“Complete Failure”: Recent Developments Have Critics Calling Out “Performative” Hollywood

The Hollywood industry has often been called out for its performative actions when it comes to diversity, equity, representation, and inclusion. While studios have been working in recent years to be more inclusive in their casting and hiring decisions—what with creating entire departments and positions to address the issue—many have criticized the big names for only doing it in the name of diversity and not to produce any actual change. On the flip side, other fans have felt like these decisions have all been in favor of becoming more “woke.”

Related: Backlash Against ‘The Little Mermaid’ from Overseas Exposes Hollywood’s Dependency

Disney’s Diversity Efforts Suffer a Loss

Recently, we have seen an exodus of some of the top DEI executives from the biggest names in the industry, including the Walt Disney Company. Disney’s Chief Diversity Officer, Latondra Newton, jumped ship. During Newton’s tenure, we saw initiatives at both Disney Parks and Disney movies for more inclusive representation, including the use of more gender-neutral language (think phasing out “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls”) and Cast Members who ran the Cinderella-themed boutiques to be called “Fairy Godmother’s Apprentices.” This “wokeness” is something

Newton is now going, and Disney is reportedly looking for her replacement.

Hollywood DEI Departments Lose Their Top Executives

However, Newton is not the only one. The same has happened with Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, and the Film Academy. The exodus has been termed “crazy” by fans.

Let’s talk about how many of the diversity leaders have left/been laid off within the last two weeks. This is crazy. pic.twitter.com/6XjzovGjUW

— kay (@jasimisinclair) July 1, 2023

But that isn’t the only criticism that has come of this development. Antiracist economist Kim Crayton shared,

Systems, institutions, and policies that privilege the few at the expense of the many operating as DESIGNED…this is why when asked by Black women my opinion about DEI roles I caution them that in most orgs they ARE performative AND expendable…

Systems, institutions, and policies that privilege the few at the expense of the many operating as DESIGNED…this is why when asked by Black women my opinion about DEI roles I caution them that in most orgs they ARE performative AND expendable… https://t.co/UJaWyHpkEQ

— Kim Crayton ~ She/Her ✊🏾💛 (@KimCrayton1) July 1, 2023

Another commenter—Minorities in Publishing podcast host Jennifer Baker—added, “Without a clear plan for inclusion nor investment, many of these roles are seen as obsolete because there wasn’t a clear intention for change.”

Comedian Tim Young reportedly shared that “the abrupt turnover [is] a sign that the DEI programs are a ‘complete failure’ and speculated that they have become an ‘internal headache’ for these companies.”

Fans have called out the hypocrisy of giants like the Walt Disney Company before, but this recent development has many on all sides of the spectrum seriously questioning the future of diversity initiatives in Hollywood.