From her time at ABC, where she created a host of popular “Shondaland” dramas, to becoming a Netflix powerhouse, Shonda Rhimes has always had her finger on the pulse of America’s changing social and political landscape. But now, following Donald Trump’s January 2025 return to the White House, the creative mind behind Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and Bridgerton says she’s grappling with a challenge she never anticipated working out how to tell stories in an America she no longer completely grasps.
In an introspective interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rhimes explained that Trump’s presidency has made her reconsider the narratives she came to think had broad appeal.
“I don’t know,” she said when asked how to envision storytelling going forward with this administration in place. “And I say that because I feel up until four months ago or whenever this election was, I had completely different ideas about who America is or was. And now I fully embrace the idea that I don’t know Who America is, and Who America can be, and that’s fine, but it makes it difficult to tell stories when I’m trying to figure it out.”
Rhimes, one of the most successful creatives to explore themes of justice, love, and power in her work, acknowledges that she isn’t alone in her uncertainty among many Americans. During Trump’s second term, sweeping executive orders drastically changed the course of the nation’s cultural and political landscape, making it harder for Hollywood creatives to create narratives that seem authentic and relevant.
Hollywood has always been a space where political discourse permeates art. Still, Rhimes understands that the industry must now grapple with storytelling in a nation where perspectives on reality itself seem divided.
“I think everybody, when the lights are off, wants a nice warm campfire story, and everybody, when the lights are on, loves a good nightmare.” But it’s not a nightmare for many people. It’s not lit up for many people,” she mused.
Her words illuminate one of the central tensions of today’s media landscape: what seems to be chaos and instability to some but it feels like order and clarity for others. This divide makes telling a story even more complex, particularly for a creator like Rhimes, whose work has always been about getting diverse experiences and perspectives on the screen.
It’s not always easy, but Rhimes is dedicated to telling the stories that resonate throughout America’s changing political landscape.
“And I’ve always take a lot of pride that, like, Grey’s Anatomy is a very universal show and we did our best to walk in the feet of everyone and anyone,” she continued.
The sentiment is part of an ongoing mission to create television that reflects all audiences, politically speaking. As she continues navigating this new reality, we know that Shonda Rhimes is not one to shy away from telling stories that will challenge, inspire, and reflect the world around us, which is only growing more mutable.
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