Donald Glover Says Misogynoir Criticism ‘Hurts’ But ‘Doesn’t Matter’

Donald Glover is "hurt" by those who think he has a disdain for Black women. But the criticism also "doesn't matter" to him.

Donald Glover is “hurt” by those who think he has a disdain for Black women. But the criticism also “doesn’t matter” to him.

Glover and his Mr. & Mrs. Smith star Maya Erksine recently sat down for a deep dive with The Hollywood Reporter where he was asked about his 2022 Interview magazine feature, in which he interviewed himself and asked, “Are you afraid of Black women?”

The question and his response only added to age-old misogynoir criticism Glover has faced throughout his career.

When asked about the misogynoir “narrative” that follows his name, Glover didn’t hold back.

“I felt like it was something that people always say, but no one ever asked because I felt like people really don’t want to know,” he said. “It is a better narrative. But anybody who actually knows me knows how much that hurts me.”

“Of course” the criticism bothers Glover. “But I also realize it doesn’t matter. People are not going to read this and be like, ‘Wow, I was wrong,'” he said.

His Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star jumped in, asking Glover if his defense to the criticism is to just tell himself “I don’t care?”

“To go play with my kids and be happy and be present. Because my kids know that and they’re the only ones who matter. Or my mom knows that, and she’s the only one who matters. Or Quinta [Brunson] knows that, and she’s the only one who matters,” Glover said in response.

“People who actually know me. And also, it’s not true. When I walk down the street in Atlanta, that’s not what happens.”

Glover has long faced claims of showing disdain or disregard for Black women from criticism about his FX series Atlanta not being for Black people to his old music where he made repeated references about Asian women. When interviewing himself for Interview magazine in 2022, Glover asked himself if he was “afraid of Black women.”

“Why are you asking me that?” he wrote in response. “I feel like you’re using Black women to question my Blackness.”

There was never a direct answer to the question. His latest response might shed more light on where Glover stands on the misogynoir topic. He married Michelle White in 2015 while working on Mr. & Mrs. Smith. They share three sons, born in 2016, 2018, and 2020.