From Awkward Black Girl to bona fide mogul, Issa Rae has managed to become one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry without compromising her privacy.
“There’s an expectation people have that you need to keep up with their lives on social media, and it’s like, ‘No, you’ve got to talk to me,'” the 37-year-old told Today for its first-ever digital cover.
In July 2021, Rae shocked fans everywhere when she posted a photo on Instagram of her and her husband from their wedding.
This surprised Rae’s followers, many of whom didn’t even know the Insecure star was in a relationship.
The photos have since been taken down, a hint at the shift Rae plans to take with her social media, as it seems she is primarily using the app for marketing her latest projects.
Still, this change may not be permanent, as Rae loves to keep her fans on their toes as much as she loves to keep them out of her business.
“Maybe if I have a child, I’ll feel like, ‘Everybody needs to see this thing!’ I don’t know!” she said.
While a glimpse at baby Rae is not entirely ruled out, she has had to make it clear that she’s not expecting, even after rampant internet speculation led to her own mother thinking she was pregnant.
“My sister sent me a screenshot of my mom texting her an article like, ‘Did she tell you … Are the rumors true?’ I was like, ‘What?!’ [My sister] was like, ‘Not Mom believing in gossip!’ I was like, ‘But she texted you and she didn’t even ask me!’ I’m like, ‘Mom, a pregnancy … you really think that I would hide a grandchild from you? That you’ve been begging for?!’ So I had to say something, because it was getting out of hand,” she explained.
While she has managed to control how much of her personal life the real world is privy to, navigating her work-life balance is an ongoing adjustment.
“Last year taught me that the balance needs to be planned in advance for me, because, otherwise, I would just work, work, work, work, work,” she said.
While she enjoyed being a part of numerous projects, she said she understands the unsustainable ramifications of burnout and is cautious not to light her candle at both ends.
“I know myself. I know how frustrated and/or tired I can get in some cases, and I’m not doing my best when I’m like that,” she said.
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