Amazon Studios Walks Back Inclusion Playbook as Companies Abandon DEI Policies Under Trump
In the wake of the FCC chairman's probe into DEI practices at Comcast and NBCUniversal, Amazon Studios has walked back its inclusion program that laid out standards for achieving racial diversity, Variety has confirmed.
'We've said from the beginning that our efforts to ensure diverse and inclusive storytelling would be fluid and change over time,' said a spokesperson for Amazon. 'We continue to evolve this vital work in concert with our commitment to keep our global audience of viewers at the center of everything we do. Above all, we strive to tell the very best stories, while empowering diverse voices in our storytelling wherever possible.'
More from Variety
Amazon Studios Boss Jennifer Salke Teases 'The Idea of You' Sequel, Reflects on Strategy and That $60 Million Deal With Phoebe Waller-Bridge (EXCLUSIVE)
María José Rodríguez Steps Down as Amazon MGM Studios Head of Spanish Originals (EXCLUSIVE)
How Amazon Studios' Is Getting Bigger and Other Takeaways from Javiera Balmaceda's Masterclass at Conecta Fiction
The inclusion playbook was removed from Amazon's website in September 2024. The company also said in a Dec. 16 memo that it was 'winding down outdated programs and materials,' the Associated Press reported. Now Hollywood studios are coming under the same scrutiny as other corporations, with the FCC probing Comcast and Disney making changes to its diversity efforts.
Amazon introduced its inclusion playbook in 2021, with the goals of increasing racial, ethnic and gender diversity and casting a variety of characters in speaking roles. The goals also included aiming for 30 percent of jobs to be held by women and people form underrepresented groups and seeking bids from women and minority owned businesses. One year later, Amazon's then-head of DEI Latasha Gillespie told Variety that there had been measurable progress in hiring as a result. (Gillespie exited Amazon last summer and was replaced by Amanda Baker-Lane.)
The change in policy was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter. It comes as numerous corporations have ended their DEI programs in alignment with the Trump administration's policies, including Google and Meta.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win?
What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Iconic Action Star, 71, Makes Bold Admission About AI Stunts
Iconic Action Star, 71, Makes Bold Admission About AI Stunts originally appeared on Parade. is known for some of the most impressive stunt work in movie history. However, the legendary actor recently revealed why he wouldn't attempt the same bold moves in today's entertainment industry. Chan, 71, attended the Karate Kid: Legendspremiere in New York on May 27, where he reflected on his career— and how fortunate he feels to have started when he did. 'If I were working in this era, I don't think I'd do [stunts] myself,' he told Page Six. Why not? 'Because of AI, special effects, [and] green screens,' he explained. But technology isn't the only factor. According to Chan, studios today aren't eager for actors to do their own stunts either. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 'You want to do [the stunt work], but the studio, the stunt coordinator, the director—they won't let you,' he said. 'Because if anything goes wrong and the star gets injured, it could shut down the whole shoot. It could cost a lot of money.' 'In the old days,' he added, 'I had to do it myself—and that's how I became 'Jackie Chan.' So I was lucky.' Though he's spent some time out of the spotlight, Chan is making a Hollywood comeback, reprising his role as Mr. Han in the latest Karate Kid installment. As for preparing to do his own stunts again? Chan says he doesn't need any special training. 'I don't need to anymore. I've been training every day for 64 years. I've been fighting, fighting, fighting,' he told Variety in a separate interview. While he's been acting since the 1960s, Chan's stunt work shows no signs of stopping. He reportedly performs all his own stunts in Karate Kid: Legends. 'I'm not like I was when I was 20 and could do a triple kick in the air,' he admitted. 'Now, I do one kick.' Iconic Action Star, 71, Makes Bold Admission About AI Stunts first appeared on Parade on Jun 2, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Danny DeVito Admits He 'Lusted After' Michelle Pfeiffer on 'Batman Returns' Set
Danny DeVito spoke with Colin Farrell, his fellow portrayer of the DC Comics villain the Penguin, for Variety's Actors on Actors series DeVito admitted that during the filming of 1992's Batman Returns, he 'lusted after' costar Michelle Pfeiffer, who played Catwoman 'Be still my beating Penguin heart,' quipped DeVitoDanny DeVito is getting candid about former costar Michelle Pfeiffer. In his conversation with Colin Farrell for Variety's Actors on Actors series, DeVito, 80, admitted that he 'lusted' after Pfeiffer while the two were filming 1992's Tim Burton-directed Batman Returns. 'She was a goddess,' said DeVito, who played the villainous Penguin opposite Pfeiffer's Catwoman and Michael Keaton's Batman. 'If I knew she was going to be in a scene that day …' he trailed off. Farrell, 49, quipped, 'Did you brush your teeth that morning?' 'I got all flushed,' responded the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star. 'Put extra makeup on — 'Give me another pound of makeup.' It was very difficult.' Pfeiffer, now 67, was 'just so wonderful. And I lusted after her,' DeVito added. He then agreed with Farrell that it was his character, Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. the Penguin, who was doing the lusting. 'I kind of feel like she liked it. She liked Oswald," DeVito said. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In Batman Returns, Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman rejects Oswald's advances. In 2021, however, DeVito wrote a short story in which the two characters were romantically involved. It was featured in DC Comics' Gotham City Villains, an anthology comic celebrating Batman's rogues gallery. 'I got into the fact that I've always been a big fan of Michelle Pfeiffer's, and the Penguin obviously lusts after Catwoman,' the Oscar nominee told Entertainment Weekly at the time. 'So I figured I'd put those two together.' Farrell, who played the same role in HBO's drama The Penguin, which aired last fall, asked DeVito if he'd play the DC Comics villain again. 'Absolutely,' answered DeVito. 'You can go off the rails with something. The operatic element of Tim Burton's Batman Returns was my favorite thing about it — the music and sets and the whole thing. The Shakespeare of it — 'All the world's a stage.' Oswald's realm and his penguins and his minions and his passion. I loved that.' DeVito later added that his character "would be very content" within his sewer kingdom in Batman Returns — 'as long as I could get Catwoman to visit me every once in a while: Be still my beating Penguin heart.' After a recent guest star role in a crossover episode with Abbott Elementary, DeVito will continue as a main cast member of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, airing its 17th season beginning July 9 on FXX. Following his 2024 series The Penguin and Sugar, Farrell will next star in Kogonada's A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (in theaters Sept. 19) and Edward Berger's The Ballad of a Small Player. He will also reprise his role as the Penguin in the planned sequel to Matt Reeves' 2022 hit The Batman starring Robert Pattinson. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bob Dylan, 83, Sends Hilarious 80th Birthday Message to Fellow Rock Legend
When iconic guitarist for The Who, Pete Townshend, turned 83 this week, there was another legendary rocker waiting to welcome him to his ninth decade on the planet: 83-year-old Bob Dylan. Dylan took to X to wish his fellow Grammy winner a happy birthday on Monday, May 19, writing, "Happy birthday Pete. Who's the new boss? Is he like the old boss? Have you met him yet? Say hello to Roger.' As fans the world over know, Dylan's message was a witty reference to the iconic Who song 'Won't Get Fooled Again" — written by Townshend — which features Roger Daltrey singing the lyrics, 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.' Music lovers knew exactly what Dylan was talking about, with one person quoting "The Seeker," a song by The Who that name-checks the "Like a Rolling Stone" singer: "I asked Bobby Dylan, I asked the Beatles, I asked Timothy Leary, but he could not help me either." Another fan shared a pic of Townshend and Dylan posing from what appeared to be the '80s writing: "Fashion icons." Townshend and Dylan have praised each other's talents over the years, with Townshend even crediting Dylan for helping to inspire the classic Who song "My Generation." '(He) definitely created a new style of writing," Townshend said, per Far Out Magazine. "Dylan was the one who I think got the message across to The Beatles. (That) was that you can write songs about subjects other than falling in love.'
