhaps one day, Andreeva and Deadline will learn from them, too.