'Black-ish' Creator Kenya Barris Is Sick of Talking About Diversity, 'It's Clouding the Conversation'
Kenya Barris said the subject of diversity is "clouding the conversation."
— -- "Black-ish" creator Kenya Barris got emotional at a recent panel to promote the comedy when he was asked about race by a reporter.
One reporter at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills on Thursday asked Barris, 41, if he knew the racial breakdown of the "Black-ish" audience, and whether or not the makeup of the audience affected the writing of the show.
Apparently, Barris has had enough of being the go-to guy to talk about diversity on television.
"I will be so happy when diversity is not a word. I have the best job in the world and I am constantly having to talk about diversity," he remarked. "I have the best actors. It's ridiculous."
"We're in a time when everything is about black and white and this and that," he continued carefully, with emotion in his voice. "We get opportunities and we are happy to be the people who can step up and say, 'We can do this.' But these are amazing actors. It doesn't matter who is watching our show. The fact is that they're watching it."
He added later that he's gotten that question "at every panel. I'm so tired of talking about diversity. These are amazing, talented actors and amazing writers who give their all ... and it's clouding the conversation," he concluded.
Barris instead pointed out that this year his hit ABC comedy garnered three Emmy Award nominations, including one each for the shows stars -- Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross. He also emphasized that the show, despite its title, doesn't just talk about issues of race.
"We always have to box everything in, and I kind of feel like, isn't it just a good family show?" he said. "It's specifically about a black family, but don't you see yourself in it? Don't you see your family reflected in it? Why is that important who watches the show? Why does it matter? Why do we have to keep having these conversations? Why can't we just look at the show for what it is and celebrate these actors?"