Issa Rae's Remarkable Career in Hollywood Has Earned Her an Impressive Net Worth

It's hard to deny the impact that Issa Rae has had on Hollywood in the decade that she has been active in the industry. Known for her work as an actress, writer, and producer, Issa has championed the stories of people of color through various means and has made history in the process.

Commendable accolades aside, what exactly is Issa's net worth, what do we know about her career, and how did she become the star she is today? Keep reading for a breakdown of her life and finances.

Issa has been active in the film industry since roughly 2011 and has since become quite a star. Between award nominations, magazine placements, and the resounding critical success of virtually all the works she participated in, it's clear that Issa has carved her own lane in Hollywood and will be a force to be reckoned with for some time.

Issa, who is currently 36 years old, was born on Jan. 12, 1985, in Los Angeles to two successful parents. Her father, Abdoulaye Diop, works as both a pediatrician and neonatologist, hailing originally from Senegal. He also currently operates a medical practice in Inglewood, Calif.

Her mother, Delyna Diop (née Hayward), works as a teacher and is from Louisiana. The couple first met while studying abroad in France, and their union gave way to five children.

Although she was born in Los Angeles, Issa and her family lived in Dakar, Senegal, for a short period during her childhood. She then spent a few years in Potomac, Md., but that was short-lived as well, as her family opted to move back to L.A. when she was in the sixth grade. Fluent in French, the budding star began her acting journey when she was still in high school.

In 2007, she graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in African and African American Studies. While in college, Issa worked on music videos, plays, and even a mock reality show series. However, it wasn't until a few years after her graduation that her career as an actress really started to blossom.

Her first claim to fame, the YouTube series Awkward Black Girl, premiered in 2011. The show quickly went viral and thanks to some support from Pharrell, it grew to even greater acclaim internationally. Springboarding off of that success, Issa began promoting other original content — starring and written by people of color — on her channel.

Issa's first big break in TV came through her starring role in the hit HBO show Insecure. In 2013, she and Larry Wilmore wrote a pilot focusing on the awkward experiences of the modern Black woman. HBO jumped on the project in 2015, greenlit it, and the rest is history.

Insecure has garnered a ton of critical acclaim and nominations for Issa at the Golden Globes as well as at the Primetime Emmy Awards.

After the success of Insecure, Issa began expanding her reach in the entertainment sphere even further. 2015 saw the release of her memoir, titled The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, which quickly became a New York Times best-seller.

On Oct. 11, 2019, Google announced that Issa's voice would be added to Google Assistant and the actress launched her own music label, titled Raedio. This led her to produce the hit track "Kinda Love" by singer TeaMarrr.

Issa forayed into feature films as well, starring in The Photograph and The Love Birds in 2020. Then in March 2021, the star's production company, Hoorae, agreed to a five-year film and television deal with industry giant WarnerMedia.

She and her longtime boyfriend, Louis Diame, a Senegalese businessman, were officially married in July 2021.