Issa Rae is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit for allegedly stealing the concept of her well-received buddy comedy “One of Them Days.”
In a lawsuit filed on July 30, writers Joshua Isaacson, Shon Oku, and Tyrone Perry accuse Rae’s ColorCreative, Sony Pictures, TriStar, and screenwriter Syreeta Singleton of copyright infringement and idea theft, Hot 97 reports. The suit claims that Rae’s 2025 comedy, starring Keke Palmer and SZA, bears striking similarities to the writers’ 2020 script, titled One of Those Days
.The writers allege that the character development, plot structure, and overall tone of One of Them Days closely mirror a screenplay they previously pitched to a former producer from Rae’s HBO hit, Insecure. Veteran screenwriter John Brancato reviewed both scripts and determined the similarities were “substantial” and unlikely to be a coincidence.
The plaintiffs began
pitching their script in late 2023, first presenting it to producer Danny Hamouie, who never responded and is not named in the suit. It was the first time someone outside their group had seen the script. Then, in April 2024, the writers submitted the script to producers Roman Arabia and Xavier Charles, founders of Green Eggs Go H.A.M., who declined the project.However, just weeks later, Rae’s production company announced One of Them Days
, a film about two roommates racing around Los Angeles to come up with rent money. Directed by Lawrence Lamont and written by Singleton, the movie premiered in January 2025 and earned more than $51 million at the box office on a $14 million budget.The writers argue that Charles’ past connection to Rae as a former Insecure producer, combined with the timing of
Rae’s project announcement, is too coincidental to overlook. In the lawsuit, they allege Rae’s team “misappropriated Plaintiffs’ original expression and passed it off as their own without authorization, credit, or compensation.” The plaintiffs are seeking damages, legal fees, and a jury trial.RELATED CONTENT: T.I. Files Response To ‘Situationships’ Lawsuit