Leslie Jones Finds the Humor in Life with New Comedy Special

Summary

Podcast Summary: Leslie Jones Finds the Humor in Life with New Comedy Special

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Leslie Jones
Date: December 9, 2025
Episode Theme:
A candid and hilarious conversation with comedian Leslie Jones about her new stand-up special, Leslie Jones: Life Part 2. The discussion dives into her evolution as a comic, the wisdom of aging, her approach to crafting comedy, breaking barriers on SNL, and the changing landscape for new comics.

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Main Theme & Purpose

Leslie Jones joins Alison Stewart to reflect on her journey in comedy, the experiences that shaped her, and the inspiration behind her latest special. The episode explores comedy as both craft and catharsis, Jones’ take on show business, and her thoughts on representation, mentorship, and generational shifts in comedy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Leslie’s Evolution as a Comic

• Starting Out and Career Milestones

  • Leslie reflects on the late timing of her mainstream “discovery” in her 40s, joking about wishing she’d made it earlier for her physical health's sake.
    • Quote: “They caught me when I was 47, but it was fine. I was still good...Thank God you didn’t make it in your 20s and 30s. ‘Cause you was a hoe. And you was a dumb hoe at that. You was. I’d have burned through Hollywood.” (00:44)
  • She recounts the period of her Problem Child special and the shift from casual to professional presentation onstage.
    • Quote: “I wanted to look like an FBI agent...I was just now really getting my momentum as, I had already been doing comedy almost 20 years.” (01:55)

• Growth and Confidence

  • The early years were about learning stage presence and technical skills—being “an infant” comic focused on immature jokes before developing depth.
    • Quote: “Your first couple years you are just like an infant. So that’s when you do the sex jokes and the fart jokes...You gradually learn how to be on stage.” (03:15)
  • Veteran comic advice: It takes ten years to really become “funny.”
    • “J. Anthony Brown told me this...‘Ten years’...And I remember bursting into tears.” (03:46)

2. Perspectives on Single Life, Aging & Authenticity

• Leslie discusses her evolving view on relationships and embracing singlehood with humor and authenticity.
  • “I just realized that in the last two years, real talk. Because I just turned 58...especially in menopause. I don’t want nobody near me now.” (04:45)
• On not receiving the same attention or groupies as her male counterparts, despite her achievements:
  • “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...” (05:22)

3. Crafting Comedy as an Art

• Storytelling & Physicality

  • Jones’ process prioritizes storytelling that immerses the audience, drawing influence from physical comedians like John Ritter and Lucille Ball.
    • “I love to tell stories and I love when people tell stories and you feel like you’re there...The physicality of comedy is always a great way to show a story.” (07:14)
  • Physical performance is crucial: “Slipping on a banana will always be funny.” (09:53)

• Testing Material and Collaboration

  • Material is tested everywhere—on the street, with friends, onstage.
    • “I do it everywhere. I try it on the street. I try it with my friends.” (08:59)
  • Writer Lenny provides structure, sometimes making Leslie “stick to the list,” other times giving freedom to improvise and try new jokes.

4. The Business and Philosophy of Comedy

• Timeliness and Preparation

  • Leslie emphasizes readiness and the journey over rushing to fame.
    • “This part of my life is me living the benefits of the first part of my life...People are always trying to rush to the end of fame and don’t understand that the journey to it is the best part of the game.” (11:52)

• Writing for Any Audience

  • Material is crafted for broad appeal, altering only for specific audience circumstances (e.g., children, clean sets).
    • “Most of my jokes can go across the board with everyone...But most audiences, I write for everybody.” (13:08)

• Crowd Work

  • Leslie relishes crowd work, adapting energy and content to suit audience vibes, using quick improvisation.
    • Quote: “I love when they give me a vibe...So I’m gonna talk about everybody in the audience until y’all prep up. Pipe up…” (13:35)
    • Recounts David Spade’s compliment about her confident crowd work and the advice from JB Smoove: “Say the first thing that comes to your mind, because it’s usually from God.” (14:16)

5. SNL, Representation & Breaking Barriers

• Jones candidly addresses the lack of Black women on SNL and the issue of access.
  • “I just think that they don’t get to see Black women like they get to see white women...they’re in the right places. Black artists don’t get to get in those places sometimes...It’s about getting that even kill of Black artists in the place that they can be seen.” (17:27)
  • She stresses the importance of performing in diverse venues to broaden appeal and opportunity, for all comics.
    • “Start doing all clubs. Don’t just do Black clubs. I know Black people love me. You got to go and try your stuff out in white clubs...White comics, you gotta go to black clubs so black comics can hit your jokes so they can be worldwide.” (18:53)

6. The TikTok Comedy Revolution

• Jones critiques TikTok comics for skipping the grind of live performance.
  • “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...It’s completely different when you’re on a stage in front of people.” (19:46)
  • She admires ingenuity but insists on “doing the real work.”
  • “If you’ve never been on stage before, I have no respect for you. I’m sorry. Don’t come up to me and say, I want to be a comic when you’ve never performed before...These TikTok artists...I just want them to do the work, do the real work.” (20:40)

7. What’s Next for Leslie Jones

• Teases upcoming projects: TV shows, cameos, possibly a play in New York.
  • “The sky’s the limit. I got a couple of shows that I’m about to do...I might be doing a play, so…” (21:48)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[Success in my 20s/30s]...Thank God you didn’t make it in your 20s and 30s. ‘Cause you was a hoe. And you was a dumb hoe at that.” — Leslie Jones (00:44)
• “I still practice every day...You have to learn the song before you start doing ad libbing. You can’t just ad lib.” — Leslie Jones (04:10)
• “I don’t want nobody near me now. Like, if you touch me while I’m hot, I will beat you into the next day.” — Leslie Jones, on menopause & relationships (04:45)
• “Why am I not married to Idris Elba? Why is that not happening? I was a Ghostbuster!” — Leslie Jones (05:22)
• “My job is not to teach you anything. I’m supposed to make you laugh. Now, if you learn a lesson in laughter, great.” — Leslie Jones (08:02)
• “Slipping on a banana will always be funny.” — Leslie Jones (09:53)
• “You remember how when you used to hit your hand on the door...now take me to the hospital.” — Leslie Jones, on aging (11:17)
• “You do not need to be a millionaire at 25. Your brain is not even fully adjusted or developed.” — Leslie Jones (11:52)
• “It’s about getting that even kill of Black artists in the place that they can be seen.” — Leslie Jones, on SNL Representation (17:27)
• “If you’ve never been on stage before, I have no respect for you. I’m sorry.” — Leslie Jones, to TikTok comics (20:40)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening / Special Premise: 00:09–00:44
• Early Career and Getting Noticed: 01:50–03:08
• How Comics Grow Over Time: 03:08–04:07
• Single Life, Menopause, and Realizations: 04:45–06:01
• On Stagecraft and Storytelling: 07:14–08:52
• Writing and Testing Material: 08:52–09:49
• Physical Comedy Style: 09:49–11:06
• Why “Life Part 2”? On Milestones: 11:52–12:40
• Adapting Material for Different Crowds: 12:53–13:58
• Crowd Work & JB Smoove’s Advice: 14:04–14:52
• Working With Jesse Collins, Production Insights: 14:57–15:47
• Releasing Comedy Specials & Comedy as Craft: 15:51–16:53
• SNL & Black Female Representation: 17:01–19:09
• TikTok Comics & Doing the Work: 19:28–21:46
• Leslie’s Upcoming Projects: 21:46–22:17

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Episode Tone & Takeaway

This episode is a vibrant mix of deep wisdom, comedy shop talk, and Leslie Jones’ irrepressible energy. It underlines the value of experience, the patience required for lasting success, and the constant reinvention needed in entertainment. Jones is grateful, honest, and hopeful—both a trailblazer and a mentor, never shying from the hard truths or the biggest laughs.

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For anyone curious about the process, pain, and pride of a comedy career—“Leslie Jones: Life Part 2” and this conversation are essential listening.

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

Foreign.

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Leslie Jones is back with a new special titled Leslie Jones Life Part 2. In it, she jokes about what life is like as a grown woman in a world full of not grown people. Her life has changed. She's learned from it and she is spreading the wealth. She talks about wishing she had been discovered in her 20s or 30s, rather than in her 40s. What it might have been like when.

[Leslie Jones]

I still had my whole acl, you know what I'm saying? When my meniscus was meniscusin. 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 hoe.

And you was a dumb hoe at that. You was.

I'd have burned through Hollywood.

[Alison Stewart]

The Daily Beast says Leslie Jones has been a comedic force of Nature for nearly 40 years. And in her new standup special, Life Part 2, she displays more bravado and confidence on stage than ever. Leslie Jones Life Part 2 is streaming now on Peacock. We are happy to have her in studio. It is so nice to meet you.

[Leslie Jones]

Wow. That's crazy. So they liked it? Okay.

[Alison Stewart]

They liked it. They liked it.

[Leslie Jones]

That's insane.

[Alison Stewart]

I went back this morning and I watched your special problem child from 2009 to 2010. Wow.

[Leslie Jones]

You went back?

[Alison Stewart]

I went back.

[Leslie Jones]

Wow.

[Alison Stewart]

A lot has changed since then.

[Leslie Jones]

A lot.

[Alison Stewart]

What was going on in your life when you did that first special?

[Leslie Jones]

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 going to 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 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?

[Alison Stewart]

You did.

[Leslie Jones]

I looked like an FBI agent, Right.

[Alison Stewart]

Black pants, black vest, very. The guns out.

[Leslie Jones]

Guns out. It was just now that I look Back on it, I go that it's so funny. But I was just now really getting my momentum as I had already been doing comedy almost 20 years.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, yeah. So you were in the zone at that time.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, I was a beast. I was a samurai at that time. I'm still a samurai. I'm just a very veteran samurai.

[Alison Stewart]

Now 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?

[Leslie Jones]

Right. Oh, so when I first started, you know, I always tell comics this is. 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, you are, you're funny. But are you a professional? And J. Anthony Brown told me this. Cause I remember asking him, I said, when will I know that I'm exactly funny? When will that come? He said, ten years. And I remember bursting into tears. Cause I had only been doing it three years. And I was like, are you kidding? And he was like, I'm just being honest. And he was right. And I'm glad I accepted it too.

[Alison Stewart]

That's interesting. You had to sort of learn the performance of it a little bit.

[Leslie Jones]

You had to learn how to be on stage. You had to learn how to like. Cause 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.

[Alison Stewart]

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.

[Leslie Jones]

So good.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm all good.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

How long did it take you to realize that?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, girl. I just realized that in the last two years. The last two years, real talk. Because 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 fan me down. Now am I gonna get a man that's gonna fan me down? No.

[Alison Stewart]

Would he be a good man if he did?

[Leslie Jones]

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 that behind a camera?

[Alison Stewart]

I just want a couple options. Just want a few options, please.

[Leslie Jones]

Good googly goo.

[Alison Stewart]

We got a text that just said, I just need to say Leslie Jones is a national treasure.

[Leslie Jones]

Who text you that?

[Alison Stewart]

I don't know. You want his number? Is it? How get that number?

[Leslie Jones]

He's a national treasure.

[Ira Flato]

National.

[Leslie Jones]

When they call me that, I always think of Rushmore, and I 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?

[Alison Stewart]

There you go.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

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.

[Leslie Jones]

That's a beautiful man.

[Alison Stewart]

It's a beautiful. It's a beautiful statement.

[Leslie Jones]

Whenever y' all read me stuff like that, I'd be so happy. Cause I'll 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.

[Alison Stewart]

But it's a good quote because it talks about how you craft your jokes. What's the process for crafting a joke?

[Leslie Jones]

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.

[Alison Stewart]

How do you know whether the audience is okay to hear this story?

[Leslie Jones]

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.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. How. What environment do you like to try out your jokes? Some people go to clubs at night. Do you do it?

[Leslie Jones]

I do it everywhere.

[Alison Stewart]

Everywhere?

[Leslie Jones]

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.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, so the jokes you have to work on are the ones you have to do first?

[Leslie Jones]

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.

[Alison Stewart]

So you're very physical in your comedy. You are in it. Was this always your style?

[Leslie Jones]

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.

[Alison Stewart]

How did you not trip on those pants?

[Leslie Jones]

You know, Lenny, Lenny hates that outfit so much.

[Alison Stewart]

She's got these pants with these cool sort of straps. But I was like, she gonna make it? Is she gonna be okay?

[Leslie Jones]

I, I, I, 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 Lenny was like, I hate that outfit.

[Alison Stewart]

I was just worried about you.

[Leslie Jones]

I know everybody, I was just worried about you.

[Alison Stewart]

That's all.

[Leslie Jones]

Everybody.

[Alison Stewart]

Do you possibly injuring yourself on stage.

[Leslie Jones]

Well, well, I, what did I say?

[Alison Stewart]

You said, like, you have to take a lot of Tylenol.

[Leslie Jones]

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 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 going to be. I'm have 1200 in a minute.

[Alison Stewart]

We're talking to Leslie Jones, her new comedy special Is Leslie Jones, Life Part 2? You can stream it on Amazon. Why is it Life Part two?

[Leslie Jones]

Because it is the second part of my life. It's me talking about, just like you said. I'm just over it. It's the second part of my life. This part of my life is me living the benefits of the first part of my life, like the 20s and the 30s and the 40s. How I work so hard to get where I am. 50s and on, is just a celebration of what my life was in to be. And that's what every human needs to understand. You do not need to be a millionaire. At 25. Your brain is not even fully adjusted or developed. You will lose every century. You do not want to become a headliner before you need to become a headliner. People are always trying to rush to the end of fame and don't understand that the journey to it is the best part of the game.

[Alison Stewart]

It also sets you up for when it happens.

[Leslie Jones]

Absolutely. Because you're ready. You have a foundation. You have a foundation. Why would you want to be a headliner when you don't have enough jokes to be the opener?

[Ira Flato]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

In your special, you remarked that a certain joke is better among black audiences. Mm.

[Leslie Jones]

Mm.

[Alison Stewart]

How do you suss out a crowd when you're able to look at the crowd and you look at the crowd and you're like, am I gonna do this joke? Is this gonna fly? Do I do it anyway?

[Leslie Jones]

I write all my jokes for everyone. Most of my jokes can go across the board with everyone. Only reason I would change my material is if they telling me, hey, you need to be clean. Hey, these are children. Hey, these are this, this, and this. And then I won't do the hardcore stuff. I'll do the fun stuff. You know what I mean?

[Alison Stewart]

That's interesting.

[Leslie Jones]

You know what I'm saying? But most audiences, I write for everybody.

[Alison Stewart]

Do you ever change up your set because you get a sort of a vibe off the audience?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, I love it. I love when they give me a vibe. Cause I go, oh, y' all not into this. Oh. So I'm gonna talk about everybody in the audience until y' all prep up. Pipe up. Yeah, you better pipe up. Yeah, I'm talking about that damn sweater. Yeah, I'm going to talk about that sweater. You and everybody at that table don't like you, because they would have told you not to put that sweater on. You know, it's so true. And then you just. And then they, like, you know, I.

[Alison Stewart]

Saw you at when Caroline's was Still, you saw me at Caroline's. Long time ago, baby.

[Leslie Jones]

You talking about crowd work?

[Alison Stewart]

Honestly, you put the mic up, you put the cord on the mic over your shoulder, you walked off the stage, and every table got hit. And it was really funny.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, man. David Spade. David Spade saw me at the Comedy Store one night, and I was doing crowd work, and I came off. He was like, I have been in this business for. I've never seen anyone as confident behind crowd work as you are. And I got that from JB Smooth. JB Smooth said, say the first thing that come to your mind, because it's usually from God. And I have said some crazy thing first, and I'd be like, that's how I know God got a good sense of humor. Because he. It was something that flash in my head, and I swear it'd be like, say that. Say it right now. Say it right now. And I would do, and it would rip.

[Alison Stewart]

So on this show, your executive producer, you worked with Jesse Collins Entertainment.

[Leslie Jones]

I love Jesse.

[Alison Stewart]

It's amazing. There's the Emmys, Grammys.

[Leslie Jones]

He has one of the best in the business.

[Alison Stewart]

Super bowl halftime show.

[Leslie Jones]

He's one of the best because he understands his clients. He understands the people he works with. He is just so calm. I love Jesse.

[Alison Stewart]

How has your sense of production changed when you were working with Jesse?

[Leslie Jones]

Jesse, make it look good. Yeah, Jesse, make it look good. Jesse makes sure that I'm comfortable. He makes sure that I got what I need. He was like, for Time Machine, he helped me with Time Machine. I got the directors from Game of Thrones to do that. And he got them all the. They were like, looking at my set and they was like, we need more than four cameras. We. We need nine cameras.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah. And JC Was like, we'll make it happen because I'm very physical, you know.

[Alison Stewart]

Why did it feel like this was the time to release an hour long special?

[Leslie Jones]

Because I had been doing it for like two, maybe two and a half, three years, and everybody was like, yo, you need to get a special out. I like to work on my material till it's ready. I don't. You know, there's a couple of jokes in Time Machine that I really wish that I wouldn't have said them then because they would be so beautiful now. They. They didn't get the time to develop like they needed to. So after I said after the Time Machine, I told my writer, we will not do another special until my jokes are ready. So we got to a point and Lenny was like, you're ready. You're ready. So two or three. I mean, I'm always impressed when a comic can come out with a special in a year, but they must, everybody must understand that comic had that 30 minutes before. So I had, like, I have 45 minutes of extra material that I can use. But, you know, you want to mix it in with the new and stuff. So it's not like I want everybody to know that they didn't take it yet. That's well worked out material, you know.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm speaking with Leslie Jones. Her new comedy special, Leslie Jones Life Part 2 is streaming now on Peacock. This is a serious question.

[Leslie Jones]

Okay.

[Alison Stewart]

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?

[Leslie Jones]

I just think that they don't get to see black women like they get to see white women. Does that make sense? I. 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 ho check. Go check out this girl. Hey, go check out this girl. Go check out this girl. So it's about getting that even kill of. Of black artists in the place that they can be seen. That's. 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.

[Alison Stewart]

That.

[Leslie Jones]

That's. They. You start talking, everybody starts talking. We need more black women to just take. Take the step to. To get into the right place to be seen.

[Alison Stewart]

You need to have.

[Leslie Jones]

Excuse me.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, no problem. It makes it. It sounds like accessibility.

[Leslie Jones]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

Big issue.

[Leslie Jones]

Exactly. And I think that they don't get to see the great ones as much as they get to see the white ones. Yeah. I just don't want that to sound racist because 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.

[Alison Stewart]

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.

[Ira Flato]

Uh oh.

[Alison Stewart]

Uh, oh.

[Leslie Jones]

Well.

All right. I would say this.

[Alison Stewart]

Take a sip of water.

[Leslie Jones]

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. I've given a spot to a comic because I was like, oh, you're so funny on TikTok. Oh, this is great. And I just expected him to. 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 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. 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 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. I didn't. 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 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 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.

[Alison Stewart]

What are you gonna do next?

[Leslie Jones]

Ooh, girl. The.

[Alison Stewart]

The.

[Leslie Jones]

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.

[Alison Stewart]

A play in New York?

[Leslie Jones]

Yes. That would be hot, right?

[Alison Stewart]

That would be great.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah. Would you come?

[Alison Stewart]

Of course I would come, and I would have you back on and we would talk to you as an actor.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, my God.

[Alison Stewart]

Leslie Jones Life Part 2 is streaming on Peacock right now. It has been a pleasure to have you in the studio.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, my God. I knew it was going to be a good. I knew it was going to be a good interview. I knew it. I was telling him. I was like, this is going to be a good interview. I could tell.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks, Leslie. Hey, calling all at Gen Xers, the New York Times style magazine is just published an issue making a case that Gen X is the greatest generation. We'll talk about it after the break.

[Ira Flato]

This is Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, the science Friday team has been reporting high quality science and technology news, making science fun for curious people by covering everything from the outer reaches of space to the rapidly changing world of AI to the tiniest microbes in our bodies. Audiences trust our show because they know we're driven by a mission to inform and serve listeners first and foremost with important news they won't get anywhere else. And our sponsors benefit from that halo effect. For more information on becoming a sponsor, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.