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[00:00]
A
All of it is supported by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In a small groundbreaking clinical trial, 100% of participants with a specific type of rectal cancer saw their tumors disappear using immunotherapy alone. Researchers at MSK are now studying this approach in cancers of the stomach, liver, and more. And a majority of tumors are disappearing. For MSK giving day, all gifts will be tripled. Learn more@msk.org all of it. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Welcome back. We've got some funny people lined up for you, so get ready to laugh. Abbott elementary star Lisa Ann Walter will give us her unfiltered take on Gen X life in America today and discuss her comedy special It Was an Accident. And later on, we'll talk with Daily show comic and Internet superstar Josh Johnson. He recently put out an H special called Symphony. But first, let's hear from an absolutely hilarious Saturday Night Live. Veteran. Comedian Leslie Jones recently put out a special titled Leslie Jones Life Part 2. In it, she jokes about what life was like as a grown woman in a world where people don't always act grown. Her life has changed and she's learned from it. And with this special, she's spreading her wisdom. She talks about wishing she had been discovered in her 20s or 30s rather than in her 40s.
[01:44]
B
When I still have my whole ACL, you know what I'm saying? When my meniscus was meniscus, you know, they caught me when I was 47, but it was fine. I was still good. But I think about all the youth and energy I had in my 20s and 30s. And then my smarter, much more educated mind steps forward and go, thank God, thank God you didn't make it in your 20s and 30s. Cause you was a ho. And you was a dumb hoe at that. You was. I'd have burned through Hollywood.
[02:22]
A
If you search for it on YouTube, you can watch the full special Leslie Jones Life Part 2. When she came on the show to talk about it, I revisited her first special problem child from 2009. So I started by asking her to take stock of what had changed in the world and in her life since then.
[02:39]
B
Oh, wow. Okay. So that's when I was, I had did the cat tour. So I not a little heat under me, but I was starting to get real managers and agents and stuff. And I started to have to move a little bit different. I had an assistant, like, kind of like an assistant. It was very odd. But I knew that I was really funny and I knew that the Material that I was gonna be doing was like 20 years in. So I knew it was tight material. It was just about me looking tight. Like, me looking like an actual comedian. Cause usually I just wear T shirts and jeans on stage and don't look like they. This is a show. So I wanted to look like. So my whole idea was that I wanted to look like an FBI agent, you know?
[03:23]
A
Oh, you did.
[03:24]
B
I looked like an FBI agent, right?
[03:26]
A
Black pants, black vest.
[03:29]
B
Very.
[03:30]
A
Guns out.
[03:30]
B
Guns out. It was just now that I look back on it, I go, that is so funny. But I was just now really getting my momentum as I had already been doing comedy almost 20 years.
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A
Yeah, yeah. So you were in the zone at that time.
[03:45]
B
Oh, I was a beast. I was a samurai at that time. I'm still a samurai. I'm just a very veteran samurai. Now.
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A
I was gonna ask you what has been the biggest change in terms of your perspective and the kind of things that you like to talk about now?
[03:59]
B
Right. Oh. So when I first started, you know, I always tell comics this. You have to go through becoming a comic. So in your first couple of years, you are just like an infant. So that's when you do the sex jokes and the fart jokes and all the immature stuff. And then, you know, you gradually learn how to be on stage. You gradually learn that. Do you need to hold the mic? Do you need to sit down? Do you do how. What's your voice level? Are you going to be physical? All that stuff is in the first 10 years. People think that you're fun, you are, you're funny. But are you a professional? And Jay Anthony Brown told me this because I remember asking him, I said, well, when will I know that I'm exactly funny? When will that come? He said, ten years. And I remember bursting into tears because I had only been doing it three years. And I was like, are you kidding?
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A
Yeah.
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B
And he was like, I'm just being honest. And he was right. And I'm glad I accepted it, too.
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A
That's interesting. You had to sort of learn the performance of it a little bit.
[04:54]
B
You had to learn how to be on stage. You had to learn how to, like. Because at the time, I was still rehearsing. I still practice every day. I was on a. You have to learn how to know who you are as yourself to be able to. I'll put it like this. It's like learning a song. You have to learn the song before you start doing ad libbing. You can't just ad lib. Right.
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A
One thing I Noticed in the old special versus now. In the old special, we talk about being single and a new one. You're like, I'm good.
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B
So good.
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A
I'm all good.
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B
Yeah.
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A
How long did it take you to realize that?
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B
Oh, girl, I just realized that in the last two years. The last two years. Real talk. Cause I just turned 58, so it was already starting when I turned 55, it was already there. But I still had a little hope. At 55, I was like, okay, it could happen, but eventually, especially in menopause, I don't want nobody near me now. Like, if you touch me while I'm hot, I will beat. I will beat you into the next day. Like, I just had a hot flash on the View, and Whoopi Goldberg had to. Had to fan me down. Now am I gonna get a man that's gonna fan me down? No.
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A
Would he be a good man if he did?
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B
He'd be a good. And that's another thing. Like, I don't get the celebrity groupies. I don't get the good ones. You know, the men get all the good ones. Colin Jost married Scarlett Johansson. Why am I not married to Idris Elba? Why is that not happening? I was a Ghostbuster. I was a damn Ghostbuster. Do you understand me? I was on Saturday Night Live. How am I not getting the good DMs instead of parky Joe, which I don't mind dating somebody that work at Bucky's, just like. But can I get somebody that work at least at a studio behind a camera?
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A
I just want a couple options.
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B
Options.
[06:47]
A
Just want a few options, please.
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B
Good. Googly goo.
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A
We got a text that just said, I just need to say Leslie Jones is a national treasure.
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B
Who text you that?
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A
I don't know. You want his number? Is he get that number?
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B
He's a national treasure. National. When they call me that, I always think of Rushmore, and I'd be like, so does that mean that they gonna put me up there on Rushmore? Oh, I'm a national treasure. Does that mean that they're gonna protect me at all costs?
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A
There you go.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Get that number. My guest is Leslie Jones. Her new comedy special is Leslie Jones Life Part 2. So Chris Rock, in a phone interview with the New York Times, said, Leslie writes these well crafted jokes and makes it seem effortless when she's performing. She's really genuine, so you leave her shows with a sense that you really got to know her.
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B
That's beautiful, man.
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A
It's a beautiful. It's a Beautiful statement.
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B
Whenever y' all read me stuff like that, I'd be so happy. Cause I'd be like, dang, I don't even know if they like the special or not. And for him to say something like that for somebody I look up to, that's. Oh.
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A
But it's a good quote because it talks about how you craft your jokes. What's the process for crafting a joke?
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B
I love to tell stories. I love to tell stories, and I love when people tell stories and you feel like you're there. That is my main thing. John Ritter. John Ritter was one of my favorite people actors because he was so physical. And that's where I got my physical. Her and him and Lucille Ball. The physicality of comedy is always a great way to show a story. So I always want people to be, you know, from the beginning to the end of the story. I want it to be a nice build. I want it to be a payoff at the end. But, you know, you have to have patience to take them through that step. And it's just the art of writing a great peace.
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A
How do you know whether the audience is okay to hear this story?
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B
Well, see, that's our job as a comedian, isn't it? It's as our job to make them ready. You know what I'm saying? And if I'm funny enough, you gonna be right along with me. So it's your job to come out. I always tell people, don't get too cocky. It's your job. Come out and show them that you're funny. Doesn't matter if they already know you funny. Prove it. So when you. I mean, just. If you go to a comedy show and somebody came up and then they BS the whole person, you're gonna be like, oh, are they actually funny? You know what I'm saying? But I come straight out with the. I just need y' all to know that y' all dealing with funny persons. So anything that I say on this stage is gonna be funny, and it's gonna be helpful, and you're gonna think, but you gonna laugh. Cause that's my job. My job is to make you laugh. My job is not to teach you anything. I'm supposed to make you laugh. Now, if you learn a lesson in laughter, great.
[09:36]
A
Yeah. How. What environment do you like to try out your jokes? Some people go to clubs at night. Do you do it?
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B
I do it everywhere.
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A
Everywhere?
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B
Everywhere. I try it on the street. I try it with my friends. And I. Now in this stage of my comedy, I love doing all New stuff. If I got some new jokes, that is my jam and my writer, Lenny, he has to give me permission, because if he goes, hey, go have fun, then I get to do all the stuff that's been going through my head. But then he'll be like, stick to the list. And then I have to do the jokes that we need to work on.
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A
Oh, so the jokes you have to work on are the ones you have to do first?
[10:16]
B
Well, the jokes that I have to work on, I have to work it into my set. So if he has a list, he usually has it in the order he wants me to do it in, but he has them all together to where if I did jump around again, knowing the song, I know the song, so I can ad lib.
[10:33]
A
So you're very physical in your comedy. You are in it. Was this always your style?
[10:37]
B
Yes. I love it. I think it's hilarious. Slipping on a banana will always be funny. Do you understand? Slipping on the banana will always be a joke, and it will always work because people love to see. People are. People love action. People love movement. Whenever I go to a concert or anything, if they're not moving around and dancing, I'll be like, do you like your own song? Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, there's comics that can stand in the middle of the stage and be so funny. Me, I got to use that whole stage. I want this person on this side to feel it. I want the person in the middle to feel it. The people on the balcony to feel it. So, yeah, I love having a big stage that I can run around. Cause it's just hilarious. It's hilarious watching someone do that.
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A
How did you not trip on those pants?
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B
You know, Leni hates that outfit so much.
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A
She's got these pants with these cool sort of straps. But I was like, she gonna make it? Is she gonna be okay?
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B
That's. You know, I always wear stuff that I can move in. So those were pants that had been tested. So I knew that. I knew I was okay. But Leni was like, I hate that outfit.
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A
I was just worried about you.
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B
I know everybody.
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A
I was just worried about you.
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B
That's all everybody do.
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A
You did make a joke, possibly injuring yourself on stage.
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B
Well. Well, I. What did I say?
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A
You said, like, you have to take a lot of Tylenol.
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B
Oh, well, this is the thing. This is when I was talking about, you know, I gotta take my 800 sometimes, you know, you. You know, I'm 58, you know, got your Advil, you know, you remember how when you used to hit your hand on the door and be like, oh, I'm good. I hit my hand on the door. Now take me to the hospital. I think I busted a vein in my hand. You know what I'm saying? Like, I am precious now. I didn't used to be as precious as I am, but, yeah, I got that 800. And then the older I get, the higher the dose is gonna be. I'm gonna have 1200 in a minute.
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A
This is a serious question, okay? Oh, serious, serious. Lorne Michaels with snl, you said it was very hard for him because he had to figure out how to make something that was smart and that people could laugh at in California or in Montana. And so I was watching the show this fall, and I realized there are no black female characters on snl. What is missing from the conversation from the show by not having a black female cast member?
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B
I just think that they don't get to see black women like they get to see white women. Does that make sense? I don't want it to sound racist. I want people to understand that white, white female, White female comics and sketch artists, they're just so much more available. I can't explain it. Like, they're in the right places. Black, black artists don't get to get in those places sometimes. You know what I'm saying? Like, so they don't get to get in front of Lauren unless somebody like Chris Rock told Lauren about me. Lauren didn't know about me. Chris Rock told him about me. And then he sent out his people to search. Like, he takes suggestions from everybody. So we all texting them going, hey, go check out hoe. Go check out this girl. Hey, go check out this girl. Go check out this girl. So it's. It's. It's about getting that even kill of black artists in the place that they can be seen. This is why I'm glad you asked that, because women, Black women get. Like, Kim Whitley told me this, and I really wish I had followed the advice when she told me this. Start doing all clubs. Don't just do black clubs. I know black people love me. You got to go and you got to try your stuff out in white clubs so you can get white comics to hit your. To hit your jokes, to give you tags. White comics, you gotta go to black clubs so black comics can hit your jokes so they can be worldwide. And then when you're in that, you start talking. Everybody starts talking. We need more black women to just take the step to get into the right place, to Be seen.
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A
You need to have.
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B
Excuse me.
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A
Oh, no problem. It sounds like accessibility.
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Yes, exactly. And I think that they don't get to see the great ones as much as they get to see the white ones. I just don't want that to sound racist. Cause I have nothing against, you know, white comedians, white women. I just know that they don't. We don't get to get seen as much as they do.
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A
A lot of young artists are starting on TikTok and do comedy that way. I'm curious what your thoughts on that. Do you need to be in a studio? Do you need to be. Oh, he's making her cough.
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B
Uh, oh.
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A
Uh, oh.
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B
Well, all right. I would say this.
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A
Take a sip of water.
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B
If you're on TikTok. And I remember that got big because of COVID If your jokes, if you're making people laugh at the material that you're doing on TikTok, why would you go to a club and do different material? That's the problem with TikTok comics. Y' all think that. Y' all regular comics. I've given a spot to a comic because I was like, oh, you're so funny. Oh, this is great. And I just expected him to go up and do what he does on TikTok. He came with regular jokes. First of all, don't nobody know you. Second of all, you're not funny enough to do that. You're a new Jack. You just learn how to get this stuff done on a platform. It's completely different when you're on a stage in front of people. Yeah. So another thing. What? It goes back to do the work. Do the work. If you've never been on stage before, I have no respect for you. I'm sorry. Don't. Don't come up to me and say, I want to be a comic when you've never performed before. What do I do if I want to be a comic? What I did, I just went up, and I definitely didn't ask nobody what to do if I wanted to. I didn't. I. I went and did it. Stop talking about doing it and do it. And these TikTok artists. Oh, God. Let me say this in the nicest way that I can. Chris Rock had a great joke about this. He was like, you know, the reality stars think that they're like real movie stars. And you go, that's like comparing a doctor to a chiropractor. So a chiropractor would be like, I almost lost him on the table. No, you didn't. On a folding Table what you almost lost. So whenever TikTok comedians come up to me, I'll give you your love for what you did on the Internet. That's a good. That's a great thing. But you gonna have to follow me. And that's not gonna be easy with them little TikTok jokes. I just want them to do the work, do the real work. Don't call yourself a comic if you haven't did what comics need to do.
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A
What are you gonna do next?
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B
Ooh, girl, the sky's the limit. I got a couple of shows that I'm about to do that we're releasing. I'm on a lot of. A lot of cameo roles on a lot of things. I got a. I don't know if I can announce this yet, but, you know, I got a little TV show coming out. You know, I got a lot of good stuff coming out. You know, I might be doing a play, so.
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A
Oh, a play in New York?
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Yes. That would be hot, right?
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A
That would be great.
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Yeah. Would you come?
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A
Of course I would come, and I would have you back on, and we would talk to you as an actor.
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B
Oh, my God.
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A
It has been a pleasure to have you in this interview.
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B
Oh, my God. I knew it was gonna be a good. I knew it was gonna be a good interview. I knew it. I was telling him. I was like, this is gonna be a good interview. I could tell.
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A
That was Saturday Night Live veteran Leslie Jones and her new special, Leslie Jones Life Part 2, available to watch on YouTube. Coming up, Abbott elementary star Lisa Ann Walter gives us her unfiltered take on being a Gen Xer in. In the 2000 and 20s, a topic she explores in her comedy special called It Was an Accident. This is all of it.

Summary6 min read

Podcast Summary: Leslie Jones Finds Humor in Getting Older

Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Leslie Jones
Date: July 28, 2026
Main Focus: Leslie Jones discusses her new comedy special, the changes in her life and career, and her candid take on age, comedy, and representation.

Episode Overview

This episode features legendary comedian and SNL veteran Leslie Jones, who joins Alison Stewart to discuss her new comedy special, Leslie Jones Life Part 2. The conversation navigates Leslie's journey in comedy, her evolving perspective with age, the nuances of performing live versus on social media, and the importance of representation for Black women in comedy. Leslie’s signature honest and physical humor shines as she reflects on getting older, changing career milestones, and continues to challenge the comedy landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflecting on Success at a Later Age

Leslie’s Take on Being Discovered in Her 40s:
Leslie humorously laments being discovered later in life, wishing aloud that she’d "still have my whole ACL" if she’d broken through during her youth. But, with age comes wisdom:

“Thank God you didn't make it in your 20s and 30s. Cause you was a ho. And you was a dumb hoe at that. I'd have burned through Hollywood.”
(Leslie Jones, 01:43)
Realizes that her maturity gave her more to bring to her career and personal life.

2. Evolution as a Comedian

Growth from Novice to Veteran:
Leslie shares that early years in comedy are filled with immature jokes, but real professionalism and voice develop over time:

“In your first couple of years, you are just like an infant. So that’s when you do the sex jokes and the fart jokes and all the immature stuff ... People think that you’re funny. But are you a professional?... [Jay Anthony Brown said] ‘Ten years.’ And I remember bursting into tears because I had only been doing it three years.”
(Leslie Jones, 03:59, 04:45)
The Art of Comedy Craft:
She loves telling stories and bringing audiences into them with her physical style—citing John Ritter and Lucille Ball as inspirations.

“Slipping on a banana will always be funny. Do you understand?”
(Leslie Jones, 10:37, 11:21)

3. Finding Contentment with Single Life

Change in Relationship Outlook:
Now in her late 50s, Leslie finds peace with being single:

“I just realized that in the last two years. Real talk. Cause I just turned 58... especially in menopause, I don't want nobody near me now. Like, if you touch me while I'm hot, I will beat. I will beat you into the next day.”
(Leslie Jones, 05:29)
On Romance & Double Standards for Celebrity Women:
Points out the disparities between male and female celebrities in who they date:

“Colin Jost married Scarlett Johansson. Why am I not married to Idris Elba? Why is that not happening? I was a Ghostbuster.”
(Leslie Jones, 06:06)

4. Joke Writing & Performance Style

On Storytelling and Physicality:
Leslie’s process involves painting vivid scenes and ensuring everyone in the room feels part of the performance. She emphasizes movement and big-stage antics.

“People love action. People love movement. ... I want this person on this side to feel it. The people on the balcony to feel it.”
(Leslie Jones, 10:37)
Testing Material:
She tries jokes everywhere, not just in clubs, and works closely with her writer Lenny for balancing new ideas with material in development (09:43-10:32).

5. Age and Performing

The Physical Toll of Comedy:
Jokes about needing stronger painkillers as she ages:

“You remember how when you used to hit your hand on the door and be like, oh, I'm good. I hit my hand on the door. Now take me to the hospital. I think I busted a vein in my hand. ... The older I get, the higher the dose is gonna be. I'm gonna have 1200 [mg] in a minute.”
(Leslie Jones, 12:01)

6. Representation and Access in Comedy

On SNL and Black Female Representation:
Leslie highlights accessibility as a key barrier:

“They don’t get to see black women like they get to see white women ... White female comics and sketch artists, they’re just so much more available. ... Black artists don’t get to get in those places sometimes.”
(Leslie Jones, 12:54)

She encourages performing in a variety of venues for Black comics to be seen by diverse audiences and gatekeepers.

7. Comedy in the Age of TikTok

TikTok Comics vs. Stage Comics:
Leslie critiques TikTok comedians who struggle to translate online success to live performance:

“I’ve given a spot to a comic [from TikTok]... He came with regular jokes. First of all, don't nobody know you. Second of all, you're not funny enough to do that... It’s completely different when you're on a stage in front of people. ... If you’ve never been on stage before, I have no respect for you. ... Just do it. And these TikTok artists ... Don’t call yourself a comic if you haven’t did what comics need to do.”
(Leslie Jones, 15:12–17:13)

8. Looking Ahead

Leslie teases upcoming projects (a new TV show, possible play in New York), and expresses a sense that at this stage, "the sky's the limit" (17:13-17:37).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On being called a national treasure:

“When they call me that, I always think of Rushmore, and I’d be like, so does that mean that they gonna put me up there on Rushmore?”
(Leslie Jones, 07:00)
Chris Rock on Leslie Jones’s Comedy:

“Leslie writes these well crafted jokes and makes it seem effortless when she’s performing. She’s really genuine, so you leave her shows with a sense that you really got to know her.”
(Quoted by Alison Stewart, 07:15)
Leslie on being a ‘veteran samurai’:

“I was a beast. I was a samurai at that time. I’m still a samurai. I’m just a very veteran samurai now.”
(Leslie Jones, 03:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[01:43] Leslie on being discovered in her 40s, aging in comedy
[03:59–04:45] The evolution of a comic, learning the craft
[05:29] Embracing singlehood at 58 & menopause hilarity
[06:06] Celebrity dating double standards—why not Idris Elba?
[10:37–11:21] Physical comedy: moving for laughter and connection
[12:01] Adjusting performance and life for age; “I am precious now”
[12:54–14:55] SNL, representation, and opportunities for Black women in comedy
[15:12–17:13] TikTok comics vs. traditional stand-up; do the work!
[17:13–17:48] A look ahead: shows, cameos, and the possibility of a play

Tone & Language

The episode maintains a witty, honest, and energetic tone, with Leslie’s self-deprecating humor, candid takes on life and career, and passionate advocacy for working hard in comedy. Alison Stewart provides thoughtful questions and affirms Leslie’s openness, making for an engaging and laughter-filled conversation.

Conclusion

This episode is a spirited exploration of comedy through the eyes of Leslie Jones—a comedian who’s embraced the wisdom, aches, and joys that come with age and experience. Listeners gain inspiring, practical insight into the grind and art of comedy, the necessity of representation, and the courage to embrace life’s next act, all punctuated by Leslie’s trademark humor and authenticity.

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Transcript87 lines

[00:00]
A
All of it is supported by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In a small groundbreaking clinical trial, 100% of participants with a specific type of rectal cancer saw their tumors disappear using immunotherapy alone. Researchers at MSK are now studying this approach in cancers of the stomach, liver, and more. And a majority of tumors are disappearing. For MSK giving day, all gifts will be tripled. Learn more@msk.org all of it. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Welcome back. We've got some funny people lined up for you, so get ready to laugh. Abbott elementary star Lisa Ann Walter will give us her unfiltered take on Gen X life in America today and discuss her comedy special It Was an Accident. And later on, we'll talk with Daily show comic and Internet superstar Josh Johnson. He recently put out an H special called Symphony. But first, let's hear from an absolutely hilarious Saturday Night Live. Veteran. Comedian Leslie Jones recently put out a special titled Leslie Jones Life Part 2. In it, she jokes about what life was like as a grown woman in a world where people don't always act grown. Her life has changed and she's learned from it. And with this special, she's spreading her wisdom. She talks about wishing she had been discovered in her 20s or 30s rather than in her 40s.
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B
When I still have my whole ACL, you know what I'm saying? When my meniscus was meniscus, you know, they caught me when I was 47, but it was fine. I was still good. But I think about all the youth and energy I had in my 20s and 30s. And then my smarter, much more educated mind steps forward and go, thank God, thank God you didn't make it in your 20s and 30s. Cause you was a ho. And you was a dumb hoe at that. You was. I'd have burned through Hollywood.
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A
If you search for it on YouTube, you can watch the full special Leslie Jones Life Part 2. When she came on the show to talk about it, I revisited her first special problem child from 2009. So I started by asking her to take stock of what had changed in the world and in her life since then.
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B
Oh, wow. Okay. So that's when I was, I had did the cat tour. So I not a little heat under me, but I was starting to get real managers and agents and stuff. And I started to have to move a little bit different. I had an assistant, like, kind of like an assistant. It was very odd. But I knew that I was really funny and I knew that the Material that I was gonna be doing was like 20 years in. So I knew it was tight material. It was just about me looking tight. Like, me looking like an actual comedian. Cause usually I just wear T shirts and jeans on stage and don't look like they. This is a show. So I wanted to look like. So my whole idea was that I wanted to look like an FBI agent, you know?
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A
Oh, you did.
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B
I looked like an FBI agent, right?
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A
Black pants, black vest.
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B
Very.
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A
Guns out.
[03:30]
B
Guns out. It was just now that I look back on it, I go, that is so funny. But I was just now really getting my momentum as I had already been doing comedy almost 20 years.
[03:43]
A
Yeah, yeah. So you were in the zone at that time.
[03:45]
B
Oh, I was a beast. I was a samurai at that time. I'm still a samurai. I'm just a very veteran samurai. Now.
[03:52]
A
I was gonna ask you what has been the biggest change in terms of your perspective and the kind of things that you like to talk about now?
[03:59]
B
Right. Oh. So when I first started, you know, I always tell comics this. You have to go through becoming a comic. So in your first couple of years, you are just like an infant. So that's when you do the sex jokes and the fart jokes and all the immature stuff. And then, you know, you gradually learn how to be on stage. You gradually learn that. Do you need to hold the mic? Do you need to sit down? Do you do how. What's your voice level? Are you going to be physical? All that stuff is in the first 10 years. People think that you're fun, you are, you're funny. But are you a professional? And Jay Anthony Brown told me this because I remember asking him, I said, well, when will I know that I'm exactly funny? When will that come? He said, ten years. And I remember bursting into tears because I had only been doing it three years. And I was like, are you kidding?
[04:46]
A
Yeah.
[04:46]
B
And he was like, I'm just being honest. And he was right. And I'm glad I accepted it, too.
[04:51]
A
That's interesting. You had to sort of learn the performance of it a little bit.
[04:54]
B
You had to learn how to be on stage. You had to learn how to, like. Because at the time, I was still rehearsing. I still practice every day. I was on a. You have to learn how to know who you are as yourself to be able to. I'll put it like this. It's like learning a song. You have to learn the song before you start doing ad libbing. You can't just ad lib. Right.
[05:17]
A
One thing I Noticed in the old special versus now. In the old special, we talk about being single and a new one. You're like, I'm good.
[05:26]
B
So good.
[05:26]
A
I'm all good.
[05:27]
B
Yeah.
[05:28]
A
How long did it take you to realize that?
[05:29]
B
Oh, girl, I just realized that in the last two years. The last two years. Real talk. Cause I just turned 58, so it was already starting when I turned 55, it was already there. But I still had a little hope. At 55, I was like, okay, it could happen, but eventually, especially in menopause, I don't want nobody near me now. Like, if you touch me while I'm hot, I will beat. I will beat you into the next day. Like, I just had a hot flash on the View, and Whoopi Goldberg had to. Had to fan me down. Now am I gonna get a man that's gonna fan me down? No.
[06:05]
A
Would he be a good man if he did?
[06:06]
B
He'd be a good. And that's another thing. Like, I don't get the celebrity groupies. I don't get the good ones. You know, the men get all the good ones. Colin Jost married Scarlett Johansson. Why am I not married to Idris Elba? Why is that not happening? I was a Ghostbuster. I was a damn Ghostbuster. Do you understand me? I was on Saturday Night Live. How am I not getting the good DMs instead of parky Joe, which I don't mind dating somebody that work at Bucky's, just like. But can I get somebody that work at least at a studio behind a camera?
[06:45]
A
I just want a couple options.
[06:47]
B
Options.
[06:47]
A
Just want a few options, please.
[06:50]
B
Good. Googly goo.
[06:52]
A
We got a text that just said, I just need to say Leslie Jones is a national treasure.
[06:57]
B
Who text you that?
[06:58]
A
I don't know. You want his number? Is he get that number?
[07:01]
B
He's a national treasure. National. When they call me that, I always think of Rushmore, and I'd be like, so does that mean that they gonna put me up there on Rushmore? Oh, I'm a national treasure. Does that mean that they're gonna protect me at all costs?
[07:14]
A
There you go.
[07:15]
B
Yeah.
[07:15]
A
Get that number. My guest is Leslie Jones. Her new comedy special is Leslie Jones Life Part 2. So Chris Rock, in a phone interview with the New York Times, said, Leslie writes these well crafted jokes and makes it seem effortless when she's performing. She's really genuine, so you leave her shows with a sense that you really got to know her.
[07:38]
B
That's beautiful, man.
[07:39]
A
It's a beautiful. It's a Beautiful statement.
[07:40]
B
Whenever y' all read me stuff like that, I'd be so happy. Cause I'd be like, dang, I don't even know if they like the special or not. And for him to say something like that for somebody I look up to, that's. Oh.
[07:50]
A
But it's a good quote because it talks about how you craft your jokes. What's the process for crafting a joke?
[07:58]
B
I love to tell stories. I love to tell stories, and I love when people tell stories and you feel like you're there. That is my main thing. John Ritter. John Ritter was one of my favorite people actors because he was so physical. And that's where I got my physical. Her and him and Lucille Ball. The physicality of comedy is always a great way to show a story. So I always want people to be, you know, from the beginning to the end of the story. I want it to be a nice build. I want it to be a payoff at the end. But, you know, you have to have patience to take them through that step. And it's just the art of writing a great peace.
[08:40]
A
How do you know whether the audience is okay to hear this story?
[08:46]
B
Well, see, that's our job as a comedian, isn't it? It's as our job to make them ready. You know what I'm saying? And if I'm funny enough, you gonna be right along with me. So it's your job to come out. I always tell people, don't get too cocky. It's your job. Come out and show them that you're funny. Doesn't matter if they already know you funny. Prove it. So when you. I mean, just. If you go to a comedy show and somebody came up and then they BS the whole person, you're gonna be like, oh, are they actually funny? You know what I'm saying? But I come straight out with the. I just need y' all to know that y' all dealing with funny persons. So anything that I say on this stage is gonna be funny, and it's gonna be helpful, and you're gonna think, but you gonna laugh. Cause that's my job. My job is to make you laugh. My job is not to teach you anything. I'm supposed to make you laugh. Now, if you learn a lesson in laughter, great.
[09:36]
A
Yeah. How. What environment do you like to try out your jokes? Some people go to clubs at night. Do you do it?
[09:43]
B
I do it everywhere.
[09:44]
A
Everywhere?
[09:45]
B
Everywhere. I try it on the street. I try it with my friends. And I. Now in this stage of my comedy, I love doing all New stuff. If I got some new jokes, that is my jam and my writer, Lenny, he has to give me permission, because if he goes, hey, go have fun, then I get to do all the stuff that's been going through my head. But then he'll be like, stick to the list. And then I have to do the jokes that we need to work on.
[10:13]
A
Oh, so the jokes you have to work on are the ones you have to do first?
[10:16]
B
Well, the jokes that I have to work on, I have to work it into my set. So if he has a list, he usually has it in the order he wants me to do it in, but he has them all together to where if I did jump around again, knowing the song, I know the song, so I can ad lib.
[10:33]
A
So you're very physical in your comedy. You are in it. Was this always your style?
[10:37]
B
Yes. I love it. I think it's hilarious. Slipping on a banana will always be funny. Do you understand? Slipping on the banana will always be a joke, and it will always work because people love to see. People are. People love action. People love movement. Whenever I go to a concert or anything, if they're not moving around and dancing, I'll be like, do you like your own song? Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, there's comics that can stand in the middle of the stage and be so funny. Me, I got to use that whole stage. I want this person on this side to feel it. I want the person in the middle to feel it. The people on the balcony to feel it. So, yeah, I love having a big stage that I can run around. Cause it's just hilarious. It's hilarious watching someone do that.
[11:21]
A
How did you not trip on those pants?
[11:23]
B
You know, Leni hates that outfit so much.
[11:28]
A
She's got these pants with these cool sort of straps. But I was like, she gonna make it? Is she gonna be okay?
[11:35]
B
That's. You know, I always wear stuff that I can move in. So those were pants that had been tested. So I knew that. I knew I was okay. But Leni was like, I hate that outfit.
[11:46]
A
I was just worried about you.
[11:48]
B
I know everybody.
[11:48]
A
I was just worried about you.
[11:49]
B
That's all everybody do.
[11:51]
A
You did make a joke, possibly injuring yourself on stage.
[11:56]
B
Well. Well, I. What did I say?
[11:59]
A
You said, like, you have to take a lot of Tylenol.
[12:01]
B
Oh, well, this is the thing. This is when I was talking about, you know, I gotta take my 800 sometimes, you know, you. You know, I'm 58, you know, got your Advil, you know, you remember how when you used to hit your hand on the door and be like, oh, I'm good. I hit my hand on the door. Now take me to the hospital. I think I busted a vein in my hand. You know what I'm saying? Like, I am precious now. I didn't used to be as precious as I am, but, yeah, I got that 800. And then the older I get, the higher the dose is gonna be. I'm gonna have 1200 in a minute.
[12:28]
A
This is a serious question, okay? Oh, serious, serious. Lorne Michaels with snl, you said it was very hard for him because he had to figure out how to make something that was smart and that people could laugh at in California or in Montana. And so I was watching the show this fall, and I realized there are no black female characters on snl. What is missing from the conversation from the show by not having a black female cast member?
[12:54]
B
I just think that they don't get to see black women like they get to see white women. Does that make sense? I don't want it to sound racist. I want people to understand that white, white female, White female comics and sketch artists, they're just so much more available. I can't explain it. Like, they're in the right places. Black, black artists don't get to get in those places sometimes. You know what I'm saying? Like, so they don't get to get in front of Lauren unless somebody like Chris Rock told Lauren about me. Lauren didn't know about me. Chris Rock told him about me. And then he sent out his people to search. Like, he takes suggestions from everybody. So we all texting them going, hey, go check out hoe. Go check out this girl. Hey, go check out this girl. Go check out this girl. So it's. It's. It's about getting that even kill of black artists in the place that they can be seen. This is why I'm glad you asked that, because women, Black women get. Like, Kim Whitley told me this, and I really wish I had followed the advice when she told me this. Start doing all clubs. Don't just do black clubs. I know black people love me. You got to go and you got to try your stuff out in white clubs so you can get white comics to hit your. To hit your jokes, to give you tags. White comics, you gotta go to black clubs so black comics can hit your jokes so they can be worldwide. And then when you're in that, you start talking. Everybody starts talking. We need more black women to just take the step to get into the right place, to Be seen.
[14:31]
A
You need to have.
[14:32]
B
Excuse me.
[14:33]
A
Oh, no problem. It sounds like accessibility.
[14:36]
B
Yes, exactly. And I think that they don't get to see the great ones as much as they get to see the white ones. I just don't want that to sound racist. Cause I have nothing against, you know, white comedians, white women. I just know that they don't. We don't get to get seen as much as they do.
[14:55]
A
A lot of young artists are starting on TikTok and do comedy that way. I'm curious what your thoughts on that. Do you need to be in a studio? Do you need to be. Oh, he's making her cough.
[15:06]
B
Uh, oh.
[15:07]
A
Uh, oh.
[15:08]
B
Well, all right. I would say this.
[15:12]
A
Take a sip of water.
[15:14]
B
If you're on TikTok. And I remember that got big because of COVID If your jokes, if you're making people laugh at the material that you're doing on TikTok, why would you go to a club and do different material? That's the problem with TikTok comics. Y' all think that. Y' all regular comics. I've given a spot to a comic because I was like, oh, you're so funny. Oh, this is great. And I just expected him to go up and do what he does on TikTok. He came with regular jokes. First of all, don't nobody know you. Second of all, you're not funny enough to do that. You're a new Jack. You just learn how to get this stuff done on a platform. It's completely different when you're on a stage in front of people. Yeah. So another thing. What? It goes back to do the work. Do the work. If you've never been on stage before, I have no respect for you. I'm sorry. Don't. Don't come up to me and say, I want to be a comic when you've never performed before. What do I do if I want to be a comic? What I did, I just went up, and I definitely didn't ask nobody what to do if I wanted to. I didn't. I. I went and did it. Stop talking about doing it and do it. And these TikTok artists. Oh, God. Let me say this in the nicest way that I can. Chris Rock had a great joke about this. He was like, you know, the reality stars think that they're like real movie stars. And you go, that's like comparing a doctor to a chiropractor. So a chiropractor would be like, I almost lost him on the table. No, you didn't. On a folding Table what you almost lost. So whenever TikTok comedians come up to me, I'll give you your love for what you did on the Internet. That's a good. That's a great thing. But you gonna have to follow me. And that's not gonna be easy with them little TikTok jokes. I just want them to do the work, do the real work. Don't call yourself a comic if you haven't did what comics need to do.
[17:14]
A
What are you gonna do next?
[17:16]
B
Ooh, girl, the sky's the limit. I got a couple of shows that I'm about to do that we're releasing. I'm on a lot of. A lot of cameo roles on a lot of things. I got a. I don't know if I can announce this yet, but, you know, I got a little TV show coming out. You know, I got a lot of good stuff coming out. You know, I might be doing a play, so.
[17:38]
A
Oh, a play in New York?
[17:40]
B
Yes. That would be hot, right?
[17:42]
A
That would be great.
[17:43]
B
Yeah. Would you come?
[17:45]
A
Of course I would come, and I would have you back on, and we would talk to you as an actor.
[17:49]
B
Oh, my God.
[17:53]
A
It has been a pleasure to have you in this interview.
[17:54]
B
Oh, my God. I knew it was gonna be a good. I knew it was gonna be a good interview. I knew it. I was telling him. I was like, this is gonna be a good interview. I could tell.
[18:01]
A
That was Saturday Night Live veteran Leslie Jones and her new special, Leslie Jones Life Part 2, available to watch on YouTube. Coming up, Abbott elementary star Lisa Ann Walter gives us her unfiltered take on being a Gen Xer in. In the 2000 and 20s, a topic she explores in her comedy special called It Was an Accident. This is all of it.