Podcast Summary: The Isabel Brown Show
Episode: They Race-Swapped Joan of Arc—Seriously
Host: Isabel Brown (The Daily Wire)
Date: February 17, 2026
Episode Overview
In this episode, Isabel Brown tackles the controversy surrounding the casting of a black actress as Joan of Arc in a new Scottish stage production of George Bernard Shaw’s "Saint Joan." She unpacks this trend of “race swapping” historical and fictional characters, linking it to larger cultural shifts and ongoing debates about identity, heritage, and representation in the arts and media. Isabel also highlights recurring instances of what she considers a broader pattern of rewriting history, especially in relation to Catholic saints and Western tradition.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Casting Controversy: Joan of Arc Race-Swapped
- Joan of Arc portrayed by Mandeepa Cabana: Isabel starts by emphasizing her disbelief at a black actress playing Joan of Arc on a Scottish stage, comparing the perceived absurdity to “Ryan Gosling playing Barack Obama.”
[00:24] - She clarifies her position: “This is very intentional. This is a very intentional rewriting of history.”
[01:05] - Isabel explains how this move is being justified as giving the play a “fresh new treatment,” but she remains critical, seeing it as part of an ongoing cultural agenda:
“This is just the latest example in a string of Hollywood race swapping… Was it annoying that The Little Mermaid eventually became black...? Yeah, it was annoying and not great, and the movie kind of flopped as a result.”
[01:28]
2. Pattern of ‘Rewriting’ Historical Figures
- Isabel cites previous similar incidents:
- Helen of Troy race-swapped in Christopher Nolan's Odyssey:
[02:05] - Joan of Arc as nonbinary at Shakespeare Globe Theater:
“In 2022... tried to portray Joan of Arc on stage as someone with they/them pronouns … a nonbinary person putting on this play called I, Joan.”
[03:30]
- Helen of Troy race-swapped in Christopher Nolan's Odyssey:
- Isabel reads an excerpt from the playwright, Charlie Josephine, describing Joan as “transgressing gender … instantly relatable to me... I was assigned female at birth.”
[04:02] - She expresses frustration at rewriting historical saints to fit current social movements, specifically mentioning Joan of Arc’s legacy as “unequivocally devoted to God.”
[04:55]
3. Lack of Historical Education
- Isabel highlights a Pew Research survey revealing that:
“12% of Americans are under the impression that Noah of Noah and the Ark and St. Joan of Arc were married...”
[05:21] - She attributes this to “the lack of proper historical education and religious catechesis of American Christians.”
4. Racial Representation & Double Standards
- Isabel questions why minority actors are cast only in white historical roles, rather than portraying real stories of black historical figures:
“Is it not more racist to be telling people from minority communities that the only great stories worthy of bringing to the stage… are putting black actors and actresses in white, historically accurate stories?”
[06:10] - She points out the Catholic church has “more than 1,000 saints… of African descent,” mentioning St. Augustine of Algeria as just one example.
[06:25] - Argues the trend “never” goes the other way:
“You never see Ryan Gosling being cast to portray Barack Obama... but you are always seeing this happen with white characters...”
[06:52]
5. Cultural Heritage & ‘Whiteness’
- Returning after an ad break, Isabel explores comments made by AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) about “whiteness” being an “imaginary thing”:
“AOC said as much this week. There's a very big difference between whiteness and… your actual culture… Whiteness is an imaginary thing. Being German is real. Being Italian is real...”
[09:15] - Isabel wonders aloud:
“Could you imagine if she had said that about blackness... Asians don’t exist, it’s just Japanese and Chinese…”
[09:40] - She uses this as a springboard to call out what she perceives as erasure of European and white heritage:
“We have allowed [European customs] to be completely rewritten or just swept under the rug because everyone is afraid to acknowledge the ridiculous erasure of white heritage…”
[10:03]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On the race-swapped Saint Joan:
“I’m sorry, how is this any different from Ryan Gosling playing Barack Obama? Okay, honestly, we have got to stop. This is getting insane…”
[00:28] - On “I, Joan” and nonbinary portrayals:
“A nonbinary playwright has to insert their non-binariness, the they/them-ness, the queerness of themselves into some of the greatest true historical nonfiction stories of all time.”
[03:44] - Humorous take on historical ignorance:
“That’s like 5,000 years of history between those two people. And we think they’re married because they both reference an ark. Are you serious?”
[05:35] - On alternative representation:
“There are more than 1,000 saints in the Catholic Church of African descent… Instead, you have to portray Joan of Arc as black or as nonbinary…”
[06:25] - Final plea:
“Saint Joan of Arc, please pray for us to have the courage to fight for our culture the way that you did…”
[10:45]
Important Timestamps
- 00:24 — Introduction of Joan of Arc casting controversy
- 01:05 — “Intentional rewriting of history”
- 03:30 — Previous nonbinary portrayal of Joan of Arc
- 05:21 — Pew survey on historical ignorance
- 06:25 — Argument for representing real black historical figures
- 09:15 — Discussion of “whiteness” as a concept (AOC’s comments)
- 10:45 — Closing appeal: Saint Joan of Arc as cultural symbol
Conclusion
Isabel Brown uses the case of the race-swapped Joan of Arc as a springboard for a broader critique of contemporary trends in theater, film, and culture, especially those that she sees as distorting or erasing Western and Catholic heritage. She highlights what she believes are inconsistencies and double standards in casting practices, laments widespread ignorance of history, and ends with a call to honor and protect “our culture” in the tradition of Joan of Arc’s courage and conviction.