Kenya Barris, the creator of the hit ABC show ‘Black-ish’ is being sued by Bryan Barber, a friend who says he helped Kenya come up with the show based partly on his life experiences.
via TMZ:
In a lawsuit Barber just filed — obtained by TMZ — he says he and Kenya both became writers and both had agents at William Morris. He says they formed a partnership in 2006, and came up with a script focusing on the “black experience” … through the eyes of a “successful, creative and affluent black man” working in the mostly white entertainment industry.
That’s Anderson’s character to a T, except he works at an ad agency.
In the the suit, Barber says the script was based on HIS life experiences, and he and Kenya
agreed to exploit it for their benefit. Problem is … he says they parted ways before 2014, when “Black-ish” debuted.
Barber says “Black-ish” has tons of similarities to the OG show idea — such as the lead character driving a luxury car, wearing high-end clothes, and marrying a bi-racial doctor named “Rainbow.”
He’s suing Barris and the show’s production company for at least $1 million. Plus, he wants writer and creator credits which would net him even more dough. We’ve reached out to Kenya’s rep … no word back.