Representation for women and minorities in movies dropped drastically in 2025, according to UCLA's latest Hollywood Diversity Report.Since 2014, UCLA has released an annual report examining diversity among lead talent, writers and directors for widely-released theatrical films and movies on streaming services.Part 1, which focused on theatrical films, was released in March while Part 2, which focused on streaming-only films, was released Wednesday.Regarding Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation, UCLA found that minority representation continued a steady decline in lead roles compared to 2024.BILL MAHER SLAMS OSCARS, SAYS HOLLYWOOD IS 'A SECRET CABAL OF PEOPLE TERRIFIED OF LOOKING LIKE RACISTS'UCLA released its annual Hollywood Diversity Report on representation in films.
(Kirby Lee/Getty Images)"After peaking in 2023, the BIPOC share of lead roles in top theatrical films continued to decline," the report read."Compared to the year before, this share dropped almost two percentage points to 23.1 percent in 2025.
The share of theatrical film leads played by BIPOC actors reached only slightly more than half of what would be required for proportional representation relative to their 45.2 percent share of the U.S.population in 2025."Female representation also dropped from a peak of 47.6% in 2024 to 37% in 2025 with similarly low rates across director and total cast representation.ISSA RAE SAYS DEI HAS BECOME A 'BAD WORD' IN HOLLYWOOD AS EXECUTIVES OF COLOR 'TIPTOE' TO KEEP JOBS"Constituting slightly more than half of the population, women remained underrepresented in all major employment arenas for theatrical film in 2025," the report read.Minority actors saw a decline in representation over the last year despite popular films like "Sinners." (Vanity Fair)Minority representation also saw a significant decline in streaming film lead roles released in 2025 after previously reaching a record high in 2024."The share of BIPOC leads in films from majo...