Anjelah Johnson-Reyes

and I'm just like eyeballing her. She's with her child, for the love of God, and I am walking in and I'm like, okay, let me just pretend to buy something and get in line behind her. Brian, when I tell you, I didn't have money to pretend to buy something, So I just got in line behind her and I go, are you Marta Kaufman And she goes, I am, and I was like hi, and I left. Hey, I'm Angela Johnson. Yes, I'm an actress, I'm a comedian, I'm an author. I'm pregnant.

I have chapped lips right now. I'm very well. Hello there, everybody, and welcome back to a brand new episode of Off the Beat. I hope you're having a fantastic Tuesday or whatever day you're listening to this. As always, I'm your host, Brian Baumgartner. Now, as you just heard today, we are bringing on I'm very excited about this my friend, hilarious comedian Angela Johnson Reyes. Now you may know her from her extensive comedy career, perhaps from her character as bomb

Qui Qui and the nail salon Lady. That's right, Angela was behind one of the first ever videos to go viral on YouTube. Yeah. I know it's hard to believe that there was a world before going viral was just a part of normal life. But look, as someone who was there, I can tell you there was, and to be one of the four fathers, if you will, of the Internet, I mean, it's kind of like being Neil Armstrong and going to the moon. And I'm sure that's

exactly how she would describe herself an astronaut. But in all seriousness, Angela has done so much amazing stuff. She took her YouTube fame and she toured the world. She found herself on the set of Friends first, and then she wrote a memoir. She released multiple hit comedy specials. She is what I like to call freaking awesome. So with that said, I say we just bring her on so she can tell us about it, all of it, her life on the road as a stand up comedian.

Listeners far and wide, please give a warm I'm welcome to Angela Johnson Reya's bubb I love it, Bubbalunchquik bubble Unch, Quaker Cookie, every moleft over from the nut Pole. Hi Angela, Hi Ryan, Thanks for having me. How are you? Oh, I'm doing well. I am. I got some sleep last night. I've been having insomnia, so last night I actually got some sleep. Well. I have to say, congratulations, I understand what There's a bun in the oven? Is that? Do you still say that? Yeah? I meant I am with

child bun in the oven. Congratulations on that. I want to I want to get into that a little bit late. We're gonna go We're going to go really deep here and a little bit existential later on. But I have to mention, do you know we have a really good mutual friend who mister mal Hall. No, yes, he is a very good friend of ours. In fact, my wife used to hear his earliest joke pitches in college before he was a stand up comedian. Oh my god, I

love that. That is so special. I have a few friends that they'll remind me that I used to practice my jokes in front of like in the living room, in front of the fireplace, like I'm a kid doing a show for their parents, and I would full on practice. Like my early jokes would be like, okay, you guys have five minutes at buzz cafe. Let me just do this where you really quick, and like practicing for them before I go do my five minutes were us? Where

are they supportive? Oh my god, so supportive. And it's funny because I have friends that, you know, just so supported from the beginning. And I have two friends who particularly I remember one time I was thinking. I was like, you know, I think I'm an a beatbox in my act because I could beat box a little bit. And I remember being in the backseat of their car and

you know, my two friends driving in the passenger. I was like, tell me, if you guys think I should beat by start beatboxing for them, and they were both like no, you know, but then did you anyway? I did? And yeah. One of my most quoted jokes that people always will like quote me or they try to do the beatbox with me when they see me in a meat and greet or something, and I'm like, that's funny. I wonder if that's what my friends heard when I

m all right, well, I want to go back. And I mean, I guess the central question I should ask you is you wrote a book. Who do I think I am talking about? Grow up there in San Jose, caught between two worlds. Talk to me a little bit about that. You're growing up. So I am Mexican American, and I grew up wishing I was more Mexican than I felt that. I was like, we didn't speak Spanish growing up, We didn't live like in the hood, and I wanted to live in the hood. Like I wanted

there to be low riders in my neighborhood. I wanted there to be cars just primered up on blocks, sitting on the grass like you know what I mean, Like I want there full on to be just stray dogs roaming around. That's That's where I wanted to live. And we lived in a nice, little middle class neighborhood. It was very diverse. We had everybody like Portuguese, you know, a few Latinos. It was mostly like older white people, but we had like Mexican Indians, like, we had a

lot of different people. It's very diverse. And I wanted to be like this tough Chola chick, you know what I mean, right, And I was not that, but I tried real hard. And my last name was Johnson, and I always wish it was like Rodriguez or Sanchez or like something with it is like just give me as at the end, like that's all I wanted. And so that's why I felt like I wanted this thing that I felt that I wasn't. But it's really, how can you be something more that you already are? You just

innately are I am Latina. That's just who I am in my blood. I just look different. I'm just a different version of Latina. And it took me years and years to get to that realization. But I struggled with that growing up. Did your parents speak Spanish? No? Oh, so no one spoke Spanish, just my grandma because my grandma. We're fourth I'm fourth generation Mexican American. So when my grandma was speaking Spanish, she didn't want her kids to get made fun of, to get punished for speaking Spanish.

So she made them all speak English. So my mom is a sibling of eight kids and she's the youngest of eight. So the young kids don't speak Spanish, but the older kids do. Okay, the older ones. They still my Nina, she's in her eighties, she speaks Spanish. But my mom, who's the youngest and she's like sixty, she does not speak Spanish. Okay, So this, I mean, we're gonna get We're really gonna get into this later, I promise. But so your early work where you speak a lot

about your family growing up, that's all fictionalized. Fake. It's me trying to be who I thought people wanted me to be. And I remember I would go on stage and I would think to myself, like, I'm at this point, I'm new to the game. I just started doing stand up and I'm just trying to be funny, and I'm like, I know how to do an accent. I'm real good at accents. Just do a Spanish accent. I'll pretend this is my mom and this is my dad, and you know, and so I portray them that way. But they did

not speak Spanish. And it wasn't until probably my second Hour special, which was I had already been doing stand up for maybe like five years that I really started to just own who I was and tell more stories from an authentic place. And like, instead of pretending that my parents speak Spanish and they're this person that I think people want them to be because they expect that from a Latina, let me just be honest about who they are and who I am and make fun of

that and talk about my insecurity within that. So when I started talking about I don't speak Spanish, you guys, and all insecurities around it, I felt like I was more relatable because you can tell that I was coming from an authentic place and I wasn't just trying to put him here's a funny joke, and that's what I was doing in the beginning. I was like, let me just get as many of these little hits that I can in there, and then I started getting comfortable with

myself and then telling people who I really was. Well, it's interesting, though, that your name is which you make fun of and you just referenced it before Johnson. Yeah, like that you made a decision. Now, was this based on the way you look or that you thought you looked that you needed to reference that because like, no one is going to put you in that pigeonhole, yet you choose, chose in a way to put yourself there.

Does that make sense? I don't know what I'm saying. No, So I like I said, I always wanted to be super Latina. So I just okay, I knew that even though my name on paper was Angela Johnson. I know once I walk on stage. I have brown hair, I have brown eyes. I have these like super thin nineteen nineties eyebrows that I didn't recover from. Like it's just I know what I look like. And I also know my stories that I'm I'm gonna tell right, I'm still Mexican.

I still have stories of like, oh my big, huge family, Like there's my Grandma's got eight kids, she was a sibling of twenty five. Like I still have like my Mexican roots. So I'm still going to be talking about that. I would just put extra on it, you know what I mean. Yeah, your first performing, as I understand, was as a Pop Warner cheerleader. Yeah, now you still like

to dance. I mean this dancing is seems very much a part of you, both publicly and privately, based on what I've seen what made you want to do that? Was that something that all of your friends did or was there something specifically that drew you to being a cheerleader. Early on, my sister and my older cousins were all cheerleaders. And when I first started cheerleading, I was eight years old.

I had no rhythm, Like I couldn't step clap at all, Like it was embarrassing, But I had rhythm inside of me. I think I just didn't know how to do choreography. I didn't know how to like how do you do step and a clap at the same Like I couldn't do it, but I wanted to be like my sister and my cousins. And so that's how it all started. And then I went from Popcorner all the way up to college All Stars to professionally for the Oakland Raiders and yeah, and then even when I moved to LA

that's how I started. Like it was like get in where you fit in, you know, Like I didn't have a resume to go audition for acting parts, but I did have a resume for dance just because of the Oakland Raiders, And so I would use my Oakland Raider at headshot and I would submit it to dance agencies and that immediately just got me in right away because they were like, oh, she's a trained dancer. She was a professional, but I'm not a trained dancer. I just I faked it and I got on the squad, is

what it was. And they just saw my head shone. They're like, okay, cuckoo, cool, we'll take her. And so I would go to these dance auditions and a lot of times I was again just trying to fake it till I make it. But I ended up booking like an ice cream commercial because they needed dancers, and so my dance agent would send me out on this audition for you know, Dryer's ice cream because we're doing like five eight counts. We jump off off the couch and we just do a quick five, six, seven and eight

and that's it. I'm like I could do that, And so then I started booking like little acting roles as a dancer. Okay, you try out, you get it. You are rookie of the Year of the Raider Rats and the Raiders go to the super Bowl. This is a hell of a year for you. I mean, was this did you love this? Was this a dream come true. I meant you left after one year, so I guess

you didn't see it as a full time career. But no. I when I first auditioned for the raider As, it was really because I wanted to be an actress and I didn't know how to be an actress. I lived in San Jose, but I did have a friend who was from San Jose. She moved to LA and she started acting and she was in a Ross commercial, she was in an in sync music video, and I was like, oh my god, I know somebody famous, like hey, And I remember telling her one day like hey, I would

love to do what you're doing. And she was like, all right, well, if you ever moved to LA, I'll help you. I'll help you get started. And I was like WHOA, Like now this like far fetched fantasy actually looks like an attainable dream that I can actually go for it because before that I knew nothing like I was. This is early in internet days, like dial up, AOL days, and I remember I would go online and I was trying to find like how do you make a resume

for acting? And at my first resume, I just put like random things on there that I don't know what I was thinking, but I put like all my accents that I knew, I put like in an acting class. If I even read like two lines of a play just in class, I was like, I was in this play. I did it always lies. I remember my resume was in purple ink and it was there was no format

to my resume. I just like put things places, and I remember I printed it out and I looked up, like, okay, where's a talent agency in San Francisco because I was from SAMAS And I mailed off my purple located resume and mailed it to anybody who I could find, and of course nobody calls him back, like they were like, oh my gosh, this special needs person, she is adorable. You should really really just bless her. And nobody calls me.

And then so my friend tells me this that she'd help me if I moved out there, and I was like, whoa, Okay, that would be awesome, but that requires me leaving my mom's house because at this point, I've only lived with my mom in my room my whole life, and this means moving to Hollywood, and I'm like, whoa, that's like big girl stuff. And around the same time, I had another friend who was a cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders and she was like, you should come try out and

I was like, well, it's not my jam. But then I was like, you know what, I prayed about it, and I was like, God, what do I do with my life? Like I'm at this point, like twenty years old, and I'm like, I don't know what I want to I want to be an actress on how to be an actress? And by the end of this conversation that I had with God, I was like, you know, I'm going to go try out for the Oakland Raiders, and if I make the squad, I'm going to do it for one year, and I'm going to use this as

my sign to pursue the entertainment industry. And if I don't make the squad, then I'm going to use this as my sign that the entertainment industry is not for me. And then I'm just going to block it out of my mind and tuck it away in my heart and just be like, well, that was just a little fantasy that I had, And I'm going to go be a massage therapist because that's the only other thing that I'm good at, and I end up going to the audition.

I make the squad. As soon as they call my number that I made it, my first thought was, oh my god, I'm going to be an actress. Like it was not even about the Raiders at that point, it was just about acting. Yeah. So I did it that one year and came home from the Super Bowl, packed up my bags and drove to LA and started from the ground up as an extra. Now what was it? What was it about being an actor? Why did you

think that's what you wanted to do. So I would go to the movies and I would be sitting there mad that I wasn't in it. Like I remember again, I wanted to be a Chola real bad. I remember going to the movie theater watching Training Day, and you know, there's a lot of gangsters in that movie. There would be scenes where there's like these cholos and there's neighborhood and there's all the extras in the background, and I remember seeing these Cholas and I was like, I could

do that. I can totally stand by that car I just before that cars parked. Somebody needs to tell me how to stand by that car, Like I would just see these movies and I'd be like, I can do that. I don't know how to get in it, but I know I could do it. And then there wasn't a lot of Latinos on TV and movies that you could like just look up the screen and be like, see

she's doing it, I can do it. So my person that I saw in movie these that I was like, hmm, I could do that with Sandra Bullock because she looked like me, Like she's fair skin but she had brown hair, and she was like the closest to Latina that I could find. And so I'd watch her in Speed, and I remember I had it on VHS tape and I

would just watch it every single day. That was my favorite movie, like all summer long, and we would just watch Speed all the time, and I would just look to Sandra Bullock and be like, yeah, I can do that. And it was just I didn't know how. It was so far I was like I might as well say I want to be a princess. That's how far fetched it was. It was like, how do you even do this? I don't even know how to do this, but I

know I could. Early on, I understand was it. In high school, you played an alcoholic from London with the accent. This is my question. I want you to tell me that it's just a god given gift, because I don't have it. If I have to do an accent, I need months with a special linguistic trainer. Where where did you? Where did you? Where did you get that? Was that just something you were born with? I think it's definitely something I was born with. But also I do mean

there's a few accents that I got. I could do this, this, and this the second you asked me to do this other accent for the love of God, like, there's something about the Australian accent that I cannot do. It always turns into something else, Like I'll start and one of my closest friends is from Australia and I hear her

talk all the time and I can't do it. And I start like I can copy what she says, And the next thing you know, I'm I'm from London all of a sudden, and she's like, no, now you're British, and I'm like, damn it, And I'll try it again, and she'd be like, now you're in New Zealand now

and I'm like, oh yeash. So it's like there's certain accents that I really have a hard time with for some reason, but I just have an ear for sounds, and so like, I like to sing because I can copy what I hear, but I can't harmonize because harmonize means that this girl doing a note and this girl is doing a different note, and then I'm supposed to do a different note. And I'm like, this is not gonna happen because I'm going to do whatever you guys are doing because that's what I do. I just copy

what I hear. You start in Los Angeles, you move, your friend is helping you, and fairly quickly you get to do that thing, which is stand by a car and you're on friends. Is this right as a regular extra for a couple of seasons. Yes, I don't remember you, but I believe you were there. Listen. I people will screenshot me and tag me on social media. Sometimes they'll be like is this you? And I'm like, yeah, girl, believe it. And my hair was so long it was like down to my waist, like I was like young

and vibrant. But yes, I remember, I thought I had made it. I was like, this is it. I'm here and living in my dreams and even the story of how that happened. I remember going to Central Casting, where you know, they cast all the extras for TV shows and movies, and my friend who said she was going to help me get started, she kept her word and she told me exactly what to do. She was like, this is what I want you to do. I want

to go to Central Casting. There's gonna be a line of people waiting out the door, but don't wait in line. I want you to come with a tray of cookies and your raider at head shot, and I want you to just go to the front window and ask for Sam and then give him your head shot and the cookies. Tell him you're new to town and you want to be an extra. And I was like, this sounds real sleazy. It's just I don't know what cookies mean in Hollywood,

but you listen. And so I show up to Central Casting and sure enough, there's a line of people outside waiting to sign up to me an extra on TV. And I'm like passing all these people with my sleezy cookies. And I was likely know exactly what I'm doing, And this is probably, like I don't know, a month after the Super Bowl. This is after the readers were just in the Super Bowl. I show up and I'm waiting for this guy Sam. He comes walking out from the back offices and he's wearing a Raiders hat and I

was like, oh my god, no way. And he's like, hey, what's up. And I give him the cookies and my Raider at head shot and I was like, this is for you. And he sees my Raider at headshot and he's like what, no way, Like clearly he's just like the biggest Raiders fan. We just came off the Super Bowl, Like, no freaking way, Raider at Oh my gosh whatever. And he's like, yeah, here, give me your name and number. I'll call you blah blah blah whatever. So I do

that and I leave. I don't even sign up, and he calls me like two days later, and he was like, hey, do you want to be an Extrong Friends? And I was like, you mean, like my favorite show of all time? Yes, I do want to be an extron Friends. And so he signs me up in the system and I don't know what I'm doing, but he gives me all my instructions parking this parking lot, walk to this stage, blah

blah blah blah blah. And I remember my first time walking on the Warner Brothers lot and it was just magical. It was like butterflies and just goose bumps and walking by the sound stage and then you know the smell of a sound stage, like it's that paint in wood, and there's just something about it. And it's just like all the things are like, this is wow, this is movies,

this is TV, this is I'm doing it. And I remember walking into the stage at the big door was open and I just walk right in and you see like here's the guy's apartment, here's the girl's apartment, here's central perk, and here's you know, the studio audience where the audience sits. And I just remember walking in and

being like a kid in a candy store. Could not believe I was living my dream, like I was just here to be an extra, but that was not even what was on What I was on my mind was like I cannot believe I made it, Like I am here. This is wild. And I ended up making friends with the ad who was very funny, and I was funny, so we would just make each other laugh. And so he'd be like, Okay, I'm gonna bring you back tomorrow,

and I'm like, okay, cool, I'll come back tomorrow. And then he's like, okay, I'll bring you back next week. And next thing, you know, I'm an extra for season nine and ten, like a regular, just in the coffee house, and they end up inviting me to their Christmas party and I was able to have a conversation with every single one of the cast members without me being that weird extra who's just trying to talk to them. You know, yes, it was. It was just an incredible experience that still

until this day, twenty years leader. It's my favorite job I've ever had. Wow, that's amazing. Two things strike me immediately. One, that's the difference between Friends and my show. You would never have gotten a job on our show. I mean, Friends was so confident and how beautiful their cast was that a first year out of a Raiders Raider at Cheerlead, you can just sit in the background and be an extra because we are so confident and how beautiful all

we are as people. Yeah, they would You would never have made it. In Stanton Pennsylvania. There is no there's no chants, no chants. And two because we had you know, we did. We were warehouse workers. Let's be clear that we had warehouse workers as extras, not other you know, customers in the coffee shop. But they were there a lot and kind of became a part. So you felt like you were a part, and everybody was kind and good to you during during your time there. That's so

amazing to hear. Absolutely there was not one diva, not one rude person to each other, to the crew, to the extras. And you know, being an extra, you see a bunch of different shows and how people communicate. And I remember being on certain shows and watching actors communicate with the director or with camera a or whoever, and they're just like rude and snappy, and yeah, god, they

were never not one ever was an attitude. It was really incredible that that was my first experience that I got to watch and learn from these classy, talented people. Have you run into any of them since I have? But of course I don't remember or recognize me, which I would never think that they would, right, But there was one time in the airport I ran into one of the creators of Okay, this is what I was weird.

Marta Kaufman, who's one of the creators. I remember driving in Hollywood one day and I see her pull into a seven eleven like I'm at the stoplight and I see her, and I was like, oh my god, that's Marta Kaufman. So I like pull into seven to eleven and at this point, I'm broke. I have no money, but I was like, I need to talk. I need to like say something, and like, I don't know, like

what I thought. I was about to like get on whatever new show she was on, and so I walk into seven to eleven and I'm just like eyeballing her. She's with her child, for the love of God, and I am walking in and I'm like, okay, let me just pretend to buy some thing and get in line behind her. Brian, when I tell you, I didn't have money to pretend to buy something. So I just got in line behind her and I go, are you Marta Kaufman? And she goes I am, and I was like hi,

and I left. I had I froze. I don't know what to say. I just oh God, how good? Ay? It was right? You are Marta Kaufman, thank you, goodbye? What a stalker? So waits I actually we're gonna totally tangentialize here. Now that's not a word. Why say are you when you know it's her? Because this I've often said, this is the this is my worst fan interaction, my worst and I love, I love love the fans, and that's that is true. But when someone comes up and

says it's usually this. Has anyone ever told you that you look like right? Or or what you said? Are you? Now? Why would you say that? What? What? Like? What was it in your brain? You have done a U turn screeched into a seven eleven parking lot because you knew it's her, yet that was your question? Why was that your question? I think you start doubting everything. You're like, wait, this is her, right? I okay, I want her to

know that I know that that's her. And there was something about she was not one of the stars of the shows. You don't see her face every week. I saw her face because I was on set, right, So it was like, I need her to know that I know it's her. You're a Marta Kaufman, right, uh huh oh oh? So well at least I understand a little of the psychology of it now, because it's always so perplexing. Yeah, it's always so perplexing when I get you look like right, I It depends on what would I'm in me too.

Times I just go I get that a lot and and they'll be like really, and then every now and I go, no, it's me. Yeah, it's it's a It's the toughest thing people, it is it because it's like what the person is wanting me to say is well, yes, that is I, which then just makes me weird, right right right to say like, yes, that is me, thank you for recognizing me. That's a weird thing for me to say. It's kind of like us just going you're welcome, yeah right, Oh are you Marta Kaufman. Yes, it just ends.

Oh god, that's so good. Um. At this time, you're making jokes with the A D and he's bringing you back. But you also someone encourages you to take a joke writing class and you start you start writing jokes. Now are you thinking at this point, M stand up or are you just writing jokes? You're you're taking a writing class, You're trying to develop characters. What is that I've never taken a joke writing class, So clearly, at this point

I did not want to be a stand up comedian. Okay, I've been to one stand up comedy show at a restaurant and it was an accident. I was just on a date with a guy that I don't even remember who he was like. It was just like a random sure, I'll go out with you, and we went to this restaurant and there is like an open mic or something. People were going up on stage, and that was the first time that I had seen life stand up comedy.

And I remember watching that and thinking, oh, I bet you I could turn my little nail slum character into a joke, because at this point it it was a character that I would do for all my friends and family. I could do the accent, I would get into character, and I knew I could do that, but that was it. I had never wanted to be a stand up. Then I'm at this church and I get very involved in the church, and you know, on Sunday mornings, I'm doing like the Welcome Team where people walk in the door

and I'm like, hey, welcome everybody. And then on Tuesday nights they would do their creative arts night. They were aware that everybody at their church was in the entertainment industry somehow, So on Tuesday nights they would have an acting class, a dance class, production class. We want to learn about production, whatever aspect of the entertainment industry wanted to be end they had a class. So I'm in the acting class. We would do improv games and I

would be funny in the improv games. I've never taken improv classes before. I would just be funny. I was quick witted. I get it from my dad. My dad is quick, so I was quick, but I didn't know like rules of improv, and so that's what they were teaching us, you know, yes, and the rule of three, like all the things. And there was a woman in the class who did stand up comedy and she was like, Hey, I'm gonna be teaching a joke writing stand up comedy class. Do you want to come take my class? And I

was like, I don't know. Is it free? And she was like yeah, And I was like, I guess I had desired a median And I told her. I was like, you know, I do this nail salon character. I think I can make that into a joke, and she was like, Nail Salan jokes are so hacky, Like everybody has a Nail Salan joke. Just steer clear of Nail Salan jokes. And I was like, but I don't know if people do it like me though, so I think I'll just

do it anyway. And I did. And that was one of the first jokes that I wrote in this free stand up comedy class on Tuesday nights at a church. The joke evolved over time time like, but the skeleton of it, the structure of it. This was the beginning of that joke and that Yeah, it ended up being what put me on the map. That's crazy. I was just listening to it again this morning, and well, what do you think the joke is about. I mean, it's I mean to me like, it's like the central humor

is about being intimidated or constantly getting up sold. I guess I don't know. Sure, Yeah, this is the story of how I got got I got got by the nail Solon. They just really I was planning I'm spending twenty dollars when I walked in and I left paying eighty. How did you do that? Were you one of the first to be Internet famous. I think so my video

was definitely the first comedy video to go viral. It was right around the time when like Justin Bieber blew up from YouTube so music, Yeah, yeah, so I was definitely in this comedy world now. Myself and Justin Bieber went on to live very different levels of lives. We both started on YouTube. Yeah. Do you think that viral success helped you to get mad TV? Oh? One, I would have never What happened was I did a set at the Ice House in Pasadena and there was a

company there. They were going to be videotaping your set and if you come do ten minutes, they'll give you twenty five bucks. And I was like, hell, yeah, I need gas, I need groceries. This twenty five bucks is going to take me a long way because I'm broke at this time. Wait, they would give you twenty five dollars for them to film you, right, So it wasn't the Ice House. It was a separate company that was coming in. They were doing a special night during flip

phone era. They were like, we're gonna videotape your set and we're going to upload it to Verizon cell phones and for a dollar ninety nine. People can download comedy clips. Oh no, on your little flip phone. So this is this is before YouTube. So I was like, hell yeah, So I go and I signed my life away and they give me my twenty five dollars and I do my ten minutes of jokes. I really at this point all I had was like twelve minutes tops, Like that's all I had. And so I do my whole set

and they videotape it. And the next thing, you know, like within months, this brand new thing called YouTube comes out and they put it on YouTube. They put it on YouTube. So instead of doing comedy clips where people have to pay, who's going to pay when you can watch free things on YouTube? And all the sudden I started getting this is my Space days. I started getting messagers on my Space, emails from family members and friends, text message from family members and friends that were like, Hey,

there's this email going around at work. And my cousin at the time worked for like a bank, and she was like, there's an email going around everybody sending it to each other of this video and it was of you. But they didn't even know that I knew you. They just sent it to me and that was the phone call that I was getting from people like my work is sending this video of you. And I was like, how do they know? And like what's happening? And I was like I don't know, Like what video are you

talking about? And it's this nail slum clip and it starts blowing up. Then my MySpace page starts blowing up. People from all over the world. Hey, when are you coming to Australia? When are you coming to the Philippines, When are you coming to you know, Boise, Idaho? When are you coming phil on the blank and I was like, oh my god, I only have like twelve minutes of material. I don't know what I'm doing, you know, and going.

I was so overwhelmed. I was getting thousands of messages a day from all over the world on my Space. I didn't know how to be famous. Nobody teaches you. There's no course. So what I was doing was I was replying to every person who messaged me, because I didn't know that you don't have to reply to every person. So I was spending hours on my Space being like, thank you so much for watching my video, thank you so much for watching my video. Then I was like, Ooh,

I'm gonna be smart. Copy paste, copy paste, And then I remember this one girl replying and being like, is this a robot? You already sent this to me? And I was like, oh, I'm getting repeat fans. Sorry, I don't know how to be famous. My bad. This is really overwhelming. And I didn't have an agent. Nobody knew how to get a hold of me in Hollywood, but everyone was seeing this video, but nobody knew how to get ahold of me. So they were sending their assistant to my Space to come find me and leave me

a message. So then I started getting messages that were like, Hey, I'm the assistant to so and so at Fox, at CBS, at ABC, like everybody was messaging me they want to have a meeting with you. Hey, they want you to come and read for this pilot. Hey blah blah blah blah blah. And I was like, oh my gosh, I

had to buy a calendar. I didn't this is I thought, like, I went to Staples and I bought a calendar and some pins, and I was like, I had meetings that I was going to and I remember being in you know, the office at the CW Network and I'm just like, I have no idea what I'm doing. I have no guidance at this point of like an agent telling me like, okay, this is how you handle a cold read, right, And I was just like sitting there and they're like, Okay,

we have this pilot that we're thinking for you. Can you read these lines? And I'm like okay, sure you know, and I'm like no idea what I'm doing. And it just started blowing up my spot. And so from that, I end up getting an agent, I get a new manager. I get auditions, and one of those auditions was for Mad TV. I end up getting an agent, I get a new manager, I get auditions, and one of those

auditions was for Mad TV. My agents had sent the casting director my nail salon video and they were like, great, come audition for Mad TV. We need you to come in with three original characters and three celebrity impressions. I didn't have characters. I never went to Groundlings or Second City. I didn't have characters. I had my jokes that I wrote in a free joke writing class at church. Oh

my god. So I was like, you know what, I can take my stories that I tell and I tell a story about my grandma, I tell story about my grandpa. I'll just pad them up a little bit and I'll act him out a little bit, and instead of being my grandpa, I'll make it my grandma and I'll say, Okay, this is my grandma blah blah blah. I did this bone Queki character who she wanted to be a rapper. So I was like, Okay, this is my sister, she wants to be a rapper. And then I did my

bone Queki character. And so I was basically taking my characters from my stories that I tell in my stand up class and just kind of giving them a little extra mannerism, a little extra something, and I would just act them out for the casting directors. And they were like, okay, we need three celebrity impressions. I've never done impression in my life. I didn't know how to do celebrity impression. But this brand new thing called YouTube videos of different

celebrities on there. So what I did was, I'm like, Okay, let me see who's famous Latina. Okay, I'll do her Lopez, Rosslyn Sanchez, and Paula Abdul. And this is when Paula Abdul was on American American Idol was okay, yeah, she was a little intoxicated. Yeah, I got you, I got you. I just did my Jo Paula clap, you know right. And I watched videos Jennifer Lopez on the Red Carpet and I noticed that in a lot of her videos she had the same wave. She waved like this, open clothes.

It was not a finger wave, it was not this. It was an open, closed wave. So I was like, okay, she does a wave. That's a thing. And her laugh, her laugh was very like high pitched and nasally and like from the back, and so I was like copying her laugh. And so there was one interview that she did where the guy tells her, you know, this is for a station in Philly, and she just looks in the camera and she goes hihy and then she laughs. And so I just got that sentence down. And I

remember being in the room. I said, this is Jennifer Lopez on the Red Carpet. Every question that the casting director would ask me, my answer was hi, Philly and I would play in our black And that was they thought it was genius, says is just and they were like Oh my god, genius. But really, that's all that I could do of Jennifer Lopez. Yes, okay, but hold on a second, because you know, I had a conversation with Kevin Pollock. Kevin Pollock is an amazing impression as

stand up comedian for a good jillion years. And you know what you're doing the same thing that he talked to me about, which is finding a hook. You may not have even known what it was at the time, right, but you had the instincts to go, like, what is the hook? What is the one one thing the drunk clap? Like you were finding that hook from so early on. I'm impressed by that, and too, I'm impressed that I did not know that bon quiqui, this was a creation

of yours before mad TV. Yeah, yeah, wow, wild crazy. Let me ask you this I saw on YouTube today. It says Angela Johnson, American actress, and so it made me wonder, well, are you an actress? Are you a comedian? Where did it say that? That's so funny. I consider myself an actress and a comedian. Okay, that's interesting to hear you say, because now, especially in the age of social media, when people are famous on TikTok for being funny,

but they're not comedians. They're like, they're a married couple from Wisconsin who do funny videos and challenges and they make people laugh and they have like millions of followers. And if they ever are interviewed, like, here's comedian so and so, but really, this is a dad from Wisconsin. But what do you call them because they're still being funny and they're still entertaining people. Is do we need to come up with a new word, like is that

an influencer? So, but you could be an influencer who just does makeup, you know what I mean. She's not funny, she just does makeup tutorials and she has millions of followers. So when I hear comedian, I do think of people doing stand up. But I'm aware that now the term is so broad. When they're introducing this is comedian so and so, and I'll be like, oh, they do funny videos is what they do. But they're still being funny.

I don't discredit the fact that they're being funny. I just know that they don't actually do stand up, So maybe it's we're just stand up comedians. Like a comedian is so general but I'm a stand up comedian. I don't know, right. I mean, so what you're saying is if you consider me funny, then I can be considered a comedian because that is someone who makes someone laugh. But I think it's about the approach and in some ways, how you define yourself, which is why I ask you

the question. Like for me, my intention, generally, it's not about I was going to say, it's not about making people laugh. That's a lie. I do try to make people laugh, but my whole basis is about creating characters, and the comedy comes from behavior as opposed to jokes. I think, yeah, totally. And it could come down to stories, it could come down to a facial expression, it could

come down to whatever that is. I know there have been times where I've seen, like earlier on, there's a talk show and they're like, please welcome comedian so and so, and I'd be like, she's not a comedian. An actress is very successful, yes, but ensure she's done some funny roles, but right, comedian. But I mean, at this point I should worry about me, and I do me, so you don't define it. Honestly, I'm a comedian and an actress, and if my managers and agents get involved, and then

it's my whole resume comes in. She's an author, she's an actor, ye, But no, I just say I'm an actress in the comedian. And also it also depends who I'm talking to and what mood I'm in. So if I'm on an airplane, I say I'm in the entertainment industry, and and just like that. And then if they're like, pry a little bit more than I say actress, and they'll go, oh, have I seen you in anything? I can name a couple of things and be on my way. But the second I say I'm a comedian, whoa, it's

like mind blowing. And now they have all the questions right median, and I'm like, oh, this is gonna be a conversation a long time. I really respond with that is if I got time and I'm like, you know, I'm in the mood to chat, sure, I'll say comedian and answer all the questions. But a lot of times I'll stick to as vague as I can, and I'll say actress and I'll name a couple of things that I did, and they'll be impressed and they'll go Oh wow, that's very cool. And then I'll be like, what do

you do? Tell me about accounting? Tell me these things we talked very early on about your fictionalizing your parents and talking about your family. I feel like you have chosen to be at least outwardly very personal and connecting with your fans. You're bringing your fans into your life with your husband about the birth of your child. And see, that is something that I don't do. And so is that the difference between someone who's a comedian and or

an actor. Now, certainly there are actors who do that, but for me, if I am going to play a role, I believe it serves me to be as anonymous as possible in my personal life. You've chosen the other way, and I wonder why and if that has to do with your connection to fans through through your stand up comedy. I think it's definitely that my role as a stand up comedian, my goal is not necessarily just to make people laugh, but it's to connect with people on a

human level. And so when I'm writing jokes, it's is this funny? But also is it relatable? And am I going to connect with people? And so a lot of times, I'll talk about my husband, I'll talk about my sister, I'll talk about my dog and things that my dog does,

because I know this is very human. You may not have a husband, but you have a relationship in your life, be a co worker, your next door neighbor, you have a relationship with someone that is a human connection that you can see some of yourself in me in what I'm saying. And so I do that on stand up

and then in my social media. I feel like it's a way to make my stories tangible and give a picture to what I'm saying, kind of like when you watch a movie and it says based on a true story, and then at the end of the movie they say, here's the real guy who invented this, and it's like, you see who the real person is. You see this as his wife, you see this as a picture of him in his real office where he created this thing, and it does something that connects the story that you

just heard to like a real person. So I feel like with social media when I am so generous with my family and friends and I show people, I like

to invite people into my world. But again with what I'm comfortable doing, like I wouldn't do a reality show where there's a producer deciding what if my life gets shown to the world, right, But I will do my Instagram stories where I'm comfortable showing you this is me and my husband and my dog and they're asleep, but I'm awake at four in the morning because I have insomnia, and this is my husband sleeping, like choking me with his hand over here and like, And immediately in that

I have people replying, oh my god, my husband sleeps the same way. He's always whatever. And so I'm connecting on a different level. And I'm connecting. And then when people come to my shows, they're like, they feel a part of my life and what I'm doing it makes total sense because you're playing a version of yourself in front of thousands of people, yeah, and so enabling them in a way to validate that truth. Bas you're showing things that support the version of the story that you're

telling or the character that you're creating of yourself. Because obviously there are things that happened that you don't show, absolutely, and there are things that happen that you don't show, maybe because they don't validate the story that you're telling. Instagram is the highlight reel. So I'm not going to show you guys an argument with me and my husband, but I will talk about it on stage. I'll talk about this is how my husband argues. He likes to

ask a lot of questions. Now, I'm not going to show you that argument on Instagram, but I'm obviously not going to blow up my camera when we're in like the heat of like a passionate argument and then be like, tag at Mammal, which character that you created had the greatest impact on your career, the nail salon. They both blew up and we're crazy. But the nail salon. If you are going to go get your nails done and you google nail salon, you're gonna see the new nails

on your neighborhood. But my video is also going to pop up, and it's something that's generationally stuck around because that joke is sixteen years old, and now with every new social media app that comes up, there's a new version of my joke that goes out like I'll be out somewhere, and it depends on what is hot right now. So people would be like, oh my gosh, I saw your video on YouTube for years and then it's now, oh my gosh, you're a TikTok a right right, But

they know me from my stand up comedy. They saw my special that I did for Comedy Central in two thousand and nine that they saw on TikTok. Yeah, that's crazy. This just happened to me that it was probably about two thousand and nine. I don't know what. I just got sent three times in one day, and in the airport this weekend, someone referenced it to me that they saw me do the like lady and gentlemen start your engines at a NASCAR event that I did ten years ago,

but it was a TikTok thing. They sent me to the TikTok And it's the same thing with hate mail too, so like some people will send me when they're very upset about something that I said my Second Hour special, I talked about my honeymoon and I went to Saint Lucia, and the whole story about it was I was comparing it to going on a mission's trip, and there were some Saint Lucians that were real upset with that joke. Now, when the joke first came out, nobody cared nobody said anything.

All of a sudden, like five years later, I get just a slew of hate messages from Saint Lucian's pissed, and I was like, whoa, this special came out like five years ago. What happened? So I'm like, okay, either my special just got released in Saint Lucia, like they got it late, you know what I mean. On some streamer, there's some third party involved that all of a sudden put this joke back on the map for this particular

group of people. So I'll notice that as well, like all of a sudden, this one joke that I did that people are very upset about me talking about an experience that I had in London. And then I get people very upset about it. I was like, Okay, this definitely came out ten years ago, but somebody must or now it's an Instagram or a TikTok account that has like, you know, hundreds of thousands of followers. They just so happened to post it and all of their fans solid

so they're the ones messaging you know crazy. I saw a video you posted recently where you've talked about the grind of being on the road and the time you took during COVID shutdown to enjoy your house and enjoy the things and settle back a little bit. Do you feel like you're now finding balance and taking some time for yourself and your family. I definitely feel like this year, I am going to do that now that I'm having a child. Twenty twenty one, I went very light in

the year. Twenty twenty two is my busiest year I've ever had in my life. However, I was more balanced about my health and I came in a little more refreshed having taking that year off to realign with what do I really want to do, saying yes to the things that I really want and saying no to the things that don't matter to me. But twenty twenty two was an insane year for me. I filmed two hour specials,

I launched a huge tour, I released my book. But by the end of the year, my husband and I we had a conversation and he's like, I noticed that you aren't as depleted as you normally are. Typically by the end of the year, I'm just done. I'm like this is too much, and I'm complaining about everything. I'm like, why do I do this? Why do I say yes to this? Why do you say yes to that? And this past year was the first year that by the end of it he was like, I've never seen you

have this much energy and joy. At the end of a year, you were still okay, it didn't kill you. And I think that has a lot to do with the boundaries that I gave myself about saying yes to things that matter and things that don't. Like seeing it like a garden, you know, and every all of us, whatever industry we're in, we have this garden, right, and there's all these things, some are thriving and some are

not thriving. And then you got weeds growing everywhere. And because it's this hustle mentality of like, oh, everybody's doing a podcast. I got to do a podcast. Everybody has a YouTube channel. I got channel TikTok. That's what we're doing now. Okay, let me get out. How do we do TikTok? What buttons do you press? Like all the things, all these things and you start like planting stuff in your garden, and next thing you know, it is just

like a whole mess. Right, And so I feel like twenty twenty was the year where I took my hands off the garden, and I let things wither away and things die that were not meant for me in my garden, and whatever was left that was still thriving, that still had life, I was like, Okay, that's for me. That's where I meant to grow and bloom. So I start feeding and investing in those. Everything else was like, that's not for me. So I feel like when I drew

boundaries for myself. Yes, twenty twenty two was the busiest year that I've ever had, but I was busy doing things that were meant for me. It's really smart, really smart. I'm glad that you're you've found that. Do you interact with a lot of fans after your show? Sometimes I do meet and greet. I used to come out and meet everybody, But then that's another thing that would just deplete me because that's like a show after a show,

you know. I saw I saw one of your videos where you were meeting people, and that's why I ask, because to me, that personal interaction after a show, as nice as it is at time, that is the thing that exhausts me the most. Oh yeah, yeah, because it's a show after a show. But also you don't know what you're going to get from people. And then it's people energetically taking your energy from you. And and then a lot of times it's robot like you get in

robot mode. But even that is exhausting when we should be resting before we go out for our second show of the night, you know. So now I when I do a meet and greet, it's a very small group. I can take my time with each person and they're not rushed like cheese. But I choose by and it's before the show, so I have a little bit more energy and that's it. And then sometimes I don't do

a meet and Greece. When I've been pregnant, I stopped doing Meet and Greece just because I'm trying to like stay healthy and not I've like just super close interactions with people. So it's different. Every situation is different for me. I love meeting people and hearing their stories, and also I feel like I listen to God in these interactions with people, because they're not just a fan that came to tell you that you're funny and they like you. They're a human being who has their own life, their

own trauma, their own situation, they're dealing with. Somebody's in the hospital, somebody's going through a divorce, something's going on in their lives. So I feel like I feel in my heart that I need to say something more to this person. And whether it's just oh my gosh, I love your sweater. It's so pretty. That color looks really good on you. Even if it's just that, if I think it in my head, that's a pretty color on her, I'll say it because words are powerful and it does

something that I have no idea. But I'm just trying to listen to my spirit and say what I hear. And there's when times where like I'll have a couple come through the line and I'll say to a guy, I'll be like, you're a good dad. You're a good dad, hunt and the mom that the wife would be like, he is a good dad. And I'd be like, I can feel it, just like the way you're talking to me, like in your voice, like I feel like you're a

good dad. And it's just a simple sentence. That's something that is doing something in him in her that I have no idea. I just planted the seed and let it go. So I love doing meet and greets for that. That's awesome. Now I really like and I feel very much the same way. But I know, you know, you're doing a couple of shows at night, often you're on the road. It's got to be difficult. But so I hope one that you take care of yourself, especially now.

Other times who cares? But but that's awesome. God, I could talk to you forever. We're going to do a lightning round game ready. It's called the Set Memories Game with Angela Johnson. It's the first time we've ever played this game. Here you go, one reaction from some of the multiple amazing shows that you've been on. Any reaction that you have starting now, curb your enthusiasm. I was so intimidated by everyone on that cast. I was like, who do I think I am to be here on

this set? But they were so welcoming and they played with the yes and all everything. But I remember being like the odd dacy to walk on the set with these people. Love that ugly Betty. Oh. It was my favorite show at the time. I was so honored to be a part of it, and I remember I would I watched every episode and I loved the show. And when I actually got to be a guest star on the show. It was just like a wild dream come true, Like no way, I've seen every episode of the show,

Alvin and the Chipmunks, Alvin and the Chipmunks. I remember I was very proud of myself because it was one of the first like things that I really like, I auditioned for and I booked it like I got it, you know, like a real big director and a big movie franchise, and I auditioned just like everybody else, and I booked it, and I remember being very proud of myself. And finally, because this is the whole reason we played

the game. Enough said with James Candellfoene star struck and I don't usually get that way, like I'll be quiet and I know my place, but if you interact with me, I interact back. But with him, I was just like one word dance. Yeah. I remember him calling me out on it and he was like, you're you're a quiet one, and I was like, I'm actually not, like I'm just being that way with you and I don't know why, like, and then he started like softening me up, like he would see me on set and give me a hug.

He would call me mama, Hey, mama, and like then I was like able to interact with him. And I remember he came to my trailer one day with his son and he knocked on my door and he's like, hey, my son's a big fan. Can you get a picture with you? And I was like, oh my god, James Gonnafini is coming to me to ask me for a picture. This is wild. And I would thinking yeah, if I can get one with you, sure, But yeah, that was an incredible experience. Do you like being on set or

being on stage in front of people more? Such a tough one. There's no feeling like being on stage saying a joke and having the immediate response of laughter and energy vibrations just shooting back at you. Like there is no feeling like that. But there's also no feeling like walking on a sound stage and that smell, that nostalgic smell of the sound stage and knowing that you get to be a part of like movie magic, and they're so different and both so special in their own way. Yeah.

Do you reference the nail salon and or bond weekly in all of your shows? I have to, That's what I can now. The nail salon has become my thank you to the audience. So at the end of the show, I kind of present it as an encore almost, and I just like, listen, I know there's a joke a lot of you want to hear, and as soon as I say that, it's just eruption, and I let them know that this joke put me on the map. And there's sometimes when I go to do this joke and

I'm like, oh my God, again, here we go. But then there's times when I go to do this joke and I'm reminded of stories that I've heard over the years from fans about how my comedy has impacted their lives and what this joke now means to them. And for that, I say, thank you for riding with me for so long. Here you go, and then I present it to them like that. So it's now kind of

like my thank you. I love that you just wrapped up a big tour and you've joined forces on an upcoming Prime holiday comedy, Candy Cane Lane that's out in the holidays. Yeah, I hear it's coming out this Christmas. They're very motivated to get it done because they're still filming my part's rappor Eddie, but they're still filming and it's supposed to come out this Christmas with Eddie Murphy, Tracy Ellis Ross, some really talented, funny people, and I'm honored that I got to be a part of that.

That's awesome. Congratulations on the pregnancy again and on all your success. I hope you get a chance to rest this year, and we'll see you at the holidays. And I'm sure back on stage. What September, I'm coming back. I'm a little ambitious. I don't know what I'm thinking, but I'm coming back in September already. Good for you, Angela, Thank you so much, Thank you, thank you for having me. This has been a fun, super fun conversation. Oh and

I will say this. I started on YouTube years ago, and I just finished filming my sixth one hour special and I'm going to be releasing it on YouTube. So I'm coming back to YouTube where it all started, and back to YouTube. Yes, and I'm going to release my new hour special on YouTube. What is that in May? On May four teenth. You're the first person to know that I haven't even announced it yet, that May fourteenth

on YouTube. Let me ask you a question. Does that company that paid you twenty five dollars still own the nail Lady clip on YouTube? So they do? People thinking people think I made millions of dollars off of that video. I made, not one, not one penny. Stop it. Yeah, they don't own the joke, no, of course not. But they all that clip, the one that went viral and has the millions and millions of you that's there as they own it, the one that I watched this morning. Yeah,

thank you on their behalf. Thank you. Oh my god, Well you're gonna get it back this uh this may on YouTube. That's right. Good luck to you. Thank you so much. Thank you Angela. Not a penny, not one penny. Well, I guess things worked out just fine. Thank you so much for coming on today. It was such a pleasure to have you on, and to all of you out there listening, thank you, As always my trustee companions. I'm going to be back next week, same time, same place,

with another phenomenal guest. Also, make sure to follow us on Instagram if you haven't already, at Off the Beat and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Thank you for all your support and we will see you next week. Off the Beat is hosted an executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Langley. Senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and

our intern is Sammy Kats. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by the one and Only Creed Brett,