For years, diverse representation in media, both in front of and behind the camera, was on the rise, particularly on streaming platforms. Driven by pressure from activist campaigns like #OscarsSoWhite and the dawning recognition that it actually made financial sense to hire from a broader pool of talent, it appeared that media giants may have gotten the message. Now, it seems those same giants are losing the plot.
On Wednesday, UCLA’s Institute for Entertainment and Media Research Initiative published the second part of its annual Hollywood Diversity Report, looking specifically at representation in movies made for streaming services. The report found that in 2025, the share of women and people of color in leading roles and prominent behind-the-scenes jobs, like directors and writers, fell by significant margins. The report’s co-authors also warn that things could get worse amid President Donald Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
This shift comes as streaming has taken hold as one of the primary ways Americans watch TV and movies. In 2025, 96.4 million households had a TV connected to a streaming device or service. Nielsen also reported that in March, streaming accounted for roughly 48% of TV viewing in the U.S., compared with about 20% for broadcast TV and 21% for cable.
For this year’s survey, UCLA analyzed 89 English-language streaming original films released last year on major platforms, including Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu.
The report found that the share of BIPOC leading actors fell to 36% in 2025, down from 51% in 2024. Behind the scenes, things weren’t much better. The share of BIPOC directors fell to 31.5%, from 41%. For BIPOC writers, the share dropped to 21.3%, down from 30%.
Women also lost some ground. The share of women in lead roles fell to 58% in 2025, down from 61% the year before. The share of women directors fell to 23.6%, down from 28%, while the share of women writers stayed roughly flat at 37%.
Hollywood Diversity Report co-author Ana-Christina Ramón told Bloomberg that she expects films to become less diverse in the coming year as more projects produced during Trump’s second term are released. She noted that many films included in this year’s report were already in development before Trump returned to office, but still amid an early wave of conservative backlash against so-called DEI initiatives.
One of the first executive orders Trump signed on the first day of his second term called for an end to “radical and wasteful” DEI programs in the federal government. The next day, Trump signed another order taking aim at DEI programs among federal contractors and in the private sector. Earlier this year, he also signed a separate order directing federal contractors and subcontractors not to engage in “racially discriminatory DEI activities.”
Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair, Brendan Carr, has also targeted company DEI initiatives and signaled that a company’s merger plans could face trouble over its DEI practices.
In response, many corporations, including media companies like Disney, have rethought or scaled back their DEI efforts.
This new report is an early look at how political pressure against DEI programs could end up shaping the face of media in the years to come.
