Another hot topic Great American Media is grappling with is its noticeable shortfall in racial diversity across its programming. As Variety highlighted during their chat with Bill Abbott, only one movie in their 2023 Christmas lineup consisting of 20 films featured Black lead characters – “12 Games of Christmas.”
Speaking to the overt lack of diversity, Abbott promised that the company would do better the following year. “We’re going to look very different in 2024 than we did this year, and we’ll look even more different in 2025,” he assured the outlet. Despite Abbott’s optimistic forecast and claims of progress, the numbers currently tell a less rosy story.
One of the company’s attempts at bringing more diversity into Great American Media’s content has been onboarding Mario Lopez in early 2024. The actor’s first project, slated for the 2024 Christmas lineup, was highlighted in a press release where he expressed his excitement about crafting “uplifting, inclusive, and diverse content, viewed through a positive lens for all ages.” Here’s hoping this is just the start of some big changes. Perhaps one day Great American Media won’t be considered quite as controversial — but there’s certainly a way to go.
