Issa Rae Spent Valentine's Day Screenwriting, But Husband Louis Diame 'Was Very Understanding' (Exclusive)
- - Issa Rae Spent Valentine's Day Screenwriting, But Husband Louis Diame 'Was Very Understanding' (Exclusive)
Jack SmartFebruary 17, 2026 at 12:45 PM
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Issa Rae and Louis Diame in 2024
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty
Issa Rae speaks to PEOPLE exclusively at this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday, Feb. 15
The One of Them Days producer “was writing” one of her many upcoming projects on Valentine’s Day, the actress-filmmaker recalls
Rae’s husband, Louis Diame, “was very understanding” about her having "to be holed up” working
How does Issa Rae do it all?
The actress-filmmaker, 41, is thinking about work-life balance “way more now,” she tells PEOPLE at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday, Feb. 15.
“I have been really, really intentional about getting more sleep and taking care of myself and delegating more responsibilities so that I can focus on what fulfills me,” Rae shares.
But Valentine’s Day, the previous day, may have been a tiny exception.
“I was writing yesterday,” admits the Insecure creator-star. She recalls telling her husband, Louis Diame, “'I'm good … I've kind of got to be holed up today.’ He was very understanding.”
Issa Rae at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 15
Monica Schipper/Getty
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Besides, celebrating their romance can happen anytime. “Why today?” quips Rae. “Outside of Valentine's Day,” she adds with a laugh, “I have been here [prioritizing work-life balance] this year.”
As for what screenwriting projects are keeping Rae busy, she has to play coy. Is a sequel to last year’s Keke Palmer- and SZA-starring hit One of Them Days indeed in the works? “I don't know what I'm allowed to say at all, so I’m gonna just be like, ‘Woo, hope it happens!’ says Rae, a producer on the original film from director Lawrence Lamont and writer Syreeta Singleton. “I can't talk about it!”
But she is indeed working on her next scripted TV project and “a couple of other movies,” she confirms. "The possibilities are endless right now. So I'm excited.”
Louis Diame and Issa Rae in 2022
Christopher Polk/NBC via Getty
Also among Rae's upcoming acting projects are the comedic thriller Good People, Bad Things and comedy-drama Babies. As a producer on One of Them Days and the HBO miniseries Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television, she was a two-time nominee at this year’s Spirit Awards.
Rae and her Valentine, Diame, tied the knot in July 2021 in the South of France. The businessman has supported his wife on the red carpets of several of her premieres and award shows.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
