Leslie Jones Laughs at Harvey Weinstein and Her Time on SNL

Summary

Good One: A Podcast About Jokes

Episode Summary – “Leslie Jones Laughs at Harvey Weinstein and Her Time on SNL”

Release Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Jesse David Fox (Vulture Senior Editor)
Guest: Leslie Jones

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Episode Overview

This episode features the comedian Leslie Jones in a candid, hilarious, and unflinchingly honest conversation with Jesse David Fox. They explore Jones’s new Peacock stand-up special “Life Part 2,” dig deep into her creative process, reflect on her years at Saturday Night Live (SNL), and examine why fearless, personal, and sometimes provocative comedy matters. The episode is packed with stories about crowd work, classic SNL memories, the joke-writing process, the infamous Harvey Weinstein joke in her special, and Leslie’s philosophy on comedy, growth, and personal contentment.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Leslie's Life After SNL and the Meaning of "Life Part 2"

• Freedom Post-SNL (02:34)

  • Jones describes post-SNL life as “just doing things that I really want to do, like the touring and doing movies... just being free to do my own projects and write my own comedy. Let people know who I am as a whole.”
  • On fans only knowing her from SNL:
    Leslie: “If you was really a fan, you would know I started in ‘87!”

• Theme of Her New Special (03:35)

  • “Life Part 2” is about what it feels like to hit a new era as an older adult and look back at the wildness and freedom of youth.

• On Growth as a Comic (04:34)

  • Leslie feels she’s softened: “I used to be a beast... now it’s like, I don’t give a fuck. I’m more like, I know you’re gonna laugh.”

Joke-writing, Performing, and Navigating Serious Material

• On the Harvey Weinstein Joke (07:36, 08:57)

  • Leslie unpacks the infamous joke about Weinstein in her special, revealing the personal, self-deprecating roots behind the bit.
    • Leslie: “I have fucked the most unhelpful men in my... None of them had hookups... maybe at the liquor store... but nobody that could get me a movie.”
    • “Yes, he’s probably very terrible, but... if he said I was going to get a movie, I probably would have fucked him.”
  • Discusses balancing humor with sensitivity:
    “Does it mean I want to take away from the women who it happened to? No. Does that make sense? It really is just about me, you know?” (10:40)

• On Testing Material (13:03)

  • The Harvey Weinstein/ Cosby joke always landed: “When you’re writing a joke, you make yourself laugh first. The hard part is the tags and riffs– the punchline is there.”
  • Whitney Cummings contributed a tag about Cosby: “You made me sleep all night or some shit.” (13:45)

• Role of Her Creative Partner, Lenny (14:25)

  • Lenny helps structure her chaos: “You’re just a bucking horse on stage... You need a set list. The Rolling Stones have a set list!”

• Jones’s Comedy Philosophy (16:18)

  • “Comedy is not jokes, it’s expression... People think it’s easy, they think it’s just writing jokes, but it’s how you express it.”

• The Performance Element (17:41)

  • “If I was just sitting here and we was talking, I’d be like, I fucked Harvey Weinstein. All y’all would be like: ‘What? Girl, what’s wrong with you?’”
  • Leslie’s act-out at the end of the Weinstein bit is key—she puts on glasses and does a “classy old lady” voice, exclaiming:
    “Harvey was a dirty motherfucker. Like, I’m about to tell you the tea... His dick looked like a gelta fish.” (18:57, 19:14)

• On Controversy and Offense in Comedy (19:27)

  • “Comedy shows are completely offensive. They’re supposed to be. They’re supposed to make you feel something... Our job is not to be therapists. It is therapy—it’s laugh therapy.” (20:52)

Physical & Crowd Work: Act-Outs and Audience Interaction

• Physical Comedy Influences (23:18)

  • Jones idolizes John Ritter & Lucille Ball: “You just cannot stop—when he would fall over the couch, I would lose my shit.”

• Crowd Work Evolution (25:04)

  • She doesn't do as much audience work now due to fame and possible backlash: “Now you gotta get consent forms! Can you imagine if I had to get consent forms back in the day?”

• Memorable Crowd Work Story (26:32)

  • After smacking a woman (in a playful bit), the club manager wanted Leslie to apologize:
    “Abso fucking lutely not... If anything, I’m gonna hit that bitch again!”
    • Turns out, the woman just wanted to take a picture with her.

SNL Memories & Behind-the-Scenes

• SNL50 and the Pre-Show (28:14)

  • Lauren Michaels handpicked her: “He was like, ‘I know you’re gonna... you know how to handle the people.’”
  • Fandom moments: Meeting Meryl Streep (“We had a conversation. I was like, Oh, my God”), Nathan Lane, and Jodie Foster.

• Black Jeopardy with Tracy Morgan & Eddie Murphy (30:19)

  • “Eddie was imitating Tracy—at rehearsal, no one could stop laughing.”

• Reconciling the Good and Bad of SNL (31:12)

  • “It’s just like any job. There’s gonna be good times, there’s gonna be bad times... Now, is SNL a big stress? Yes. It’s mentally and physically hard.”
  • On SNL’s institution status: “Lauren is like a puppet master, he has to make people in California and Omaha laugh at the same thing. Do you know how hard that is?” (32:18)

• Her Table Read Laugh Was Famous (35:05)

  • Cast and writers would angle to sit near her for feedback:
    “If I didn’t laugh, I’d say it: ‘I don’t like that one.’... I’d laugh so hard, it started becoming where writers would come into my room: ‘Hey, we about to do this sketch... you think you’ll laugh?’”

• Selected SNL Sketches & Stories

  • Weezer Sketch (39:28): At first, neither she nor Matt Damon knew who Weezer was; Leslie played the role using Marvin Gaye as her frame of reference.
    “Turned out so funny... Fred Armisen told me it was one of the funniest things he’d seen.”
  • House Hunters (40:32): With Live Schreiber – “He was psycho enough that we killed that sketch.”
  • Naked and Afraid (with Peter Dinklage) (41:17): Leslie pitched it; brought her own hot sauce as a prop; crew lost it laughing at her and Dinklage in the tent.
  • Back Home Ballers (43:10): Her first big pre-tape, did her part in one take: “That’s when they realized they were gonna put me in every pre-tape ever.”
  • Leslie Wants to Play Trump (43:55): She lobbied to do a Trump impression, “Lauren, I want to be Trump.” The pre-tape was written for her.

• Weekend Update: Addressing the Ghostbusters Photo Hack (50:22)

  • Leslie wasn’t embarrassed about the hack itself, just people’s reactions:
    “You’re making me the total victim... I’m not a fucking victim. I took those pictures... I have no problem with showing you a naked picture of me.”
    • She insisted on “owning it” in the way she addressed it on SNL.

• Ghostbusters – The Uncut Movie (53:10)

  • The film released wasn’t the one filmed:
    “Sony need to release the movie we actually did. The movie we did was fucking brilliant... They left out a lot. Chris Hemsworth did a dance number that should have been in the movie, not just the credits.”
  • Recounts a deleted Kristin Wiig/Melissa McCarthy dance scene:
    “Melissa loved to break me. That was her goal in life, is to break me.” (55:30)

Comedy Philosophy, Self-Realization, and Healing

• On Finding Joy and Light (62:36–64:13)

  • Leslie discusses losing the “light in her eyes” as a child, and how she had to rebuild her sense of self and happiness after deep personal losses:
    • “You are the one that can find your joy... You have to build love in yourself for yourself. You have to do it. Not someone else, Not a husband, not a boyfriend, not a best friend.”
  • “You can’t give what you don’t have... You are your best friend.” (64:15)

• The Process Toward Contentment (64:51)

  • After losing family members: “You have to prepare yourself for the dream... It’s the same thing with happiness... Is your body okay? Is your brain okay?... There’s a process.”

• On Her Funeral Bit (66:21)

  • Her special ends with an idealized, over-the-top funeral fantasy:
    “If I’m gonna have a long funeral, it’s gonna be the funeral that I want... I want my body burnt in a stick. You remember Game of Thrones when she burnt all the...that’s how I want to go.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Her Start in Comedy:
  “I started in ‘87. If you was really a fan, you would know!” (02:34)

• On Maturation as a Comic:
  “I used to be a beast...now I feel like I’ve softened up because I’m not as hungry... Now it’s like, I don’t give a fuck. I want them to laugh, but I know they will.” (04:34)

• On Working Out Jokes:
  “When you’re writing a joke, you make yourself laugh first... A really, really good comedian already has the punchline made, it's just about riffing the rest around it.” (13:03)

• On Offense in Comedy:
  “Comedy shows are completely offensive. They’re supposed to be. They’re supposed to make you feel something... Our job is not to be therapists. It is therapy—it’s laugh therapy.” (20:52)

• On Crowd Work:
  “Now you got to get consent forms. Can you imagine back in the day?” (25:57)

• On Her SNL Table Read Influence:
  “I got snacks, everything by my chair, and I’m like, Oh, that’s fucking funny! ...I just think it started becoming aware, let’s laugh at the sketch, it might get into the show.” (35:05)

• On Self-Acceptance:
  “You are the one that can find your joy. No one can give you joy. No one can make you happy. You shouldn’t even be trying to be happy, you should be trying to be content.” (62:36)

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The Laughing Round (Lightning Round) (69:16+)

• Favorite Joke:
  A midget gets on the elevator with a man who says, “I’m 6 feet tall, weigh 250, bench 350, and my name’s Turner Brown,” and the midget faints, thinking he said, “Turn around.” (69:30)
• Mount Rushmore of comedians:
  “George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Moms Mabley, Pearl Bailey, Simply Marvelous.” (73:57)
• On "Shock Humor":
  “I hate shock humor. Shock material is just dumb... It’s mean stuff. Comedy's not supposed to be mean.” (72:29)

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Highlighted Timestamps

• Discussing her comedy philosophy: 16:18 – 18:02
• On performing offensive material: 19:27 – 21:18
• Classic SNL anecdotes: 35:01 – 47:03
• Harvey Weinstein joke breakdown: 07:36 – 13:45
• On healing, therapy, and self-love: 62:04 – 66:12
• The Laughing Round (fav jokes, influences): 69:16 – 78:33

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Conclusion

This episode of Good One offers an unfiltered look at Leslie Jones’s evolution as a comedian and as a person, featuring deep dives into her material, especially jokes that straddle the line between pain and hilarity. Jones’s insights on the demands of comedy, the experience of being a Black woman in a historically white institution like SNL, and her unvarnished thoughts on vulnerability, self-acceptance, and healing are both powerfully funny and profound—a must-listen for comedy fans, SNL aficionados, and anyone interested in the interplay of humor and real life.

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For Further Listening

• Leslie’s stand-up specials: “Problem Child,” “Time Machine,” and “Life Part 2”
• Her memoir: “Leslie Fucking Jones”
• More episodes of Good One on Vulture and Vox Media

Transcript

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[Leslie Jones]

And I remember it was Ronda Rousey and Selena Gomez and we were in rehearsal and Ronda Rousey walks to the, to the stage. She trips and does a backflip and lands on our feet. And we all just was like, is that bitch Spider Man?

[Jesse David Fox]

This is good one. I am Jesse David Fox, senior writer and vulture and author of comedy book. My guest today is Leslie Jones. We discussed her newest peacock Stand up Special, Life Part 2, Her Favorite Saturday Night Live sketches, and how she wishes people could see the version of Ghostbusters they filmed instead of the one that was released. So here is Leslie Jones. I'm here with Leslie Jones. Thank you for joining me. What's the funniest thing that happened to you this week?

[Leslie Jones]

I don't know if it's the funniest thing, but we went to the Chris Brown concert, which was, by the way, Chris, if you ever, okay. Decide to get a cougar. I am your cougar. Okay. I will make you the best grilled cheese sandwiches you've ever had. But they, we were in a suite, like, in a suite, like, and they got into a full brawl in the suite. Next, the two girls got into a straight. Like, I'm talking about, have you ever seen a players club like that fight scene? It was like that. And then maybe 15 minutes later, they were dancing with each other. So we're like, Kristen took you through several emotions. Damn. Yeah. So, yeah, that was crazy.

[Jesse David Fox]

So I think of careers in, in show businesses. There's sort of errors. People go in and, and like, especially even as you lay it out in your book, it's like SNL is sort of this, your career builds to it and it says different errors that build to it. So what I want to start with, you left SNL in 2019. How would you describe the era of these last five, six years?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, just like what, doing things that I really want to do, like, the touring and doing a couple of movies and, you know, just being free to do my own projects and, you know, write my own comedy. Write, you know, who I am, you know. You know, let people know who I am as a whole, you know, because when I was at snl, you know, they, they, you know, they, they make you into a certain character that you, you know, play that people know you from. Because it's really funny when people come up to me and be like, snl. They. I, I'm. I'm. I'm such a big fan. I'm. I'm such a big fan. When you were on snl. And I'll be like, nah, you're not a real big fan. Because I was 47, so I had, like, 40 years of a career before that. So if you was really. But I do understand because that's when they actually, I was discovered by them, so that I take into appreciation. But I'd be like, yeah, I've been. It's not over. I started in 87.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. You know, so is that partly what life Part two means? Yeah, Life Part two, the name of the.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, yeah. Like, it, it means. It means, like, like when you're young. We was just talking about that. We, we didn't know how lucky we was. We, like, had free room and board, like, free food, entertainment. Everything was free. And then you grow up and you go through experience. Like, I think it was about maybe five years ago that I realized my parents was taking care of two kids in their 20s. You know, they wasn't as old as we thought they were. So it's like the, the things that I'm describing in this special is things that I'm experiencing now at this age, you know, and how I look back and go, oh, wow, I was wild. Why are the kids not as wild as I was? Or, you know, so, like, time Machine was a time in my life. Problem Child was a time in my life. Now this special is present.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

If that makes any sense.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Yeah. There's a joke in this new special I want to talk about. It is.

[Leslie Jones]

You saw it.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Okay.

[Leslie Jones]

I know. I'm okay. Every time I say, every time I discover that the person has seen the special, I flip out because they like it. And I'll be like. Cause you guys. Lenny, I am so petrified about this special because I, you know. Okay, I'm glad you said this. I'm glad you asked. This problem child for me, I think, was the funniest special I've ever Done. Lenny's like, no way. You're way more advanced. Time machine, this and this. But, like, I feel like I used to be, like, a. A beast. Like, I used to. Just a killer. Right now I feel like I've softened up because I'm not as hungry as I used to be. You know, it's not like when you go do sets, it's like, I gotta make this $75, so I gotta make sure that they laugh, you know? Now it's like, I don't give a fuck. You know what I'm saying? And I want them to laugh, but it's like I'm more like, I know you're gonna laugh.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

Then you're like, they may laugh, but now you're like, I know they're gonna laugh. But this special was filled with such serious things that I made funny that I really thought people were gonna be like, oh, she's all right. You know what I mean? So when people tell me they like the special, I'd be like, really cool.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. I mean, in many ways, it's like now, in retrospect, Time Machine was like a transition special to, like. This is.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, good word. Transition. That is a good dude. Seriously, that. I've been trying to describe what time machine was because it was good.

[Jesse David Fox]

But, like, it is still a little bit of the comedian. You were in Problem Child, and then the comedian are now. Because Prom Child, for those who haven't seen it, there's a moment in it which is the most remarkable moment I've ever seen in Santo Special where your face is pressed upon a woman's face and you're yelling at her, and your faces are pressed up on each other and you're yelling at her. You're just saying, you beautiful bitch.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, it's so fun.

[Jesse David Fox]

And she is, like, convulsing.

[Leslie Jones]

It's so fun. Oh, my God. Crowd work is my favorite thing. So I was always known for going out in the audience, and people didn't know that. So that's why I did it in Problem Child. Even when I went on tour with Katt Williams, Katt was like. Cause I was like, can I do this certain joke? He was like, I'll let you do that joke if you go out in the audience and do crowd work. Cause, you know, I love that. So, you know, I've never been. I'm funny, so I always like to make people laugh at themselves, because those are jokes that they will take and go, oh, my God. You know what Leslie Jones said about me?

[Jesse David Fox]

And they.

[Leslie Jones]

They'll you know what I mean? They carry the joy everywhere. So I've never been too scared to. To do that type of stuff. But it's like you grow, you know, and that's a good description. That time machine was a little bit of problem child.

[Jesse David Fox]

Do some crowd work, and you have like, the Prince joke where you dance for, like, feel like five minutes straight. Yeah. And there's some judging this, but it's not as extended. There's more talking. The pieces feel like more.

[Leslie Jones]

More like cohesive.

[Jesse David Fox]

Cohesive. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, wow.

[Jesse David Fox]

Which I. So which gets into what I think is one of the most impressive pieces of the special, which is the joke. You. You talk. You start by saying you're fortunate that you got famous later in life because you were trying to be famous in your 20s.

[Leslie Jones]

I was a hoe.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Things would have been differently, which is already. But your way of. The way of being. For example, this is what you. How you would have behaved. Can you describe where the joke then goes? The menu would have slept.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, you want me to say Lenny? Do you want me to do that?

[Jesse David Fox]

Can you just summarize?

[Leslie Jones]

Talk about the Harvey Weinstein stuff? Yeah, go ahead. Okay, so. So, okay. The Harvey Weinstein thing is completely awful. We all know that. Because people think that when I'm writing jokes, I don't know what. But if you look at what I'm saying, you will understand what I'm saying, Right? Like the slave joke that I did on snl, that came from bad dating. It didn't come from me going to history work. It came like. I think I did a podcast with Toure, and he was like, no, black people hate that you think that about yourself. Well, black people are not being real. Because if we came, if we got Quantum Leap back there, I would be a Mandingo and they would breed me. So don't fucking. Like. I know that about myself. And the joke was, is that I would get all the best men. I wouldn't be struggling with like, it is so those. That's where I go with the joke. Harvey Weinstein. The Harvey Weinstein joke is real. Cause I really wanted to be famous. And I was like, if I could, I have fucked the most un. The most unhelpful men in my. None of them had hookups. Maybe at the liquor store. I ain't never had nobody that could give me a movie or nothing. Like I say, the mailman, I fucked up. Mailman that gave me some free stamps. Everybody gave me chlamydia with it. You know what I'M saying, so it's, like, really funny that I was that type of whore. That sweet. Me and my hairdresser. Talk about something. Yeah, I would have did it. I would have fucked him there. Yeah. I fucked some of the worst men in my life. You know Harvey Weinstein? Yes. He's probably very terrible, but, yes, if he said I was going to get a movie, I probably would have fucked him.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah. I was fucking everybody else. I was fucking everybody else for free and not even getting dinner. Like, it's real. It's. It's very real. So, you know, and similar to the.

[Jesse David Fox]

Slave joke, which I do think this is like a. I don't want to.

[Leslie Jones]

Say I'm scared about that joke too, but I think it's hilarious.

[Jesse David Fox]

But the thing that I think is comparable is that you can tell it comes from. You had a feeling that was so powerful in you that your brain went to the most extreme version of the situation. Right. Like, this is a joke. It's partly about yourself, but partly also, like, I see that joke and you see a person who's like, why can't I be in Shakespeare in Love?

[Leslie Jones]

Right? Yeah. Like, I wanted to be the English Patient, you know what I'm saying? You know how many awesome movies I maybe be retiring. I would be in a white coat maybe, but, you know, I would be retiring now with a couple of Emmys and Oscars.

[Jesse David Fox]

Did it come out of that frustration of being like, why is Mike.

[Leslie Jones]

No, let me tell you where. Let me tell you where it came from. It came from when I was young, I was a whore, and I probably would have fucked someone. That's where it came from. It didn't come from me wanting my career. I knew it came from me saying I was a whore. And there's a good chance that if I got into the office with Harvey Weinstein and he came on to me, I probably would have been like, yeah, I fuck it, but does it. I don't want to take away from the women who it happened to. Does that make sense? It really is just about me, you know?

[Jesse David Fox]

So, yeah, I think that's the. The nuance of the joke is figuring out, yeah, how can you play with it? Because there's especially the Harvey.

[Leslie Jones]

We'll.

[Jesse David Fox]

We'll talk about how it escalates. But in the Harvey part, you go, I want to go to his hotel. You can come by my place.

[Leslie Jones]

I'm fried chicken because I'm ghetto as fuck. So why would I go to his hotel? No, come through the house. I'm Going to do the whole thing. I'm going to fix you dinner. We gonna watch movies. You gonna have some cornbread and some chicken and greens.

[Jesse David Fox]

Why?

[Leslie Jones]

Why fuck on an empty stomach?

[Jesse David Fox]

So how does it then develop? So the joke then names other men.

[Leslie Jones]

It names other men Bill Cosby. Because back in the day we didn't know Cosby was doing that. We didn't. And it's real talk. Cause like, it's you putting me to sleep. I liked sleep. I'm gonna think that that was good sex. So I'm gonna wake up and go, the motherfucker knocked me out. The dick was so good it knocked me out.

[Jesse David Fox]

So how do you work on a joke like this? Because I imagine if you just went up and riffed it, there might be some audience members.

[Leslie Jones]

No, the way that you riff it, the way that I write it and the way that I perform, it's too funny. Now. Let me tell you, this is what you'll have in the audience. You first say it and they'd be like. And then when you start going, you can see them going, oh, damn, should I. And then when, by the time I hit the Cosby. Oh, they're like dying at this point because it's like she's being honest. Like, I mean, I'm not saying these are decisions I would make now. I'm talking about when I was 20 and dumb as fuck and had the.

[Jesse David Fox]

Body of a harlot and wanted fame in a specific way.

[Leslie Jones]

No, it wasn't about what. I used that in the joke, but I used that in a joke to make it, you know. But yeah, well, then again I think about. Yeah, probably.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Did it ever go poorly or every time you're able to sort of. Well, you mean like where the audience.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, no. When I was testing it out, it hit immediately because I was really. Because when you writing a joke, you make yourself laugh first and you write it into it. And yeah, so the first couple of times you're trying to. You are rifting it. But you know, when you, a really, really good comedian already has the punchline made, it's just about rifting the rest of it around it, the tags and everything. So the joke, when you first think of it, it already makes you laugh. So just starting, just building on it is to, you know. Yeah, so cuz Whitney Cummings gave me the. Whitney Cummings gave me the one line for Bill Cosby. I forgot what it was. Oh yeah, I slept. You made me sleep all night or some shit.

[Jesse David Fox]

Oh, the song.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, yeah, she's. She, she and Then found out because we couldn't use the. I don't know if you saw. Because I went, yeah, they cut that out. I found out that that was the Living Single song. Didn't know.

[Jesse David Fox]

And then you're. Because you're filming it using the melody counts as you'd have to get.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, no. And yeah. And Living Single was like, nah, we don't want to be associated.

[Jesse David Fox]

So what, how do you write it? Like, what is your process in terms of like, what will you go on stage with? What will you do ahead of time? Like, how much do you.

[Leslie Jones]

I, I don't do anything ahead of time. Which Lenny sometimes.

[Jesse David Fox]

So Lenny is your, your regular partner?

[Leslie Jones]

Lenny is my lion tamer. He helps me, like I'll tell him the idea and he helps me put it into word form. Like. Cause sometimes I'll be describing something. He'd be like, that's you. No, say you know what I'm saying. Or he'll give me a line. Like I'll say a line and it'll be like, yo, if you take this word out and put this word here, like he's fucking a nerd. Like a nerd nerd. So like he reconstructs a lot of stuff that I say. So yeah, like when I go out, when Lenny first met me, Lenny was like, you're just a bucking horse on the stage and you have like, all your jokes are funny but no one's gonna remember em because they're not in any kind of order. So he was like, where's your set list? And I was like, I don't have a set list. And he was like, bitch, the Rolling Stones have a set list. You think you better than the Rolling fucking Stones? So that's where he started with me getting me a set list. So I can do it in the order that. But most of the time I love going on stage and just fucking going. And he hates it. He hates it. He's very organized because he knows I'll do 30 minutes on one joke.

[Jesse David Fox]

So you. Will you talk out with.

[Leslie Jones]

He's talking shit right now. You see his face?

[Jesse David Fox]

So you'll talk it out and then also go on stage and just sort of riff on it.

[Leslie Jones]

And then like, sometimes I'll talk it out, sometimes I'll be like, lenny, I got a joke, I'm gonna do it. And then he'd be like, oh God, remember to do this joke and that one before you do it, you know, so he can hear it. And then I like, I like to go on the joke. And do it and then let him hear it. And then he'll be like, oh, yeah, that is good. You got something there. You know what I'm saying?

[Jesse David Fox]

So in your book, you say, comedy is not jokes, it's expression. And I think a lot of people think comedy is just jokes. And you explain that, like, jokes is part of the building blocks, but it's sort of more of that. Can you explain what that means?

[Leslie Jones]

I just feel like comedians, new comedians don't understand that being a standup is not easy. They think that it's easy. Like, you'll have people that be like, oh, I'm funny. You know, I'm funny. You know, okay, so who do you make laugh? No, I'm. I. And I generally ask them, who do you make laugh? Oh, my people at work. And then my. And then your mama and your dad and all of them, they like you and they. They deal with your shit. I said, but can you make your mama and your daddy's friends laugh and their friends laugh and their aunts laugh and their store? Like, see, I can make everybody laugh across the board. Because when you're start starting with a joke, you're starting with something that everybody is going through, especially you, and it is expression. You have to come out with the energy of the joke because that makes it go across. It's too many factors to be in a comedian than just sitting down and writing jokes. I, I just, I. It's stage. It's the way you handle yourself on stage. It's the way you. You pause, the way you hold the mic, the way you may speak. It's so many other factors to comedy than just writing a joke. So the expression of it, you know, some, like, I'll put it like this. That Harvey Weinstein joke that you looked at, you laughed because of the way that I expressed it to you. You know what I'm saying? But if I was just sitting here and we was talking, I've been like, I fuck Harvey Weinstein. All y' all would be like, what? Girl, what's wrong with you? You know what I mean?

[Jesse David Fox]

No. 100%. I think the performance of that joke is everything. I mean, there's. Especially in the. There's a moment in the Harvey Weinstein thing where you are almost romantic to him. And it is so fucked up. And also. But you can tell, it's so fucked up that you're like, this undeniably is a joke. I think the other thing, speaking of performance, the ending of the joke is fascinating.

[Leslie Jones]

The ending of the joke is my Favorite part, because they're so. Even if they were mad at me or they were thinking whatever when I say. And yes, I would testify because I'm an old woman now, and I can go ahead and tell y' all what the fuck I used to do when I was young and. But I'm rich now, and I have Emmys, and I. I'm. I'm a. A egot because of the things that I sacrificed. And now I want to tell you how dirty that was.

[Jesse David Fox]

And then you. So you. You walk to the back, you put on your glasses, and then you.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, God.

[Jesse David Fox]

You do the.

[Leslie Jones]

Let me tell you the whole. Listen, did you see how I grabbed the pearl?

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

Because I'm. I'm upset that I have to be here. And I'm so classy now. When I used to be a whore, and now I carry myself with so much class. Cause I have money now. I was just telling.

[Jesse David Fox]

I was showing my coworkers just the part. I was like, you don't know. I'll tell you the context of the bit. Just watch. You do that. And it's so funny. It's like when I say.

[Leslie Jones]

But, like, my favorite part is when I sit down and get settled and you know that I'm a classy woman. And then I go, harvey was a dirty motherfucker. Like, I'm about to tell you the tea. His dick looked like a gelta fish. It was crazy.

[Jesse David Fox]

Have you seen Chicago? It reminded me of Roxy Hart in Chicago.

[Leslie Jones]

Yes, yes, that was.

[Jesse David Fox]

Oh, and then you say, you got to be mature to get that joke.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah.

[Jesse David Fox]

So what does that mean?

[Leslie Jones]

Because, all right, society now is just so offended. Y' all walk around so offended. I get it. I get it that there's a lot of things that have happened that we need to correct, the way that we act and all of that. But sometimes we need to take a chance. Take a chance and laugh at something. Like, have a sense of humor. So most mature people who will hear that joke will laugh because they know I'm joking and they know what the basis of it is. But someone who's offended is going to be, well, I was offended by her saying that, because this. And then the women. Well, that means that you didn't go into your comedy mind. Don't come to a fucking comedy show and get offended. Comedy shows are completely offensive. They're supposed to be. They're supposed to make you feel something. They're supposed to make you feel. They're supposed to. They're supposed to make you laugh at the Pain. Laugh at the pain because you got. You cried enough laugh, find that funny to make you survive. That's our job as a comic. Comedians. That's our job. And a lot of comedians are not doing their job. They're politicians now instead of fucking comedians. Because you could talk about strong things and strong subjects and make them funny. That's our job. Our job is not to change some. Our job is not to be therapists. And none of that. It is therapy. It's laugh therapy. Right.

[Jesse David Fox]

Right.

[Leslie Jones]

When you hear a joke, you supposed to go, oh my God, I thought I was the only one who felt that. Oh my gosh, she's made it funny. Does that make sense?

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. I mean, at minimum, it can relieve the pressure of not being able to laugh about a thing. But.

[Leslie Jones]

But that's my thing. That's what our job is. Our job is to be levity. That's what art is. That's what music is. That's what acting is. That's what comedy is. We have those arts to. For levity.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

We can't always be serious. You gotta take a break. You gotta take. And let me tell you something. You walk around your life offended, you will never be happy. You won't ever be happy if you're always offended. And you gotta look at yourself and find out why, you know?

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. I mean, that's the thing that it. It'll come up. Like in your book, you make a real point about being like. Not letting things ruin your life is a thing that comes up a few times that you'll have hard things that happen to you to not let it ruin your life. And I think this joke and throughout the special, it is not like you're belittling people who had bad experiences. It's a joke about you. It's also to be like, here's the most ridiculous way of engaging with this.

[Leslie Jones]

To let you know how much of a whore I was. The extent that would go of my ism.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

You know what I'm saying?

[Jesse David Fox]

And to sort of just an. As a portrait of you and just sort of like it is not unaware that people had bad experience.

[Leslie Jones]

Exactly. And that's, that's why it was just like it. You just, just. You just walk around offended. You wouldn't. I don't think none of these young people would have survived Joan Rivers or Don Rickles or that they. They wouldn't have been able to survive them comics.

[Jesse David Fox]

There's another thing that happens in the special where their. How do you. You do an act out for. I think I think. Let me get the exact wording. Crack your back dick, you do a poplin lock little thing.

[Leslie Jones]

And I'm saying it is. You just made it so nerdy. Your back dick. We'd like to talk about that.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yes.

[Leslie Jones]

When did crack your back happen?

[Jesse David Fox]

No. Well, the question I have is. And all your, you know, like, as I said, there was the Prince act out there is the. The Cartwheel joke. The joke where you do cartwheel.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, my God.

[Jesse David Fox]

And the thing that I was curious about is, as you said, you like to go on stage and you just like to go. And you have energy. But you also describe yourself as a Virgo. You are a Virgo, which suggests a certain amount of meticulousness. How do you plan out or think out these act outs while also being.

[Leslie Jones]

Because you see it. You see it and feel it, like in your mind. Yeah, like it's. It's a special person in my mind that goes, do this, do this right now. And then love physical like John Ritter. John Ritter was one of my favorite physical comics because he would. You could. Him and Lucille Ball. You can completely tell what the hell is going on on their face. Like, you know, they do that. You know that. Or this just. You just cannot stop. When he would fall over the couch, I would lose my shit. Every fall over the couch. For me, with John Ritter was the best thing in my life. Whenever they had an episode where he would run in the couch and run into the back and flip, I would lose every piece of my shit. Like, I thought that was so funny. So when I'm doing a joke, it's just so fun to act out some things because people love that. You know, People love that.

[Jesse David Fox]

How do you. Is like for example, in the. The Prince dance in the. In time machine, which is the one longest act outs I've ever seen. So essentially this for the setup is you see, take Prince at a club. You're trying to seduce him. You have a ponytail on A true story and you're just dancing how you dance or print and then your ponytail.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, well, it was because I was trying to out hold a hoes that had already ganged up by the rig the red velvet. And they looked beautiful. They looked like Prince but with them. So I was like, hey, I gotta do something special.

[Jesse David Fox]

If someone had seen you perform that joke 30 times, would the dance be similar every time or would.

[Leslie Jones]

No, they change every time. They. The only thing that stayed the same was the Tina. The Tina. The Tina Turner. That's just as one of my favorite. The Tina Turner thing. Oh, God, I love it.

[Jesse David Fox]

That's an amazing joke.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, God, I love that joke.

[Jesse David Fox]

I asked a little. We talked a little bit about crowd work, but I want to talk a little bit more just because it is. Do you still go out in the audience as much or.

[Leslie Jones]

No, I don't go out in the audience now because, you know, I'm Leslie Jones. So it's just.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

It's such a different thing now because it's like Leslie Jones goes in crowds and attacks a person. You know, that's what they'll do.

[Jesse David Fox]

That sucks.

[Leslie Jones]

But, you know, so what I said that I was going to do was maybe do a special where I just do crowd work and go out in the crowd, because that I. There's certain events that I do go out in the crowd. If they're paying me and they're there to see me, I do go out into that crowd. But, like, on tour, I just wouldn't. Yeah, people are crazy.

[Jesse David Fox]

People are insane.

[Leslie Jones]

And then, like, I used to hit people on the head with the mic I used to do in the special. I've done some crazy things and. Yeah, you have to. You have to. I'm Leslie Jones now, so it's different.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, I guess if you had, like, right. If you do a special for it, you'd get, like, consent forms.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, of course. Yeah. See, now you got to get consent form. Can you imagine if I had to get consent form back in the day.

[Jesse David Fox]

Agree to be talked to by Leslie James.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, my God.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. And then the problem is you'd get only people who want.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah. And that's not good because then they continue to talk and make it like, they make it about themselves. People want to be famous so bad, they got to have a 15 minutes. So when. It's always funner when you mess with people who don't expect you to mess with them. That's the fun part.

[Jesse David Fox]

Can you think of a particularly bad or good time you did it.

[Leslie Jones]

That.

[Jesse David Fox]

It didn't work or worked so well or, like, work? I'd famously.

[Leslie Jones]

It always works. But I have had people. I did a show one time, and the guy. The guy who hired me came up to me and said, hey, the girl is upset that you hit her in the head with the mic. Can you go out and apologize to her? And I was like, no, Abso fucking lutely not. If anything, I'm gonna hit that bitch again. And then it's like. It's like, yo, so you offended, but you laughed when I was doing it, like, and you want me to come out and apologize for my joke that you paid? He was. And then the said, I'll pay you $500 to go out and say you sorry. And I said, you. I'm not doing that. And when I got to apologize for my jokes, then I need to stop doing this, cuz I. That's part of the act. Let that bitch go home. And you shouldn't have brought your offended ass out. And turns out she wasn't really offended. She just wanted to take a picture with me.

[Jesse David Fox]

So did you end up taking a picture with her? How'd you find. Yes.

[Leslie Jones]

Cause I went out, I said, girl, for real? And she was like, girl? Nah, I just said, yeah, yeah, girl. No, you didn't get offended? Shit. Suck more dick. You know I did. No, I ain't gonna even tell that story. Nevermind.

[Jesse David Fox]

What?

[Leslie Jones]

Nope. Not gonna tell that story. Nope. Nope.

[Jesse David Fox]

What's the. What's the vicinity of the story?

[Leslie Jones]

It was a celebrity that I did that to. And afterwards she was like, yeah, I don't suck no dick. And I looked at her and I was like, if you don't suck his dick, think somebody will? I'm not gonna tell you who it was. I'll tell you when we get off.

[Jesse David Fox]

Damn. Damn.

[Leslie Jones]

I'm not gonna do that to them.

[Jesse David Fox]

So the last major thing people saw you on team for was the SNL50, right? How did you come to me to host the pre show?

[Leslie Jones]

The. Oh, Lauren asked me. He was like, can you come do it? And I was like, yeah, sure. And he was like, I know you're gonna, you know the people. You know how to handle the people. So.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. What were your best memories from that week?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, everything. Like it was so well that I looked so good first of all. And Pedro. Is it Pedro?

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

Cause you know. Oh, let me tell you. Called him Pablo until he told me his name was Pedro. So I was like, Pablo, Pablo. And he was like, Pedro. And I was like, Pablo. He's like, Pedro. And I was like, who the fuck is Pedro? And he was like, that's my name. And I was like, oh, okay, I'll call you Pedro. Even though Pablo's better.

[Jesse David Fox]

Like.

[Leslie Jones]

He'S so cute too.

[Jesse David Fox]

Any other memories?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh man, the afterparty. Buster Rhymes. I got to get up there and dance with Buster Rhymes. The after parties are always. The SNL's afterparties are legendary. Oh my God. One time Dave Chappelle came and he had an after party. We didn't leave until 5 in the morning. Is like the best parties at the 50th.

[Jesse David Fox]

Did you get to meet anyone you've never met before?

[Leslie Jones]

Merle street and Nathan Lane. I thought I was gonna die. I could literally die. And Meryl Streep was so nice to me. We had a conversation. I was like, oh, my God. I had a conversation with fucking Meryl Streep. And then I told her. I was like, you know, I'm older. So I was like, yo, one of my favorite movies is Silkwood. And she just looked at me. She goes, how old are you? I did that to Jodie Foster. I was like, yo, do you remember. Oh, God, what's the name of that movie? Lenny? Oh, God, that's. She did when she was young. Foxes. Little Foxes, Yo. I said fo. She was like, yo, how old are you? I was like, yo, that was one of my, like, coming of age movies.

[Jesse David Fox]

What did you say to Nathan?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, I just said that you're a beast. And, like, Bird Cage is something that I've watched at least 50 times. You're like, he's one of the. His timing, everything about him is incredible.

[Jesse David Fox]

What was it like doing the Black Jeopardy with Tracy and Eddie Murphy?

[Leslie Jones]

Doing Tracy so well, I didn't know that Eddie was going to imitate Tracy Morgan until rehearsal. And I'm telling you, rehearsal, no one could stop laughing because when he said that I was conceived on the set of Claudine. Every. I'm telling you, any black person that was watching that fell on the floor because Claudine was like, you know, James Earl Jones and Diane Carroll. I was like, only Tracy would say that, though. And my favorite part is when it was like, Tracy was like, I don't see it. Oh, it's just like, one of the funniest things ever. Oh, so good.

[Jesse David Fox]

So around the time of the 50th, you did an interview with Torre, and you talked about some of the frustrations you had at Allen. Specifically, there was a director that you didn't.

[Leslie Jones]

Lord, here we go.

[Jesse David Fox]

Well, the first question is.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, Lord.

[Jesse David Fox]

I think with. What's really interesting about how you talk about SNL is you do not erase the frustrations you had while also saying you have a good time. I think some people, when you talk about the frustration, they ignore that you also enjoyed it. Yeah. How do you. When you think about the time, is it. Do they live concurrently? Like, how do you. How do you reconcile?

[Leslie Jones]

Well, think about this. Think about this. What's the worst job you've ever had? What's the worst job you ever had?

[Jesse David Fox]

Well, I Don't want to say for. I worked at a talent agency.

[Leslie Jones]

Okay, okay. That's stressful. But there were fun times there. Yeah, you had fun times. Just like I worked at Roscoe's. It wasn't always wonderful, but I had fun times. It's just like any job. There's gonna be good times, there's gonna be bad times, there's gonna be stressful times. It's any job. Now, is SNL a big stress? Yes. It's mentally and physically hard, but that's why you gotta be good when. That's why you gotta be ready when you go in there. Because it is. Is a machine. It is a const. Institution if they. If. And you be in an institution if you don't hand it right.

[Jesse David Fox]

But.

[Leslie Jones]

But it is an institution. And it's like, the thing I had to realize is, like, oh, I. I'm not going to be able to change snl. I'm not. You know what I'm saying? I. I gotta go. Cause SNL is what SNL is. It's supposed to be that. Like, this is what I tell people all the time. When I left and got, you know, cured, and you have. You have your mental moments and stuff, I realized that Lauren is like a puppet master. He has to make people in California and Omaha laugh at the same thing. Do you know how hard that is? That's a very hard thing. So, yeah, it was a hard job. Yes, it was mentally hard. Because it's not just a hundred hours, it's 200 hours. So. But, God, I. I mean, every time Showtime came around and Keenan would start singing. You are just. You're hyped.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

It's like a drug.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. I mean, I think it's like the show is like a large ship. You cannot turn it quickly. You can move it slightly in a direction.

[Leslie Jones]

Exactly. You can move it slightly. That's. Damn, you have some good shit. Yeah, you can move it slightly.

[Jesse David Fox]

And I do think probably people on the show, after you had a different experience than you did because of.

[Leslie Jones]

Wow, okay, I like this guy. Fuck, yes. Absolutely.

[Jesse David Fox]

Have you heard of anyone that. Have you heard about your legacy in that regard in terms of.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, I mean, you know, all the time. You know, ego tells me all the time. Yeah, yeah. And it's you. You know, I'm always surprised when I can influence anyone. Cause I'm so crazy. But, yeah, I didn't know that I was actually in there doing my own thing.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Did you run into that Director at the 50?

[Leslie Jones]

Yes. And, you know, What? Ken, I don't care at this point. Y' all all know, first of all, I don't like him. Okay, let me just tell y' all something about white men. Y' all are entitled. And you're. You're assholes. Like, you're entitled assholes. You think that you're supposed to be given everything, and you're not, like. So he comes over to me, and he know I don't like him. Oh, Leslie. That's just what happened. Shut up. You was a fucking asshole then. And Paul Rudd sees that I don't like him. So Paul is like, oh, I'm enjoying this. And he goes. Cause the guy goes, I want to take a picture with you. I'm not taking a fucking picture with you. A piece of shit. I'm not going to take a picture with you. And Paul's like, leslie. And he takes the picture. I wanted to kill him. And I just. Get your fucking hand off me.

[Jesse David Fox]

One thing about your time at SNL that I want to ask you about is multiple times I've interviewed people who were there when you were there, and they would talk about how you would. How they always want to be near you at table reads.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, for real?

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

You hear people say that?

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

Okay.

[Jesse David Fox]

So multiple cast members were like, I knew. If I knew, where's Leslie? If I got Leslie to laugh, that.

[Leslie Jones]

Was the thing, because. So when I came into snl, I think everybody was just overworked. Just. It's. Oh, snl. I came in like a kid that was like, we do a show every Saturday night. I was like, this is baseball. We get to play baseball every day. So I was excited like that. So the first table read that I went to, I didn't know that they were gonna perform it. It was like a show. So I'm over. I got snacks, everything by my chair, and I'm like, oh, that's fucking funny. Oh, my God. I didn't know that. I didn't know it was affecting people. So every table read, I would laugh. If I didn't laugh, and I would say it, I'd be like, ah, I don't like that one. I would do that. I was like, that's not funny. Like, you know, I would do that. And I just think it started becoming aware of, let's laugh at the sketch. It might get into the show. So, no. And I was very hard, like, at. So hard that Higgins had to be like, hey, if you're gonna tell him it's not funny, at least give him something. Like, if you're gonna say, it's not funny. Say, hey, do this instead. I was like, they should know what the fuck to do. They're comedians. So, yeah, if I laughed hard, it started becoming to where writers would come into my room and go, hey, we about to do this sketch about so and so so and so. You think you know what I'm saying? It's like, yeah, that sounds funny. And then I didn't know sometimes the joke, like, you know the one that Vanessa Behr and Cecily used to do, the Two Sluts? So I didn't know. And I was upset the first time they read that. And I was like. Cause she was like, oh, I thought I was having sex with Navy SEALs. And it turned out to be six seals. And I was like, bitch, you didn't know I was a SEAL after the first one. And I was like, I'm worried about them. I don't know. And then Cecily had to come to the office and go, you know that they're okay, right? They're porn stars. They'll be okay.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, they're getting all these.

[Leslie Jones]

I was like, I don't like it.

[Jesse David Fox]

Me. Can you think of any sketches that you. Any other sketches. Tip or the table read as. As more memorable than even, like, what we saw where you or were like, oh, I saw that first or anything.

[Leslie Jones]

That's one that they always do. And I think they end up doing it with somebody. I can't remember. It was something they tried out with Will Pharaoh, and Will was like, no, I'm not doing that. And it was just really funny. But they kept passing it to, and they finally got somebody to do it. Um, the one that. Hey, who's the chick who plays Harlequin? Margot Robbins, first of all, Margo, I will always fucking love you. Just because how you came into snl. She came in there like a fricking rock star. Like, all the crazy things they wanted the pretty girls to do, they wouldn't do. She did every one of them. And I think there was this one sketch where she turned ugly or something like it. It's so funny. No one wanted to do that. When she dabs like, I love her. Yeah, yeah. It's a lot of sketches.

[Jesse David Fox]

So what was the sketch that you were talking about that Margot did? You remember?

[Leslie Jones]

I can't remember. It was something where they were singing. They were singing. And at first she starts. She's a teacher, and she starts off sexy, and then she pulls her teeth out or something. She does really crazy, and she just ends up really, really Ugly. And they're like, no, no, it's. Yeah, it's so good. And we was like, oh, my God, I love her. Oh, Ronda Rousey. Ronda Rousey. I have to tell this one. Ronda Rousey. And this was the week that snl that the whole place was snowed out. Y' all remember when the plays closed down, there was the worst snowstorm. And I remember it was Ronda Rousey and Selena Gomez. And we were in rehearsal, and Ronda Rousey walks to the. To the stage. She trips and does a backflip and lands on her feet. And we all just was like, is that bitch Spider Man? The fuck did she. Who trips like that? Who trips and then backflips? Who does that? Like, that's a way to play off falling down. I was like, damn, girl.

[Jesse David Fox]

I'm just gonna name sketches or things you're in that I love from the show, and we'll just. Whatever you remember from it.

[Leslie Jones]

You're gonna say Weezer, aren't you? The Weezer sketch.

[Jesse David Fox]

I don't have to. I was gonna say Weezer. Thing is. Because I'm wearing glasses.

[Leslie Jones]

No, because every white man that I've ever talked to loves that Weezer sketch.

[Jesse David Fox]

I honestly, I. I do like that sketch, but I do like that you were in that sketch.

[Leslie Jones]

Well, the. And, you know, I didn't understand until I started doing the sketch how important it was for me to be in the sketch. Because when they came to me, I was like, first of all, who the fuck is Weezer? And Matt Damon didn't know who Weezer was either. So he was like, do you know who Weezer? I was like, no, I don't know who Weezer is. And he was like, well, we gonna pretend that we know who Weezer is. So I used Marvin Gaye as my thing. But then when we started doing it, I was like, this is not funny. This is not gonna be funny. The only funny part is gonna be when Matt goes. You know. But it turned out so funny. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I remember Fred Armisen calling me, going, dude, that's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. And I was like, damn. Know, it was going to affect people the way it did.

[Jesse David Fox]

The sketch I was going to ask you about, this is probably the most obscure sketch I asked about, which is the House Hunter sketch you did with Life Shriver.

[Leslie Jones]

Yes.

[Jesse David Fox]

Just what do you remember that?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, I just remember Live not liking the way I talk. I was like, you don't like the way I talk? He was like, you. You. You got this speech thing that you do. And I go, yeah, yeah. I got. Yeah, my. Sometimes I stutter on my words. He's like, yeah, yeah, I know. I was like, well, thank you. You cute. You ain't. But. But he was psycho enough to really. For us to kill that sketch. I loved that sketch. It was so dumb. But is it not House Hunters or not? It was so perfect.

[Jesse David Fox]

You guys were just really graphic.

[Leslie Jones]

I think Ken and Kent and James wrote that. I think, yeah.

[Jesse David Fox]

James Anderson and Kent.

[Leslie Jones]

So good.

[Jesse David Fox]

Naked and Afraid. Oh.

[Leslie Jones]

So I pitched that because I used to watch Naked and Afraid. And the one thing about Naked and Afraid, those are the most narcissistic, selfish pieces of shit that get naked and walk through the woods. When he came, he didn't. He didn't like. He was all like, you know. So I was like, you know what? It'd be kind of funny if we did Naked and Afraid. So I said, let me picture it. He might like it. So I was like, let's do Naked and Afraid. A celebrity version. And he was like, will we be naked? I was like, and afraid. And it turned out to be the funniest. And I brought the Frank's hot sauce. I brought it with me for my lunch. So when they was like, you gonna be eating leaves? I was like, not if I ain't got no motherfucking hot sauce on it. So there was one where my legs was wide open. I told him. I was like, yo, you gotta. Cause I'm ghetto and I'm sitting there. And they were like, you are? No. You know what was the craziest part of that? The funny is. I love this story. So when we did the. Inside the tent. Yeah, dude. The director had to make everyone leave the set because no one could stop laughing because we had to keep. Cause I'm holding on to him. I was like, listen. Cause I. I didn't call him his name. I kept calling him Tyon. And he was like, you know my name is not Tyon. I was like, what is it? And he was like, peter, I'm not calling you no Peter. The fuck out of here. So I was like, I'm gonna call your motherfucking ass, Tyrion who you are, right? So when we was in the train, I was hugging him. I was like. And then they showed me the face that he was making. They were crying, people. He was the director. Oz. Oz was like, oz Rodriguez. He was like, yo, y' all gotta get out the track. Y' all gotta get out. I gotta get this shot. No one could stop laughing. It was so funny.

[Jesse David Fox]

Back home, ballers.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, that's. Oh, one, one, one. One shot. First of all, I was pissed because that was the first pre tape like that I've ever done where I'm involved and didn't know that it takes forever to make a pre tape. Like 14 hours. And I'm sitting there for hours. I was like, yo, y' all need to shoot me the fuck out or I'm gonna leave. Right? So they was like, oh, your part is important. I did my part. One time left. Cause I was like, y' all too serious about this shit. I mean, even, you know, when I threw the candy, I did first tape.

[Jesse David Fox]

First tape by.

[Leslie Jones]

And they were. And when they was. They was like, holy shit. So that's when I realized I hated pre tape. And that's when everybody realized they was going to put me in every pre tape ever.

[Jesse David Fox]

One more pre tape. Leslie wants to play Trump.

[Leslie Jones]

My favorite. One of my favorite. Yeah, that. That came from me actually wanting to play Trump, so. Because I was like, David, you know, Alec Bowman was supposed to be leaving or something like that. And I was like, it would be great if I played Trump like that. That would be. That would piss him off at. So I was like, lauren, yeah, I want to be Trump. And he was like, no. And I was like, oh, I'm gonna be fucking Trump. And then they wrote it.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Cause there's a moment even in that where there's this. The. When I was rewatching that I forgot where you're screaming at Lauren about how you don't like her in sketches.

[Leslie Jones]

Screaming, we're crying. Everybody is crying. Even Lauren is dying. So I didn't know Lauren was gonna actually let me do that, like, grab him. So every time I would grab him and then they say cut, I'd be like, oh, I'm sorry, Lauren. I was just trying to wrinkle up your swe. So the funniest part about that is that I'm going off. He let me tear up the office and everything. And then the people that was standing down there watching me beat up. No, the part. Wait a minute. I don't. When I got married, was it the Mary one? Or was it I missed the kids play or something when Kyle shot Colin?

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

And Lauren is just sitting there watching her. That's literally snl. Everything could be going crazy, and Lauren.

[Jesse David Fox]

Just be like that. Those are the last sketches that Lauren was, like, a major character in. He hasn't really been in.

[Leslie Jones]

No, he don't But I'll be begging him, like, come on, that's one sketch I wanted to do. And he was like, no. He loved reading it, though. But he was like, no, it was this sketch where. Okay, so Bill Hader is for me. I know that everybody imitates Lauren, but for me, Bill Hader is the best impressionist of Lauren because he does Lauren in different situations. So he does Lauren in the shower. It's. I promise, if you ever see him, write it down and say, leslie says her favorite imitation is you doing Lauren in the shower and have him fucking do it. It will make you cry. So he's always going, beep, beep, beep, beep. So what I did was we wrote a update where I. Where Whoopi gets shot. So I listen, I thought it was a great idea, even though me and Kenan had smoked a joint before and we was just laughing. I was like, wouldn't it be funn if I pretend to be Whoopi and then brought the real Whoopi in? And Colin doesn't believe that that's Whoopi, and he ends up shooting her.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

So when he shoots her, you know how the network goes. They put up. Oh, so they put up pictures of Lauren on a moped. We'll be back after this. And then they put up another one where he's surfing, riding the waves. Beep, beep. Yep. Oh, my God. We were at. Every time he would read it, me and Keenan was on the floor. We was just dying. And then he goes. After he finished the sketch, he goes, you know we can't kill Whoopi on the air, right? I was like, whoopi loved it. I told her she loved it. I was like, we could have made history.

[Jesse David Fox]

You, you're part of one more chaotic sketches, like, of recent memory, which is the gift wrapping sketch where James Franco cuts his hand off and squirts fake blood into your head.

[Leslie Jones]

He's a sadist. I'm telling that boy is a. Say this. First of all, he knew that. First of all, I didn't know that. Okay? So I thought that I actually was a good. I can see blood. Apparently not. So I didn't know it was gonna be so much blood. So I got literally sick doing. I threw up in my mouth and swallowed it because I didn't want to throw up live. So we're doing this, and he's doing. And I'm just getting. So if you look at the sketch. If you look at the sketch, you'll see Keenan fighting me for me not to run off the stage. So he's. If you look at it, you'll see him grabbing me, and I'm like. And everybody's like. And then when he spit that shit in my mouth, it was over. It was. I was like, oh, my God, I gotta get off stage. I'm about to throw up. I'm about to throw up. I'm about to throw up. And then he comes. He's like, that was so funny. No, it wasn't, motherfucker.

[Jesse David Fox]

I'll see if you. You're in a sketch with Chris Rock.

[Leslie Jones]

That was when I was his wife.

[Jesse David Fox]

That was one of the. That's the one where he lost bombs in snl. Modern SNL history. And I say this with. With love.

[Leslie Jones]

Wow.

[Jesse David Fox]

But it truly was like, this was on television and no one laughed.

[Leslie Jones]

Now, what did they not laugh? Because I froze. They.

[Jesse David Fox]

You don't.

[Leslie Jones]

You don't.

[Jesse David Fox]

I watched it.

[Leslie Jones]

I've watched you remember me freezing.

[Jesse David Fox]

It just. Honestly, that is not. They. She just seemed to not know what the joke was. What the joke was.

[Leslie Jones]

So the joke was, is that we've been with each other so long that we just been arguing, but we love each other. So it. But we're driving our kid crazy with how we argue and then be like, nah, I love your mama. You know what I'm saying? So that was a sketch. That was my first sketch. Major sketch. And I didn't understand the color of the pins, so I didn't know that the host is always. I think the host is always black or blue.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, I think they're always black.

[Leslie Jones]

It's black. Yeah. And then I had blue. They didn't tell me what my color was, so I didn't know what my lines was. So I'm sitting there trying to put the earring on, and Chris, the. The stage manager's like, laughing. Last night, Last night, last night, last night. I'm surprised they didn't hear him on camera. I remember that being a terrible. I was. So I freaked out, and I. Afterwards, I felt like I was just gonna just jump into the river. And every cast member, including Lauren, came up and said, this is live, baby. And I remember Vanessa Baer sitting down next to me and going. She said, it'll never happen again, will it? And I was like, damn, you guys are so good at maneuver. He's like, yeah, it's happened to everyone.

[Jesse David Fox]

So, yeah, it, like, just plays, like, a really intense play, right?

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah. Cause he can't. I remember Lauren coming over, going, one is live, baby. It happens. Yeah, it Happens.

[Jesse David Fox]

So obviously you're probably best known for the weekend updates 1. And I was watching them, and I think the one that is most impressive is the one you did after the leak, the Ghostbusters related naked pictures leak. Because I think a lot of people.

[Leslie Jones]

Would not be ashamed of it. Yeah.

[Jesse David Fox]

Or it's also that thing that SNL has where something happens with a cast member in celebrity and you're like, well, SNL talk about how they dress it or something sometimes. And then you. What you did is.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, because. Well, the only person that I was embarrassed about my nudes was my aunt and Lauren. I was like, oh, my God, Lauren is gonna be so upset. He wasn't upset. My aunt called me and go, why is your pussy all over my computer? And I was like, I'll help you clean it off, ain't pat. I'll help you clean it. She was like, why is you taking. Why is you taking pictures of your pussy? And I was like, cause I wanted to see what it looked like. So. So I wasn't too ashamed about those pictures. Cause they looked good. But what I was ashamed about is how everybody wanted to handle it, which pissed me the fuck off. You're making me the total victim or the. I'm not a fucking victim. I took those pictures. Somebody came into my personal shit and took. So I took Jennifer Lawrence step. It's like, no, motherfucker, you came into my private shit and you took my shit. And the whole thing about it was, I want everybody to know that was in a point of my life where I was like, about just letting it go, not staying with me. I'm not gonna ever have to go to therapy because I held some shit in. No, fuck that. Like, that's why I did the Emmys. And you remember I did the Emmys and I had the people that guard the answers come guard my. That was the first of it. And I'm gonna tell you, the line that they didn't want me to do was, I just wanted to be. I just wanted to feel beautiful, y', all. Which was a very important thing for people. And then when I got there, I was like, I'm going to do a update. If y' all want to see me naked, just ask me. I have no, just. I didn't already said I'm a fuck, Harvey Weinstein. I have no problem with showing you a nude picture of me.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, it was.

[Leslie Jones]

It's about owning it. It's about owning it and controlling how it gets out. Does that make sense? And it's like if you go into the shameful thing, then it's going to be shameful. But if you go in it with, like, yeah, fuck that. Yeah, I would. No. Then people are going to be like, well. Well, damn.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. I imagine, like, publicists have an idea of how to control a situation. You're like, I'm. I'm grown up. I control it.

[Leslie Jones]

Roseman is one of the best publicists ever. Lauren Roseman knows. Knew exactly how to handle it. It was the lawyer that I had at the time that didn't. He was like, we're going to make this a whole victim thing. You are fired. I fired him on the spot. I said, because you obviously don't get me.

[Jesse David Fox]

The thing about Ghostbusters and a lot of the conversations around. Around Ghostbusters is about, like, how it didn't do as well as it was supposed to. It didn't come out. But I just. I would like to know. You're very funny in this movie. There's parts that are really funny. Is there just a memory from shooting it that you don't get to share? Cause people don't. Yeah, well, just like a positive.

[Leslie Jones]

Well, I will say this. I say this in every interview. When they asked me about Ghostbusters. Sony need to release the movie we actually did. The movie that y' all saw is not the movie we did. It was pieces of it. And the movie we did was fucking brilliant. I'm telling you right now, it was brilliant. I know it was at a hard time, and Sony was. Was in a hard place. They didn't know, really. I think they never really had a situation like that. And I really wish that they would have been brave enough to, like, be back behind us and back it. Because that if they would have put out the movie we did, that shit would have been a hit. But it was a lot of things that they left out. One of the best scenes. And, you know, Michael Williams passed away. Michael Williams choreographed a scene where Chris Hemsworth was possessed by the demon. He was on top of a movie theater. And all of the f. All the FBI agents swatting off. He put them in a trance. And they did this dance. One of the best things. I. I was, like, so excited. Cause I was like, if they put this in the movie, this is gonna be copied through the world. They didn't even put it in the movie. They put it in the credits. We were like, no, that. Like, Chris was so good up on the. He was just like in zoom. And then they was like, yeah. And the.

[Jesse David Fox]

The.

[Leslie Jones]

I can't Remember the white guy that was with Michael?

[Jesse David Fox]

Oh, Matt Wall.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah. Yes. Matt practiced for months to get those moves and I was just like, dang, you guys missed out on that.

[Jesse David Fox]

There was not a full director's cut, but an extended cut that was put online put that's available. And it's pretty similar. But there is one scene that is not in the movie. I double checked that you're in with Melissa McCarthy and you're just looking at Kristen Wiig talking to her boyfriend or her ex boyfriend. It's like essentially a character that's barely in the final movie and you're just describing how you imagined would dance.

[Leslie Jones]

Yes.

[Jesse David Fox]

And it's so. It's funnier than anything.

[Leslie Jones]

I've never seen that.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, it's on. You can find online.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, my God.

[Jesse David Fox]

And she. Her take is that he danced like a white guy. And your take is that actually he'd be really good at dancing. And my favorite. So he's. He's dressed very nerdy. And you go like, once he takes off his V neck, all hell breaks loose. And then Melissa Bary goes under his V neck, he has another V neck and you just break in a movie.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah. Melissa loved to break me. So that was her. That was her goal in life, is to break me.

[Jesse David Fox]

Do you remember any other scenes that you feel like are not in the movie that you.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, my God. The scenes with Melissa and Christian. So you can see how close their relation. Relationship was. They did a whole routine where they did in high school. It was just so many things they could have, like, added. I just. I hate that you guys couldn't see how wonderful it actually was.

[Jesse David Fox]

What was it like promoting the movie? We were with everybody.

[Leslie Jones]

Ghostbusters.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, yo. It was hard, yo. Like for real. I remember seeing Will Smith in Miami when we was on tour and Will was like. I was like, this is so hard. He was like, yeah. He was like, when you get paid for a movie, you get paid for press, not for the movie. And I was like, damn. I mean, it was really hard because, you know, interview after interview after interview. After a while you just run out of shit to say and you do run into a robot. We did. We did an interview at the. I wanna say the Empire State Building. Yes, the Empire State Building. We did the interview and then we were supposed to go to the top. And Lauren Roseman. This again. I love her. I looked like a zombie. If you look at those pictures, I'm not smiling at none of those pictures. And she was like, yeah, you need to Go home. You don't have to go. We getting you a car. We sending you home. Go home and go to sleep. Because I was just like, you're melting inside. They're asking you these questions, and it's like, you know so many. And then you had a lot of rude people like, that would come into the room and test you. Yeah, I'm gonna bite. I'm gonna write a bad review, and you need to tell me why I shouldn't write this review. And that's. I wanted to get up and lock the door and go, now youse can't leave. Like, fuck him up. But I didn't. I didn't.

[Jesse David Fox]

What's a memory from a day shooting, including coming to America, too? Do you have a favorite day on set?

[Leslie Jones]

No. It was a hard movie, too, and it was in Atlanta. It was so hot.

[Jesse David Fox]

What was your least favorite day on set?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, God, having that outfit on and it was so hot. And having this big wig on. But no, that was fun. It was always something for us. Laughing. Like when I was at the table and we were doing the scene, and I didn't. I didn't know it was caviar. I thought it was black mashed potatoes. And I was like, why we got black mashed potatoes? And he was like, oh, no. You're gonna say that. Why these mashed potatoes black? You. You.

[Jesse David Fox]

As you tell a story, you told Lauren when you first met him that you already knew Eddie Murphy. How did you meet Eddie Murphy?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, my God. Do you know how embarrassing, like, now when I think about that, you fucking idiot. So I'm sitting in the office with Lauren talking. And I was. You know, this is when I was interviewing. And I was like, well, I met Eddie Murphy. I just want you to know that Eddie Murphy knows me. And he was like, I'm pretty sure Eddie's very nice. I was like, oh, shit. You stupid. Oh, he has met Robert D. He does not give a fuck. But I met Eddie at the Laugh Factory. He came and saw chocolate sundaes and I performed there, and he thought I was so funny. And I just remember talking to him about bet. Doing bet. I was like, how many times would you have done Comic View? He said, I probably would have only done it once. Cause I would have did so good. He was like, but if you're in this, you can continue to do it. And I was like, yeah, you know, we just had that conversation. And then I used to host this after hours place where after chocolate Sundays, you would go and dance, smoke weed, have your Strippers, you know, more comedy. And he came in with Dara Heath one night real late, and I felt like I bombed. But every time I talked to him, he was like, you were so funny. I was like, no, I was bombing, like. Cause I remember that. That's the one thing that this dude that had the club will remember. He don't remember me going to snl, all that. He goes, remember when you bombed this on Eddie Murphy? No, I didn't. I don't wanna remember.

[Jesse David Fox]

You've said that you've always wanted to play a villain in a movie or TV show. Can you describe your ideal villain as well?

[Leslie Jones]

Okay, I wanna be a serial killer. I wanna be a serial killer, and I want to torture them until they beg me to kill them. So then it wouldn't be really me killing him. It's like a mercy killing. So, yeah, but I wanna be a vigilante. Like, you know, get all the men that treat women of them until they be like, just kill me.

[Jesse David Fox]

And kind of like a Dexter thing.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, well, Dexter. They beg Dexter to kill him.

[Jesse David Fox]

I feel like. Well, not the begging part, but the He. The basic premise of East. He's serial killer, vigilante. Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

No, they have to beg me. They have to say it. Please kill me. Then I'd be like, okay, I'm going to go ahead and put you out your misery. But, yeah, I want to be like. I want to be like a witch. Maybe I want to be like a Marvel villain. I want to be a Marvel villain so bad, but I want to be the Marvel villain that they be like, we got to kill this motherfucker. You remember, Thanos was. Thanos was a brother. Thanos was a brother. He was from the Bronx. Because they could not get rid of that motherfucker. At one point, Captain America was like, this motherfucker here. Thanos was a motherfucker. Boy, I was scared of Thanos. That was the one that I thought was gonna take him down.

[Jesse David Fox]

You once said they mentioned a possibility of you taking over for Ellen.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, no. Yeah. I went and tried that out. And I said, no, no, no, no, no. That was too much like snl. It was too much like snl. It was too. It wasn't. It wasn't fun to do. I didn't find it fun. I found it pressure. And I don't like pressure. And I felt like I'm never going to do a job like that again. That makes me feel pressure.

[Jesse David Fox]

Was the Daily show different?

[Leslie Jones]

Like, yes. Cause the Daily show got writers from God. Those writers over There are so freaking good. I will do the Daily show forever as long as they have me. Because the writers and then they freely let you be who you are there. Yeah, that's what I like about the Daily Show.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. I do feel like they, they, they.

[Leslie Jones]

Caress who I am. Come on, tell me what you.

[Jesse David Fox]

Well, I was like, I think, John, if Jon didn't offer to come back, I do think, like, I would have took it. I think you would have a good job.

[Leslie Jones]

I don't know. I don't.

[Jesse David Fox]

I think, or like you and Jordan were really. You and Jordan Klepp are really good together.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, we were good together. And they, they was talking about putting us together and I was like, nah, I'm a solo act, you know? And yeah, I thought he was great though. Jordan is really funny.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. So in your book, Leslie fucking Jones, there's a moment in it this was really moving where you discuss seeing a photo of yourself as a little kid and seeing yourself at three years old and losing the light that you had as a baby. And we. It's up to your, how comfortable you are getting into what that was about. But what was so moving about it is like when I think about you as a comedian, I think of a person with light.

[Leslie Jones]

Mm hmm. Well, I had to search for it again.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, that's what's catching.

[Leslie Jones]

It's very, very important for people to understand that you are the one that can find your joy. No one can give you joy. No one can make you happy. You shouldn't even be trying to be happy. You should be trying to be content. And as far as being positive and negative, only you can do that. Only you can go inside of your psyche and go to that button and switch it on. Only you. You have to be in charge of your joy. You have to be in charge of your light. So yeah, it had to. I had to become completely empty to find the light again. And I don't know how I'm gonna be honest. I don't know how. Therapy. Therapy. Good friends. Being honest with yourself and looking at who you are and what you have to do with that. Why is. Cause the only reason your light is dim is because of you, not other people. You're not supposed to let other people dim your light. It's you that's dimmed it. So I had to go to the root of that. And what we find out when you do that is you find out that you lie to yourself, yourself all the time. We never tell ourselves the truth. We think we do. We don't we tell ourselves a version of the truth that can help us feel better. But once you start really looking at who you are and what that truth is, you will love yourself and then figure it out. Because the one thing that you can't change is who you are. You know what I'm saying? The one thing you, you can't. You can try to change your physical, all that, but you're not going to change who you. You are, who God made you know, and you're going to have to love that person at some point. You have to. In order for someone else to love them.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, it wasn't me. To now be able to give people.

[Leslie Jones]

That you, you can't give what you don't have. You can't give what you don't have. So you have to build love in yourself for yourself. You have to build the light for yourself. You have to do it. Not someone else, Not a husband, not a boyfriend, not a best friend.

[Jesse David Fox]

You.

[Leslie Jones]

You are your best friend.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah, it did seem like losing. So, you know, as you describe in the book, you lose your. Your mother and father died somewhat close to each other, and you lose your brother in 2009. And then the sort of. You emerge as the Leslie Jones, as we know from that. And I think that's from the.

[Leslie Jones]

The realization of you're gonna die. I think when my brother died, I thought I was about to die because I was like, why would you just take out my whole family if I'm not gonna get killed too? So I was like, o, so I need to go ahead and do all the stuff that I've been thinking about doing. And see, this is the thing about process also. You could say to yourself, okay, I'm gonna be happy. But there's a process to get to that. So if you're saying you wanna be happy, are you healthy? So you gotta take care of your health. Is your body okay? You gotta take care of that? Is your brain okay? You gotta take care of that. Because to reach happiness, it's not gonna just. You're gonna say, I'm gonna be happy and be happy. There is a process. I tell a good example when people say, I want a house, I. An apartment. Have you had a condo? Have you. Did you have to build up to that? And that's what people, I always tell people, go out and read the Alchemist. Alchemist explains it so much. If you have a, a dream and stuff, you have to prepare yourself for the dream. There's no such thing as being a big star without going through the things that makes a big star. Does that make sense? You could say, I'd be a great doctor, but you got to take all the classes you got to go to, you got to have, you got to do. You get what I'm saying? You got to do things to make yourself what it is that you have. So it's the same thing with happiness. It's the same thing with, with all of that, you know, is, is that part of.

[Jesse David Fox]

So this special ends with a. Imagine your ideal funeral. Is that part of the, like, taking control again. The idea we talked about, like, taking control over these things.

[Leslie Jones]

I mean, after doing it for a while and realizing that's what I was doing. But when I first wrote the joke, I wrote it because Whitney Houston's funeral, it was like Jesus was like, yo, why they ain't let her go yet? And her and Aretha Franklin had the longest motherfucking. I said, if I'm gonna have a long funeral, it's gonna be the funeral that I want. And then I started thinking about, oh my God, it would be great if Jason Mimosas was on top of the thing and then he shot. Like, I, I wanna go out like a warrior. I want my body burnt in a, in a stick. I want people stay like you remember. You remember Game of Thrones when she burnt all the. And walked? That's how I want to go. Just like that. I want a wailing witch at the bottom, bottom of my grave going, that bitch said she wasn't gonna yell. She yelled, she screamed. I loved it. What do walking 10,000 steps every day, eating five servings of fruits and veggies, and getting eight hours of sleep have in common? They're all healthy choices. But do all healthier choices really pay off with prescription plans from CVS Caremark? They do. Their plan designs give your members more choice, which gives your members more ways to get on, stay on and manage their meds. And that helps your business control your costs because healthier members are better for business. Go to CMK CO Access to learn more about helping your members stay adherent. That's CMK CO asm.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Jesse David Fox]

Now it's time for the final segment of the show. It's called the laughing round. It's like a lightning round, but it's common. Podcast with laughing. Do you have a favorite joke? Joke, like a street joke? Like a joke like. Yes, but it's so inappropriate. Well, half of them tend to be.

[Leslie Jones]

Okay, so a Mitchell gets on the elevator. So starting it like that, A Mitchell gets on the elevator, and there's already a man on the elevator. He goes, hey, I'm six feet tall. I weigh 250. I bench 350, and my name is Turner Brown. Midget faints. So he goes over to the midget and he passes him. He goes, hey, man, you all right? You all right? He's like, man, can you tell me what you said again? He was like, I'm 6ft tall. I weigh 250, I bench 350, and my name is Turner Brown. He's like, whew, I thought you said turn around. I tell that to cops. I never get. Get a ticket. I never get a ticket. It's the most inappropriate joke told on. On the radio. And it wasn't mine. It was. I can't remember the dude's name, but he used to say it. And every time he would do it, I was like, dude, I tell it to cops. They love it.

[Jesse David Fox]

Is there a joke from another comedian that you wish you could steal or wish you could have told? Which.

[Leslie Jones]

Which I probably have. I stole a joke from J Dub once, and it was about putting $10 into my cat. I can't even remember what the joke was, but. And that was the last time I ever stole a joke because I had the audacity to film it. And I knew it knowing that it was wrong. You know, you learn that's why? I'm saying, young comic, you learn shit and had the nerve to tape it. So they had a premiere of it at a comedy club. And I'm doing the joke, and the dude is standing right next to me. And then I looked at him and he was like. And I was like, can I give you some money or something?

[Jesse David Fox]

Like.

[Leslie Jones]

Cause it's already on the tape now, so can I pay you? But that was a valuable lesson. I was like, you know, do your own shit, do your own material.

[Jesse David Fox]

Do you have a short story of an interaction with a legendary comedian, living or dead, you're willing to share?

[Leslie Jones]

Richard Pryor. Richard Pryor came to Fat Tuesdays, and he was sitting there with. You know, he was sick. He was starting to get sick. And no one, all the comedians that were coming up was not acknowledging that this man was in the audience. And I was like. As soon as I got out, I was like, hey, I don't know if you guys know, but the fucking author of comedy for me is in the house, Richard Pryor. And everybody goes crazy. And I do one of my favorite jokes by him, and it was a switch joke. He was like, how he see a switch tree and he'll jump out the car and be like, you ain't finna beat nobody else's ass. So it was one of my favorite jokes by him. And he asked me. The guy came to the back and said, richard wants to talk to you. I thought I was going to faint, so I went over to the table and I'm just like, oh, my God. And he's like, you're so funny. And I was like, you like. He was like, you are so funny. And then I shook his hand and I felt like an electric shock. I felt like, oh, my God, I feel the electric shot. I feel like you've passed it on to me. He was like, no, you squeezing my hand. I was like, okay.

[Jesse David Fox]

What's something that people think is comedy that you think is not comedy?

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, shock humor. I hate shock humor. I hate people to say things because they want to shock you into laughter. That's not funny. And it never lasts. It never lasts. Be creative and write real material. Shock material is just dumb, like the Tony Hinchcliffs. And I'll say it. Cause fuck that bitch ass bitch. Your fucking mustache make you look like a Puerto Rican porn star. Go fuck yourself, you little antsy bitch. And go get your herpes taken care of. Sorry.

[Jesse David Fox]

It's okay.

[Leslie Jones]

You can cut that out.

[Jesse David Fox]

No, I think. I think we'll probably.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, cuz it just those comics, I don't like. Those I don't like because it's not comedy. It's mean. You know what I mean? It's mean. It's mean stuff. Comedy's not supposed to be mean. Comedy's supposed to be relieving, you know what I'm saying? Even when Don Rickles in his hardest was funny as fuck, you know what I'm saying? Like, just, just, just, just, you know, go to therapy. Like, that's every time I see them comments before I be like, go to therapy. Like, you need help some. I mean, you know, for real, like, it's a difference between take my wife, please and then fuck my wife, please. You know what I'm saying? Like, no, then he's like going to have you cut so much.

[Jesse David Fox]

Do you have a Mount Rushmore comedians?

[Leslie Jones]

What do you mean?

[Jesse David Fox]

Like Mount Rushmore top five or something like that?

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, okay. George Conlon, Richard Pryor. Ah, I want to say Moms Mabley, Pearl Bailey, you know, I know these are not like, but these are people that are, I think are, you know, who I simply marvelous. Y' all don't even know simply, you know, these are comics that, you know, are up there for me, you know what I'm saying?

[Jesse David Fox]

Do you have a joke or even a sketch on SNL that you thought was so funny? Well, you already did the Whoopi one. Do you have a joke that you thought was so funny but never worked? But you'll go to your grave being like, I was right there wrong. That was funny.

[Leslie Jones]

Oh, yes, two moments, but I actually was wrong on the first one. Right on the second. Okay, is it Martin Freeman, the, the, the guy who plays the.

[Jesse David Fox]

From Lord of the Rings?

[Leslie Jones]

Yes, Martin Freeman. So I thought it was Morgan Freeman. So I didn't know. I, I was like. So I still pitched him like he was Morgan Freeman. But. So there was a sketch we wrote, There was a sketch we wrote and I was the stewardess. Like, you know how you get on Southwest and there be a funny ass stewardess. And I, I, I was the stewardess that would go around and do crowd work and stuff, right? So, and if I, on the table read, I had the mic and everything, I was gonna do the crowd work. Oh, my God, it bombed so bad. So bad. Nobody laughed at anything. But Martin, every time he said something, he would say something really funny and they was like, yeah, Martin's way funny. Is that the sketch? No, I'm the one who's supposed to be the funny one, not him. So they were Right. About that sketch. But then there's this sketch that we did when Aziz and I was a dance teacher. I was a dance teacher, but I was a fraud. So he was like, yeah, we wanna know what's going. Why you charging so much? So they came to the class. So I would start out and I'd be like, yeah. And I'd do some dance move and then go behind a panel and somebody else would come out different, a total white girl, and then do the dance and then dance back and I'd dance out and go, woo. That's right, that's right. And Aziz was like, no, he looks. There was a blonde chick that came. What are you talking about? Like, it was fun. And I told Lauren this. Cause I brought the girl who was our choreographer. She's a little white girl, don't look nothing like me. And I said, lauren, I'm telling you, we don't have to go outside to get a dancer. He wanted to get somebody famous because he was like, this sketch is funny. We want to get somebody famous. So I was like, lauren, let's just deal with the choreographer. She doesn't look like me. Then he was like, I'm going to get miss. So I was like, okay, I could do Misty. Cause she sees a ballet, you know, I could do that. And Misty got sick, so they decided to get Teyana Taylor, which I love Teyana. I love Teyana. But Teyana looked like me, so when she come out, it just looks like me. So the joke didn't work. So I was. Oh, I was so mad. I was so mad. And then Lauren comes over and goes, yeah, we should have used the choreography.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

No, we built a whole fucking set. Lauren.

[Jesse David Fox]

The last one. What's the best time you ever bombed?

[Leslie Jones]

The best time.

[Jesse David Fox]

We're bombed in a way that is glorious. Opposed to, in many ways, the most worst. But the time, it's most memorable. But it is. You'll never forget it.

[Leslie Jones]

Wait a minute. When I bombed. But they laughed.

[Jesse David Fox]

No, they. They could. It's still a bomb. But there's something about it that you laugh when you think about the experience.

[Leslie Jones]

I don't remember exactly, because I forget we went to the sale on New Year's Eve, which is the worst thing to ever do. Because it's like every crazy person that's out is out celebrating. And they don't. They're not good. They're not good audience members. Some people need to understand what a real audience is. People who are coming out like tourists. They're not good audiences. There's Half don't understand what you're saying. Half of them are drunk. I think I wanted to kill someone, didn't I? Yeah, I did. I want to kill someone. Oh, I know what you said. That turned out for the good every bomb. I almost attacked the dude once. Okay, so let me tell you what happened. It was at the Comedy Store and this little ugly motherfucker, he was there with his friends and shit. And you know how cool guys try to act cool. So I'm over there and he was like, yeah, you know, he started. So I was like, fuck you. And he was like, fuck you. And I'm like, fuck you. And let's meet outside, motherfucker. I was on the stage. Fuck you. Now I'm finna end my set. Meet me outside, motherfucker. No, outside motherfucker. Yeah, he left before I can.

[Jesse David Fox]

Yeah. Thank you so much.

[Leslie Jones]

Thank you. Jesse David Fox.

[Jesse David Fox]

That's it for another episode of Good One. Good One is produced by myself, Zachary Mack, Neal Janowitz and Ann Victoria Clark. Music Composed by Brandon McFarland. Write, review and rate the show on Apple Podcasts. Five stars. Please. I am Jesse David Fox and you can follow me at Jesse David Fox. Buy my book, comedy book, wherever books are sold. Thanks for listening to Good one from from New York Magazine. You can subscribe to the [e-mail] pod we're back with a new episode next week. Have a good one.

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[Jesse David Fox]

Deal. Yeah.

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[Jesse David Fox]

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[Leslie Jones]

I have sat around that table at NATO. There is an incoming missile attack.

[Jesse David Fox]

Now, could you answer the question? I'm sorry. We've got very little time left. With a few surprises along the way.

[Leslie Jones]

I can't promise we'll have a cocktail every time, but we'll try.

[Jesse David Fox]

So don't just be an Economist reader. Get on the inside track with the Economist Insider. Go to economist.com to join the conversation.