Rhimes has clapped back at the newspaper, both for their narrow view of her career and for the lack of research backing the article. “Confused why @nytimes critic doesn’t know identity of CREATOR of show she’s reviewing. [Peter Nowak] did u know u were ‘an angry black woman’?” Rhimes tweeted, pointing out that while she is the executive producer of Murder, it was indeed created by Nowak. “Apparently we can be ‘angry black women’ together, because I didn’t know I was one either!@petenowa #LearnSomethingNewEveryday.”
Rhimes continues her Twitter rant by pointing out the fact that her characters come from diverse backgrounds and are not just Black women. “Final thing: (then I am gonna do some yoga): how come I am not ‘an angry Black woman’ the many times Meredith (or Addison!) rants?”
Two of Rhimes’ Scandal stars, Joshua Malina and Bellamy Young, hopped to her defense on Twitter. “Wow. Did I just read a @nytimes piece that reduced my brilliant, creative, compassionate, thoughtful, bada– boss to an ‘angry black woman?'” tweeted Malina, while Young wrote,
“IDK wt 2say when I read it!Some food 4thought, but mostly deeply upsetting. I was shocked. Maybe I don’t get something?”
The author of the article, Alessandra Stanley, is standing by her words. She tells Buzzfeed, “the whole point of the piece — once you read past the first 140 characters — is to praise Shonda Rhimes for pushing back so successfully on a tiresome but insidious stereotype.”
Article Appeared @http://www.bet.com/news/celebrities/2014/09/19/new-york-times-calls-shonda-rhimes-an-angry-black-woman.html