Inside Donald Glover’s Complicated History With Black Women

Donald Glover is inarguably one of the most prominent Black creators working in Hollywood today, from his Emmy-winning television work on the recently concluded Atlanta to his Grammy-winning rap persona Childish Gambino. Soon, he’ll star in a new film set in the Spider-Man universe and a highly anticipated Mr. and Mrs. Smith remake. But right now, all eyes are on the multihyphenate for his latest series Swarm, created with Janine Nabers, about a pop stan (Dominique Fishback) who goes on a murdering spree.

In the weeks since its premiere, Swarm has already become a critical darling, eliciting discourse online (both light-hearted and serious) about its guest stars, explicit sex scenes, and heightened depiction of stan culture. However, the chatter surrounding the show took a sharp turn this past week when a quote from Glover about Fishback’s character Dre went viral on Twitter. His remarks reignited a longstanding discussion about his problematic—or, in some internet users’ words—“hateful” relationship with Black women throughout his career.

In a recent profile of Fishback for Vulture, Glover, who directs Swarm’s pilot, spoke about the guidance he offered the actress, including that she should think of the protagonist as an “animal” and “less like a human.” He expanded on this direction in an even more startling way when he associated Dre’s demeanor with his personal fear of dogs.

Read more at The Daily Beast.