Shonda Rhimes must have denied an interview request from The New York Times because a new article, "Wrought in Their Creator's Image," written by resident television critic Alessandra Stanley, is just as shady as a confessional of Real Housewives of Atlanta. Only with bigger words.

When I logged onto Twitter this morning, my timeline was full of disgust for The New York Times. As an entertainment journalist, I studied this publication to learn how to write thought-provoking, fact-based articles. So, I was surprised to see dozens of people speak out against a piece on their site, especially ABC's Queen of Primetime, Shonda Rhimes.

I have been an avid Scandal watcher since episode one, and I'm a little too obsessed with Shonda Rhimes. Though I have yet to meet her, my personal obsession with Rhimes combined with my stellar, journalistic research skills, have allowed me to know more about her than probably I should.

I’ve seen amazing interviews of her with everyone from Oprah to Jimmy Kimmel, and I have yet to see or hear anything negative. In fact, a few of my friends have worked with her and they all say she is as dynamic and amazing as the characters she writes. This “angry black woman” we have yet to see.

I wanted to believe this NYT article was all a hoax, like some "Jay-Z, Beyoncé Divorce Rumor Plot" that Shonda and her team put out to stir the pot before Scandal premieres next week. But, after doing some research on Alessandra Stanley, I have to wonder what she was hoping to accomplish with this backhanded editorial. (Sidenote: As a little internet search will tell you, this is not the first time Stanley's work has come into question. In 2009, Gawker pointed out that an actual New York Times editor publicly berated Stanley for writing an error-filled piece on famed CBS anchor Walter Cronkite. To apologize on her behalf, Clark Hoyt wrote, "The short answer is that a television critic with a history of errors wrote hastily and failed to double-check her work.")

"When Shonda Rhimes writes her autobiography, it should be called 'How to Get Away With Being an Angry Black Woman'," Stanley wrote as the opener to her lengthy op-ed, written to analyze the characters in ABC's new Thursday night lineup.

In the same manner that she compliments Rhimes' many accomplishments, with statements like, "[she] has done more to reset the image of African-American women on television than anyone since Oprah Winfrey," she also implies that Rhimes is rewriting herself ("the angry black woman") in each of her African-American females leads.

Rhimes now has three shows on Thursday night, and two of them--Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder--feature black female leads in Kerry Washington and Viola Davis. The television landscape has changed--Washington is the first black woman to lead a primetime network show since Diahann Carroll in the 1970s.

But, the main problem with the article's complicated and wordy thesis is that Shonda does not seem angry. Has anyone seen a video of her lashing out on television or rolling her neck in an interview? And even after reading Stanley's article, Rhimes' rant was much more polite than any of Kanye's.

In fact, while on Good Morning America earlier this week, Robin Roberts asked if she wrote any roles to reflect her. She responded, "I think Meredith Grey, you know, Ellen Pompeo, was already playing me. I think Sandra Oh was already playing me. I think Chandra Wilson is already playing me."

She added, "I think I'm being played every time I write a character."

To make things more ironic, she even told the story of how a reporter asked her how it was to "finally" get to write in the voice of a black woman on Scandal, to which she responded, "Well, you know, McDreamy's been speaking in the voice of a black woman for a long time now. So it's been fine."

This article fails to mention the dozens of other non-black characters Rhimes brought to life on Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal. Obviously, she's been an African-American woman her entire life and the characters (Meredith, Christina, McDreamy) have all been written by the same "angry black woman" who writes for Olivia and Annalaise (Viola). To call her out on these two characters, undermines the years of work she put in prior to these (amazing) female leads.

Olivia Pope's monologues are permeated with fury and frustration. Olivia is, at best, loving, thoughtful, compassionate, extremely complicated, misunderstood, too busy and sadly broken but more than angry. Based on the trailers, I expect Viola Davis's character to be just as, if not more, complex. Rhimes and her Emmy-winning team at ShondaLand create characters that are flawed, human and real. I, like so many, am inspired by Shonda Rhimes living out her dreams. Adweek asked if she's the next Aaron Spelling. She is setting a good example for the next generation of content creators too, as her three young daughters have their own offices on mommy's set. She inspires women all over the world to create their own paths. Rhimes is a talented, barrier-breaking visionary. Ms. Stanley, if you are looking for someone who is angry, from the tone of your piece, it seems to be the other way around.

Gia Peppers is an entertainment reporter and pop culture connoisseur who resides in Brooklyn, New York but calls Maryland home. To keep up with her, follow her on Twitter @GiaPeppers.

Tags
Shonda Rhimes, Scandal