Leslie Jones - part 1

Summary

Podcast Summary: Work in Progress with Sophia Bush — Leslie Jones (Part 1)
Release Date: July 29, 2026
Host: Sophia Bush
Guest: Leslie Jones

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Episode Overview

This episode features comedian and former SNL star Leslie Jones in a candid, hilarious, and deeply relatable conversation with Sophia Bush. The two discuss everything from the collective psychological aftermath of the pandemic, to politics, societal challenges, wealth inequality, alien billionaires, empathy, voting participation, and Leslie’s unlikely but fascinating journey into comedy via criminology and college basketball. Throughout, Sophia and Leslie's chemistry shines, blending serious reflections with irreverent humor, sharp observations, and memorable quotes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Surviving and Reflecting on Pandemic Times

• The lingering effects of COVID on mental health:
  • Leslie argues that society has not dealt openly with the psychological impact of lockdowns, suggesting we all need to "get some mental work" and talk more openly about how abnormal it was to be isolated for two years.
    • “It’s not normal for us to have locked up for two years. No, it’s not normal. That’s not a normal thing that happened to us.” (06:55 - Leslie)
  • Both note an ongoing national delusion or mental fog as a result.
• Difficulty of being alone:
  • Leslie observes many people struggle to be with themselves, and that isolation “drove a lot of people crazy” (07:11).

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2. Political Frustrations & Social Commentary

• Critique of Trump-era politics and billionaire escapism:

  • Sophia skewers the absurdity of policy decisions, mentioning the first "trillionaire ketamine Cowboy" obsessed with colonizing Mars:
    • “You will never have fresh air. You will never feel the sun on your face...even if you engineer all of that in your weird bougie prison bubble, it will be fake.” (08:24 - Sophia)
  • Leslie draws parallels with dystopian movies and detaches the ultra-rich from everyday reality:
    • “Those people don’t live in an actual real world. They have their own bubble. They don’t understand that they’re in their own bubble.” (09:25)
  • The two riff on the entitlement and hubris of the ultra-wealthy, joking that some may not even be human, just “aliens in person suits.”
    • “That’s the only explanation.... The only way you could pillage a planet like this is if you weren’t from here.” (12:24 - Sophia & Leslie)

• Community vs. individualism:

  • Leslie and Sophia lament the erosion of communal responsibility and the myth of "total self-sufficiency," poking fun at libertarians who benefit daily from public services without acknowledging them.
    • “What do you think a stoplight is? What do you think a road is? What do you think the water that comes out of your sink is?” (11:48 - Sophia)

• Empathy deficit:

  • Leslie suggests those who lack empathy might as well be “aliens”—it’s the only thing that makes sense for their behavior (12:24-32).

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3. American Power Structures – Satirical & Serious

• America as three billionaires in a trench coat:

  • Sophia references a viral meme:
    • “Somebody goes, ‘What’s your hot take on America?’ and she goes, ‘America is just three billionaires in a trench coat.’” (19:00 - Sophia)
  • Leslie: “That is so true.” (19:01)

• Weaponized accusations & hypocrisy:

  • The conversation turns to the tendency for the political right to project their own faults:
    • “Every accusation is a confession.” (20:47 - Sophia)

• Democrats’ approach to fighting authoritarianism:

  • Leslie is blunt about progressive frustrations:
    • “The Democrats know that shit too. And they’re showing up to gunfights with a piece of fucking cake.” (21:16)
  • Both call for new, younger, more aggressive leaders to step up, referencing Gavin Newsom as an example (21:58).

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4. The Critical Importance of Voting

• Voter apathy & civic participation:
  • Leslie and Sophia stress how a small percentage of Americans decide the nation’s future.
    • “Only one third of us are voting... The system that you think is working against us can work for us if we actually use the system.” (23:30 - Leslie)
    • “If everybody went out and even if two thirds of us started voting, this shit would be over.” (23:39 - Leslie)
  • They rail against the notion of abstaining from voting as a protest; instead, they urge engagement to prevent the system from fully devolving.

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5. Leslie’s Journey: From Criminology & Basketball to Comedy

• Uncertain beginnings & open-mindedness:
  • Leslie describes her college experience:
    • She played basketball to get a scholarship but had no clear sense of direction.
    • Changed majors “at least seven times” (31:11).
• First comedic opportunities:
  • Tried everything from computer science (“micro macroeconomics said, no, you’re not”) to law, to ceramics, to communications.
  • In a communications class, Leslie performed a Whoopi Goldberg-inspired bit; her teacher gave her an A on the spot and suggested a career in communications or performing (33:14).
• A criminal justice detour:
  • Motivated by a family full of cops and D.E.A. agents, Leslie audited a criminology class and got “so into it.” But she also partied—showing up to a drug enforcement class drunk. When asked about her career path, she responded:
    • “I want to be a serial killer finder.” (34:02)
  • Professor: “I don’t think that’s what it’s called.”
  • Leslie: “Well, that’s what they’re going to call me.” (34:09)
• Origin story of her stand-up career:
  • A friend pushed her into entering a “Funniest Person on Campus” contest. Initially reluctant, Leslie won, discovering her passion:
    • “As soon as I touched the mic, yeah, I knew that was... I knew that that was what I was going to do the rest of my life.” (36:53)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “None of us are. Target and Amazon are the devil and we just... keep dancing with that, you know? Three ghosts, that’s what it is.” (04:51 - Leslie Jones)
• “It’s like we’re watching a bad 80s disaster movie.” (07:42 - Leslie Jones)
• “You can’t keep doing bad and expect good to happen. No, it’s gonna... It’s gonna collapse like a motherfucker.” (08:04 - Leslie Jones)
• “Why is everybody trying to live forever?” (10:09 - Leslie Jones)
• “If you don’t participate, the ship’s still sinking—we’re all on it, so we can’t let it crash.” (22:49 - Sophia Bush)
• “What I want you to do is go buy yourself some land with your money. Trench it. Find your own water, create your own sewage system, pave your own roads... then they're like, well, I didn’t mean that.” (11:17 - Sophia)
• “Every complaint is a confession.” (21:58 - Leslie Jones)
• “As soon as I touched the mic... I knew that was what I was going to do the rest of my life.” (36:53 - Leslie Jones)

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Important Timestamps

• 04:14 – Leslie arrives, instant comedic chemistry
• 06:27 – Discussion of COVID’s mental health impact
• 08:12 – Skewering billionaire escapism / Mars obsession
• 11:17 – Sophia’s breakdown of “do it all yourself” libertarian logic
• 12:24 – Alien metaphor for lack of empathy in the powerful
• 19:00 – “Three billionaires in a trench coat” meme
• 21:16 – Democrats “showing up to gunfights with a piece of cake”
• 23:30 – Only a third of Americans are voting
• 31:11 – Leslie recounts changing college majors seven times
• 34:02 – “I want to be a serial killer finder”
• 36:53 – Discovering her calling onstage

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Tone & Atmosphere

The conversation is wide-ranging, irreverent, fiercely political, and deeply human. Both Sophia and Leslie blend sharp social commentary with self-deprecating humor. Leslie’s storytelling is both grounded and laugh-out-loud funny, especially as she describes her circuitous route to comedy.

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Listen for a blend of hard truth, hope, and hilarious asides—plus an authentic roadmap of how openness, humor, and not having all the answers can lead to purpose, community, and, in Leslie’s case, comedic greatness. Tune in for Part 2 to hear more of Leslie’s journey and wisdom.

Transcript

[Sophia]

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[Leslie Jones]

What do I do?

[Sophia]

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[Leslie Jones]

So I wouldn't have to buy a new phone?

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Yep.

[Sophia]

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[Leslie Jones]

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[Sophia]

Friends, the Trump administration and its backers in Congress are messing around with our healthcare. They have already passed a law supposedly defunding planned parenth which blocks Medicaid patients from getting life saving care like cancer screenings Wellness exams, birth control, STI treatment, and more. And now these lawmakers want to shut down health centers by defunding Planned Parenthood permanently. Our communities deserve better. To learn how you can get involved, text the word update to 22422. Hey, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to Work in Progress. Welcome back to Work in Progress. Friends, we have a guest I have been dying to get for so long. A comedy legend, someone who makes me laugh so hard. Someone undeniable. Leslie Jones is on the show show today. Long before blockbuster films and sold out tours in Saturday Night Live, Leslie spent years in comedy clubs developing her stand up voice and discovering how her one of one presence could light up a room. Whether she is roasting politicians live, tweeting the Olympics or sharing her take on injustice, hypocrisy, and the absolute absurdity of these times, Leslie's built a career saying what most of us are thinking, but maybe a little scared to say out loud. And behind that famous Persona is someone who's still figuring it out. What it means to keep evolving and doing it with humor. Let's dive in with Leslie Jones.

[Leslie Jones]

Hi. Hey. How you doing?

[Sophia]

Leslie Jones. I am obsessed with you. I'm so happy you're here. Like I that you are you just so demure.

[Leslie Jones]

And then all of a sudden it's like, let's see. Jones, I fucking love you.

[Sophia]

I'm fucking love you. No, you are like, you are a get for me. I'm so happy.

[Leslie Jones]

Hi. Aw, that's so sweet. I like them curtains behind you.

[Sophia]

Thank you. They are from Amazon.

[Leslie Jones]

Really? Amazon is so great, but Jeff Bezos but horrible.

[Sophia]

It's like, you know, it's not. I'm like, it's. I'm not proud of it, but I did. It was many years ago that I bought. So here we are.

[Leslie Jones]

None of us are target and Amazon are the devil and we just, I mean like, just keep dancing with that, you know? Three ghosts. That's what it is.

[Sophia]

I know it. I know it. Ghost.

[Leslie Jones]

You know, maybe we could.

[Sophia]

Maybe we should make that movie just like three sassy lady ghosts. Who else we gonna get that would be. We just. We just go haunt the billionaires. Be like, you, you piece of. How do you sleep at night? This is your future.

[Leslie Jones]

This is your future right at the

[Sophia]

end of the bed. You think you're gonna sleep tonight? You gonna sleep again?

[Leslie Jones]

I think again.

[Sophia]

You heard it here first, folks. We're making a movie coming in 2028.

[Leslie Jones]

Man, that's funny.

[Sophia]

Oh my God, you are funny. You are brilliant. I am. I'm so happy you're here today. Like, there are some days where I'm just like, is there. What are we doing? What are we doing? Is there a point to this? Should I keep screaming into the void? And then I'm like, yeah, Leslie's. Leslie's yelling too. Yeah, but like, we make it funny when we can.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, we're yelling, but is anyone really listening?

[Sophia]

I don't know anymore. I don't know. I mean, Congress isn't. But that's for.

[Leslie Jones]

You know, they were never listening. I mean, they were never listening. I think that we are. I think people are starting to come up out of this, whatever this was, this what they call it, phase. I don't know what phase it was. I really feel.

[Sophia]

I was gonna say delusion, but we can say ph.

[Leslie Jones]

I think Covid really affected us in a mental way. And for us not to recognize it is what's fucking us up right now. And like, when we came out of COVID it should have been like, official, hey, we're coming out of COVID Everybody need to get some mental work. Everybody needs to, you know, we need to talk. They need to be. There should have been forums for people to go to to talk about it, to get that shit out.

[Sophia]

Because like a full system reset.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah. It's not normal for us to been. Have locked up for two years. No, it's not normal. That's not a normal thing that happened to us. And people need to understand that. And I really think, and I hate to say this, a lot of people can't be alone with themselves.

[Sophia]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

And that is something that we all learn as humans. Right. Like, we all learn how to actually spend time with ourselves. And some people are not on that same level. And I really think it drove a lot of people crazy. I really do. I really believe that it affected a lot of people mentally. And it's just been askew ever since like. Yeah, it's like been upside down world. Because the things that Trump is doing, it don't even make sense to me in the sense.

[Sophia]

I mean, it's crazy.

[Leslie Jones]

It's like we're watching a bad 80s disaster movie.

[Sophia]

Yes. Right. Like a made for TV movie.

[Leslie Jones]

He's doing everything that we would think is crazy. He's doing literally everything. And it's like every day. And we know. And this is what I tell everybody. You know how this movie's gonna end, right?

[Sophia]

Hello?

[Leslie Jones]

You can't keep doing bad and expect good to happen. No, it's gonna. It's Gonna collapse like a motherfucker.

[Sophia]

Well. And it just doesn't even make any sense. Like, we're legalizing more forever. Chemicals in the air and the water. Like, what? We live here. Like, we live here. And by the way, I think about this, you know, we're. We're having this conversation in the week that we just got the world's first trillionaire ketamine Cowboy now has $1 trillion to spend. I can't even fathom it. And. And this man is obsessed with going to Mars, right? And I'm like, bro, tell me you've never done a day of work in a carceral system anywhere. Because I don't care if you're going to build your prison to look like the four Seasons. You're talking about building a prison. Like, you can't go outside on Mars. You will never have fresh air. You will never feel the sun on your face. You will never hear the wind in the trees. And even if you engineer all of that in your weird bougie prison bubble, it will be fake. And your humanity will know it. And you will. You will go crazier than you already are. And, sir, you're already crazy. You're hallucinating. At the White House on camera.

[Leslie Jones]

I just. All I could think of was Total Recall.

[Sophia]

Oh, my God, it is. Leslie.

[Leslie Jones]

I mean, that's all I could think about. That's the one where they went to Mars, right?

[Sophia]

I think so.

[Leslie Jones]

I forgot which one was where Arnold Schwarzenegger went to Mars and all of that. Like, what my thing is, is that those people don't live in an actual real world. They have their own bubble. And they don't understand that they're in their own bubble. They don't have. They don't have no respect for humanity. Because. And I hate to say this, but a lot of rich white motherfuckers have this entitlement of, like, it's going to happen to me because I'll sue you. Nothing's going to happen to me. I have enough money to. Where nothing's going to happen to me.

[Sophia]

Well, it's like them all building these bunkers.

[Leslie Jones]

Well, my thing is, why didn't you learn from Steve Jobs? Steve was so rich and he couldn't save himself from dying.

[Sophia]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

You know, and that's what another thing, too. Like, when you look at these movies and you look at these shows, why. Why is everybody trying to live forever? And why.

[Sophia]

I don't want that.

[Leslie Jones]

No one. You should not want that.

[Sophia]

Nobody wants that.

[Leslie Jones]

It's not even like Everybody wants to do anything that's against nature or against the way that things are, if that makes any sense. Like, supposed to grow old. You're supposed to pass it on. We're supposed to be a community. But everybody wants to fight against that. And I don't. Well, not everybody. I would say, really strongly. The Republicans and the people that are like that, they really don't believe in community. They don't believe in helping each other. They believe in, hey, the money that I make should go to you. I mean, everybody has. Everybody knows that, yes, the money that I make should come to me, but there should be a thing where we help the community that we live in. Yeah, that's why we pay taxes, so the streets can get fixed. And, you know, do you get what I'm saying? I don't understand why they're fighting against so hard.

[Sophia]

I don't either. And people who think they should just be able to hoard everything. I've started saying a new thing where I'm like, oh, okay, so you don't believe in, quote, social services. Okay, what I want you to do is go buy yourself some land with your money. Trench it. Find your own water, create your own sewage system, Pave your own roads, make your own concrete. Do everything by yourself. Do everything by yourself. And then they're like, well, I didn't mean that. And I'm like, what do you think a stoplight is? What do you think a road is? What do you think the water that comes out of your sink is?

[Leslie Jones]

Well, I'm just like, what? Why do they think that it's not going to affect them? Like, whatever happens is just going to jump over them and then they have children. So I'll be like, do you not care what your child. I don't understand the lack of empathy. That's the lack of. And, okay, and this is my theory. I'm starting to really believe that they're aliens. That's the only. That's the only explanation.

[Sophia]

Because the only way you could pillage a planet like this is if you weren't from here. If you're using it for something else.

[Leslie Jones]

The only way that you could be so lack of empathy is that you're not human. That's. That's the only thing.

[Sophia]

Because that's the second movie we should make.

[Leslie Jones]

And then when you look at them, don't they look like aliens? Elon Musk looked like the dude that has a person suit on him. Have you seen Peter Till? That alien's fighting. He's fighting to get out that face.

[Sophia]

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[Sophia]

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[Leslie Jones]

That is so true. Because it is.

[Sophia]

It's very Men in Black in here right now.

[Leslie Jones]

Very yucky when it comes to. When it comes to women and children. I just. I just don't understand. I. Okay. Everything feels weird because, like, okay, the maga, they're always talking about how everybody's pedophiles and all of that, but then it just. You know how they're saying, is thou protest too much? Y' all are pedophiles. Y'. All. Everything that you're yelling, that's what you are.

[Sophia]

Yeah. Donald Trump is in the Epstein files more than Jesus is in the Bible.

[Leslie Jones]

Talking about. Even the mega people, they want to marry 12 and 13. This is the thing I want to know.

[Sophia]

I know it.

[Leslie Jones]

What is men's fascination with children? What is their fast? I'm. I really. That's the thing I want to. You know, I used to.

[Sophia]

I don't know.

[Leslie Jones]

My major was criminal justice, and I wanted to find serial killers.

[Sophia]

Oh, my God. I want to talk to you about this so bad.

[Leslie Jones]

I wanted to be a serial killer finder. That's what I wanted to be called, too. I didn't want to be called nothing but serial killer finder. Like, I wanted that on my fucking

[Sophia]

desk and on my skf. You wanted it on a business card.

[Leslie Jones]

That's right. I. A serial killer finder because it was fascinating to me to figure out the brain and what makes it go to that level of evilness. Yes. And. And. And I'm really fascinated and wanted to know what. What. What are you getting from fucking children?

[Advertisement Voice]

Yes.

[Leslie Jones]

What is that? Is it. Is it. Is it some satanic or is it. I. I don't even understand. I. I'm really curious.

[Sophia]

No, it's crazy.

[Leslie Jones]

So it's everywhere.

[Sophia]

And to your point when you really start to, like, zoom out and look at it and you go, oh, every accusation is a confession.

[Leslie Jones]

That's what I'm saying.

[Sophia]

Like they said. They said the big lie was y' all stole the 2020 election. Everybody knows that's not true. They analyzed all the evidence. They looked at everything in the court. It's not true. But you get to 2024 and Elon's like, yeah, well, he would have lost without me and my. My space lasers and my Starlink.

[Leslie Jones]

And I'm like, oh, understand? Why is no one. Why are we. And this is what pisses me off. I'm being really honest. The Democrats know that shit, too. And they're showing up to gunfights with a piece of fucking cake.

[Sophia]

We show up to the knife fight with a pencil, and they come with an Uzi, and we wonder why we're losing.

[Leslie Jones]

No, they're showing up with cake, baby. They're. They're kids. They got cake in their hand. And let me tell you something. Like, the older. The older Democrats need to sit down and let the more progressive and aggressive Democrats step forward and fight this fight. Like, they're fighting this fight. What Gavin Newsom was doing was absolutely right. He is.

[Sophia]

Yes.

[Leslie Jones]

But Biff. He's Biff from Back to the Future. That's all that is. And we know how to affect them. Everything that they're saying, just like you said, we need to shout that out every time y' all say some. And accuse us. We know that you did that. So every. Every complaint is a confession. You. So, yeah, like. Like, it doesn't. We're watching this happen in real time, and I think we're just stunned almost.

[Sophia]

Yeah.

[Leslie Jones]

And then two. There's a thing about people who don't go to the manager. Like, for example, like, there's a lot of us who will call the manager over and be like, this was not good. I want my money back. Or either they make it over or whatever. Right? But then there's people who go, this was nasty. I'm not coming back here. And they just don't say nothing. We gotta start talking to the manager.

[Sophia]

Yeah, we. We have to. We gotta fix it. Because the. The issue. I have people who are like, well, yeah, with that part. But even people who are like, well, what's the point? I'm not voting. I'm like, you know what? We gotta do all of it. Because at the end of the day, saying, well, the ship's up. I'm not gonna participate. We all. We're all on it, so we can't let it crash. Like, we. We have to do something.

[Leslie Jones]

Well, this is what. This is. When people say that. When people say that they are not working with all the information, what they need to understand is just think of. Think of the United States as a whole. Right? Think of it as a whole, right? Only one third of us are voting.

[Sophia]

It's crazy. So.

[Leslie Jones]

So the system that you think is working against us can work for us if we actually use the system.

[Sophia]

Yeah, if we participate.

[Leslie Jones]

You have to participate because. Because the third that's voting is the motherfuckers who want the shit this way. Right? So if everybody went out and even if two thirds of us started voting, this shit would be over. So he wouldn't have been able to cheat. And they're gonna find out that he cheated. They're gonna find out that he cheated because I. He has Elon Musk. This motherfucker's over.

[Sophia]

You're bragging about it.

[Leslie Jones]

Come on. Like, it's so fucking obvious. And when they find out, this is what I'm telling everybody. Like, if the Democrats do get a chance to take over, if y' all don't send all these motherfuckers to jail, everything do something we're not gonna. It's. The system's literally gonna break down because they're gonna be like, we don't want to go to back to this checks and balance that you thought was in check. We need new checks. People are scared of new. But. But when they made this the Declaration of Independence, they had amendments. They met for interchange through the time of change. And they said so everybody's so scared to do something for that fit. Like when you go into. Just because a uniform is a uniform, if you're too fat for the uniform, we have to adjust each uniform. What the fuck is people doing?

[Sophia]

I know it. I know it. And now a word from our sponsors. This is for those who experience allergic reactions from food, medicine, insects or other allergy triggers. About 60% of patients do not consistently carry their epinephrine needle injectors, which scares me. And that's why I wanted to tell you all about our new friends at Nephi. Nephi is the only needle free epinephrine nasal spray for those who weigh 33 pounds or more. It's used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, which is a big deal. Nefi works as well as a needle injector and it's designed to be safe and easy to use at the first sign of symptoms. So in a high stress moment, you can quickly treat an allergic reaction. Nefi is also small and discreet, so it's easier to carry as part of your everyday routine. That way you always have it with you if the unexpected happens. You can pay as little as $0 for at least four Nephi devices two packs through the Copay Savings program with commercial insurance if eligible. Eligible patients should not pay more than $199 for NEFI. If you have medical conditions or take certain medicines, your condition may worsen, so tell your doctor about nasal, heart, thyroid or kidney issues, high blood pressure, Parkinson's, diabetes if you're pregnant or breastfeeding and all medications you take. Side effects include nasal discomfort, headache, runny nose, shakiness and throat irritation. These are not all side effects. Before you get a new epinephrine prescription or refill, ask a doctor about needle free NEFE today. Visit nefy.com that's N-E-F-F-Y.com or call 1-877-my-NEPHI to learn more.

[Advertisement Voice]

Xolair Omalizumab is proven to significantly reduce allergic reactions if a food allergy accident happens. Xolair 150mg is a prescription medication used to treat food allergy in people 1 year of age and older to reduce allergic reactions due to accidental exposure to one or more foods. While taking Xolair, you should continue to avoid all foods to which you are allergic. Don't use if you are allergic to Xolair. Xolair may cause a severe, life threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Tell your doctor if you have ever had anaphylaxis. Get help right away if you have trouble breathing or if you have swelling of your throat or tongue. Xolair should not be used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. Xolair is for maintenance use to reduce allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, while avoiding food allergens. Serious side effects such as cancer, fever, muscle aches and rash, parasitic infection or heart and circulation problems have been reported. Please see xolair.com for full prescribing information. Ask an allergist about Xolair. This is an advertisement for Xolair paid for by Genentech and Novartis.

[Sophia]

Choices Aren't they great? It's why Plan B made over the counter emergency contraception legal more than 20 years ago because now you have a backup plan and a choice that's freedom to be. Plan B is the number one OB GYN recommended emergency contraception. It is not an abortion pill. Get it immediately at all major retailers in store or delivery. Use Plan B emergency contraception as directed within 72 hours after unprotected sex. The sooner you take it it the better it works. Friends, the Trump administration and its backers in Congress are messing around with our health care. They have already passed a law supposedly defunding Planned Parenthood, which blocks Medicaid patients from getting life saving care like cancer screenings, wellness exams, birth control, STI treatment and more. And now these lawmakers want to shut down health centers by defunding Planned Parenthood permanently. Our communities deserve better. To learn how you can get involved, text the word update to 22422. Okay, I have a question. I gotta zoom out because I feel like I wish we were in person over dinner, I wish we had a drink, but here we are. Like you, like me, are an entertainer. I think a lot of people don't necessarily know what our education backgrounds are.

[Leslie Jones]

Right.

[Sophia]

You know, a lot of people are surprised to find out I went to journalism school and studied political science. A lot of people might be surprised to find out that you went to study criminology. Like how, how does that happen?

[Leslie Jones]

You know, how do I become that too? A comedian?

[Sophia]

Yeah, because like I know that, you know, I know you played basketball. I, obviously you went into comedy. But where, where did the criminology come from? And was that something like from your childhood? Because I love to ask people, like, if you got to hang out with your 8 year old self, would you see yourself in that child? But I, now I'm like, who was your 8 year old child? I want to hang out with her too. Was she, was she a mystery solver? Was she already a comedian? Like, how did we get to Leslie now from, from, from them?

[Leslie Jones]

Well, this is why I tell people this. I am the perfect example of not knowing what I am. But I decided to go to college to figure it out. Even if you don't stay in college, because I didn't, sometimes it really helps you figure stuff out. So, so like the, like the eight year old Leslie, it's okay. No, I, because I'm going forward. I want to, want to go backwards first.

[Sophia]

Yeah, yeah. Okay.

[Leslie Jones]

When I, when I, when I was in high school and playing basketball and stuff, the, the goal was just to get a scholarship so I can go to college. My dad wants me to go to college, I'm gonna go to college. But in my head I'm thinking, I, you know, I'm just doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Right. I don't know anything. I don't know that I, I can have my own choices. I'm just doing what my parents tell me. So, you know, you get the scholarship. When? My first year, Seriously, I changed my major at least seven times. I wanted to be a computer science. And then micro macroeconomics said, no, you're not. And then I was like, okay, I'm Gonna be a lawyer. And then this came into the class and said she want 25 cases every night. I am absolutely not. I'm absolutely not gonna be a lawyer. And then I was like, oh, okay. So then I'm gonna be. I forgot out what the.

[Advertisement Voice]

It was.

[Leslie Jones]

It was some very, like, what is wrong with you? It was like, I can't. I think it was like, painting or something. And I was like, yeah, because I was in ceramics class. What's wrong with you? I did. I. And then I did. I had a communications class, and I went up and. And I did the speech. I just made up some shit. I just made it up. It just came off the top of my head. And I did Whoopi Goldberg's thing. I put the sweatshirt on my head, and I went up, and I was like, this is my fucking hair. Oh, my God. Like, I did this whole thing. And the teacher came up to me. She was like, you don't have to come back. I'm just giving you an A. I'm a pass. You. There's no need for you to come back. You've learned everything that I would teach. She was like, you should think about going into communications and, you know, acting and stuff. So I was like, wow, okay. Okay, fuck it. Let's do it, right? So I went and I became a DJ at that college. But in the. In the meantime, my friend wanted to do criminal justice. So I was like, that sounds so interesting. And my aunt. Everybody in my family is cops and drug enforcement agents and all kinds of shit. So I was like, yeah, I'm gonna check it out. So I did. I went and I audited a class, and I was like, oh, I'm fucking. And I was so into it. I was like, this is it. But I also liked doing the communications thing. So when I transferred to Colorado State, okay, so being at a small college is completely different than being at a really large college. You don't have so much freedom to pick your things like that. So it was a little hard trying to figure out what I was doing. So I was doing really hardcore criminal justice classes. But I. I know I was into it, right? I know I was into it. But, yeah, I was more fun. And then I was partying hard, so I would show up to my. It was a drug class. It was like a drug. Like, you know, learning about drugs and stuff and drug enforcement agents. And I would show up to that class drunk as fuck, every fuck, because we would drink after practice, so I would be fucked up. And he came up to me One time he says, so what is it that you're trying to get out this career? And I said it to him. I was like, I want to be a serial killer finder. And he. He was like, this. I don't. I don't think that's what it's called. And I was like, well, that's what they're going to call me. And he was like, well, you know, I know that you're drunk, right? Like, you come to class drunk. Every. Is there a problem? Are you having a problem? I was like, no. I was like, I'm 19. I'm having fun.

[Sophia]

Oh, my God. What do you.

[Leslie Jones]

What do you. What did you do in college? And he busted up laughing. He was like, you're funny as fuck. So then I'm walking with my friend. I'm walking with my friend and going through Hardee's. We had just came from Hardee's. I'm finna go home and get ready for practice. She's going to a class. We passed by this sign that said, funniest person on campus, and it was a contest. And she was like, yo, you should do that. And I was like, are you crazy?

[Advertisement Voice]

No, I'm not Richard Pryor.

[Leslie Jones]

I'm not Whoopi Goldberg. She said, yeah, bitch, you're not, but you're funny as fuck. She was like, do you not notice how funny you are? She was like, everybody always invites you to the party. Did you notice that? Did you notice everybody always comes over and sits by you and everybody starts laughing? Like, do you know you can make anyone laugh? And then that's when everything started coming to me. Like, I was like, don't sign me up. But when I was walking home, I was like, yeah, I've always been kind of funny, even when I was 8 years old. Like you said, you go back to the eight year old I was tumbling, making my friends laugh, doing fun shit. I always liked to laugh. That was my fucking thing. When I was young, laughing was just so fun, like when you. Especially if I made somebody laugh, but laughing altogether. And my dad was hilarious. So, like, we was always laughing, like, as a whole. Whole, like when we had all the family over. Everybody's funny. You could just hear people laughing and. Yeah. And that was something I always loved. So when I got to the apartment to meet her, because we was gonna go drink, and she was like, I signed you up for the contest.

[Sophia]

She signed you up.

[Leslie Jones]

I said, what? What? Why would you do that? Why would you do that? I told you not to do that. And Then I started laughing and she was like, you're not.

[Advertisement Voice]

You know.

[Leslie Jones]

I was like, no, bitch, I can't do this. I can't go on stage. She was like, you gonna do it?

[Sophia]

Yes you can and you're gonna.

[Leslie Jones]

And I rehearsed all week. Cause I apparently had some jokes that I guess I thought I was gonna do. And I won.

[Sophia]

And from that is so cool.

[Leslie Jones]

But it was really, really not even about the contest. It was about me sitting and observing. Like this is something that I didn't know I could do. I was observing the other people. I knew what they were was going to do. Like I knew this girl was going to be too drunk to perform. I knew this guy was going to be too nervous to perform. Like I was just checking little things out. And then when I went up on stage, he introduced me. I'm telling you for real, Sophia, as soon as I touched the mic, yeah, I knew that was. I knew that that was what I was going to do the rest of my life. Wow.

[Sophia]

If it really found you, like your calling found you.

[Leslie Jones]

Yeah, I think so.

[Sophia]

The way I want to talk with this woman forever. And honestly wish we were doing it over dinner with a cocktail. Tune back in for part two. Choices. Aren't they great? It's why Plan B made over the counter emergency contraception legal more than 20 years ago. Because now you have a backup plan and a choice that's freedom to be. Plan B is the number one ob GYN recommended emergency contraception. It is not an abortion pill. Get it immediately at all major retailers in store or delivery. Use Plan B emergency contraception as directed within 72 hours after unprotected sex. The sooner you take it, the better it works.

[Advertisement Voice]

Xolair omalizumab is proven to significantly reduce allergic reactions if a food allergy accident happens. Xolair 150mg is a prescription medication used to treat food allergy in people 1 year of age and older. To reduce allergic reactions due to accidental exposure to one or more foods while taking Xolair, you should continue to avoid all foods to which you are allergic. Don't use if you are allergic to Xolair. Xolair may cause a severe life threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Tell your doctor if you have ever had anaphylaxis. Get help right away if you have trouble breathing or if you have swelling of your throat or tongue. Xolair should not be used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. Xolair is for maintenance use to reduce allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, while avoiding food allergies. Serious side effects such as cancer, fever, muscle aches and rash, parasitic infection or heart and circulation problems have been reported. Please see xolair.com for full prescribing information. Ask an allergist about Xolair this is an advertisement for Xolair paid for by Genentech and Novartis. I love my phone, but not my carrier.

[Sophia]

What do I do? Well, there are 250 reasons to join T Mobile.

[Advertisement Voice]

Like what?

[Sophia]

You can keep your phone and your number and T Mobile helps pay it off up to $800 per line. So I wouldn't have to buy a new phone?

[Leslie Jones]

Yep.

[Sophia]

Plus your plan price stays the same for 5 years on experience plans. Nice. Find your reason@t mobile.com

[Leslie Jones]

via virtual prepaid guard card typically takes 15 days after rebate submission price guarantee on talk text and 5G data exclusions like taxes and fees apply.

[Sophia]

Friends the Trump administration and its backers in Congress are messing around with our health care. They have already passed a law supposedly defunding Planned Parenth, which blocks Medicaid patients from getting life saving care like cancer screenings, wellness exams, birth control, STI treatment and more. And now these lawmakers want to shut down health centers by defunding Planned Parenthood permanently. Our communities deserve better. To learn how you can get involved, text the word update to 22422. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.