Black-ish creator Kenya Barris signs $100 million deal with Netflix

(Image credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Peabody Awards)

published 16 August 2018

Kenya Barris is leaving ABC Studios for Netflix.

Famous for creating the hit sitcom Black-ish and writing the Tiffany Haddish-starring Girls Trip, Barris will now produce new shows exclusively for the streaming service. The three-year deal is reportedly worth $100 million, Variety reports.

Barris originally wasn't so sure about making a new home for himself at Netflix, but after some thought — and convincing — he was able to change his tune. "I started to believe that maybe this mom-and-pop shop with only 130 million subscribers might just be something," he quipped in a statement to Variety. "So I decided to take a swing ... a leap of faith if you will, and take a chance with the new kids on the block."

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Cindy Holland, Netflix's vice president of original content, referred to Barris as "one of our great modern storytellers." Barris will join the ranks of Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy as one of the streaming service's premiere creators. Just last year, the writer and producer had renewed his contract with ABC Studios through 2021, but he was able to secure his release from the studio several months ago after a public fraying of their relationship.

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Amari Pollard is the social media editor at The Week and has written for Reader's Digest, Parents, and Inside Lacrosse. She studied journalism at Le Moyne College and can usually be found exploring Brooklyn, thrift shopping, or spending way too much money on brunch.

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