Boots Riley Is Back and Unbothered: The Director of I Love Boosters on Shoplifting, Satire, and Sticking It to the Fashion Industry

Boots Riley doesn't make movies — he makes statements. Nearly eight years after Sorry to Bother You rattled Hollywood and became a cult classic for anyone who's ever clocked in for a paycheck they knew wasn't enough, the rapper-turned-filmmaker is back with I Love Boosters, and he brought the whole crew with him. Starring Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore, the film follows a fearless group of women who turn shoplifting luxury fashion into a radical act of class warfare — and somehow make it wildly funny in the process. We sat down with Riley to talk about building a film around a Coup song, why Keke Palmer was the only person who could anchor this story, and what it means to keep making art that demands something from its audience. The film comes to theaters on May 22, 2026.