Shonda Rhimes Disses Bunheads for Lack of Diversity
Shonda Rhimes
First Girls. Now Bunheads. Shonda Rhimes is the latest to call out a series on its lack of diversity.
After the premiere of the ABC Family series Monday night, the Grey's Anatomy creator had no qualms tweeting her annoyance with the white-washed cast. "Hey @abcfbunheads: really? You couldn't cast even ONE young dancer of color so I could feel good about my kid watching this show?" she wrote. "NOT ONE?"
Rhimes' tweet soon sparked a debate with her followers. One Twitter user responded to Rhimes, saying that as a white person, she never felt bad when her kids watched black performers. Rhimes, who's famous for her color-blind casting, was quick to elaborate on her irritation, explaining, "I def don't feel bad when my kid watches white performers. Not at all what I'm saying."
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Another follower then tweeted at the Private Practice showrunner, pointing out that one of the dancers on Bunheads was African-American, but she had no lines. She added that she was mainly thankful that Bunheads featured actresses with varying body types.
Rhimes agreed, but said that that didn't make up for the lack of diversity. "I did love seeing girls of all shapes and sizes. That was great," she wrote. "Am a huge Gilmore Girls fan. Just pointing out one issue..."
Bunheads creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and ABC Family have yet to comment on Rhimes' tweets.
Do you agree with Rhimes? Or do you think she's being unfair to the series?
Bunheads airs Mondays at 9/8c on ABC Family.