Jesse Williams Blasts ‘Performative Diversity,’ Optimistic About Inclusion in Film

Jesse Williams
Hope For Future of Inclusion in Film …
But, Beware of ‘Performative Diversity’

Published January 26, 2025 5:21 PM PST

Jesse Williams is all for progress being made in the film industry … admitting he’s optimistic about the future of diversity — so long as it isn’t just for show.

The actor spoke at diverse storytelling panel for the Sundance Film Festival in this weekend … and, he talked about two different efforts to promote inclusion in film — the genuine and the performative.

Listen to the clip for yourself … Jesse says he sees and appreciates many creators genuinely trying to promote more equity in their movies — but, he says he also saw the “trap of performative diversity.”

Williams points to things like social media users putting up a black square after George Floyd was murdered … or film companies being forced to hire people to police racism rather than to simply stop working with racists.

Jesse says this kind of diversity — which has been blasted by some in Hollywood — eventually expires … and, it leaves people who were hired as essentially a “Black friend” in a worse spot when it becomes clear they weren’t qualified for the job.

Basically, it’s not that Jesse is against diversity in movies — on the contrary, he later said during the talk that he’s optimistic about the future of diversity in the industry — but, he is saying it needs to be done with with good intentions, by people of color in leadership.

Of course, DEI programs across the country are in serious trouble now … after President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this week banning them in the federal government.

DEI employees in the federal government were put on leave and are on their way to being fired … and, some private corporations like Meta and McDonald’s have drastically changed their DEI programs this month too.

Sounds like Jesse thinks the industry’s moving in the right direction at least … even if the performative trap will always be out there.