A new report, based on interviews with the cast and writers of Lost, reveals an unspoken racist and toxic culture behind the scenes of the hit show. In a Vanity-Fair-published excerpt from the upcoming book Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood, reporter Maureen Ryan details the hostile working environment behind the scenes of Lost. Ryan interviewed over a dozen people who worked on Lost across all six seasons.

Actor Harold Perrineau, who played Michael, told Ryan that the show constantly favored the white characters over the people of color. When Perrineau attempted to bring up his concerns, they were met with indifference or outright hostility. Eventually, he was fired before season 3 began shooting. Additionally, while the cast made early efforts to have equal pay, the cast ended up having compensation tiers, the highest of which was entirely occupied by white cast members.

The writer's room itself was reportedly also hostile to people of color, especially women. Writers who took offense or spoke up were ostracized. Multiple sources related that when Perrineau's departure from the show was discussed, Lindelof said, "[he] called me racist, so I fired his ass." Writer Hsu Taylor claimed that co-showrunner and executive producer Carlton Cuse took false credit for an acclaimed episode she had written and denied her work opportunities.