WEBVTT - Charlamagne Tha God X Quinta Brunson 0:00:01.320 --> 0:00:05.080 Hollywood is being rebuilt by artists not afraid to disrupt 0:00:05.160 --> 0:00:08.800 the status quo, telling fresh stories and bringing to life 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.960 characters who until now have been confined to the margins. 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:18.439 This is emerging Hollywood, piece of the planet. I go 0:00:18.440 --> 0:00:20.400 by the name of Charlemagne and God, and today I'm 0:00:20.480 --> 0:00:24.560 here with writer, actor, comedian, and executive producer of one 0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:27.960 of my favorite shows to hit comedy, Abbott Elementary quinta 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:31.160 brunch in his hair. How are you feeling, I'm feeling good. 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:33.720 I am really happy to have this conversation because I 0:00:33.720 --> 0:00:36.800 am a real big Fanary. I'm glad that we finally 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:43.640 get to talk. Now. You're the youngest of five, Yeah, 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:46.720 what was life like growing up? You know, in West Philadelphia, 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:50.040 going and raised. I'm sorry, yeah, I know, it's okay. 0:00:50.080 --> 0:00:53.920 I let people get it out of their system. You know, 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:56.000 it was great. I love growing up in Philly. It's 0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:58.000 a beautiful city with a ton of culture. It was 0:00:58.040 --> 0:01:00.360 a nice environment to grow up in. And being youngest 0:01:00.400 --> 0:01:02.840 of five, I just kind of took so much from 0:01:02.880 --> 0:01:07.160 my siblings. They were older. They were experiencing comedy in 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:10.600 their own ways, like their favorite things range from Kings 0:01:10.600 --> 0:01:14.959 of Comedy to I don't know, like Conan to my 0:01:15.000 --> 0:01:18.160 mom and dad, like really old shows like the Bob 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:21.479 Newhart Show and The Jeffersons and stuff. So I feel 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:24.119 like all that funneled into me and my brother who's 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:25.800 closest to me, like the Hespin Tour, so I got 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:28.680 the stupidest stuff too. It all just funneled down. So 0:01:28.720 --> 0:01:30.200 it was na being the youngest of five, did you 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:32.160 get away with a lot? I have more eyes on me, 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:35.280 for sure. My parents were very overprotective. Really by the 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:36.760 time they get to the youngest ones, they kind of 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:39.080 like they don't read the youngest like they do the oldest. 0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:43.200 In my case, they were very overprotective. You said that 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:45.039 when you can make your siblings laugh, you knew you 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:47.160 were doing something right. So how would you make them laugh? 0:01:47.240 --> 0:01:49.480 One of the big things was them putting me in 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:52.040 a car seat and making me do impressions of Wanda 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:56.720 from and Living Color. They made me redo Martin episodes, 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:59.600 like from beginning to end. You can remember whole episodes 0:01:59.680 --> 0:02:02.360 of Martin when I was younger, Yeah, I still can. 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.000 There's there's a lot of Fresh Prince episodes I can't 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:07.080 remember from beginning and like you can almost quote so 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:09.880 stuff like that. It was kind of knowing these shows 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:11.560 like the back of my hand to be able to 0:02:11.600 --> 0:02:13.640 say the lines to them later. That was the way 0:02:13.680 --> 0:02:16.640 to connect to them. I was also so far away 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:19.079 from them. My closest sibling is eight years older than 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:22.920 me and my other siblings. It's you know, ten years, 0:02:22.960 --> 0:02:25.320 fifteen years, and then twenty years. As a kid, I 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:28.080 couldn't really relate to them. But making them laugh was 0:02:28.120 --> 0:02:30.960 how I got to, you know, hang out with them 0:02:31.040 --> 0:02:33.400 and our whole family like my mom and dead too. 0:02:33.400 --> 0:02:36.880 We all really came together over comedies. It was like 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:39.160 the one thing that we could all agree on was 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:42.640 a good a good sitcom. At the end of the day. 0:02:43.200 --> 0:02:47.280 You were raised hval witness, So was I. You were 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:50.560 absolutely my mom My mom still go to the kingdom 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:55.240 all to this way what I did not. Yes, so 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.400 it is mine. So how strict was your upbringing? Ye, 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:01.520 I'm saying over active. I can just use now you 0:03:01.520 --> 0:03:04.280 know what I'm talking about, Like they were very strict. Also, 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:06.000 I was the only kid that was born and raised 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:07.680 in it. You know what I mean? Wait, that's not true. 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:09.880 Me and my young my brother closest to me, the 0:03:09.919 --> 0:03:13.000 rest of them weren't like raised jos Oh. I was 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.440 a whole family. What oh yeah, I had the whole righteous, 0:03:15.520 --> 0:03:17.560 ratcheous mom and dads. My dad ended up getting this 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:19.920 fellowship because he got baptized on the annual business getting back. 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:24.120 I believe this conversation right now. Absolutely, I should beat 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:26.320 this fellowship. I'm on the run. You'll never get me. 0:03:26.360 --> 0:03:29.399 I never got baptized. That's why. Yeah, because I knew 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:31.400 that was too much freshure. I did because I was 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:33.840 so ambitious. I was such an ambitious thirteen year old. 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:37.960 Oh my god. Yeah, because I was like, I love God. 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:40.440 I didn't too, but that's too much Fresshire. I know, well, 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:42.320 you had enough foresight. Have you held on to any 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:44.880 of those traditions? I haven't. You go to Memorial service still. 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:48.040 Memorial is the one thing I'll try really hard to 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:50.839 go to, and it gets harder for me every single year. 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:53.120 There's always a new obstacle. Last year I tried to go. 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:55.800 I show up. It's a Korean hall. I was like, 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:59.560 what the hell, Like, why can't I could not win? 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:04.560 I'm just sitting there dressed like a slut. In comparison, like, 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:07.240 because I was also trying to go to this party 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:09.320 after so I was like, I'm just wearing this dress. 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:10.880 It was a little short, but I was like, it's cool. 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:12.560 I'm sitting the back. They're just like appalled at what 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:14.160 I'm wearing, and I'm like, calm down. I was gonna 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:15.960 sit in the back if I could get in anyway. 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:20.200 The brothers are just like looking at me. All you 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:22.800 want to do with passing bready wine. I'm like, it 0:04:22.839 --> 0:04:25.080 gets hurt or hurt every single year, but I keep 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:26.720 trying to show up. Yeah, there was a lot of 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:29.600 reasons why it wasn't for me, but I don't think 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:32.320 it's bad, and I think it weren't for that. I'm 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:34.400 not sure that me and my siblings would have like 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:39.279 survived Philadelphia at the time. Yeah, because that kind of structure, 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:42.680 I guess in faith, it kind of keeps you out 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:45.880 of trouble, which is why people hold on dear to 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:48.200 religion period. You know, it keeps you on a good path. 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:51.760 So I'm grateful about holidays. How do you feel about 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:54.520 those now? You know we didn't get those kids. We 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:56.599 didn't There was one year I just wanted to see 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:58.640 what it feels like, what it feels like, so I 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:02.120 went to write eight and got like a plastic Christmas 0:05:02.160 --> 0:05:05.880 tree and I just put it and I put it 0:05:05.960 --> 0:05:08.360 in my apartment and I just looked at it, and 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:10.719 I left it there for like maybe one night, and 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:13.440 then I took an out through it in trash. But 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:15.080 I just wanted to see what it felt like. You 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:16.960 never just wanted to see. I mean, I do it. 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:18.919 I got to know a whole family, so it's like 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:21.760 my wife up, so you'd be out here sober in Christmas. 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:28.200 I enjoy it though, but not because yo, that's so Awkwarls. 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:31.880 Did you have any insecurity growing up? There was a 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:34.120 point where I thought if I had a big butt 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:36.800 and I could sing, then my life would be different. 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:40.080 And that was an insecurity for a while. I remember 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:43.400 like stuffing my pants like I were like three pairs 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:44.960 of tights to school one day because I wanted to 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:48.159 have a bigger butt. That was before I know, I 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:50.560 don't know what the girls are gonna do now. I 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:56.039 had a really bad breakup in college. High school boyfriend, 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:58.000 and then college we broke up and it was so bad. 0:05:58.240 --> 0:06:00.279 It was so bad that I had no choice but 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:04.080 to put myself back together. And when you get your 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:06.719 heartbroken that bad and everything falls apart and you put 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:09.159 yourself back together. You didn't, You didn't become invincible. And 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:11.719 then like all that kind of stuff doesn't matter anymore, 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:14.240 Like I just don't care about it anymore. What helps 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:17.400 you put things back together? You said everything fell apart 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:19.680 after the breakup? Like, did you start going to see 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:22.880 a therapists? Are? No? Therapy wasn't It wasn't the conversation 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:24.360 that it is now, Do you know what I mean? 0:06:24.400 --> 0:06:26.880 At the time, I think I probably should have back 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:30.800 then because I was like depressed, but I barely had 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:33.720 the language to identify it as depression. Did you drink? 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:36.400 Have really smoked? No? I wish no. I probably wouldn't 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:38.920 help me get through it better. No, I was such 0:06:38.920 --> 0:06:40.919 a nube at the time. I didn't really drink. I 0:06:40.960 --> 0:06:44.040 had many days that were pretty much dropped out of 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:46.680 school because of that, which was crazy. I never I 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:48.239 don't talk about that a lot, but I did pretty 0:06:48.320 --> 0:06:50.559 much drop out because I just could not peel myself 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:53.920 out of the bed and depression. It was depression and 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:56.679 I just didn't identify it as such. And I watched 0:06:57.160 --> 0:07:01.080 the same DVD of Bruce Almighty on repeat every day. 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:05.240 I couldn't pick up the remote to change the DVD. 0:07:05.279 --> 0:07:06.960 I couldn't even peel myself out of bed to take 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:08.720 the DVD out of the DVD players. I'll watched it 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:11.200 over and over. I sought out like help from friends, 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:13.240 you know, like friends helped me out big time. I 0:07:13.240 --> 0:07:15.400 had one friend, Brandy, who gave me a list of 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:18.480 affirmations to say in the window, sorry, in the window, 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:20.320 in the mirror and that. I remember that being a 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:22.160 specific thing that helped me. I remember thinking it was 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:24.440 very stupid, but then I would say the affirmation to 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:26.640 myself in the mirror every single day, and after a 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:30.400 year it felt like they had worked. It's crazy, those 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:34.280 little things like that. I picked myself back up eventually 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:39.160 and started making plans to work, to go to LA. 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:43.680 It was really making plans that helped pull me out 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:46.080 of that, I think, because even when I came to LA, 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:49.040 I was still dealing with it, and I just, I 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:51.080 don't know, I worked my way out of it. Did 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:52.920 it feel you in some way? Like? I always think 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:55.760 about that? Uh. I think that Markus Zuckerberg w un 0:07:55.800 --> 0:07:59.200 at the end. He kept hitting he created because of 0:07:59.240 --> 0:08:01.600 this young lady. Feel you like that. Yeah, I mean 0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:04.120 when that away from broke over me, I was like, 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:06.320 I don't know how, but you're going to see my 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:09.440 face everywhere and then and I did not know how, 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:12.760 and then you know, like then I like head going 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:15.920 viral on Instagram and stuff like that. So I think 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:19.520 it definitely did. But now that's all going away, I like, 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:22.760 did that and we're friends now, and yeah, but it 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:26.160 definitely feeled me at the time. Yeah, for sure. Did 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:29.960 you ever start your own journey going to therapy things 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:32.640 like that, like how it's quick to heal. I haven't 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:34.960 gone in therapy. I do have a journey, though, Like 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:37.000 there are things that I do to take care of 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:40.400 my mental health. Sometimes that's just resting. Sometimes that's just 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:43.720 being with friends and family when I need to. Sometimes 0:08:43.760 --> 0:08:48.200 it's checking in with myself making sure I'm not doing 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:51.760 harmful things to my for my mental health, Like comparisons. 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:53.840 I think that's a small thing that people don't think 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:56.640 about that really messes with your mental health, you know, comparing. 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:59.199 And I always have to check in, especially as I'm 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:01.719 you know, having this moment with Abbot. Always have to 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:05.040 check in and ground myself. So I try to be 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:07.840 very active doing that. I feel like my mental health 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:11.560 is in a really good place. But if it ever weren't, 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:15.400 I would tap in and not ignore it. I think 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:22.920 who had more influence on your career Your sixth grade teacher, 0:09:22.960 --> 0:09:26.120 Miss Abbott. I heard you ran in the Paul Rudd 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:30.120 at a movie theater. Yeah, that little gym that Paul 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:32.760 Rudd dropped on me that I don't that he barely remembers. 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:35.320 It was just one of those little sparks that makes 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:38.440 you believe something is possible about my teacher, Miss Abbott 0:09:38.440 --> 0:09:41.760 and my mother. Really, who's like the inspiration behind Abbott? 0:09:42.320 --> 0:09:47.480 Your teachers are to me ultimately responsible for your ability 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:50.720 to read, right, articulate, present yourself. They turn you into 0:09:50.760 --> 0:09:53.320 a human. So I was really fortunate enough to have 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:56.320 really good teachers that I loved. It always like bugs 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:58.560 me out when people talk about having a teacher they hated. 0:09:58.679 --> 0:10:01.559 I just never had that experience. So not only did 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:05.040 it inspire me to make Abbit clearly influential for that reason, 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:09.760 but they were good at making people like like, turning 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:15.920 kids into good people, citizens, creators, etc. So it's Abbot 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:17.880 a real school in Philly. I did you name the 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:20.920 school after? I named the squafter the teacher. Yeah, wow, 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:24.800 how does she feel about that? She loved it. She 0:10:24.800 --> 0:10:27.320 she didn't even realize it until she saw me talking 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:29.160 about it on the news, And that's how humble she is. 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:30.599 I was like, you didn't see the name abbit and 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:32.920 think it was about you? And it just so just 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:35.320 humble that it didn't even cross her mind at first. 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:37.960 I think that's so funny, But yeah, she loves it. 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:42.480 Elementary is a hit, like a hit, hit, like a 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:46.400 big Like, how does it feel to receive so much 0:10:46.559 --> 0:10:50.720 praise for the show. It's so crazy, I you know, 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:53.960 I keep saying when we made the show, when we 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:55.680 sold it, we felt like this is good. When I 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:57.439 wrote the pilot, I was like, this is good. We 0:10:57.520 --> 0:10:58.640 got the writers and I was like, oh my god, 0:10:58.679 --> 0:11:00.600 we're making good stuff here, right, And then you get 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:04.079 on set and everyone's like, we feel like we'ren't making 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:07.480 a good show. Like from everybody from you know, hearing makeup, 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:10.679 to directors to to the COVID crew. Everyone's like, this 0:11:10.720 --> 0:11:13.040 feels good. And so we knew we're making something good, 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:16.040 but for it to go out into the world and 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:18.280 people feel the same way and to come to the 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:20.679 show so soon. I was expecting it to be like, 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:22.920 I don't know. I was like, all right, it's airing 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:25.360 weekly on ABC, like it's not going to catch one 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:29.120 until it's full season on streaming. I did not imagine 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:33.559 this energy so fast, and I'm just like in awe 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:36.200 of it, very humbled by it. I'm so happy that 0:11:36.240 --> 0:11:39.760 people are seeking out something like this to watch, do 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:41.839 you know what I mean? There were times I wondered 0:11:41.840 --> 0:11:43.600 if it was too I knew it was good, but 0:11:43.640 --> 0:11:45.480 I was like, ah, man, I wonder if people don't 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:49.559 want heartwarming. I don't know where people are these days, 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:51.679 but I knew that there was a market there for 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:55.439 it because people keep rewatching old sitcoms on Netflix. My 0:11:55.559 --> 0:11:59.240 Nieces fourteen and she's just now discovering like you know, 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:03.000 Friends and the Office, and she she loves it. She 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:04.880 loves the feel of it, you know. And I was like, 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:08.160 so that feeling people there will always be run for that. 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:10.280 I guess I just expected people to ignore it for 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:12.439 a while, and the fact that they hadn't, I mean, 0:12:12.520 --> 0:12:15.520 thank you thanks to everyone for watching, because you know, 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:18.200 like Avid, is what happens when these networks give black 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:22.160 creatives real budgets and and and don't get in their way. Yeah, 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:23.920 when it comes to notes and stuff like that, I 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:26.120 have to agree with that. ABC was definitely the place 0:12:26.240 --> 0:12:28.960 I just felt they were gonna let me. They believed 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:31.280 in me. Like you said, the budget was there up front. 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:35.320 You know, it wasn't a fight for because it's surprising 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:36.920 how much you know, we still have to fight for 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:39.640 pennies sometimes. Absolutely. Yeah, I mean it's clear you have 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:41.559 a lot of respectful teachers, and you know I love 0:12:41.600 --> 0:12:44.040 that because my mom is a post school Yeah. So 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:46.920 did you set out to make to make commentary on 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:51.480 undefunded schools? Was that the goal? Not necessarily? I think 0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:56.160 a good show begins with a grounded topic, right, Like 0:12:56.720 --> 0:12:58.520 we may not think of it that way, but like 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:04.040 the Office was about, um, you know, the work crisis 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:06.320 at the time. You know, we were coming out of recession, 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:08.960 you know what I mean. And when you build something 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:13.160 from that place, it automatically yields good fruit most of 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:15.720 the time. So my idea was to begin from that place. 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:18.480 We have this, I've seen it firsthand what teachers go 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:22.199 through from day to day. But I wasn't necessarily setting 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:28.400 out to change anything or like beat people over the 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:30.960 head with the message. I just knew that if we 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.800 started in the real place, with the state of where 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:36.840 we are right now, that that's the best way to 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:38.719 start a comedy. I think that's because a lot of 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:40.320 people just like to be funny first, and that's what, 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:43.760 you know, just funny funny. It's like, no, can I 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:47.160 create a story, can start something real and funny will come. 0:13:47.360 --> 0:13:49.920 That's it's weird because people look at it. The jokes 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:52.320 are really like the easy part. You can, you know whatever, 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:54.280 but you have to have a soul of a show first. 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:57.640 The show doesn't have a soul then you know what 0:13:57.640 --> 0:13:59.640 I mean, Like the jokes don't matter and anyone can 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:02.520 say them. Like the soul of the show creates the 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:04.720 humor of the show. There are things that people find 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:06.560 funny in the show that aren't even jokes, but it's 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:08.800 because you know the soul of the show. And I 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:10.760 think that also is a marker of a good comedy, 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:14.679 like in Seinfeld, like no soup for you like means 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:17.080 nothing if you haven't seen Seinfeld. But if you have 0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:19.680 seen Seinfeld, that can make you cry laughing, And that's 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:22.280 because of the soul of the comedy. You know, like 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:25.240 that kind of stuff matters. I think you're making a 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.120 good show. I think I read some with it. You 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:30.960 don't like tackling issues. I don't know really If this 0:14:31.040 --> 0:14:33.560 show gets tackled, and so be it. But I'm trying 0:14:33.600 --> 0:14:38.840 to like, that's so much pressure, and why do we 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:41.680 always have to tackle issues? How come Mark can't make 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:45.760 some dumb shit like you know, like that's a great point. 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:49.160 I think it's only because black people feel like we're 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:51.400 not being represented, so we kind of want to show 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:53.680 the world like what's going on a lot of times. 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:56.800 But is it still not representation? If not, that's true? 0:14:56.880 --> 0:15:00.040 You know what I'm saying, I really don't like I 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:01.280 had that in an interview and I felt like that 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:02.920 came out wrong. But I'm just saying like I don't 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:04.760 want to start from that point because that's not funny 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:07.080 to me. That's not where I operate best. Like I said, 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:09.280 the issue gets tackled and so be it. Similar like 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:11.960 what's happening with Abbott. But those were naturally the places 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:14.560 we were going to go and talking about what happens 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:16.800 in a school, what happens with the school district. But 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:20.880 starting there just feels so you know what I mean, 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:22.720 how do you feel when you think about, you know, 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:26.760 the fact that people might see themselves in the character 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:30.960 of Janine. I love that. That makes me happy. I 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:35.000 actually love when girls will tweet and say, oh my god, 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:38.640 I think I'm Janine. Like it's the worst revelation because 0:15:39.000 --> 0:15:42.320 you know, Jane's kind of annoying and peppie, but she's earnest, 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:46.120 and I think it's beautiful that people can see themselves 0:15:46.360 --> 0:15:49.040 be all of that. You know. One of the big 0:15:49.080 --> 0:15:52.480 things for me with Janine was clearly she has a 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:55.120 big heart, but to a fault, you know, and she's 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:57.680 wrong a lot and right a lot. And I think 0:15:57.680 --> 0:16:02.240 it's really cool that young men and especially young black 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:07.800 women can see themselves in this poorly dressed like always 0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:10.680 making mistakes girl. I think that's actually special for us. 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:14.560 To me, that feels like a new version of representation, 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:20.640 Like to identify with someone who is not together yet. 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:24.000 I think that's fun. You know. So at some point 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:27.200 she has to break up with the spire and RAPPERO okay, 0:16:27.200 --> 0:16:30.720 what is why are people so nad? People like like, 0:16:30.880 --> 0:16:33.400 because you could do bad, people's parents call me, we 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:36.960 got to lose Treeka. I'd be like what, Like I 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:39.200 was at like a Jewish wedding and this Jews grandmother 0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:40.880 grabbed my face and was like, you need to leave 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:42.800 the boyfriend. I'm like this, it's just a show, and 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:45.960 she's like, I don't like it. Like people felt very strongly. 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:48.280 If he makes it, are you gonna you gonna get 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:50.080 a deal? You go sign our dream chases or sometimes 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:54.240 a deal. Look, people hated him in an episode two 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:56.040 Now They're said they nearly don't want to see him 0:16:56.040 --> 0:16:59.240 go after his fade performance. They're like, they're all about him. 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:01.520 You said, Abbot, the first time since high school that 0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:05.239 your mom says she's proud of you. Wow, how did 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.320 that make you feel? That was a moment. I almost 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:10.080 cried when she said that, and she didn't even know why. 0:17:10.080 --> 0:17:11.680 I was like, you have not said that to me, 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:13.720 And I don't know how long because everything else I 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:17.480 was doing, you know, Witnesses she found blasphemous like Black 0:17:17.560 --> 0:17:21.240 Lady Sketchule. She was like HBO the nudity Network, and 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:23.520 I was like yeah, So she didn't like that. I 0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:25.720 would tell her work in this place called BuzzFeed, and 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:28.080 she would like, tell me the truth. Are you stripping? 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:32.480 And it'd be like she really could not I'm so serious. 0:17:32.560 --> 0:17:35.880 She could not understand what but it made no sense 0:17:35.920 --> 0:17:37.679 to her, And Yeah, showed her the website and she's like, 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:40.200 this is nothing. This is a website. And I would 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:42.520 show her videos and she's like still not, well, how 0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:45.119 are you making money from this? But now you know ABC, 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:49.240 she can understand a TV show that made sense to her, 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:51.680 so she gets it now and she loves it. She's 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:55.200 such a sitcom watcher that if she didn't like it, 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:59.440 she would like say it like her comedy opinion means 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:01.640 a lot to me. She told me two weeks ago, 0:18:01.640 --> 0:18:03.479 She's like, I'll watch this even if you know it 0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:06.160 wasn't your show, Like I love this show. That means 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:08.399 a lot to me for sure. I don't think parents 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.160 realize how much those I love you and I'm proud 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:13.879 of you, how far they go for all of us, 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:15.720 even when we've become a dose that a child still 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:17.560 wants to hear that. I know she probably won't told 0:18:17.600 --> 0:18:19.760 me again for like ten years, but I'm gonna hold 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:22.719 on to that one because it meant a lot. And 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:25.600 she she didn't say it to make me feel good 0:18:25.680 --> 0:18:29.480 or anything. She genuinely meant it. I damn, it's crazy 0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:37.680 your star of Abbott, executive producer, head writer as well. Yes, okay, 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:39.680 it's a lot of responsibility. Yeah, it's got to be 0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:42.560 at least two hundred people. Yeah, right, Yeah, it's a 0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:45.840 lot of pressure. Does that weigh on you mentally? Only 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:49.600 sometimes when I feel I like, even right now, I'm like, 0:18:49.680 --> 0:18:51.720 I have to I am speaking for myself, but I 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:54.720 do feel like I need to represent an entire group 0:18:54.720 --> 0:18:56.840 of people. I want people to be able to have 0:18:56.960 --> 0:18:59.440 jobs next year on the Abbot. I want to make 0:18:59.440 --> 0:19:02.920 sure the show keeps going, so I want to try 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:08.400 to present myself on behalf of the entire production. And 0:19:08.600 --> 0:19:12.119 besides that, No, because everybody else is so good at 0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:15.600 their jobs that it made my life so much easier. 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:19.639 It made it easier to delegate, to communicate because everyone 0:19:19.680 --> 0:19:22.359 else was so fantastic. Yes, it's a lot of work 0:19:22.400 --> 0:19:24.240 and a lot of pressure, but I don't feel it 0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:28.119 because everyone rose to the occasion to stay grounded. I 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:33.080 play video games, yep, I go bowling. I see my 0:19:33.119 --> 0:19:35.159 family as much as I can. I talk to my 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:39.919 family constantly because my family is they're not like my 0:19:39.960 --> 0:19:42.679 sisters still just like will make fun of me, and 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:44.520