Shonda Rhimes

Episode notes

Shonda Rhimes (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Shonda Rhimes is one of the most accomplished TV writers and producers of our time. She’s written shows like Scandal, Private Practice, How To Get Away With Murder, and Bridgerton. And of course, Grey’s Anatomy, one of the longest-running primetime TV shows ever. 

Her shows are watched and adored by millions. She’s been recognized by the Emmys, the NAACP, the Writers Guild, and GLAAD. She’s appeared three times on the list of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. 

In 2015, she published her first book, “A Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person.”

Her newest project is Queen Charlotte – it’s a spinoff of the Bridgerton series, which was produced by Rhimes and her company Shondaland. Like Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte is a period drama series set in the Regency Era. But instead of the Bridgerton family, the show focuses on the queen herself, and her rise to power.

Shonda writes, produces, directs, and raises three children. And yet, despite all her accolades she is only just now beginning to feel like a success. It’s kind of an astonishing admission: that there is, basically, no level of success at which you’re immune from insecurity.

She discusses all this and more with our correspondent Jarrett Hill. Jarrett also co-hosts the excellent podcast FANTI, in which he and Tre’Vell Anderson dive deep into the complex and nuanced parts of modern-day life and pop culture.