Black Twitter: A People's History: Release date, cast, plot, and everything we know so far

"Black Twitter: A People
"Black Twitter: A People's History" debuts at SXSW Film & TV Festival (Image via Disney/Andrew Walker)

Hulu is gearing up to release a new documentary series titled Black Twitter: A People's History on May 9, 2024. Based on a 2021 article, the miniseries chronicles the usage of X, formerly Twitter, by African-American people not only for recreation but also for ushering in social change.

As per Hulu, the synopsis for Black Twitter reads:

"This three-part docuseries charts the rise, the movements, the voices and the memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life."

The official trailer was released on YouTube on April 24, 2024, giving a glimpse into the docuseries. The one-and-a-half-minute clip features several Black people talking about their digital footprint before "Black Twitter" and later talking about its impact in real life.

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Directed by Prentice Penny, Black Twitter: A People's History premiered at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 8, 2024.


Black Twitter: A People's History will be released on May 9, 2024

Ashley Weatherspoon in the new Hulu docuseries (Image via Onyx Collective)
Ashley Weatherspoon in the new Hulu docuseries (Image via Onyx Collective)

The three-part documentary series titled Black Twitter: A People's History is scheduled to be released on May 9, 2024, exclusively on Hulu.

All three episodes will be released together and available to stream on the same day, as per the trailer released by Hulu.


Black Twitter: A People's History is based on a WIRED article

Jason Parham in the new Hulu docuseries (Image via Onyx Collective)
Jason Parham in the new Hulu docuseries (Image via Onyx Collective)

Hulu's latest documentary series is based on an article titled A People’s History of Black Twitter published by WIRED on July 15, 2021. The article was written by Jason Parham, who also serves as producer for the new docu-series.

The article included interviews with several African-American figures, such as Kozza Babumba, head of social at Genius, and CaShawn Thompson, an educator, who recounted the rise of Twitter among Black Americans and the several memes, rhetoric, and inside jokes it spawned.

Now, Onyx Collective is partnering with A Penny for Your Thoughts, WIRED Studios, and Culture House Media to adapt the article and bring it to the big screen.


The cast of Black Twitter: A People's History

Brad Jenkins in the new Hulu docuseries (Image via Onyx Collective)
Brad Jenkins in the new Hulu docuseries (Image via Onyx Collective)

As per Hulu and Onyx Collective, the full cast of the documentary series is listed below:

  • TJ Adeshola (former head of Global Content Partnerships, Twitter)
  • W. Kamau Bell (comedian; director, "We Need to Talk About Cosby")
  • Dr. André Brock (communications professor; author, "Distributed Blackness: African American Cybercultures")
  • Rembert Browne (journalist; former director of Product and Community, Twitter)
  • Dr. Meredith Clark (journalism professor; creator of "Archiving Black Twitter")
  • Kid Fury (TV writer and host, "The Read")
  • Roxane Gay (author; cultural critic, The New York Times)
  • Jemele Hill (author, journalist)
  • Sam Jay (comedian, writer)
  • Brad Jenkins (former associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, 2011-2015)
  • Brandon "Jinx" Jenkins (journalist, host, creative director)
  • Luvvie Ajayi Jones (a New York Times bestselling author)
  • Shamika Klassen (researcher, scholar, "Black Twitter Is Gold")
  • Van Lathan (cultural critic; host, Higher Learning)
  • Jamilah Lemieux (cultural critic and writer)
  • Wesley Lowery (journalist; author, "American Whitelash")
  • Ira Madison III (TV writer; host, Keep It!)
  • Judnick Mayard (TV writer, producer)
  • Jason Parham (senior writer, WIRED)
  • April Reign (creative consultant; creator, #OscarsSoWhite)
  • God-is Rivera (former global director of Culture and Community, X)
  • Amanda Seales (comedian, activist, and host of the Small Doses podcast)
  • Denver Sean (senior editor, LoveBScott.com)
  • Baratunde Thurston (comedian; host, How to Citizen with Baratunde)
  • Ashley Weatherspoon (producer; writer, DearYoungQueen.com)
  • Raquel Willis (author, activist, and media strategist)
  • J. Wortham (journalist, The New York Times Magazine)

The executive producers of Black Twitter: A People's History

Dr. André Brock in the new Hulu docuseries (Image via Onyx Collective)
Dr. André Brock in the new Hulu docuseries (Image via Onyx Collective)

With Joie Jacoby of Culture House Media serving as the showrunner of the Hulu docuseries, here is a list of all the people serving as executive producers on the show:

  • Prentice Penny (A Penny For Your Thoughts)
  • Chris Pollack (A Penny For Your Thoughts)
  • Alex Soler (A Penny For Your Thoughts)
  • Sarah Amos (WIRED Studios)
  • Helen Estabrook (WIRED Studios)
  • Agnes Chu (WIRED Studios)
  • Andrew Whitney (WIRED Studios)
  • Raeshem Nijhon (Culture House Media)
  • Carri Twigg (Culture House Media)
  • Nicole Galovski (Culture House Media)
  • Joie Jacoby (Culture House Media)
  • Shawna Carroll (Culture House Media)

All three episodes of Black Twitter: A People's History are set to be released on May 9, 2024.

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