-Welcome to the show. -They stood. That was fun.
I feel like the people always stand.
Like, your special, what I really enjoyed about it is,
you have cultivated a fan base which is genuine,
and, most importantly, you grew them from the ground up.
It's something I've always been impressed by is,
you-you... you got into comedy,
and it seemed like you were hitting a lot of brick walls,
and then you were just like, "Well, I'm just...
I'm just gonna create my own lane."
And that's something that you've done successfully.
Is that how you see your comedy career?
Um, I think... I feel like that's been
my career in general, you know?
I think that for... for most black women,
that's our career.
Like, we're hitting walls, and we're like, you know what?
-(applause) -Right.
I'm-a build this ladder, I'm-a build this bridge.
You know, I'm-a just float. I'm-a levitate over these fools.
-(laughter) -Uh...
that's really what ends up having to be
the course of action out of just necessity.
And now, I mean, it's one thing
to have your first comedy special.
HBO is a monument that most comedians dream of.
That is... it's not just a funny show,
but it's on HBO.
Was that a dream of yours, or was that something
that just became, like, a bonus of having a great special.
It was actually a bonus.
I mean, for all intents and purposes,
-I was just gonna do it myself. -Right.
Like, I feel like I have such a strong following
of folks that are action-based and that really, like,
give me the encouragement to feel like, you know what,
I'll just create my own independent stream of income,
and I'll just do it myself.
If Louis C.K. can do it, I can do it,
'cause black women can do anything.
And... but then HBO was like, "No, no, no. We got you, boo."
And... I was like, "Oh, so I don't have to spend
my own money and I can try and pay off my mama's house? Great.
Right. Let me ask you this.
Um, the special is something that is 100% Amanda, right?
And one thing that I've seen many people say about you,
which I completely agree with is, you speak in...
it's, like, your voice is un... unfiltered, un-tampered with,
it is, like, it is the truest essence
of what many comedians wish they could do when they're on stage.
Is this something you always had when you were a comedian?
-Or...? -Okay, Trevor.
-No, but I... -Public props.
-Um... -(laughs) Public props?
You know, people give you props in your DMs,
but it's one thing to do it, like, on the TV.
Right. But... But you're really good, though.
(cheers and applause)
Thanks, guys.
(laughter)
Yeah, I mean, my mother-- I feel like I come from a,
a family of people who, I wouldn't say we're unfiltered,
-I think we just have different filters. -Right.
I think, for a lot of people, fear is the filter,
and for me, that's just not the case.
I'm not really afraid of if people will like me,
I'm more fearful that I will be misinterpreted
as saying something other than what I really mean.
Wow. Do you think your mom encouraged that?
Because I've seen you, you know, post stories.
You-you tell, you know, a lot of stories on Instagram,
you share a lot about your life, and I remember you had, like,
a series about you as a young child,
and how your mom encouraged you to do things
-that were outside of your world. -Yeah.
Do you think a lot of that formed who you are
-as a person today? -Oh, one million percent,
because I really believe in just having, like,
a number of different perspectives
to be able to form and help broaden your own, right?
So, I mean, early on,
I was doing a lot of different activities,
and my mom just really operated under the banner
of "If she wants to try it and I can make it happen,
-"let me at least let her try it. -Right.
"If I want her to try something and she's against it,
-she's gonna try it." -(laughter)
You know, that was...
But I think that that's...
that's the kind of person that I became
because I'm not afraid to take risks,
'cause I've tried so many things
and I liked and I didn't like them,
but I always knew that I got back up,
and I could do something else.
When you have these conversations online,
you're not afraid to talk about everything.
I mean, from race to conversations
in and around gender, to what's happening in politics.
And what I've always loved is how people
will jump into your mentions, and they'll say things like,
"Oh, why, why you speaking on this?
What do you even know about this?"
And you'll be like, "Well, I have a master's degree in...
-Like, a whole master's. -Right. A whole master's degree.
(laughter and applause)
Like a whole one.
How much do you think that's informed your stand-up?
Oh, my gosh. I would say it's the cornerstone,
because so much of my stand-up is about, like,
not just laughing, but learning while laughing.
And so much of stand-up is about talking about what you know.
So my passion for black culture and the black experience
is not just in my own existence as a black person,
but in the actual academic study that I've done
-about black people across the diaspora. -Right.
So it really is rooted in that
as much as it's rooted in, like, my own personal stories
of getting beat with a box on a train,
but that's a whole other situation.
I've always been fascinated because I never know
which was you're gonna go on a subject or an issue.
Like, for instance, the other day, there was a story about,
you know, I think it's a film Cleopatra,
and then people were angry about who's gonna play Cleopatra.
They're like, "Why are they not getting a black woman
to play Cleopatra? This is racism. This is--"
And you came out and you were like,
"Oh, people need to stop complaining,
because Cleopatra wasn't black."
-And I was like, "Wow. I've... " -Well, she's European.
I mean, she was like Brown-opean, but she was...
I mean, she was, she was--
-According to historical reference... -Yes.
...many say that she was the descendent
of Ptolemy and, like, Macedonian...
-Yes. -Like, she... But she was not, like,
Nefertiti's cousin's sister's best friend, you know?
And I think that's what a lot of people thought.
As far as I'm concerned, like, I'm just a fact-based person.
-Right. -In the same way that, like, I don't know
how we're even kind of defending R. Kelly.
'Cause the facts is he's trash.
(cheering and applause)
(Noah laughs)
The facts.
So I don't know...
I don't know how we're, like, talking about other people
or how we're, like,
having these, like, nuanced discussions.
He's trash.
(cheering and applause)
You know what I...
One of my favorite things about you
is you-you have this dictionary
of words that you have come up with.
So, like, for instance, like, what did you say?
You said she's not European. You said she's "brownopean"?
-"Brownopean." I don't know, like... -"Brownopean."
And then I remember you had one of my favorite things
where you talked about the difference
between someone being white-- a white person--
and someone who happens to be white.
It's a strong distinction.
Why did you feel the need to make that distinction?
Because... partially because I feel
like a lot of white people...
(laughter)
...don't dis... they don't have a distinction
-amongst their group, right? -Right.
And I think that there's a lot of folks
who are like, "Wait, but not all.
But not all. But not all."
-It's like, "Okay, here's something for you." -Right.
But I also think that...
the... we don't care about the "not all"--
you know, like, "But not all"--
because there are so many doing the BS.
-Right. -Right? So when I make that distinction,
it's also for folks who have allies
and who know allies to be able to point out,
"This is an example of what you should be."
You know, and I think that is important,
because you can complain, complain, complain, complain,
but if you can't identify, like, a version of what it is
to be on the right side of something,
-then it's hard to point people in the right direction. -Right.
People who happen to be white? White people.
People who happen to be white?
You know what, watch the special. I explain it.
That's-that's a nice hook.
-I like that. That's a great hook. -(laughs)
(applause)
You've got... you've got the special.
-Mm-hmm. -Um, you've got your podcast, as well.
-You've got a show... -Small Doses.
Right, Small Doses. You've got a show
that's really successful around the country
that you've been, like, doing.
And it's-it's not just a comedy show.
It's Smart Funny & Black.
It's a live music, comedy, game show experience.
Right. But the game show element
is what makes it really interesting,
and people love that.
Explain the game show to the audience at home,
'cause you want to go catch this show if you can.
What is the game show element of this about?
So, we bring on two funny folks.
So, it doesn't have to be comedians
but two people who are notable
-and have a sense of humor. -Right.
And I write games that test their knowledge
of black culture, black history, and the black experience.
Within that format,
we have a moment of ebony excellence.
Yeah.
We have musical sing-alongs.
We have information points of view, et cetera, et cetera.
And so it really is just about edu-tainment.
That's what it's really about.
-Right. -It's finding a creative way to bring information
and education into a space that is lively and entertaining
and, at the same time, empowering and enriching.
Is-is that something you identified
from, uh, your master's degree in African studies?
-W-Was there something where-- -African-American studies.
African-American studies-- Is the, um--
the disconnect between how America tells its story
and the story of black people in America--
being excluded from that?
Oh, you trying to get knowledgeable. Okay.
Um... Okay.
Here-- We showed up. Okay.
Here's one thing about black folks.
-We love entertainment, okay? -Right.
If there were deejays at every voting booth,
I mean, this situation never would've happened.
(applause)
Okay? You got to know your culture!
-You got to know your people, you know what I'm saying? -Yes.
And so I-- when I-- when I say that,
it's like we really thrive in that space.
And so if I can use that space
to also empower us and enrich us,
-then what's the hurt, right? -Right.
But I think that there's a disconnect, often,
just in terms of the amount of negative imagery
of black folks that we're getting,
and I wanted to create a celebratory space.
-Right. -I wanted to create a safe space.
Because we don't have In Loving Color anymore.
We don't have Def Comedy Jam anymore.
We don't have Chappelle's Show anymore.
So, Smart Funny & Black, I've kept it as a live show,
-because I'm in control of it. -Right.
That's what helps keep it safe.
'Cause once you put it on the TV,
then people get in control of it
that don't have black empowerment
-as their bottom line. -Is-is that your dream, then,
to grow into a space where you can create that type of content
in a way that you can curate it
the way you want it to be curated?
Yeah. 1,000%.
-Because I... -(applause)
Commerce has never been the root of my work.
-Right. -It's a byproduct.
Just like fame has never been the root of my work.
It's a byproduct. So I always create art that speaks for me
and hopefully speaks and helps people.
So, being able to do that without having to answer to,
like, "Will white people like this?" is incredibly important.
And that is a question I was asked several times,
both times that I sold this show and took it back.
Wow. Well, I'll tell you this, uh,
black people will like this show,
and I think white people will love it as well.
It's super funny. Congrats on the HBO special.
-Anybody who's authentic will love it. -Anyone who lo--
anyone will love the show. Congratulations.
Thank you for being on the show.
I Be Knowin' premieres January 26 at 10:00 p.m. on HBO.
It's really special. Amanda Seales, everybody.
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