Black-ish creator Kenya Barris officially exits his ABC Studios deal, likely for a nine-figure Netflix megadeal

The Hollywood Reporter

It's been nearly four months since The Hollywood Reporter reported on a frustrated Barris planning his exit from ABC Studios one year into his new four-year deal. The two sides have negotiated Barris' exit, paving the way for a lucrative deal with Netflix (which has no comment on a potential deal with the prolific writer-producer). Barris has developed multiple TV projects for ABC, but only one was picked up: Black-ish spinoff Grown-ish, which ended up at Freeform instead of ABC. Barris has also clashed with the ABC network, which pulled an episode of Black-ish in February. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Barris is seen as a "logical fit" for Netflix because he can deliver hits that are both critically and commercially successful. "No matter what, the studio has never wavered in their support of my creative vision," said Barris in a statement. "Leaving is bittersweet, but between my series on the air and projects currently in development, I know I’ll continue to work with ABC Studios for a long time.”