Donald Glover Defends Atlanta From Criticism It’s Not Black Enough

Ahead of Atlanta's fourth and final season, Stephen and Donald Glover addressed criticism from the Black community and why they ignore the haters.

By Cydney Contreras Aug 03, 2022 3:36 PMTags
Watch: Malia Obama Joins Donald Glover's Writing Team

Donald Glover is blocking out the criticism.

Over the years, the Atlanta creator has been repeatedly criticized for his depiction of the Black community and Black women in the FX series, with people saying that he isn't Black enough to understand these struggles. But for Donald, it isn't as simple as people make it out to be. 

As he explained during Atlanta's panel during the Television Critics Association summer press tour, people can say all they want about him, but at the end of the day, they don't know what he's been through. "I don't think they give a lot of credit to what we've gone through," he said, according to Deadline. "So to be like, ‘Oh, these Black people hate Black people or these Black people hate Black women.' I'm like, it's such a small view of who we are." 

Donald suggested that a lot of the attacks come from Black content creators online, saying, "Some of that to me is just Internet people trying to get hot, which is also something we learned in the system we're in."

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In general, Donald questions what motivates his biggest critics, because he's only heard these comments online, not in person. He notes that the accusations of Atlanta being transphobic don't align with what he's heard from his trans neighbor, saying, "He told me Atlanta is his favorite show."

FX

His brother, Stephen Glover, a head writer on the show, added that he tries to avoid internet discussions about the show, saying he'd rather hear from people in real life. "Internet stuff isn't always real; it's not how people really feel," he said. "I kind of get my feelings from the streets, to sum that up."

Donald previously addressed the longstanding criticism of his relationship to the Black community in a Q&A with himself for Interview magazine in April. He said that people use his relationship with Black women to question his "Blackness," adding, "Can I say something? I hate talking about race more than five minutes unless it's with other Black people and/or we're laughing."

On that note, Atlanta season four premieres Sept. 14 on FX.

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