Jesse Williams on BLM & BET Awards speech, 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'Hotel Costiera'

Summary

Joe and Jada Podcast

Episode: Jesse Williams on BLM & BET Awards Speech, 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'Hotel Costiera'
Date: October 2, 2025
Hosts: Fat Joe & Jadakiss
Guest: Jesse Williams

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Episode Overview

This lively episode features actor, activist, and former educator Jesse Williams, best known for his role on "Grey's Anatomy" and his passionate speech at the BET Awards. Joe, Jada, and Jesse dive deep into Jesse's upbringing, his journey as a Black biracial American, the importance of teaching Black history, activism in entertainment, and his new international project, "Hotel Costiera." The trio mixes humor, real talk, and cultural reflection, making for an episode that is both insightful and entertaining.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jesse Williams’ Upbringing & Identity (04:35–07:51)

• Chicago Roots: Jesse discusses growing up in 80s Chicago during the crack era, describing it as "rough" but formative.
  • “That shit was rough. I mean, that was the 80s crack era Chicago.” – Jesse Williams (04:44)
• Move to Massachusetts & Temple: Leaving Chicago for Massachusetts after his parents’ divorce, Jesse talks about his adaptability and blending in with a variety of cultures and backgrounds.
• Temple University Era: Jesse reminisces about Temple University during the Neo-Soul movement, mentioning contemporaries like The Roots, Jill Scott, and Common.
  • “There was just like, this renaissance. Free shows everywhere... Real music. Place to be — ill hip-hop all the time.” – Jesse Williams (05:53)
• Teaching in Philly: Williams describes teaching high school kids in inner-city Philadelphia as “the best job I ever had,” emphasizing his passion for education and positive impact on youth.

2. The Critical Need for Black History in Education (07:51–12:26)

• Jesse details his efforts to infuse African and African-American history into his teaching, noting the transformative effect on students' confidence and sense of belonging.
  • “Every class… I would have turned everything into African history. And it was beautiful. It just changed everything.” – Jesse Williams (07:46)
• The hosts and guest reflect on historical erasure within the US education system, like the omission of Emmett Till and Black inventors from textbooks.
  • “None of this shit works if they know... what we created.” – Jesse Williams (08:43)
• Jesse and the hosts share examples of Black innovation, from the traffic light (Garrett Morgan) to advances in medicine (Charles Drew).

3. Hip-Hop: Then and Now – Consciousness in Music (13:03–17:47)

• The crew critiques the shift in hip-hop from conscious and socially aware lyricism to today’s focus on materialism and drug use.
  • “It just went from an art form that was created by poor people… and now people is all thinking about…it’s a bag, it’s a lick. They're not preserving the culture." – Fat Joe (15:07)
• They discuss the influence of early artists (KRS-One, Public Enemy) versus today, pondering how to reinspire meaningful, positive messages in music.
• “We have to remember, make anti-Blackness…uncool.” – Jesse Williams (16:33)

4. Jesse’s Journey into Acting (18:31–23:14)

• Unplanned Path: Jesse entered acting in his late twenties after working various jobs, including in law firms and education.
• Diversity Showcases: He credits an ABC diversity showcase for his initial break, where non-white actors were spotlighted.
  • “I never took an acting class...I didn’t even want to be an actor.” – Jesse Williams (18:36)
• Typecasting: Jesse’s first roles typecast him as criminal characters, reflecting the industry’s limited imagination for Black actors.
  • “My first like seven auditions were like robbing white people...” – Jesse Williams (20:04)
• He emphasizes passing on roles he deems stereotypical or detrimental to his community.
  • “I'm not doing that’s detrimental to my people... Many times I've had to tell agents and producers: that's just racist.” – Jesse Williams (22:02)

5. Staying True to Himself – Activism and BET Awards Speech (28:10–32:44)

• Fat Joe recounts being moved by Jesse’s BET Awards speech. Jesse discusses balancing high-profile acting work with outspoken activism, especially concerning Black Lives Matter, describing the fearlessness that comes from his upbringing.
• Jesse recalls facing threats and calls for his firing, commending Shonda Rhimes (creator of "Grey’s Anatomy") for supporting him.
  • “Having a Black boss is very valuable in moments like that.” – Jesse Williams (25:17)
• “I'm not scared of white people. And so many of us are terrified of white folks at the real core of it, because it's a scary, powerful hammer that can flatten you..." – Jesse Williams (29:16)

6. Race, Identity & Self-Love (51:36–54:14)

• Jesse offers advice for biracial youth seeking identity, emphasizing spending time with the Black community and not letting external narratives divide or diminish self-worth.
  • “You can't go wrong. Just get with your people.” – Jesse Williams (51:51)
• “It's just spreading love, loving yourself enough to demand respect. There's no people in the history of the world that have ever gotten respect that don't respect themselves and don't demonstrate it.” – Jesse Williams (53:34)
• The discussion also touches on the pressures and confusion caused by modern media’s “us vs. them” narratives.

7. New Project: "Hotel Costiera" (40:50–44:35)

• Jesse introduces his new Prime Video show, "Hotel Costiera," set on Italy's Amalfi Coast.
  • “A lot of my life is real serious...I wanted to make something light...there’s a big, big, beautiful world out there.” – Jesse Williams (40:55)
• He stars as Daniel DeLuca, a former Marine navigating an adventure-mystery in a luxury hotel, in a multilingual, multicultural setting.
• The conversation shifts to the joys of international travel and cultural appreciation, peppered with Fat Joe’s humorous take on flying and global cuisine.

8. Cultural Comedy: Classic Sitcom Face-Off (54:25–56:00)

• The episode closes with the trio debating classic Black sitcoms—Cosby Show vs. Good Times, Sanford & Son vs. Wayans Brothers, and Fresh Prince vs. Different Strokes—highlighting generational touchstones and nostalgic moments.
  • “Cosby show is one of the greatest sitcoms ever.” – Jesse Williams (54:29)
  • “Sanford and Son... that boy was the—That’s Red Fox.” – Jesse Williams (55:02)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Teaching and History:
  "The whole hustle of this society and white supremacy — the con doesn't work if you actually understand the role, the contributions that Black folks... Actual history is the foundation of all this shit." – Jesse Williams (08:43)

• On Typecasting:
  "My first like seven auditions were like robbing white people in New York shows... Damn, y'all. Like, this is the only way." – Jesse Williams (20:04)

• On the BET Awards speech and activism:
  "To have such an intelligent person as the creator [Shonda Rhimes], as somebody you can look up to and talk to...when I gave that BET speech...she was like, hell no, that's not happening. Having a Black boss is very valuable in moments like that." – Jesse Williams (25:17)

• On Role Choices:
  "My job is to not be me...but I'm not doing that's detrimental to my people." – Jesse Williams (22:00)

• On Biracial Identity:
  "It ain't us versus them ... It's just spreading love, loving yourself enough to demand respect." – Jesse Williams (53:34)

• On "Hotel Costiera":
  "I wanted to make something that was kind of like growing up as a kid. I liked action movies ... Former Marine ... hotel owner's daughter goes missing ... he’s hired to find her... in this beautiful Amalfi Coast." – Jesse Williams (41:00–41:44)

• Humor and Chemistry:
  "If I had hair right now, first of all, my name wouldn’t be Fat Joe." – Fat Joe (47:43)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jesse's Childhood, Chicago to Massachusetts: 04:35–05:16
• Temple University, Neo-Soul Era: 05:50–06:33
• Teaching High School in Philly: 06:45–07:51
• Black History in Schools, Culture & Inventions: 07:52–12:26
• Hip-Hop, Consciousness, and Generational Shift: 13:03–17:47
• Acting Breakthrough, Diversity Showcases: 18:31–23:14
• Rejecting Stereotypical Roles: 20:04–22:02
• BET Award Speech & Shonda Rhimes Support: 25:07–29:16
• Advice for Biracial Youth: 51:36–54:14
• "Hotel Costiera" Show Intro: 40:50–44:35
• Sitcom Face-Off, Cultural Debate: 54:25–56:00

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Overall Tone

The episode blends raw honesty with wit, characteristic banter between Joe and Jada, and Jesse Williams' thoughtful, grounded reflections. The chemistry is palpable—whether unpacking serious systemic issues or laughing over travel mishaps and sitcom nostalgia.

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Episode Summary

A must-listen for fans of hip-hop, Black culture, and Jesse Williams, this episode is both inspiring and entertaining, covering everything from educational reform and music culture to Hollywood stereotypes and global experiences. Williams advocates for self-love, community connection, and taking risks, while the hosts bring humor and realness to every topic.

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Check out Jesse Williams in "Hotel Costiera" on Prime Video.

Transcript

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[Fat Joe]

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[Jesse Williams]

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[Fat Joe]

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[Jesse Williams]

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[Fat Joe]

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[Jesse Williams]

Details@lowe's.com Terms subject to change.

[Fat Joe]

How does it feel to know that you could take any guy's wife in the world? Like, what is that feeling like, Jess?

[Jesse Williams]

I don't think about it like that.

[Jada]

You have to. You have to.

[Fat Joe]

A little bit.

[Jesse Williams]

I mean.

[Fat Joe]

What up, y'? All? This is Joe Crack the Dawn.

[Jada]

Know who it is? Your Boy, Jada. This is the Joe and Jada Show. Every show. Legendary. Every show. Iconic. Still on course.

[Fat Joe]

Biggest in the game.

[Jada]

Biggest in the game. Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for our guest today. Great actor, Excellent actor, excellent Broadway player, excellent activist, excellent human being. Just a great person. Jesse Williams makes up doll.

[Jesse Williams]

What up? Thanks for having me.

[Fat Joe]

Listen, we got women. I don't know if you know, I said it's in the Roc Nation building, but we have women from every different floor. I'm looking at all of y'. All. They don't really work here on this floor. And they all here in attendance today.

[Jada]

My stylish.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, you got your own outfit. Danny wanted a house, so y' all don't stop. Danny, you wanted necessary. Talking about Dominicana. That's in the seventh floor. She's up. They all escaped.

[Jesse Williams]

It was like TSA getting in here.

[Jada]

I see people that never wanted to sit in on the episode today. And mysteriously, it's extra female heavy did it.

[Fat Joe]

How does it feel to know that you could take any guy's wife in the world? Like, what is feeling like, Jess, you.

[Jesse Williams]

I don't think about it like that.

[Jada]

You have to. You have to a little bit.

[Jesse Williams]

I mean, you know, knowing is enough sometimes. It don't mean you gotta do it.

[Jada]

No doubt.

[Jesse Williams]

You know what I mean?

[Fat Joe]

See, I never knew that. Like, I know I'm not ugly, but I never knew. Like, I never knew enough. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, like, you know, I had to chase my wife for weeks.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, for sure.

[Fat Joe]

You know, I mean, you just wanted them like, yo, I got you.

[Jada]

Just go like this. Let's talk to my brother. Growing up in Chicago, first of all, how was that?

[Jesse Williams]

That shit was rough. I mean, that was the 80s crack era Chicago. I mean, I left in junior high because this shit was. It was wild. And my mom wanted me to survive it, but. But it was real. I mean, I'm so grateful for it. I had. I had an incredible childhood. It was just. It was the 80s.

[Fat Joe]

Where you moved to from Chicago.

[Jesse Williams]

I moved from Chicago to Massachusetts.

[Fat Joe]

Okay.

[Jesse Williams]

I moved. Yeah. I became a nigger real quick. Thing that was. My parents got divorced. My mom, we moved to a different art school. And I got a whole lot of family in New England. I think she just wanted to be closer to family because we were kind of isolated.

[Fat Joe]

Are you like Cape Verdeans?

[Jesse Williams]

No, there's Mackay Verdians. Everybody thought I was Cape Verde. And I mean everywhere. I gonna think I'm them Puerto Ricans. Think I'm Puerto Rican, Brazilians think I'm Brazilian. You know, I mean, like, you bled in everywhere cursing me out. I'm not speaking Spanish.

[Fat Joe]

He got that habaj on and go in Dubai and be a Dubai guy.

[Jesse Williams]

I'm saying, that's next. That might be the next.

[Fat Joe]

He's everything.

[Jada]

Then you went to temple.

[Jesse Williams]

Tu went to Temple University.

[Jada]

Yeah. What was that?

[Jesse Williams]

Temple was dope. That was a good. That was a good time, too, because it was. I was. I was at temple right when, like, the roots were taken off. Erica. Jazzy Fat Nasties, Common black star. Everybody was there. Everybody was there for. I was there for all that. Soulquarians, d'. Angelo. Like, there was just like, this renaissance. Free shows everywhere, every night. Jazzy fat nasties 5 spot. Like, you know, you would just see real music. Place to be ill hip hop all the time. You know, shout out to, like, you know, the Electric Factory. Joe Scott fell in love with Joe Scott there. Like, and we had. Our basketball team was nice, too. That's when we had, like, Pepe Sanchez, Quincy Wadley. We played Lamar Odom at Uri. We played them like, we made, like, the Elite Eight.

[Jada]

Okay.

[Jesse Williams]

Live on tv.

[Jada]

Coach Cheney's.

[Jesse Williams]

It's our motto is Tu motherfucker. So that didn't really work well for espn. It was like, live on espn. They didn't. They never came back. But we had Coach Cheney.

[Jada]

No doubt.

[Jesse Williams]

We had Coach Cheney. Yeah. That was a good year. And I taught high school in Philly for a few years.

[Jada]

What was that?

[Jesse Williams]

Like? That was dope. That was the best job I ever had. You know, I taught high school in the hood.

[Fat Joe]

Explain that to us. Just for the love of the kids.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, for the love of the kids. For how important it was.

[Fat Joe]

Like, badass kids.

[Jesse Williams]

Yo. There was some badass kids there, too, but.

[Fat Joe]

Metal detector in the. From first to sixth grade, we had that, too.

[Jesse Williams]

I had. I had two kids with a loaded gun in my class. Like, I. That's a high school.

[Jada]

High school.

[Jesse Williams]

That's how. And I look like I was in high school. I was in my early 20s. They had guns. We had a daycare center. They had babies.

[Jada]

Like, you know, kids in the school had babies.

[Jesse Williams]

Oh, yeah, we had a daycare center. Like, it was. Yeah, a lot of girls were pregnant. It was real. That's where we came from. So it was like, we were. I was that badass kid. Like, it was. I've been definitely had my life turned in the right direction by great teachers before. And I was trying to do that. Like, it was it was beautiful work. It was important. I had really great students. I taught like, you know, I turned every class. I was a sub, long term sub at first. And I would have turned everything into African history. Find it. And it was. And it was beautiful. It just changed everything.

[Fat Joe]

But it's such a lack of that. Right. Because right now I just saw they have a museum right now, one they trying to like erase African American history.

[Jada]

Yeah.

[Jesse Williams]

Basically making it Illusionist got the gun.

[Fat Joe]

That killed Emmett Till. The person who found it is also the guy who wrote the book about Emmett Till. And he says there is no mention of Emmett Till in no history book in the whole school system throughout the civil rights era. Nothing like that. So it's so important to teach African American history to the youth because we don't know. Like, you know, I argue with these foundation. Like, you know, sometimes I'm in the car and somebody says something, I'll say, well, do you know the traffic stop was.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, the traffic stop person. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Do you know the plasma was Charles, Richard do.

[Jesse Williams]

None of this shit works if they know that we, what we created, like the whole hustle of this society and white supremacy. The con doesn't work if you actually understand the role, the contributions that black folks. And this shit don't start with slavery. If you learn where Greece actually studied, where Rome actually study, where they what they learned in Africa, where institutions and mathematics and all these things came from. It's not just like to feel good. It's the actual history is the foundational of all this shit. Empires rise and fall, you know, I mean, like we're in one that's going to fall and I hope we don't.

[Fat Joe]

Not while I'm here.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, but my kids, I don't fall being able to.

[Fat Joe]

Well, every empire falls.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Like, so you know how we feel like this is America and can nobody come blow us up? We safe. This. That's bullshit. It happened to every empire in the past, you know. And what's crazy is I just came back on a flight from Dubai with a couple that went to Egypt. There's one place I've never been to that I always want to go to.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, me too.

[Fat Joe]

And I was talking to them and they were like, yo, you know King Tut, I find this confusing. They was like, king Tut is still in the tomb right there. You could see him. And I'm like, how could you see King Tut? Didn't he die like 10,000 years ago? Don't. He like disintegrated and all that. But the main thing about it was they were explaining that the pyramids were made so that if there's an earthquake, it sways with the earthquake. You can't blow them buildings. Them buildings won't fall.

[Jesse Williams]

They've survived everything.

[Fat Joe]

And I've seen they had ac. You know how hot it is in fucking Egypt. The pharaohs and all them. They had ac. They figured out how to make AC all these years ago with a water system and all that.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

These guys were brilliant anomalies. I'm not lying. Google. Oh my God. He threw a flag on the plane.

[Jada]

My house still my AC don't work sometimes. I had AC always.

[Jesse Williams]

But had ventilation. They had air. Air shafts keeping it shaded. Keeping it shaded. I mean these things are temples connected to the Stark. The constellation explained it the right way. Yeah.

[Jada]

You made it seem like they got sent you in like we got.

[Jesse Williams]

They just plugged that shit in.

[Fat Joe]

Jada. 140 degrees outside.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

There's a way for you to make it cool.

[Jesse Williams]

They got that adapter you guys was.

[Fat Joe]

The point is there's been extra extraordinary intelligence with Africans, African Americans that they don't teach him so.

[Jesse Williams]

Because the story wouldn't work.

[Fat Joe]

Philly.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah. And you teaching the kids that absolutely evidence every. Every chance you get. I mean I'm teaching. I'm showing them, you know, figures in African history, including Kemet black as they are with corn roads that are the leading irrigators. Astronomers, architects, city planners, physicians, surgeons. All these things well before year came out of the dark ages. And you just watch your students just like I did when my dad was teaching this to me. Posture change, lifting up like, asking questions. Now involved like it includes me. It's the only element of school that includes you. And it's telling you that you already been here. You already had. You didn't come from the mud, you ain't come from slavery. At the beginning of nothing, that's the end of something. And that our confidence. And it's not just for us. We. You think, you know, if white kids and everybody else also had to learn that we invented. You can't walk through this country without touching 10 things that an African invented invent that affects you.

[Fat Joe]

Why don't we mention something that come to mind just so for the kids that's watching right now.

[Jesse Williams]

Elevator refrigeration, early cell phone technology. What'd you say? You said traffic lighter.

[Jada]

Traffic light.

[Jesse Williams]

Lewis Latimer and the light bulb. The actual work. With Edison winning, Lynn was hired to go light all of London.

[Fat Joe]

They don't know that.

[Jesse Williams]

That's right. That's right.

[Jada]

Charles Drew, Joe Slatter, man, Pooh.

[Jesse Williams]

Charles Drew did a lot for medicine. Proved on Edison.

[Fat Joe]

What I'm saying to you is. And I was thinking the other day, I said, man, you know, Tupac and Biggie were young kids. Yeah, right.

[Jesse Williams]

And 26 and 25. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

But whatever came to their mind. Like, Tupac was talking about real shit that. That happens right now. And Big, too. And so back in that day. Right. Cause I was trying to think, like, other than his family being Black Panthers and stuff like that, I was, like, trying to think of him and Biggie. They was talking about issues that was happening at the time. And then I thought about. I said, well, you know, we was coming right off of KRS1, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah.

[Jesse Williams]

Poor righteousness, that whole Poor righteousness.

[Fat Joe]

All that conscious movement. So they were more like the lyricists, but they were including consciousness in the music. I see a lack of that. Unless, I don't know, with the youth today. Like, I see a lack of that. You know, at least we caught that in our era. Talking about, like, when he made a song, like, why, but why? Comes from, you know, he's of that era, from people in front of them. And so it's very important that we teach our history. Why do you think.

[Jesse Williams]

Why do you think that? Do you think we can get that level of musicality back, that level of songwriting where it's about just love and real shit in our community from that entire era?

[Jada]

I would say we have to go the way you went about teaching your class. Like, when we're amongst each other and you make it sound interesting and they want to learn, then the posture change.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Jada]

Then the music would change.

[Jesse Williams]

Right. So lead them by example. Maybe a couple OGs need to do something just to see that it is cool. That there is something.

[Jada]

I also believe that's in. In our culture. That's how you start to.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Jada]

Spread.

[Jesse Williams]

Somebody's got to leave. Yeah. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

What I believe is cool is.

[Jada]

I don't want to be an interview.

[Fat Joe]

You can't be about money, okay? Because the world. The way hip hop is fucked up is. It just. It went from an art form that was created by poor people in the Bronx. Don't, don't. Hey, I'm from the Bronx, baby. We invented this shit. We wanna have these couches in this motherfucker without the Bronx. If it wasn't for the Bronx, this rap shit don't do that. But he know I try to pluck it every time, but the truth is it came from an art form where these people, unfortunately, our pioneers who started this, they never got their money or their just due because they did it out of love. And if they would do it 10 times again, a hundred times again, they would go in there and party for free again. And so this conscious movement of this time right now can't be currency based because now people is all thinking about, let me get one hit and I'm gonna make my money. It's a bag, it's a lick. They're not preserving the culture. They're not so much about teaching the youth or whatever. So it got to be a group of people. A group of people, a collective decision.

[Jesse Williams]

And you can make money making good music. Music makes good money. But you got to be inventive and create international job. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

To fund that, it might be our job.

[Jesse Williams]

Or find it. And listen, we're going to donate platform.

[Fat Joe]

We make a lot of money. Yeah, let's donate some money towards those guys who's trying to give the positive message and ain't making no money.

[Jada]

It's not even about the money. Like you said, you have to show them firsthand that is cool. And then it starts.

[Jesse Williams]

Well, I think. What about it? Also we have to remember, make it anti blackness has got to be uncool. This like there's how many niggas you can destroy us. Just killing each other and eviscerating each other. And I think it was a young, brilliant brother. You know Vince Staples, he said in an interview it was good to hear from a young artist mouth like the MCs used to rap about having a sling crack. Right. Having to be alchemist and create something out of nothing. Having a push dope. And now it's the drug user. Now it's the drug addicts making music about being addicted to drugs and using drugs. And that's the shift because we're all listening, we're absorbing it. Those high school kids are rapping it. We memorize. You can't memorize your times tables or the history, but you might. But you know the song.

[Fat Joe]

They had a kid out of Philly. Brilliant. Yeah, that kid was rather rapped about, was positive.

[Jesse Williams]

Really positive. Beautiful brother.

[Fat Joe]

Just gave him two blocks in Philly. Yeah, two street blocks.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, yeah.

[Fat Joe]

You know, but that would. That, that right there touched me because this kid, he was. He was doing that.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, he was one of the few.

[Fat Joe]

Doing the conscious movement.

[Jesse Williams]

It wasn't enough though.

[Jada]

It wasn't enough. Behind it wasn't. He was the. He was alone. He Was the, yeah, he was the under. You know it's more the negativity than him. He was the outcast.

[Jesse Williams]

Min.

[Jada]

Know it is your boy Kiss Joe Crack. Check it out. We got a Patreon. You can get exclusive clips. You can get early access to the episodes. A lot of surprises over there. Subscribe things coming from Joe and J right now. Cuz it's free. He giving you the first one for free. That is going to be a little different. Go over there right now. Join Jada Patreon. Let's get wild.

[Fat Joe]

Wild West.

[Jada]

Your first breakthrough came through New York Acting Showcase. What was that traditional?

[Jesse Williams]

That was, you know, I had just started again. I didn't start, I was teaching up. I didn't start really acting till I was in my late 20s. And I got this, I was working at a law firm. I was working at law firms in New York and I hit up an old agent, an old commercial agent to see if he could put me on just to try to really act. And I got a small agency and they sent me to this. ABC did a, like a diversity showcase. They make a little spot where they'll let non white actors get a, get a shot. So we do a little, we do little, you know, like a little area. You get to do your thing and then you get to do a scene from a play and managers and agents will come and walk, watch and I've made a lot of lifelong friends from that showcase. There was like 12 of us. Wow. Black actors, Black and brown actors that came up and, and then ABC would bring you to auditions, like just, just up auditions. I was just doing horrible at audition. It pulled me aside like yo, what are you doing? Why are you looking over there? Do this. I, I, because I didn't go to acting school. I never took an acting class. I never even wanted to be an actor. Like I didn't have any training. So they were a beautiful place that I could kind of just, you know, like helped me make my mistakes there and gave me shots and shots and shots. And then eventually years later I got a show on ABC from la. A different office but still like that was, I really appreciate it. They really like gave me a big, I mean New York gave me, that was where I, I, you know. We can hear you. Yeah. Cut my teeth. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

You know, say you did some roles.

[Jada]

As thugs and criminals that pay rent.

[Jesse Williams]

Well, it was, it was funny because my first, that's real, my first like seven auditions were like robbing white people in like New York shows. And it was me because I watched my brothers. My homies were actually far less options than, obviously, I get all the privileges you could possibly get as a black person. Like, the way I look, the way they. They prioritize the way I look, which got nothing to do with me. And I was still like, cornrows, like, robbing some white person on a train. Like, it's posted up outside the spot, like. And it was like, damn, y'. All. Like, this is the only way.

[Fat Joe]

In my whole life, I have begged him to be a school bus driver or something. They always make me a gang leader, a fucking mafia, a robber. Like, I've never been a nice guy in the world.

[Jesse Williams]

I wonder if you're the only person you asked.

[Jada]

A train conductor.

[Jesse Williams]

You a train conductor? In some.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, you know, I was looking at this shit. I think we. It was the cardi b episode. You know, sometimes he's, you know, he's a real clever and witty guy. Sometimes it takes me to look at the video, catch the catch, figure out the shit he doing. Right? I know, but you said, okay, this guy's a funny dude. He said that they. They put you on a tv. They made you wrestle with mud or something.

[Jada]

They made me wrestle in the mud.

[Fat Joe]

What is this?

[Jada]

On the show Queen. On Queen.

[Fat Joe]

I don't remember that episode. Queen.

[Jada]

Yeah, the Queen show. That Eve. No, remember the show Queen. Oh, Eve and Brandy.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Fat Joe]

They had a muscle fighting.

[Jada]

The gun fell. I had to wrestle in the mud. It was freezing. It was raining.

[Jesse Williams]

Oh, so you were slapping, rapping, and ended up in mud. You weren't, like, in a ring with, like, jean shorts on.

[Jada]

Raining outside the crib, but it was mud.

[Fat Joe]

All right, so what level broke me? That's a good question. It broke me. What won't you do? Acting. Because it's acting. But what won't you do? What role would you be like, yo, I'm not.

[Jesse Williams]

No matter. I pass on roles all the time. I mean, but it's not.

[Fat Joe]

You won't do.

[Jada]

You got to be fortunate.

[Fat Joe]

Did you let them in?

[Jesse Williams]

I mean, I don't know. You know, my job is also. My job is to not be me. My job is to embody somebody else's life. So I'm open to, you know, doing scary that I wouldn't otherwise do. But it's definitely like, you know, the I'm not doing that's detrimental to my people. You know what I mean? Like, that was. That's the shit I don't do. Many times I've had to tell agents and producers like, that's just racist. Not only am I doing. Not doing it, but take it out.

[Jada]

By the way, he's over here telling me not to cut.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Jada]

Ladies and gentlemen, at home watching this, he telling me, let the man talk. I'm trying to conduct the real interview while he. Homie.

[Fat Joe]

Yo.

[Jesse Williams]

Now let him talk.

[Jada]

Let him talk now.

[Fat Joe]

Why?

[Jesse Williams]

You got something in mind?

[Fat Joe]

You got. No, because I love this. I. I want to say it's Ethan Hawke. Right. I love them, but he played a predator, a child predator one time, and I never liked him again.

[Jesse Williams]

I see what you mean. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

But it bothered me.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah. But that means he did a great job. So there is a. There is sometimes playing, like, dirty, like, playing some people that especially as like, a parent. Like something that looks like real evil. But how do you even like the.

[Fat Joe]

Guy who played with Tina Turner smacking the Ike all the time. How could you ever like him?

[Jada]

If you get mad at him, that mean he.

[Jesse Williams]

That means it was effective. And also, by portraying that person, you're bringing light to what it looked like so that you can have more, like, attentiveness to that character in your life. Like, it actually could be, like a warning, you know?

[Fat Joe]

Who's the guy? Who's the guy played in Training Day with.

[Jesse Williams]

That was even Arkham.

[Fat Joe]

He fucked me up.

[Jesse Williams]

He did a movie. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

I never liked him again.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

To this day, when I see him, he pops up. I'm like, yo, I don't know. Like, I don't fuck with this guy, but you giving me a good perspective. You saying he actually nailed the part?

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah. He did an amazing. Such an amazing job that he made it real for you. And it's like. It's like who we just lost.

[Jada]

You would have knew that. You. You got acting, you got some credits. Denzel didn't talk to RZA for the whole Frank Lucas. Right. So then when they went to the screen, they, like, you didn't speak to me for months. He told them, nigga, he was police. I was Frank Lucas. I couldn't talk.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Jada]

So he stayed character to the old movie's over that.

[Fat Joe]

Let me ask this one question, right. Because I actually did some research with you. Right. Don't do that. But no, no, I just wanted. I want to make sure the man. But in researching you.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

I researched some African American history.

[Jesse Williams]

Okay.

[Fat Joe]

This woman, Shonda Rhimes.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah. Gee.

[Fat Joe]

Tell me about Shonda Rhimes.

[Jesse Williams]

She's a G. I mean, she got Grey's Anatomy. Yep.

[Fat Joe]

Scandal.

[Jesse Williams]

She created huge shows. She's still Creating huge shows. She's a. She's.

[Fat Joe]

No, no.

[Jesse Williams]

That'S all good.

[Jada]

After the. Cause I just want to keep it chronological. He was the teacher.

[Jesse Williams]

Oh, we doing, we doing biographically?

[Jada]

Oh yeah, yeah, they did the small roles.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, this guy after the small roles.

[Jada]

After the, you know, they allowed him to mess up.

[Fat Joe]

I want him to say about the.

[Jada]

Woman he landed, Grace. Didn't he tell us about it?

[Jesse Williams]

Yep, I landed that as soon as I came to New. I moved from Brooklyn to LA and got that, got that gig that was supposed to be like two episodes. I ended up doing 10 years on that show. And to have such an intelligent person as a, as the creator, as somebody you can look up to and talk to and she looked out for me too. You know, when I gave that BET speech, everybody was trying to take my job, sign petitions and all this, all this bullshit crying. I wanted to cry my life, threaten my kids. Like I'd have. I had to have 24 hour like armed guards and shit. They were threatening to kill me and all this stuff. And they were trying to get her to fire me. And she was. She like posted like, hell no, that's not happening. Don't. Having a black boss is very valuable in moments like that. But more importantly, like yeah, a wise, smart person with, with some vision. But she's incredible. And she created a show that's incredible, is still on 20 some years. But I think like 30, 39% of women in medical school credit Grey's Anatomy with inspiring them to go to med school.

[Fat Joe]

Got to be in the textbook now in the high school.

[Jesse Williams]

And speaking of which, people putting black people in high ranking in roles without it being about race, like just putting Isaiah Washington, Jim Pickens, you know, the character Bailey, Chandra Wilson that are like in powerful positions, highly intelligent, cerebral people that it's not about them neck driving, demonstrating some bullshit like because we stereotype.

[Fat Joe]

Version of show, but comedy show is huge for that. The era was great that the era on tv, but then you came in a little more serious era.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, that was a drama and that was a comedy. Yeah, you need them both. I mean we need everything. That's the thing. We need them. We need everything. I mean there's a lot of pressure. I remember, remember pressure back in the UPN days, wb, those networks, it was just comedies, comedies, comedies, comedies. And they got a lot of. For cooning and all that. And it was like. But that was the only place black people could work.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah.

[Jesse Williams]

And they're comedians. That's what they're doing. But when you only when you got. White folks got 170 channels that they can do everything and they can shoot up a school or bomb something. It doesn't affect their day in terms. But we like one, you know, one little channel can. It can stereotype your whole people. So it's a different level of pressure, you know.

[Fat Joe]

Can I ask the man a question?

[Jesse Williams]

So he asked more questions in a row.

[Fat Joe]

Somehow he became the librarian today.

[Jada]

Keeping it in order.

[Jesse Williams]

You gotta have order.

[Fat Joe]

Skip, skip, skip. Come on, get the out of here with all the smart questions you got today.

[Jesse Williams]

I do.

[Fat Joe]

I was. Oh, my God, I'm your guy. Don't shoot me up.

[Jesse Williams]

Okay, I'm ready.

[Fat Joe]

These flags were created for me.

[Jesse Williams]

It's a brilliant idea because every time.

[Fat Joe]

I go crazy, they throw a flag at me. They're like, yo, come back to earth, what you got? I don't know. I just forgot what I was about to say. You want.

[Jada]

Do you want to take my smart board?

[Fat Joe]

No, no. My thing is, I was there when you gave the speech at bet.

[Jesse Williams]

You were?

[Fat Joe]

Yes, I was in the audience. And pause. You blew my mind. And I was just like, I didn't know you.

[Jesse Williams]

It's so funny. People still say pause, go ahead.

[Fat Joe]

That's their fault. These guys, they the pause police. So they. If I step on shit like, you know, there's some episodes like, pause, pause, pause. This guy hides under the table. Cause like, you know, I'll say some shit, right? Like I'm a fuck up. But listen, you out there, you giving this speech. I just realized, because, you know, we're not in your life. You gotta live your life every day. He lives his life, I live my life. But I realized in the level of acting you're in, it's not like you're making TV flicks for bet. Like you're with white people all day, Grey's Anatomy. So for you to come on the front line and make this beautiful speech activism, that takes even more courage for.

[Jesse Williams]

You, because I'm not siloed away from the power that I. Yeah, you actually.

[Fat Joe]

Stood up for your people and then you went back to work on Monday.

[Jesse Williams]

By then, people in my life knew what it was. You know what I mean? Like, that's how I was at that time. I was on the news a lot. I was in Ferguson, I was in Florida. We were losing a lot of. A lot of young brothers and sisters like to. At the hands of the police. So I was on the news a lot, popping that shit. So, like, it wasn't a total surprise to People who knew me, the larger world, who maybe only saw me play a character, that was what kind of shook them up. But that's all the more reason why I care so much, is because, you know, I'm in many ways being biracial. I'm. And I'm the invisible man. I see. I know. And you know what else it is? It's like being around white society and the way it works. And I have been at pivotal points in my life. It's a real simple thing. I'm not scared of white people. And so many of us are terrified of white folks at the real core of it, because it's a scary, powerful hammer that can flatten you and make you disappear in two seconds and then blame you. We see it happen all day, every day.

[Fat Joe]

I got some friends that are white. I got some friends that are Jewish that I love to death. I got friends that are Muslims, I love to death. I'm all about the principle. I'm all about if you're good for me. And I love you. I love you no matter what color, no matter what. I'm not gonna stand there and tell you I'm scared of some guy cause he's white or he's this, he's that. That's not me. Like, I'm not running for that. I don't care. I go back and forth, chicken wings and French fries. I don't give a fuck. Yeah, it's sad to feel that way, but that's who I am. I don't give a fuck. Like me. You can't scam me with position. You can't scam me with money. I. You can't scare me with none of that shit like me. I'm just like, yo, it is what it is. Like, I grew up so poor. I'm not scared of being poor. Guys.

[Jesse Williams]

You already been there. I know a lot of people don't understand that. We already been there.

[Fat Joe]

You said you were halfway. You grew up half white. Look at this.

[Jada]

You don't want to be poor right now.

[Fat Joe]

No, I don't. I'mma actually say this the first time you threw that flag. And you. All right, that was a good flag.

[Jesse Williams]

That was a good flag.

[Fat Joe]

I drove down here, just telling everybody. I was like, yo, we so blessed, man.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

What happened?

[Jada]

He pissed him off with that. You pissed rich off saying that?

[Fat Joe]

No, I don't want to be poor. No, I know that I just said.

[Jada]

You'Re the last person in the world.

[Jesse Williams]

That wants to be poor, but it's not a mystery. You've been there. You know what it's like. So it ain't can't scare you. It doesn't, it doesn't threaten you in that way as some, like some terror, some monster that you haven't actually seen before. I feel you. I feel you. But I, I take, I take your point. You know what I was saying? It's like there's a large, there's a fear because you were talking about a fear and like a brave. And I said I didn't think about it that way because I was so familiar already and made myself clear. I started acting. I was a grown ass man. I had many jobs from here, from Chicago, from Philly, everywhere else. I just happen to have a mic now. So I didn't, I just didn't change who I was because you put a camera on me. I wasn't running from nothing or changing anything. And I think that just surprised folks and it's also just how I grew up. I grew up in this. Acting came later. So I think that was just an unorthodox way in which to make your way onto a producer.

[Fat Joe]

I actually love your family tree or however we tracked from LA to Massachusetts to Philly. I mean Journey was.

[Jada]

You was there, brother.

[Fat Joe]

You was in that shit.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

You know what I'm saying?

[Jesse Williams]

So, yeah, I picked up a lot. Authentic, very lucky.

[Fat Joe]

You know what I'm saying?

[Jada]

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[Fat Joe]

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[Jada]

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[Fat Joe]

That's a lot, brother.

[Jada]

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[Fat Joe]

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[Jada]

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[Fat Joe]

Like on we, a lot of times we go through hard. Are we gonna do a toast?

[Jesse Williams]

Let's do a ton.

[Jada]

We gotta do a toast.

[Fat Joe]

So what? He could take anybody's new show, man.

[Jada]

He got the new show. You're gonna tell us dangerous?

[Fat Joe]

This guy's a traffic.

[Jada]

You over here talking about taking people's wives. We over here promoting the new show, man.

[Fat Joe]

These girls over here, I've never seen before out here, man. The fuck are you talking about? Ms. Over there? Look, she ain't never been out here, man.

[Jesse Williams]

She don't even work here.

[Fat Joe]

They don't even work here. They snuck in the fucking.

[Jada]

The glasses is cheap.

[Jesse Williams]

We got the frosted glasses.

[Fat Joe]

You want to actually Celebrate this guy's beauty.

[Jada]

Look at the glasses crack.

[Fat Joe]

Danny, you're toastful.

[Jada]

We did mini toasts.

[Fat Joe]

They never gave chilled ones.

[Jada]

Yeah, they gave the chilled glasses for Jeff.

[Jesse Williams]

Only the best. Only the best. Joe said. Joe said he don't want to be broke no more, so you gotta act like it.

[Fat Joe]

No, I definitely don't want to be broke.

[Jada]

We only do ace of spade toast for major events and major things, so you know what I mean? We're gonna pour them first, and then we gonna let y' all know what's going on. Why are we doing this? There you go. You know, teamwork.

[Fat Joe]

Make the dream work.

[Jada]

Water and fire make the steam work.

[Fat Joe]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, I forgot he's a rapper. Huh? Top five, dead or alive.

[Jesse Williams]

Yo, toasted Joe and Jada.

[Jada]

Joe and Jada. And also to your new show, Hostel Costiera.

[Jesse Williams]

Here we go. There we go.

[Fat Joe]

Hey.

[Jesse Williams]

We got that Jada's Italiana. We might need. We might need you on season two.

[Jada]

Need me on season two.

[Fat Joe]

Baby.

[Jada]

Cheers.

[Fat Joe]

Tell us about this hotel, Costella.

[Jada]

Very important hotel cost.

[Jesse Williams]

You know, speaking of all this, all this we talk about. A lot of my life is real serious. I was so stressed. This and a lot of things going on. I wanted to make something light. I wanted to get out the country. It's a big world out there. We get trapped in this bubble, thinking it needs to be. This is the big. There's a big, big, beautiful world out there. I wanted to go make something somewhere else and make something light and easy. So much of my shit is, you know, dead serious, focused, urgent, important, and that's valuable. But I wanted to make something that was kind of like growing up as a kid. I like action movies, right? Running around, kicking some ass. Beautiful places, 80s 90s shows. So it's about this guy. Daniel DeLuca is a former Marine. Italian. Born Italian, but grew up in the US Black, white, Italian American. A street, a hood kid in Naples as a kid. But then now he's in the military for 20 years.

[Jada]

Fire.

[Jesse Williams]

And he got kicked out. And now he's just trying to, like, figure out what to do with his life. Don't have no family, don't have nothing. Goes back to where he was born and just kind of like, as they say, like, licking his wounds, just trying to figure out what to do next. Takes a job at a luxury hotel, just handling business, fixing for people. Rich people make sure people are good. And then the hotel owner's daughter goes missing, so he's hired to find her. So he's like, solving cases in this beautiful Amalfi Coast. And he speaks Italian. I speak Italian in the show. I'm the only American in the show. We got Italian, Spanish, English, French, Libyan, like, you know, a whole cast of characters. And he's just on this adventure trying to save the missing girl, but also solve cases for guests. And it's just easy. Beautiful whipping. Speedboats, motorcycles, Maseratis, you know what I mean? Just like pistol whipping.

[Jada]

James Bond with the Transporter, with MacGyver.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Jada]

With Motherfly, Magnum pieces. Fire.

[Fat Joe]

Doing his job. I don't know about him, but I'll say the truth. I'll say my tr. I don't know about him, but I have taken the fact that we travel for granted because I don't like flying. And, boy, we got to talk about that right now about going to Mongolia. So I don't like flying. That's my biggest fear on earth. I just told you, I ain't scared of nobody. Fucking terrified. The minute that shit go like this, I'm, like, hugging the next person, praying. No one gives more prayers than me on the plane. Anybody. I am TD Jakes on them.

[Jesse Williams]

So you take a sleeping pill and just pass out?

[Fat Joe]

I don't. I don't because I'm. How do you deal with drugs either?

[Jesse Williams]

Okay?

[Fat Joe]

So I just suck it out. God, thank you for facing my fear. Yeah, God, I love you, God. Look at this little baby. Please cry out. You know, I'm Jesus Christ, but let's obey the Jewish guy praying over there. Like, I want for everybody to get their save, right? My thing is, I'm preaching. I'm Joe Lo sing on the plane. It's over, right? But my point is, I went to jail for four months, right? And I complained about going to Europe. I complained about going to all these places. But when I would sit up in my bunk and look out the little window, I would just think about how beautiful the streets was in Italy or the streets in Germany. And one of the only things I really missed was being abroad in these places that I used to be like, fuck his shit. I hate it. They smoke too many cigarettes. I used to have nothing but complaints. But in that four months, I just would think about just walking down the street in Italy or Rome or something and be like, damn, that shit was so fly.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

And so you get to do a. A TV show over there. It's pretty cool. And the food was amazing.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, the food was amazing. Food was not only amazing, but, like, I was eating pasta and bread and all that all day, every day. Lost 13 pounds. Yeah. Because it's real. Because real food.

[Jada]

Real.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah. All that is pumped with all this enriched. And so many of them said that when you. When they come to America, they get. They get sick, they get fat. Even if they're trying to eat. Well, when we go there, you eat like crazy. And you. And you're fine.

[Fat Joe]

So. Yes. I wore glasses on purpose because I didn't want you to feel bad about being the only person with green eyes, too. Because I got a juke out there, Joey. Green eyes, showy. Green eyes picked up. Come on, man. Yo, this coming from more. Yo. Shameless plug, baby. Yeah, yeah, I got the green. I got the green. My son be like, yo, damn, dad, why you ain't give me the green eyes? I said, yo, it wasn't my choice. But my point, we gotta go back to the. To the. I just came back from Mongolia.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Talk about it and Mongolia.

[Jesse Williams]

Why were you in Mongolia?

[Fat Joe]

Beautiful people. I had a concert of hip hop. These people were incredible people.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Anybody who could hack the distance on a plane, it's worth it. Go to Mongolia. Beautiful, beautiful people. Shout Mongolian people, they love hip hop. They love you guys. They asked about you. You know, everybody thinks I got this guy in the hip now because Joe and J. Course they think I bring the guy in my backpack business. You might hire Fat Joe. They think I got him in the backpack.

[Jada]

Send me back over there.

[Jesse Williams]

Let's go.

[Fat Joe]

But the point is, I have one friend that I think of. He's dumb, right? No, no, no, no. He's one of my best friends. No, no, no, no, no.

[Jesse Williams]

Don't give.

[Fat Joe]

You got a whole. Joe, come on. We didn't know where you were going with that. No, no, no, no. You know what I'm talking about. In the world. But he's not that bright.

[Jesse Williams]

Got it?

[Fat Joe]

And then at. Sometimes I'm jealous of him. Because ignorance.

[Jesse Williams]

Ignorance is bliss.

[Fat Joe]

Sometimes when you dumb, you don't even know the danger.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Now I fly to Mongolia, where you gotta go. I went because I like breaking up the trips, okay? So I go to Dubai, chill. One day.

[Jesse Williams]

You like to get as many flights in as possible because you love flying so much.

[Fat Joe]

Break that shit. That 18 hours I ain't doing. So I go to Dubai. Thirteen hours.

[Jesse Williams]

Okay?

[Fat Joe]

Five hours to Turkey. Turkey, where everybody got their hair going on. Everybody in the whole. Listen, Turkey got the best airport in the world. But it's so weird when you at the food court.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

And every guy got like a line blood coming out. Everybody's going over there to fix their hair.

[Jesse Williams]

That's the spot.

[Fat Joe]

Yes. But it's, like, so normal. Yeah, I guess. It's like going to Columbia, girl. You know, every girl's in the airport bb.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Like in Turkey, all the guys are going to get their hair done over there. So you eating Popeyes, and the guys in front of you got the. Everybody walking through. I'm like, yo, this is crazy.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, but you didn't think about it while you were there. You're like, it. I'm already here.

[Fat Joe]

If I had hair right now, first of all, my name wouldn't be Fat Joe. My name would be. And my curvy. Like this. The part right here with the. If I could grow air, it'd be so Turkey.

[Jada]

I just seen it.

[Fat Joe]

Disrespectful. Fat Joe don't. He don't even look right if you get here. But the point is, I go to Dubai. The bag was legend. So not a bag was legend. Guys, we going shopping later. The wife is ready to go shopping. She's tuned in. She's staring at the window. He coming.

[Jada]

He got the bag, right?

[Fat Joe]

Ain't no like. I forgot. My brothers just told me. Yeah, yeah. They hate. They say I blow too much money. But listen, I go Emirates, my favorite airline, right? Then I got Turkey Airlines. So Turkey Airlines, one of the best airlines. The food was amazing, so I'm comfortable no matter where I'm going. I'm going Mongolia. I could go to Somalia. Wherever I go, if I'm in them credible airlines, it at least helps after bat.

[Jesse Williams]

Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Fat Joe]

We do Mongolia. They feed us. By the way, Mongolian beef is a myth. They don't have that over there. The Mongolian beef we eat in the Chinese place here, we went over. It's not even Mongolia.

[Jesse Williams]

It's like general style chicken. Like, general style chicken. They don't have pizza being fake.

[Fat Joe]

You get to Italy to realize they don't got pizza. Yeah, we landed. Everybody had the same idea. Yo, we want Mongolian beef. They was like, yo, that ain't. That don't happen here. You want a ribeye?

[Jesse Williams]

That ain't us.

[Fat Joe]

You want a New York? No. Mongolian pizza. When you go to the ghetto Chinese, worldwide, there's no such thing as Mongolian beef. That's what I learned. Number two is. So we go, we do the show. These people treat me like a million dollars. I don't know how to tell you Mongolian people, some of the nicest people in the world. The next morning, we go to the airport, we got the greeter. We in the lounge and Then I realized. I'm like. And they like, yo, Joe, what's wrong? And my face is off. You could read me when I was. They're like. I realized we're flying back to Dubai.

[Jesse Williams]

In Mongolian Airlines, which you had never heard of.

[Fat Joe]

And if you're watching that side of the world, it's them Asian planes that keep sinking in the middle and missing and shit. Okay, this is why I tell you.

[Jesse Williams]

This is where the racial profiling comes in.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah. Not racist, plain racing. It's the Mason planes going down out there. Like the biggest shits. They go down. I don't know what it is, but at that point, I'm like, damn, they fucked me, man. I thought I was going back Turkish hair.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

You know what I mean? I'm in the Asian shit. I said, yo. Everybody's like, yo, what's wrong? I'm just like, nah, nah. Y' all don't want to know what's wrong. They like, yo, but what's wrong? I said, you know, these the shits that go down. These shits. Right. Yo, but listen. No, I'm just saying. To us. So I get on the plane, thank God. Great food, smooth flight, but I was terrified.

[Jesse Williams]

Mongolian beef.

[Fat Joe]

That's why I like to be. Ignorance is bliss.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah. Because I know you better say niggerence is bliss. Hey, if you're gonna be ignorant, might.

[Fat Joe]

As well be midday.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

That'S pretty crazy, huh? Yeah, that's crazy. But the point is, we made it back. Yeah, but, you know, it's my biggest fear, man. But, you know, shout out to Mongolia, man, these people were phenomenal, bro. No, I'm telling you, it's 30 degrees.

[Jesse Williams]

I thought that plane was going down, but we made it.

[Fat Joe]

You know, it's the coldest. It's the coldest place in the world. It's in between Russia.

[Jesse Williams]

Oh, yeah.

[Fat Joe]

China. So when you see the Asians that got the fur hats on.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah. That's Siberian shit.

[Fat Joe]

That's their winter. It's 50 degrees under.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, yeah.

[Fat Joe]

So you know. Yeah, brother, I'm sorry about that.

[Jada]

We. Listen, we ain't. We short on time. Listen, my brother, what advice would you give a young, biracial American trying to find their place and their voice depends.

[Jesse Williams]

On what voice you want to find. Spend time with black folks.

[Fat Joe]

No doubt.

[Jada]

The greatest.

[Jesse Williams]

Anthony, you know, just. You can't go wrong. Just get with. Get. Get with your people.

[Fat Joe]

I seen this. And I don't want to talk like that because these are my friends, and I love them to death. And I'm not talking about nobody. But I. When, when the black lives matter. I got a niece. I'll call her a niece. And she's half black, half white. And I seen her going through like, understanding where she comes from. And they had a hard time like, you know what I mean? This girl's beyond love. But she was trying to find herself in the middle of where she fits.

[Jesse Williams]

Where she fits, where she fits.

[Fat Joe]

And this is a beautiful girl. She's smart, college now, everything. But I seen her go through it. It like questioning and like.

[Jesse Williams]

I think people fall for like the false dichotomy. It ain't us versus them. It's not everything. I. The news used to be the news. Now it's just idiots talking and sharing opinions they feel and trying to make it us versus them, bad versus good, white versus black ain't about all that. But people. People trying to demonstrate that they might matter is because they love themselves and are trying to say, maybe don't squash me for no reason like that Got nothing to do with disliking white people. It's got nothing to do with. It's got. It's not about like this kind of invented battle going. It's not like we. It's just spreading love, loving yourself enough to demand respect. There's no people in the history of the world that have ever gotten respect. They don't respect themselves and don't demonstrate it. Like, that's, that's. That's what it comes down to. Everybody struggles with identity. I don't care what race you are. You're 13, 15. You're trying to figure out who you are. Yeah, you want to listen to that new album. You want to be different, but you also want to be the same. You want to. You don't want to be isolated out, but you want to isolate yourself out and wear that cool thing and wear that cool shirt. And people are trying to find themselves. Adults are trying to find themselves. I mean, we don't know what we're doing.

[Fat Joe]

We're.

[Jesse Williams]

We're trying to figure it out. So just don't let. I would just say to her, I would just not. Not let the media try to convince you that just because somebody, you know, freedom ain't pie. If I get a piece, I'm taking a piece from you. It's not some locked in. Just giving other people access to the freedom, life, liberty that this country is so proud of doesn't mean they're taking something from you. Letting gay folks have rights don't mean it's taking Europe go Ahead, get married. B. Like that. Got nothing to do. It's got nothing to do with you. You. Nobody's taking anything from you. There's always the people in power always exaggerate and pretend to play victim. And if you need somebody to be quiet and shut the up in order for you to do what you're doing, then you're probably doing something foul.

[Jada]

With that being said. Hostel Costiera that was pretty damn good.

[Jesse Williams]

Hotel Costier. I'm prime today.

[Jada]

We don't got that much time, but.

[Fat Joe]

I got two minutes. Do it.

[Jesse Williams]

What you got?

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, I got the Cosby show of good times.

[Jesse Williams]

I mean, my era. I grew up on a Cosby Show. Cosby show is one of the greatest sitcoms ever.

[Fat Joe]

No, you take Cosby. You take Cosby. I've seen every episode.

[Jesse Williams]

That was your era.

[Fat Joe]

Sherman Elms was in your.

[Jesse Williams]

Was in your living room.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No. No joke.

[Jesse Williams]

No joke. No Joe.

[Fat Joe]

No.

[Jada]

No.

[Jesse Williams]

So that's moving on up to the east side.

[Fat Joe]

I'm gonna say Sanford and Son are the Wayans brothers.

[Jesse Williams]

Sanford and Son.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, that boy was the. That's Red Fox.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah, that's Red Fox. That's Red Fox. Sherman Helmsley.

[Fat Joe]

Sherman.

[Jada]

He's never get.

[Fat Joe]

I'm still trying to be Sherman Helms. Sherman Helmsley was a G. You see how he walks? Walking my house.

[Jesse Williams]

Give me that.

[Fat Joe]

James Brown.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Walking my house and walking my.

[Jesse Williams]

Damn.

[Fat Joe]

How You're a. Yo, you better stop with my. I want a baggy today. Yo, that's a ser.

[Jesse Williams]

Yo, that stanky leg. Go ahead, Jo.

[Fat Joe]

Oh, not you, too. Different Strokes, Fresh Prince.

[Jesse Williams]

I mean, again, you get me with the generational. I didn't watch Different Strokes. I'm not that old. It was on. It was on. It was on. But I wasn't like. It wasn't. Like, I wasn't 13 years old. Like, like, like. What'd you say? What was the other one? Fresh Prince. Was my adolescence like that was.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah.

[Jesse Williams]

I could see it eye to eye. Different stroke. I gotta catch reruns. You know what I mean?

[Fat Joe]

Yeah. What you want to say, brother? Because you've been running this. I've been looking for you. Facts of life hold up. I've been looking for you. This my. Rewind the 10.

[Jesse Williams]

What's that?

[Fat Joe]

The time. Yeah. While you could rewind the time. I want to put you on a box. I own this company. Rewind it 10, Kel. DJ K. You ain't win no bums. Nicky Jam. Tyson Beckford, legend.

[Jesse Williams]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Who do I gotta talk to? To Talk to. What is this?

[Jesse Williams]

Like this painting your sleep. Okay, I like that. You have my curiosity now you got my attention, you know what I'm saying?

[Fat Joe]

Because I see you leave a couple of whites over there. Yo, Jada, hold up.

[Jesse Williams]

I got a lot of whites I ain't getting.

[Fat Joe]

Why don't this the half white?

[Jesse Williams]

It's the half white part right now.

[Fat Joe]

43 when you could be 32. Why look 32 when you could be 20, too? Why fight the time while you can? Rewind the time?

[Jesse Williams]

I'm gonna do some research. I'm gonna do some research. It's a strong pitch. It's a very strong pitch.

[Fat Joe]

We killing them cvs. Sally. Okay, stop and shot. Okay, now. Yo, Jada. I need him on the box. Jada want to be on the box. Okay, so he trying to push you up.

[Jada]

He needs to be on the box. Everybody need to be on the box.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, this ain't that.

[Jada]

That ain't this. It's cracking kids, I guess. Jesse Williams Hotel Costiera on Prime.

[Jesse Williams]

That's the metallic.

[Jada]

Check it out. Make some noise.

[Jesse Williams]

Thank you.

[Fat Joe]

Appreciate it.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Jesse Williams]

Time.

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[Jesse Williams]

Supply.

[Fat Joe]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Fat Joe]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Fat Joe]

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