John Amos on the public reaction to Roots
John Amos on his experience playing "Kunta Kinte" on Roots and how his background prepared him for it
John Amos on the effect of Roots on his personal self-esteem
John Amos on how roles for African-Americans have changed since he started acting
John Amos on guest-starring on Two and a Half Men
Paris Barclay on directing a pivotal episode of ER in which a main character is revealed to have AIDS, and seeing the power of television's reach
Paris Barclay on producing City of Angels
Paris Barclay on his involvement with the Diversity Committee of the Directors Guild of America
Paris Barclay on being openly gay and how it has affected his career
Paris Barclay on whether or not he's faced racism in the television industry
Thomas Carter on the African-American cast of The White Shadow and fan reaction to the show
Thomas Carter on addressing racial issues in the series Equal Justice
Thomas Carter on the portrayal of African-Americans on television in 2013
Thomas Carter on dealing with racism in his career
RuPaul Charles on the pressures of being black and gay during the run of The RuPaul Show and on RuPaul's Drag Race
RuPaul Charles on the legacy and message of RuPaul's Drag Race
RuPaul Charles on the contestants of RuPaul's Drag Race, and their courage and vulnerability
RuPaul Charles on his message as a performer
Paul Rodriquez on the Mexican-American community's reaction to a.k.a. Pablo, and their objections to his act
Paul Rodriguez on being inspired by Richard Pryor to use his Mexican heritage and identity in his act, and on the language he uses in his act
Paul Rodriguez on the then-current state of his career, and on his relationship with the Mexican-American community
Paul Rodriguez on things he has had the opportunity to do in his career, and on the then-current state of Latinos in comedy
Carlos Mencia on doing Latino-based humor, and on listening to accents
Carlos Mencia on the controversy surrounding his use of the term "beaner"
Carlos Mencia on how different groups react to his act, and Mind of Mencia
Barbara Corday on pitching Cagney & Lacey in 1974 and on being involved in the women's movement at the time
Barbara Corday on the premise of Cagney & Lacey and on dealing with women's issues on the show
Barbara Corday on how the status of women in television has changed since she started
Barbara Corday on the challenges of being a female executive in television
Judith Crist on Al Morgan of Today being a big supporter of women
Judith Crist on why she left Today and feeling the decision to let her go was sexist
Judith Crist on getting to know women in television
Judith Crist on not encountering sexism in the television industry
Billy Crystal on being cast as "Jodie Dallas" on Soap, television's first regular, gay character
Billy Crystal on the reception of his Soap character, "Jodie Dallas," who was gay
Billy Crystal on professional concerns he had about playing a gay character on Soap, and on his first HBO stand up comedy special
Ann Curry on being hired as a reporter at KTVL in Medford, Oregon, a station that had never before had a female reporter, and on the sexism she faced on the job
Ann Curry on aspiring to be a news anchor like Walter Cronkite early in her career, and how she navigated her ambitions with few available role models in broadcast journalism who were women or people of color
Ann Curry on inappropriate behavior she witnessed at NBC News, and on the then-current battle to prevent harassment of women in the workplace
Ann Curry on how she has seen opportunities for women and people of color change in journalism over the course of her career
Jeannie Epper on her few close fellow stuntwomen and the passing of her brothers and sisters
Jeannie Epper on being one of the founding members of the Stuntwoman's Association of Motion Pictures
Jeannie Epper on the challenges that stuntwomen face that stuntmen don't
Jeannie Epper on the lack of women stunt coordinators
Nanette Fabray on her difficulty with her hearing, and on her participation in issues involving the deaf community
Nanette Fabray on appearing on The Carol Burnett Show and doing sign language for the first time on television, and promoting sign language on television
Nanette Fabray on her guest appearance as stroke survivor on Maude in the episode "Maude's Reunion"
Sandra Gimpel on how she became a stunt coordinator in the 1970s and the fact that women were mostly not stunt coordinators at the time, and on becoming second unit director, as well as stunt coordinator on Mrs. Columbo
Sandra Gimpel on how the equipment used by stunt performers has changed over time, especially for women, who oftentimes in the past could not wear padding because it was so bulky and too visible under costumes
Louis Gossett, Jr. on appearing with James Garner in the feature film "Skin Game," and on appearing in socially-conscious projects
Louis Gossett, Jr. on the impact producer Norman Lear had on opportunities for African-American actors in television
Louis Gossett, Jr. on doing research to play "Fiddler" in Roots, and why the character was a breakthrough for him in terms of his acting process
Louis Gossett, Jr. on filming the "my name is Toby" scene in Roots, and on using the line "there's gonna be another day" (which he improvised) with Alex Haley's permission
Louis Gossett, Jr. on the legacy of Roots
Louis Gossett, Jr. on the role of the actor in society, and how the arts can help or harm
Louis Gossett, Jr. on being the second black actor to win an Oscar, and on what it meant to his career
Louis Gossett, Jr. on how things have changed for African-American actors since he started
Winifred Hervey on getting accepted to the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop
Winifred Hervey on becoming story editor for The New Odd Couple and rewriting original scripts from The Odd Couple to tailor them to African-American performers
Winifred Hervey on efforts made to diversify the writing staff of Benson
Winifred Hervey on being the only female writer on The Cosby Show
Winifred Hervey on the writers' room of The Golden Girls
Winifred Hervey on not loving to do "issues shows" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Winifred Hervey on her biggest challenge in the business - being female and a minority
Winifred Hervey on the representation of African-Americans on television
Winifred Hervey on opportunities for women and minorities in writing
Ellen Holly on the challenges early on of finding parts as a Black actress, and on being cast in the Broadway production of "Too Late the Phalarope"
Ellen Holly on how typecasting boxes in actors, particularly African-Americans
Ellen Holly on the difficulties faced by an African-American actress who is considered "too light"
Ellen Holly on writing The New York Times article "How Black Do You Have to Be?" and on the reaction to it
Ellen Holly on guest-starring on Dr. Kildare, and on having to wear makeup to make her skin appear darker for the show
Ellen Holly on her groundbreaking early storyline on One Life to Live, where she was the first Black actress to play a central character on a daytime drama, and on working with the crew of the show and show creator Agnes Nixon
Ellen Holly on her difficulties renewing her One Life to Live contract after the first year
Ellen Holly on going to bat for One Life to Live producer Doris Quinlan
Ellen Holly on the fallout from her going to bat for One Life to Live producer Doris Quinlan
Ellen Holly on her difficulties playing opposite the actor who portrayed "Dr. Jack Scott" on One Life to Live, which led to her first exit from the show
Ellen Holly on her and Lillian Hayman being fired from One Life to Live by producer Paul Rauch
Ellen Holly on coming to a late realization about One Life to Live and about Agnes Nixon
Ellen Holly on finally learning why she was chosen to be on One Life to Live by producer Agnes Nixon and ABC executive Brandon Stoddard
Ellen Holly on having been the focus of the first year of One Life to Live, and on the producers' fears of it becoming a "black show"
Geri Jewell on dreaming of being a television actress when she was young, and how this dream related to her cerebral palsy
Geri Jewell on the first time she did stand-up comedy, and how she talked about cerebral palsy in her routine
Geri Jewell on being the first visible character with a disability on a television series on The Facts of Life
Geri Jewell on having to perform a dance number on the first The Facts of Life episode on which she appeared ("Cousin Geri")
Geri Jewell on the impact of her visibility as a person with a disability on The Facts of Life
Geri Jewell on her experience with "overnight fame" and the impact of her visibility as a person with a disability
Geri Jewell on the impact of her role on The Facts of Life and appearing on Norman Lear's special I Love Liberty
Geri Jewell on her feelings about actors without disabilities playing characters with disabilities
Geri Jewell on the difficulty she faced while filming a scene with Peter DeLuise on 21 Jump Street
Geri Jewell on filming the Deadwood episode "Jewel's Boot Is Made for Walking" and how show creator/director David Milch coaxed a reaction from her
Geri Jewell on advice for aspiring actors
Charles Floyd Johnson on being the sole, or one of very few, associate producers of color when he accepted the job on The Rockford Files
Charles Floyd Johnson on how opportunities for African Americans have changed since he first started in the industry
Charles Floyd Johnson on addressing a racist comment made to him early in his career
Elodie Keene on advocating for more female directors on L.A. Law
Elodie Keene on how opportunities for women in the industry have changed since she started
Elodie Keene on directing the first lesbian kiss on television on L.A. Law, and on the lesbian scenes in Pretty Little Liars
Elodie Keene on directing scenes on Switched at Birth in sign language
Sheila Kuehl on the planned Zelda Gilroy spin-off of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
Sheila Kuehl on coming out on The Geraldo Rivera Show and Good Morning America
Sheila Kuehl on the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling regarding gay marriage
Sheila Kuehl on being the first lesbian elected to the California State Assembly
Judith Light on dealing with the AIDS crisis and playing "Jeanne White" in The Ryan White Story
Judith Light on starring in A Step Toward Tomorrow with Christopher Reeve
Judith Light on her Ugly Betty character "Claire Meade" and working with America Ferrera as "Betty Suarez"
Judith Light on the importance of Transparent
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their first impressions of An Early Frost when the idea was presented to them by NBC, and why they insisted that the main character, who had AIDS, be alive at the end of the movie
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the research they did when writing the 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis, by visiting AIDS patients at Santa Monica Hospital
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the kinds of notes they received from executives on their 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis, and on the public response to the movie
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the importance of An Early Frost their 1985 made-for-television movie which depicted the AIDS crisis, being written and played for a mass audience
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the response of the gay community to their made-for-television movie An Early Frost
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on what they hoped the audience would take away from their made-for-television movie An Early Frost, which depicted the AIDS crisis: education, tolerance, and compassion
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on Sisters being one of the only television dramas to explore the lives of women at its center
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the success of Sisters among female viewers, despite the fact that executives did not normally pay attention to that demographic
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the Sisters characters "Norma Lear" (played by Nora Dunn), who was gay, and on the character came to be recurring, rather than appearing in just a few episodes
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on their push to have as many female directors and writers on Sisters as they could
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the television and political atmosphere for both gay people and gay characters at the time they were developing Queer as Folk
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the press reaction to Queer as Folk, and in particular the pushback they got from the gay community
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on Queer as Folk presenting a reflection of the gay community in a way that had never been seen before on television, and the power of that: "seeing a reflection of yourself validates your life. It validates who you are. It validates that you exist"
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the impact of the depictions of sex on Queer as Folk and their intention behind it
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on how they approached the storyline where "Justin" is the victim of a hate crime at the end of season one of Queer as Folk
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the depiction of people living with HIV/AIDS on Queer as Folk
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the difference between what they could depict in their 1985 made-for-television movie An Early Frost and on Queer as Folk, both of which centered on gay characters
Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman on the bombing storyline in the final season of Queer as Folk and why they wanted to depict an attack on the gay community in that manner
S. Epatha Merkerson on the excitement of seeing black people on television when she was young
S. Epatha Merkerson on coming to Law & Order after it had been on for four seasons (two female characters were introduced the year she came on)
S. Epatha Merkerson on wearing a wig to cover her natural hair when portraying her Law & Order character "Lt. Anita Van Buren"
S. Epatha Merkerson on whether opportunities for black women on television have changed over the years
Millie Moore on being one of the sole women in the A.C.E. when she joined
Millie Moore on women being more welcomed into the A.C.E. as editors, not just librarians, after the studio system began to crumble
Millie Moore on how women editors have progressed through the years
Michael Moye on the not-so-diverse writing staff of Good Times
Michael Moye on whether or not he experienced racism in the television industry
Michael Moye on hiring diverse writers
Michael Moye on some people seeing racism where he does not
Anne Nelson on becoming the first female executive at CBS, and the difficulties she encountered getting there
Anne Nelson on her style of negotiation, and on the challenges of being a female in business affairs in her era
Anne Nelson on being a female television executive
Nichelle Nichols on how African-Americans were portrayed on television while she was growing up
Nichelle Nichols on almost leaving Star Trek, and then staying at the behest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Nichelle Nichols on Gene Roddenberry coming up with the idea for Star Trek, and wanting a diverse cast
Nichelle Nichols on meeting Coretta Scott King, and discussing Star Trek with her
Nichelle Nichols on Gene Roddenberry making Star Trek a breakthrough for diversity on television
Nichelle Nichols on the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" in which she shared television's first interracial kiss with "Captain Kirk" (William Shatner)
Nichelle Nichols on how things have changed for African-American actors since she began her career
Nichelle Nichols on fan reaction to the Star Trek episode "Plato's Stepchildren" in which she shared television's first interracial kiss with "Captain Kirk"
Jorge Ramos on interviewing President Obama and pressing him on immigration reform
Jorge Ramos on Univision covering presidential politics and its importance to the Latino community
Jorge Ramos on hosting an English-language show for Fusion
Jorge Ramos on what he hopes to achieve with his influence
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on what separates Univision from other news gathering organizations
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on issues that are important to them personally
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on Univision's role in the 2008, 2012 and then-upcoming 2016 elections
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the emergence of Latino candidates in presidential elections
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on changes they've seen in television journalism and Spanish news
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the then-future of Spanish-language news and Latino journalists
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on dream projects or goals in the then-future
Marian Rees on producing "Tell Me Where it Hurts" for General Electric Theater and her commitment to feminism
Marian Rees on producing The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
Marian Rees on executive producing "Love Is Never Silent" for Hallmark Hall of Fame and her struggle with the network to cast deaf actors in lead roles
Marian Rees on executive producing Ruby Bridges
Marian Rees on the African-American crew on Ruby Bridges and gaining Ruby Bridges' trust
Marian Rees on the Norman Rockwell painting on which Ruby Bridges was based and recreating it
Marian Rees on public reaction and the educational benefits of Masterpiece Theatre's American Collection's "Almost a Woman"
Marian Rees on her involvement in Women in Film
Barney Rosenzweig on giving Aaron Spelling criticisms of Charlie's Angels and wanting to incorporate the themes of the Women's Movement into the show
Barney Rosenzweig on the idea for Cagney & Lacey
Barney Rosenzweig on what Cagney & Lacey was about at its core
Barney Rosenzweig on the legacy of Cagney & Lacey and what it did for the portrayal of women on television
Maria Elena Salinas on how identifying with two cultures informed her news reporting
Maria Elena Salinas on the state of Hispanic news when she started
Maria Elena Salinas on appealing to different aspects of the Latino community
Maria Elena Salinas on interviewing then-governor Pete Wilson about his stance on immigration issues for California
Maria Elena Salinas on covering immigration and doing advocacy journalism
Maria Elena Salinas on being called "the most recognized and trusted Hispanic newswomen in America"
Maria Elena Salinas on the challenges of being a female news anchor
Maria Elena Salinas on the current state and then-future of diversity in television
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on what separates Univision from other news gathering organizations
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on issues that are important to them personally
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on Univision's role in the 2008, 2012 and then-upcoming 2016 elections
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the emergence of Latino candidates in presidential elections
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on changes they've seen in television journalism and Spanish news
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on the then-future of Spanish-language news and Latino journalists
Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas on dream projects or goals in the then-future
Marlene Sanders on the number of women in television when she started
Marlene Sanders on other female journalists when she came along
Marlene Sanders on being the first woman to anchor an evening news broadcast (for one night) and later for three months; on more women entering the business
Marlene Sanders on her role in the women's movement
Marlene Sanders on publishing the book "Waiting for Primetime" and her conclusions about women in broadcasting
Marlene Sanders on advice for women in broadcast journalism
Jay Sandrich on an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show with a character who is gay and getting that episode on air
Jay Sandrich on the controversies surrounding some of the gay themes of the show Soap
Jay Sandrich on a scene in Soap which deals with sexual tension, written from a woman's perspective
Jay Sandrich on how Susan Harris brought a woman's perspective to the writing on Soap
Jay Sandrich on the thrill of having the number one show in American be about an African American family (The Cosby Show)
Jay Sandrich on the show Love, Sidney based on a film, which had a gay character, though the network wouldn't allow a gay character on the television version
Jay Sandrich on the impact the women's movement came to have on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Jay Sandrich on what good comedy can do for us socially
Ted Sarandos on the importance of diverse voices in the executive team at Netflix, as well as the creators of its content, and on the female show creators at Netflix
Ted Sarandos on the importance of pay equity, and on the importance transparency in regards to executives' pay and diversity data in production
Alfred Schneider on the decision not to allow two men to kiss on Thirtysomething
Alfred Schneider on writer/producer Susan Harris's response to being told that a scene in Soap where women were discussing sex had to be cut
Alfred Schneider on negotiating the depiction of the controversial subject matter of That Certain Summer
Alfred Schneider on meeting with special interest groups and handling their concerns about portrayals of certain groups and depictions of controversial topics on television
Alfred Schneider on sit-in protests by the gay community in response to Marcus Welby, M.D.
Richard and Esther Shapiro on writing the made-for-TV movie Minstrel Man
Richard and Esther Shapiro on Dynasty star Jack Coleman ("Steven Carrington")
Richard and Esther Shapiro on memorable storylines on Dynasty - on "Steven Carrington's" homosexuality
Richard and Esther Shapiro on "Steven Carrington's" homosexuality on Dynasty
Esther Shapiro on the limited number of female writers
Esther Shapiro on being a female writer in Hollywood and whether or not having a male writing partner helped her
Esther Shapiro on fellow female executives at ABC
Richard and Esther Shapiro on writing the made-for-TV movie Minstrel Man
Richard and Esther Shapiro on Dynasty star Jack Coleman ("Steven Carrington")
Richard and Esther Shapiro on memorable storylines on Dynasty - on "Steven Carrington's" homosexuality
Richard and Esther Shapiro on "Steven Carrington's" homosexuality on Dynasty
Treva Silverman on the challenges of being the only female on the writing staff of The Dean Martin Show
Treva Silverman on being the only female writer to work on The Monkees
Treva Silverman on writing The Mary Tyler Moore Show's "Rhoda Morgenstern," played by Valerie Harper, and on the female characters of the show
Treva Silverman on the male writing staff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and helping them write for female characters
Treva Silverman on how the role of women has changed since she started in television
Treva Silverman on being the first female writer to win an Emmy Award
John Singleton on The Arsenio Hall Show being the only variety show that would put on hip hop and R&B artists at that time
John Singleton on directing Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" music video, and his vision for putting Michael Jackson with "a whole bunch of black people"
John Singleton on how opportunities for African Americans in entertainment have changed over the course of his career
Lesley Stahl on consciously trying to convey authority as a reporter
Lesley Stahl on encountering sexism within news crews when she was a rookie reporter for CBS in Washington D.C. in the 1970s
Lesley Stahl on being told to re-do an on-camera piece without smiling (to exude more authority) while a correspondent for CBS in Washington in the 1970s
Lesley Stahl on getting hired at CBS' Washington D.C. news bureau, and how affirmative action played a part in her hiring
Lesley Stahl on the jobs women had at NBC News when she started in 1967
Lesley Stahl on women in broadcast journalism during her day
Nick Stewart on performing for both black and white audiences on the Vaudeville circuit
Nick Stewart on black performers and the type of comedy they practiced
Nick Stewart on the NAACP protests of Amos 'N' Andy
Nick Stewart on the end of Amos 'N' Andy due to protests from the NAACP
Nick Stewart on how race relations affected the television industry
Nick Stewart on the then-current state of African-Americans on television
Leslie Uggams on appearing on The Paul Whiteman TV Teen Club as a child and not being allowed to win a car on the show because an African American boy had already won one on the show
Leslie Uggams on getting recognized on the street after appearing on Sing Along with Mitch and the extra pressure she felt as an African American woman in the spotlight
Leslie Uggams on the pushback from the network to her being on Sing Along with Mitch because she was African American and how Mitch Miller stood up for her
Leslie Uggams on discrimination she faced early in her career and barriers she broke down by appearing on Sing Along with Mitch
Leslie Uggams on the role television played in the Civil Rights Movement
Leslie Uggams on how The Leslie Uggams Show came about and her efforts to have a diverse crew and writing staff
Leslie Uggams on the success of Roots and what it taught Americans about their own history
Tracey Ullman on the character "Francesca" on The Tracey Ullman Show, whose father was gay, and on receiving a GLAAD award for the character
Tracey Ullman on the sketch "What Were You Wearing?" on Tracey Ullman's Show, and on the sketch going viral
Tracey Ullman on how changes can be made in the television industry, in light of the #MeToo and Times Up movements, and on her thoughts on the movements
Ethel Winant on dealing with the network on casting blacklisted actors and minorities on television in the '50s
Ethel Winant on difficulties she encountered in casting minority actors for shows like Playhouse 90 and The United States Steel Hour's production of "Doomsday at Noon"
Ethel Winant on rising up through the ranks at CBS as a woman
Ethel Winant on being the first female executive at CBS and dealing with other executives like William S. Paley
