Screenwriters sue Issa Rae’s company, claim ‘One of Them Days’ copied their script

“One of Them Days” starring Keke Palmer and SZA landed in theaters in January 2025 but screenwriters claim they came up with the idea for it in 2020.

Issa Rae may have had “one of them days” recently as she faces a plagiarism lawsuit by three screenwriters over the buzzy buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA.

On Wednesday, July 30, screenwriters Joshua Isaacson, Shon Ku, and Tyrone Perry filed a lawsuit against Rae’s production company, ColorCreative, TriStar, Sony Pictures and screenwriter Syreeta Singleton, alleging that the 2025 film “One of Them Days” was lifted from their 2020 screenplay “One of Those Days,” Complex reported. 

In court documents obtained by the outlet, the trio claims they shared their script for the first time in 2023 with film producer Danny Hamouie. Then, in April 202,4 they submitted the script to producers Roman Arabia and Xavier Charles (who worked on “Insecure”) for consideration; however, they passed on the project. 

“One of Them Days,” directed by Lawrence Lamont, which follows the chaotic day that befalls two roommates (Palmer and SZA) attempting to pay their rent against all odds, was announced in April 2024 and released in January 2025. It grossed over $51 million on a $14 million budget, and a sequel is currently in the works, per Deadline. 

According to the court documents, the trio claims the film shares “substantial” similarities with character arcs, plot sequences, and tone—29 to be exact. To properly assess the scripts’ similarities, they hired screenwriter John Brancato to review them. 

Perry, Ku, and Isaacson are asking for a jury trial and are suing for attorney’s fees and damages. 

While Rae has not commented on the lawsuit publicly, earlier this year she did shed light on how ‘One of Them Days’ came to be. During an interview with the Motion Pictures Association, she said the film ultimately took seven years to be greenlit from the time it was born during a lab program spearheaded by Rae’s company.  

Rae also opened up about how she inspired to make this film when she realized it had been nearly three decades since we’ve had the last Black female led buddy comedy.

“When you see one, you’re like, ‘Why aren’t there more of these?’” Rae said. “Why hasn’t the last buddy comedy been since B.A.P.S.? … It’s been 30 years since we’ve had this, and if it works—why is it always considered a risk to do so?”