Natively and pod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with Reaisent Choice Media all Right. Joining the podcast now is author, comedian, and somewhat of a social commentator, Leslie Jones.
We are social to have you on this show.
It's happening in your world. I've been seeing you pop up a lot, so I know we have a lot to get into you. Thank you so much for joining us. We're happy to have you, sus.
Thanks welcome home. Thank you for having me. I'm excited. I watch you and Angela and Andrew all the time.
But we appreciate it.
Yeah, I love your pot. I love you Pot.
We appreciate you.
Know.
We out here trying to do what we can in this uh, in this chaos, and it's so much happening, Leslie. And what I would have to say, what I appreciate about you is you have always tried to use your platform that either a make people laugh or be speak out about something. I love that you center women and black women and a lot of the things that you do and hold the line for us.
So we appreciate you that.
I think in this time we talked a little bit about what do we do so many people are asking us all the time what do we do?
And on the other side.
So many people are checked out, like they're just like, I can't it's too much happening.
You know, I'm gonna binge something, I'm gonna.
Stream something which uniquely puts entertainers in a spotlight. So I'm curious what you think the role of Black Hollywood is in this moment as we're facing assault on every front, from our civil rights to our bodily autonomy, to our finances to the very infrastructure of the country. What do you think the role of Black Hollywood is there?
Well, first, I feel like we need to realize what's happening through each decade or is that we're using less and less percentage of our brain, Like there's no critical thinking, there's no like and you get that through reading books and Okay, it's hard to kind of say this without I don't want to be offensive or whatever.
But speak the truth.
We had a crack error, you know what I'm saying. We had There's there's kids that were born of that that wasn't raised like us like to have boundaries and critical thinking and think about it's we have to think about where the mind state of where everybody is not just black people white people, this society period. We are in the complacent stage right now, Like people always ask like, what do we do?
What do we do? You know what we have to do? Everybody knows what we have to do.
We just too complacent and we've paid for our convenience with our democracy.
You know what I'm saying, We're not.
No one's gonna stop watching Netflix, no one's gonna stop ordering Amazon. And we could stop smoking cigarettes for one week and shut shit down, but no one's gonna do that, no one. No one's gonna take responsibility for their role and what we have to do until they actually take it serious. Because people still are on that Oh they can't do that, Oh they can't make that happen, but they are making that happen. And we're sitting here not understanding that we hold that we hold the key in our hand.
It's us.
We millionaires don't have money unless we give them money, you know, And as black people, we're one of the biggest consumers of this market and we just uneducated.
Man, Like I'm so, I'm sorry.
It really comes down to whenever I hear anyone say that they're racist or or they don't understand. D you just uneducated because DEI is very simple. No one's saying they're lowing expectations. They're saying they're opening it up to everyone, not just to white people. And if you think that black people or immigrants are taking your jobs, go look at the test scores.
No, it's your white friend that's taking your job. So so I'm sorry, I was going to ask you.
So one of the things that TIF was getting at is the role that you see entertained playing in this particular moment. We know in our history, whether we're talking Harry Harry Belafonte to did Gregory, entertainment entertainers have always been an essential part of movement building. And you brought up DEI, which for our audience diversity, equity and inclusion. Hollywood was one of the first industries hit by folks saying you know what, we actually are going to retract
a little bit on this whole DEI thing. So when you think about what the requirement is, what is your most reasonable service in this time and what would you challenge your peers to do.
Yeah, I challenged them to when they go on a set, which is something I do. How many black people here, like, you know, you know you're not going to give me favorite dations. That's what they want to use, all of it because can't no white woman do my hair. I've had white hairdressers on set say to me, Oh, I date a black guy and we have a kid, so I know how to do black hair. What I've had a makeup artist said to me, Hey, I did Yola Davis and Gabrielle that bitch that has nothing to do with me.
You need to go and get that tone. You need to go get my color.
Tone because I'm five shades darker than her and five shades lighter than her.
So what like?
And I'm gonna tell you you gonna get labeled a bitch, but they gonna call you one anyway. I me myself. I don't like to look like a shiny ass bitch. When I was on SNL, we had a light in person that was like like put.
Some more light, and I was like, put some more light on me.
This is a dark gass stage. I'm a black bitch. Put the light on me. No, And I'm very verbal. I'm very verbal. Oh I look shiny, No, I look darker than what I am are you doing that on purpose? Are you trying to make me look dirty? Or are you is there a reason put some light on me? No. I had to learn that shit easy early too, because I'm a dark skinned person and if I wear any kind of light color, that shit flushes me out.
So you have to speak up. Some people are scared to speak up.
Because again, we in this this industry that's like, oh, you.
Know, she's how I have to work with whatever.
Yeah, I'm difficult, Yeah, because I'm fucking Leslie Jones and I This is what people need to understand in this business.
You are a business, that's right. You are a freelancer.
When people ask you to work for them, that means that you are letting them have your services for a certain amount of time.
In other words, if.
I have some tractors and you had a feel you are renting my tractors and you're using them to do your field. But mother, those are my tractors, and you know what you're not gonna do. You're not gonna mistrade and mistreat my tractors either. You're gonna take care of them. And if you suck up my tractors, you're gonna pay for them. Do you get what I'm saying. So when you go on set and you see that, man, I say it straight up. I already know when somebody can't
do my makeup. As soon as they go to reach for a rush, I'll be like, you don't know what you're doing. I call my girl, you got you gotta you gotta force them to do it, because most people don't and they get away with it. But if you say something, they can do something. I mean, I mean, at least when I do it. I don't know about everybody else, but when I speak up, oh I have
nappy hair. She can't do my hair. So I have a glam team and we bro What I do is I bring my glam team in and they're good at what they do, and they be good at what they do, and then those people go, oh wow, yeah this works better, Oh wow, she looks great.
Do you get what I'm saying?
So you have to I hear you saying, Leslie like you si down to the glam and we love you for it. Dad supports black businesses. I'm sure, Andrew, who is the real fam?
You for the no?
I'm just sorry, you know, I'm loving that you you broke it down like that, and more importantly, I'm loving you calling out the fact that your talent is a business what you bring to the table. As Jay Z says, I'm a business man, and I wonder for you, Leslie, as you have increasingly become I don't know if it's become of you always been outspoken, because you know, I see you through the television screen and the movie theaters. But I'm wondering, as you speak up and speak out
in Hollywood, does it cost you? Yeah, because I think you were getting at this. People don't want to be put in discomfort. They don't want to be inconvenience, which is why we're not choosing to boycott certain industries because that would hit too close to home. Talk a moment, just about the fact that you're risking something if you are well, every time you choose to step in the gap.
I'd rather risk that than my the way. I mean, I'm older now.
Maybe in my twenties and thirties, you know I would have been like, Yo, I'm down for this, let's get this done because I'm trying to be in the hustle. But at the older I get, the more I think about my parents, more I think about my grandmother. The more I think about us as a people like and as getting older, I just become so into me being
a black woman. Like I stopped perming my hair, I started growing my I just didn't realize how beautiful black women really are until you really, like after SNL, I dug deep into like a black woman's soul, and it's so it was always there, you know, it was always there. So whenever I'm choosing stuff now, it don't be like I'm making a choice. It's just like, yo, this is what's happening, Like no that I can't do this because
I feel like this. So, yes, I do lose some things, But the good thing that I'm noticing is that the people who do know that I'm good, and the people do that know what integrity and dignity is, they're starting to come back around it at because I'm good at what I do. That's why I have to be super good at what I do. I wouldn't be able to take a stance if I wasn't funny as trust and believe.
So that's why we tell everybody have some foundation behind your you know, don't don't be the pig with the stick house, be the pig with the bricks.
You know what I'm saying, So and be able to make more bricks, you know, yeah, so yeah, I.
Do break went up.
You know.
All we're talking about the price right, right.
I appreciate that we're also talking.
About this boycott, right, A lot of things the boycott, And I think as this administration continues to show chaos and we see the role of the private sector and as they fund some of these really dacronian initiatives, and who knows what else is coming down the pike. But a lot of us build audience on some of these platforms, for example Instagram even Facebook. For some people, you have a huge following on Instagram. Yeah, I used to, you know, watch your replays when it was about like Game of
Thrones and all. A lot of the things that you do would go viral on Instagram. But this is owned by meta Mark Zuckerberg, who's a part we stream content on Amazon. I'm just curious how you plan to navigate that space. You plan on keeping your Instagram.
And if you get off, like where is there to go? What are your thoughts?
Well?
Well, my thing too also is I'm a business person also, like you know, it's I can't.
I have to learn how to navigate.
A business too, but it also has to be what people want to Like. If people stop can win Instagram and you know, then I'm gonna find somewhere else because I was doing that before Instagram and before TikTok and before Twitter, I still was out there. You know what I'm saying, We I think we need to start start like trying to wane off that shit because it's not good for us anyway. You know what I'm saying, Like, it's it's just making unnecessary people like conveymous that are really dangerous.
You know. I think we're just so into this social media ship that I don't know.
I just feel like if this wasn't around, we would still find.
A way to communicate with each other.
I think we just have to put a little bit more effort into it and I would find a way. I mean, you know, now they got substacked, Now they got what is that Patreon?
You know? I mean, yeah, what are what are working on?
Now?
What is working to find? What can they see you in? How are going to promote it?
Oh? I'm so many things.
People just came out with that because you know, we're celebrating the sn L fifty, so I'm.
On the cover of that.
So I just uh sold a show with Universal, so that's going to be coming out. I'm also uh getting ready to do a play. My special was coming out. Uh yeah, we got a lot of good ship cooking.
I think she's propriet keeping it down.
And if and she had a special, she didn't invite us to as much as she said, Oh my god, let me tell you, let me tell.
You, let me tell you. I'm just let me tell you what happened.
So was my special was supposed to be taped in Rancho Cuckamonga, so we was about to promote that, right.
Rachal Cookamonga was like with it.
They was like, yo, we're gonna pay you twenty five thousand extra for you to mention Rancho Cookamonga. And then somebody, I guess on the board went and looked at my material and they was like, oh no, she can't represent Rancho Cuckamonga. So they banned me from Rancho wow.
Yo.
And then I told him, I said, so it wasn't the myth that oh it was, It's not it's not the it's not the robber reason nothing that's not what's killing Okay, me telling a dick joke?
All right?
Wow, so so so what happened we end up when yeah, then we yeah, then we read we had to reranch. Yeah, we had to redo it, and we end up doing it the night after the election, which was the worst night.
And I'm telling you nobody.
I was like so mad because I was like, why did y'all pick that date? Niggas, Like we saw Kamala was gonna win.
All thought we would have we would have rs VP that we were going lest to celebrate with you and wouldn't have shown up.
You would have been done with it.
Before we let you go. So many people before we let you go. I have to just.
Before we let go, we gotta ask you had referenced your twenty somethings, your thirty somethings. If you could turn back and look at that, sister, mm hmm, for those of us who are you know, still coming up on the rest side of the mountain, advice would you give? How would you ease the soul, the mind, the heart looking back on your troubles at the time, and how how you got over.
You know what's so crazy? First of all, I believe in God. I really do believe in a higher power. You know what I'm saying. I don't know if I believe in the God that these people believe in. But when you get older, you do start developing a real relationship with him because you really do. Like there's times that come the way you go, like I had a surgery and you know that type of stuff, people die. You know, you go on your knees and be like, yo, you say you there, like are you there?
And he has proven to me that he's there.
So so that for me is very important because then you just really hoping faith work in together, you know what I'm saying.
But I would tell young folks, which I which.
I tell people all the time, if I could quantum leap to myself and say, please don't worry, Like worry is.
Not going to help it the situation at all.
It is just like try to enjoy every stage of your life, like enjoy the small apartment, enjoy the ragley ass car, enjoy the shitty job, enjoy enjoy enjoy it, Like there's so many moments in there where you know you having fun. I think back when I was broke and the most fun thing I used to do was like I had a cupon for l Poloko and I would go get me some chicken wings. I would give me some chicken wings and two cheer rows and let me tell you something and go home and watch my
favorite and I'm talking about joy. You have to find the little creases because that makes you human. Also disconnect like I literally leave my phones now inside another room because you have me connect. You have to promise you will waste most of your life and go outside. Go outside, walk in the park, look at the sky, and let me tell you something. And I tell young instant all the time. If you do not appreciate where you are,
you will not be given the next step. Until you appreciate, you will not graduate.
That's just it. That's a word.
You made me think of something.
Andrew. This is gonna be our last question because I know we overtime and Leslie gotta go, but just really before we let you go. You you work with a lot of other comedians, but also white women comedians, and I know we have talked about on this show, and I've been struggling with this question of the role of white women in our politics. And so my attitude is kind of like, y'all, y'all got it, y'all, y'all work it out amongst yourselves.
I can't do it.
But when you're in those spaces, Leslie as the soul black woman in an ensemble cast or on a show like SNL, do you get into those conversations and what would you say to white women who are complaining about it? And maybe they voted right, but they grandma voted for Trump, or maybe they group chat voted for Trump, or the assignment was to bring along your friends, how do you respond to them in this moment?
Right?
No, girl, girl, do you know how much trouble I used to get into. I used to get into so much trouble because they would do things and I'd be like, that's racist, Like I'm that person. I'd be like, nah, that's racist, or a microaggression, like that's racist?
What you mean by that?
Like I don't I don't give about calling the bitch out because like you, you can't fight me.
So let's let's go like what did you mean by that? But what did you mean by that? But what did you mean by that?
But like no, And then a lot of white women do say things because they think that they're like, oh, I love when they say, well, I don't see color, and I'd be like, yes, you do, bitch, I said, you see colors because your outfit is.
Coordinated, right, And let me tell you something.
You're gonna see my color, bitch, because I'm a beautiful black alabasta And if you don't see my.
Colors, then we have a mothering problem them.
So you gotta check them, like the there's club owners that own that are trumpers, and you gotta check them.
You gotta check them. You're wrong, You're freaking wrong. You're freaking wrong. There's a club that I don't go to because I'm not. I don't do this. I don't. You don't get to have me, and then vote the other way.
You don't get to have me, and then tell me that I don't I'm a three fists of a person, or that I can't take care of my body, or I can't get.
The same pay as you.
No, the fing pay is the motherfucking pay.
Yeah, yeah, and.
And and so I get in trouble all the time, son, trust I get in trouble all the time because and oh, especially the white men.
Because let me tell you something about white men. And I don't.
I'm I'm gonna say this, and I'm gonna be dumb, but I know every black woman will feel this. You need to understand that white men have a different type of fear for black women because.
They was on the tit of our ancestors. We raised it. We're their discipline when we talk to a white man.
Have you ever just really honestly talked to a white man and you could see him turning inside.
Because because they know we're right. We we we your mammy, you know your mammy. I took a switch to you. I took a switch to.
Your great granddaddy, like real talk, like there's that connection there, It really is.
And and I think that's.
Their biggest fear is that if we get in control, that we're going to do the same thing that they did. But we we don't feel that way. We are nurturing race. And this is another thing. We don't want to erase them. They want to erase us. That's the problem. We we know you want to survive. Go ahead and survive, but leave.
Us alone, right, leave us alone? Well, show.
You coordinated?
Yeah, you leslie.
We so appreciate you doing an.
Appreciate you.
No we appreciate it.
Well.
I think we got our marching orders, y'all. By the March Will Break.
Native Land pod is a production of iHeartRadio in partnership with Reason Choice Media. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.