Okay, so when we weren’t trying to figure out if Issa had lost her entire mind on last night’s episode of Insecure and whether her relationship with Lawrence is officially a wrap, we were also wondering who was the beautiful older woman who attended Issa’s work fundraiser?
Remember the regal woman in green who talked to Issa about the importance of donating to good causes? She had such a presence on screen during her short appearance that I suspected she was an older actress or public figure I should know and that her cameo would be explained at some point in the episode. It turns out I was half right. The woman isn’t a celebrity, but she is a very important person: Issa Rae’s mother!
The creator behind Insecure posted the photo below on Instagram earlier today sharing that her mom asked to be an extra in her show and when she ran the idea by director Melina Matsoukas she insisted her mom not only have a cameo but a speaking part.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNE4YDeAjT0/?taken-by=issarae
Issa’s mother, Delyna Diop, is a teacher from Louisiana and, honestly, when you look at the two side by side, it’s so clear they are mother and daughter. In a New York Times‘ profile, Issa revealed her mother and father met in France and moved around a lot before settling in Windsor Hills with their five kids. When gun violence began to escalate in the Los Angeles neighborhood, Mrs. Diop insisted the family relocate to Senegal where Issa’s father, Adboulaye, a doctor, was from. Two years later the family moved back to LA and Issa’s mother enrolled her in King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science, “one of the best schools in South Los Angeles.”
We imagine last night’s cameo was just one of the small ways Issa thanked her mother for the provisions she made for her success.
