Issa Rae Says Ezra Miller Is A “Repeat Offender” & Calls Out Hollywood’s Penchant For “Protecting Offenders”

Ezra Miller‘s string of erratic behavior over the past couple of years appears to be over, with the actor currently seeking treatment for “complex mental health issues.” And while it remains unclear if Miller redeems themselves enough to return to full-time acting —Miller uses they/them pronouns— it does look like Warner Bros. will stay the course with their release of “The Flash” next June. Is that a good thing? Some in Hollywood don’t think so, like actress “Insecure” actress Issa Rae who has had enough and is speaking out, despite her comfortable relationship with HBO, which is owned by Warner Media Discovery.

READ MORE: Ezra Miller Seeking Treatment For “Complex Mental Health Issues”

Rae brought up Miller’s situation in a recent interview with Elle Magazine, and the actress thinks it represents a “microcosm of Hollywood” and how it protects offenders. “While I don’t support people jumping to immediate conclusions, and I think it’s entirely fair for investigations to happen, I think it’s extremely important to, like the mantra says, ‘Listen to women,’” Rae told Elle in the interview. “I’m gonna be real, the stuff that’s happening with Ezra Miller is, to me, a microcosm of Hollywood. There’s this person who’s a repeat offender, who’s been behaving atrociously, and as opposed to shutting them down and shutting the production down, there’s an effort to save the movie and them.”

Rae’s commentary is on point. Whether “The Flash” would get scrapped like “Batgirl” was a big story this August, especially after Miller’s arrest in Vermont that month. And it’s still surprising that the new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav didn’t do so, but that plays into Rae’s next point. “That is a clear example of the lengths that Hollywood will go to to save itself and to protect offenders,” continued Rae. “So, don’t do that, and women may be able to thrive. They won’t have to live in fear of keeping silent because it’ll ruin their careers. It’s just a constant pattern of abuse that’ll only persist if Hollywood continues to insist on being this way.”

Of course, Miller’s issues are more complex than male chauvinism and gendered violence, especially given Miller’s gender identity. Still, Rae makes good points here. If Miller isn’t punished for their behavior, what kind of standard does that set for the rest of Hollywood? On the other hand, “The Flash” isn’t solely Ezra Miller’s movie; they may be the star, but lots of people worked on the film beyond them. It may be icky for some people to see Miller on screen so much if “The Flash” makes it to theaters, but movies aren’t just about the actors. They’re about the massive collaborative effort it takes to film and complete a film, from the cast to the crew to the post-production team, even the publicity team. Ezra Miller may be The Flash, but the actor isn’t the entirety of “The Flash.”

But then again, and the hypocrisy of it all is, “Batgirl” got killed for much less and simply because it may not have made real theatrical money and hurt the brand, which tells you where the studio’s bottom line is, morally or otherwise.

And when a big-budget blockbuster’s lead star gets arrested twice in Hawaii this year for disorderly conduct and harassment, arrested for felony burglary in Vermont, and has all sorts of accusations levied against the actor from child grooming to brandishing weapons, maybe that movie should get shelved. This is a thorny issue, to be sure. One hopes Ezra Miller eventually finds a road to recovery, but at the same time, if “The Flash” indeed gets released on June 23, 2023, that sets a bad precedent for the rest of Hollywood.