Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne the guy. We are to Breakfast Club. Lona Rosa is hanging out with us this morning. Yes, indeed, and we got a special guest in the building. Yes we have Nicole Avon. Welcome, thancome to thank you.
It's good to be bad.
How are you feeling?
Great? New book, new book, new.
New film, new forward, new forward.
Everything's new. Thank god, it's a It's so yeah.
The paperback version I Think You'll Be Happy is now out and my husband Ted Sarandos wrote the forward and it is a beautiful addition to the book, and it became a best seller again and I'm just so happy because the legacy continues.
And but it's.
Through Ted's lens, which was great because Ted was with my father with the Black oul Father when he crossed over to the other side, and it was really ted like I had left the room and said to Ted, we're going to switch places now. And the crazy thing is is the six Triple eight was the last moment
I had with my father. Tyler Perry had just sent me one of the last, you know, cuts of the film and he said, Okay, take some notes, we're ready to lock and my father was in the other room, and I thought, I was no, I don't want to bother him, and I could just feel Holy Spirit saying, what do.
You mean bother him?
Go sit with him? So I said, Daddy, here's the movie that you told me to finish.
Here's the movie.
And he's laying there and he gets all the way to the end and the song The Journey is playing, and Diane Warren wrote the song. Her sings the song beautifully. It just got nominated, by the way for an Oscar. And I was able to look at my father after everything's done, of course crying, and I went over to him, and.
That's when I said my goodbye. Wow.
I was like, you know what, Daddy, You've had the best journey. You've journeyed here for ninety two and a half years. You've done so much for your people, You've done so much for America, You've done so much for the world.
You can go be a piece now. You you what a journey? What a journey?
With any response or anything, he just he.
Did he he he.
Get he opened his eyes and there was a slight smile, but I saw the peace come over him. Because I kept saying, Daddy, don't hang out for me. I know you wanted Everything's done. The book is done, the film was done. Remember, because he had said to me after my mom died, after she was killed, I didn't want to finish anything.
Why would you?
So I'm thinking I'm done, and my father every day, you're going to finish that book, You're going to finish this movie.
Life goes on. You have to.
Of course you need to grieve. Of course you're going to be sad. But you can't give your power away. You can't give your light away.
You can't.
This darkness came into our life. You can't be consumed by the darkness. You better take this light and figure this shit.
Out and be an avant. And this is what we do. He's like, you know how hard my life was. You know what I went through.
I was picking cotton at five, I was picking tobacco at five. I was doing this. I was bounced around. I was so it was and he said, he goes, and you owe us that. You kind of owe us your life. You can't let your life force go. So all that to say, it took three years for me to be sitting here now in a much different, more peaceful, absolutely position of healing. You know, grief never goes away, but it does get lighter as you go because you
learn how to manage it. Last time I was here, you know, right, you know, right after the hardcover came out, I was still in a state of shock and sadness. No much, however much I was trying to hide it, I was still shaking inside.
That's right. Why did you leave the room, Like, why did you into twitch places?
Because I said, I could tell my father didn't want to leave in front of you know, well, first of all, I heard I don't know if you guys have experienced, but it's called the death rattle where you hear it sounds like someone's choking.
It's it's not you know, it's it's scary. It's that rattle where the body is actually shutting down. And so he's.
Trying to breathe and I and it's just so painful. So I knew, and I could tell though that he's trying to hang on. And I was like, daddy, Daddy, you can go. I'm gonna be okay. I'm gonna be okay. So I said, let me, let me, I'm gonna go get a glass of water. And then I went out and looked at Ted. I said, you know what, maybe you should go in now and say your gabyes and then we'll do it together.
And then the next thing.
And then I just knew once Ted went in, he was gonna be different, and he was. Ted played music Ted all of a sudden, I said, all of a sudden, it all my I was the little Catholic boy again in school. And he goes and I started saying my prairies because I hadn't said them in years. But they listened to Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, everybody. They just he played. He sent Clarence out, held his hand and they had their beautiful moment.
You know. They were very very close.
And my father and Ted's dad didn't understand really what Ted did for a living.
He grasped it, but he didn't really. But my father was like, wait a minute, you're what at Netflix?
And what is Netflix gonna do? And he's my father has watched Ted from fifteen years. When I came into Ted's life skyrocket and become CEO, my dad was there during the whole rise, you know, so it was he got this promotion. Then he got another promotion and Clarence would sit with him and then I'd watch him do his numbers thing and write on the paper, you got to ask for this, you gotta do this.
Where do you want to see yourself in five years? Who are you hiring? What are you doing? You know? Are you going around the world. It was so great for Ted.
Ted he had the ultimate chicole. You could tap Clarence Avon anytime you want for advice, right, yeah.
I don't understand, so you call it Clarence avan that's yeah.
And you know Ted would say, which you got to get him all next time? He's like, how come I'm not at.
The breakfast cut with you?
Said right now, We're going to have it next time. But you know it's a funny you said that. It's because Ted said when he was dating me, he went to lunch with my father. He said, everybody kept coming to the.
Table, and I'm thinking, well, who is this? What is going on?
It goes everybody kept coming to kidster Gooz. I knew of him, he said, but I did not understand the impact of him, he said. And I had black people, white people, men and women saying he changed the course of my life. He changed the direction of my life. He opened this door, he closed this door, he made sure the contract was right. I mean, it was all of a sudden, Ted's thinking, this man was one of
the architects of the entire entertainment business. Absolutely, and I don't know his name, and my friends don't know his name, and I'm pissed. So Ted went out and was telling everybody he said, that's why we got to make.
The Black Odfather.
Oh okay, yeah, because when I watched that and I heard about the story, I figured you might have push forward more because it's your family's legacy. But your husband happens to be at Netflix, so you have that right. I mean, Notenli, you know what I mean.
You can pick up that.
Phone and call him, so you're like, oh, let's make this work. But hearing that he in real time was like people need to experience and.
Really, Reggie Hudler and I had been working on The Black op Father for so long, or at least talking about it, and it was great because David Geffen a long time ago, my dad kept saying, I'm just going to write a book.
I don't want to be in a movie. I'm going to write a book. And David Geffen's like, no, one's going to believe that he was right.
I said, Daddy, if we put this in words, who's we're going to talk about all these experiences and all the things that you did. People need to hear Bill Withers say it. People need to hear Hank Aaron tell the story. People need to hear Bill Clinton tell this. Otherwise everyone's gonna say, oh, yeah, that really happened.
Okay. So it was so great that everyone came together.
And then Ted every time I'd come home and I'd have my little check, It's like, you got that person for the dog is said yeah, this person said yes, yes, Clive Davis is coming on.
Yes.
Ted's like, oh, no, we're doing this. We have to cement this legacy. And Ted knew that. That's the way my parents raised me. They raised me.
They gave me black history mostly through music and film.
Wow.
You know, there was a lot of stuff in the house, of course, the art and things, but my parents would have me watch you know, a lot of whether it was Lili's and the you know, to start with love or lilies in the field or guess who's coming to dinner all Sydney plate first, you know, and then go to the Dutchman in all these films, and even.
Birth of a Nation, which is horrific to watch, but you need to watch it. You need to learn so that you could.
Say that shit was really happening, and thank god it's not now, do you know what I mean? It's there was so much It was easier for me to digest history through entertainment, which is why we were able to tell so many stories in The Black Godfather that I don't think would have resonated with people if it was on separately.
Right now, that a little bit of what Tedd said, Yeah, in the Ford he said.
And Nicole's father, my father in law, Clarence Avont, the Black Godfather, came directly from the hospital.
To live with us.
The next few years were like a gift from the universe, cosmic payback for the pain of the few weeks in twenty twenty one that changed all our lives. Clarence was a role model in business and in life. Every meal together was a masterclass cheating. He didn't say that.
I said that.
I had spent time with him over the years, heard the stories, witnessed the reverence the world had for Clarence, and met the folks whose lives were impacted by him, Bill Wizs, Hank Aaron, Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Andrew Young, and countless executives whom he created opportunities for and shepherded, and his remarkable life and career. He was a man who demanded fairness and justice in the world
that was often short on both. He loved music and history and made both, spending time together in the last years of his life. Field avoid for me that the loss of my own father had created.
Wow.
I hadn't been in town when my father departed, but I was in the room when Clarence did.
I mean, yeah, wow. I know I'm already getting like, well, how are you doing. Yeah, I'm good.
I miss him a lot, but I'm really I feel very blessed to have had a soul like that. I mean, Clarence to me was one of the most powerful souls I've ever met. I've never met anybody like that, I really haven't. And to know that, I to just feel every single day I feel his presence, and just the knowing of this soul raised me, and this soul gave me a toolbox, and he that's the best gift he gave me, which was, here's a toolbox. All this shit's gonna happen in life. Grab this tool for this, Grab
this tool for this. The resentment comes, drop it, this comes, you know what I mean?
He was able to. He was just such a master of how life works.
And he was so big on you know, his big saying was you come with a number and you end with the number, and in between that is your dash.
What the f are you going to do with your dash?
It's yours and your choices and your decisions are going to determine your life period. Because he said, you've already seen it.
It's like Tyler Perry just posted I can't repost you because I thought it was so good. We have the blueprint. We have the blueprint.
We have seen everybody, especially in the Black race, who has shown us what they did, how they had to go through it, how they overcame things, how they thought about things, how they strategized.
You have a blueprint, but we have to use the blueprint not just be you know, be fueled by it.
And I just the times that I you know, my dad always reminded me you know, again, everybody is going to leave this earth, Nicole, every that's the one thing we all have in common.
Nobody gets to pass.
So do as much as you can with your life and experience as many things and as many people as possible, and try to do good and make a different wherever you are and whatever you do in life, because everybody is important.
So when you talk about your father passing, there's a there's a sense of peace, and you know, you guys got to spend the time. Your mom's situation was a lot different, and in this book you talk a lot about that night when everything happened with your mom. When did you get to a point even where you weren't angry about what happened with your moms?
I would say.
There was probably it's probably about six months in fairness there. I remember the fourth I remember it was April. It was right before Easter, and I had one huge outburst again with one of my father's best friends out him and I called him.
And I was furious.
I was still screaming, crying, trying to fire things out, and everybody was great, law enforcement was great. Everybody was we're gonna help you, We've got this. But every day, I kept forgiving, forgiving, forgiving for myself, not for the person. Didn't condone the behavior, don't condone violence. I don't condone any of that. But I knew I hate what happened so much that I knew if I got stuck in that hate or stayed in that hate, then I was not going to be able to finish Think you'll be happy.
I was not going to be able to make the six triple A. I wasn't even gonna be able to be a good human being because I was going to be a bitter human being. That's what I thought. The demon of the bitterness was gonna kill me. It felt like it was strangling me, and I was.
Like, no, no, no, no.
So I just went through the grief, and the grief you kind of have to carry it with you. He doesn't go anywhere, so you carry it with you and then you learn how to manage it, and it does get lighter and lighter. But it gets lighter because I chose to let go. Every day I had to ask God for grace, ask God for wisdom and guidance, and then say I cast these burdens.
I'm going to cast the burden of anger. I cast the burden.
Of resentment and bitterness just so I can move forward, not to condone the behavior, but just so.
I want to move forward in my life. I want to live my life.
I was going to ask about the movie.
I know we talked about it and breezed over it a little bit, but let's get into the movie a little bit as well, because that's all on streaming on Netflix, the sixth Triple Eight. So break down the movie, and I mean people are seeing it on Netflix.
I mean, it's it well.
I think it's been number two on Netflix globally, which is huge for this type of filming, in all black casts female World War two movie. It was great, Thank you. I learned a lot, and that's why I wanted to tell the story. So the story came to me. It was my fellow producer, Carrie Seelig. She's she sent me a sizzle reel and she said, listen, I know that you've probably heard of the six Triple Eight, but you know I don't know if you know the whole story,
which I didn't. I you, I heard of Major Charity Adams. I did not know about the battalion. I just didn't.
And I went to my mom.
I said, how can you eve time you told me about Charity Adams And she said, I told you about them, you're not remembering. But you must tell this story, Nicole. This is such an important part of American history. And so the story basically, there's all these black women. They're you know, a part of the US Army, and there's seventeen pieces seventeen million pieces of mail that have not been delivered to the troops and no one can do it. Men had tried to do it. Everyone kept trying to
do it. They couldn't get the seventeen pieces of mail. So they decided, you know, winking, I will give to these black girls. Let's see if they could do it. We'll give them six months. Of course, they did it in three. But everyone's thinking, you know, Tyler, all of us were thinking, Carrie, how are we going to tell this story about the male But it's not about mail. This story is about humanity. The story is about winning the war. This story is about connection, and this story
is about resilience and being excellent. That's what I love about these women. This battalion decided to be excellent, and they were excellent even when things were unfair, unkind, not just not right. They didn't wait for things to be perfect, to be excellent and to show up strong.
And they were patriots and you know, in a.
Country that really wasn't giving them their flowers or giving them anything, and they still chose to show up and rise up on eyeside. Wait a minute, this story is a great part of American history.
It's a great part.
Of World War II history that none of us really knew, and it's great for black women. And I wanted to celebrate these black women. And we had missus King, who passed away right.
Before we put out the film.
But Tyler, being Tyler, made sure he got the film to her and he watched it with her, and she was able to say thank you, wow, and she was able to leave this earth knowing that the world was going to know their story.
One of the eight members, did Ebony get any time with her?
I'm sorry, did Ebony get any time with Miss King?
Yes?
And well, all of us for sure did a zoom with her in the very beginning so she could thank us and we could ask her questions and so and I'm I'm not sure if Ebanie went to go visit her physically but I know they spoke and connected and yeah, there's I think there's two more, maybe two more surviving members.
I mean, it's just incredible.
I loved the story and full circle moment is my mom, like I just said, she said, go take do this film. That was three weeks before she died. And then my father it's the last thing I showed him. So for me, this film is extra special because it's a full circle moment with my parents, you know, and just started with
my mom saying, please go do this movie. And it ended with my dad and you could tell that he was just so happy she did it and put this story out and this is what this is what I always wanted you to do.
I think the city And who's an actress.
In the movie, so people, yes, you played Lena King. Yeah, her name is Lina, Lina King.
Yes, Derek Cott, Yeah, yeah, Lena Derekcott. Yeah, I was.
I think this movie is so important because man, when you look at what this administration is doing, and you look at what you know, people are doing all across the country in regards to just trying to erase our history.
This might be the only way these stories get told.
You know.
It's interesting you say that because I think art and film and TV, all of it.
I think it's the best.
Way to keep our history alive, or all history alive, any history alive. Is that's why there's so many movies. I would say about World War two and every other war is it's very important to tell the stories in the very creative way. And that's the one medium that usually brings more people together than not. And that's why these stories have to we have to continue to talk about all them.
I'm happy that you know.
I always knew the Tuskegee Airmen, and that's why I was so pissed that I didn't know the six Triple eight. And not taking anything away from the Tuskegee Airmen, but I'm like, well wait a minute, these black women will win the war too, in a different way. But if you have, it's like exactly what Missus King said. If you have, I mean Charity Adams, if you have, if you have low, if you have no mail, there's low morale.
And if you have no morale, you're not a winner. You can't win, you.
Can't fight, you're.
Fighting for nothing. You need to know that you have, your wife is home waiting for you. Your husband, your father, your mother, your children. You need human connection. There is no email, no WiFi, no Facebook, no nothing. They have the US Postal Service. And that's what I think is so phenomenal of what these women were able to accomplish. And by the way, overseas again, not even going to different states in America, let alone at different different countries.
Y'all did a good job of showing that parallel too, because the one girl in the movie who her actual like significant other, he went away to the war and she hadn't heard from him, so she was like frustrated. It really showed like why because I was watching it with people who were like, but they're only doing male to your point, But then when you saw her storyline, it's like, that's why the male was important. I think that helped, like that overarching storyline helped you understand the
importance of their job too. I thought that that was a great peace. I don't know if you guys did that on.
We did, but thank you because it's because Tyler was like, we have to really show why. Yeah, and it actually did happen, but it's to your again. Everyone said, oh, it's just the male, but it's really not just anything. It's communication, right, it's humanity, And but we didn't get that until that scene that you're talking about. Yeah, and it does make a huge difference. That people need to see the power of human connection and the power of your Why why is somebody doing something?
Why is somebody being so committed to.
They were also trying to prove themselves. They were also trying to plant seeds. Again, for all of us to be sitting here doing what we're doing, you don't have to be in the armed forces. I think people we all have to remember everybody in our history and everybody before us, they knew they weren't going to see their fruits of their labor.
There wasn't you know what I mean.
There were so many people who still fought for civil rights, knowing that they may not get their rights, but we were worth it.
Then when we came along, we would have our rights.
That is what I respect so much about people who were never going to receive any benefits and still said I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do.
That's right. Y'all were nominated for Best Original Songs.
That mean, yes, oh my gosh, well, it's amazing because twofold again because Clarence comes in here again.
Because my dad and Diane Warren have been friends forever.
Wow, and the fact that it's Diane who wrote the song and then her singing the song, it's so great. But that's what I was able to say to my father when he was passing over. I said, Dad, you know, here's your journey. Go on your journey. You had such a great journey, I said, And of course, guests who wrote the song, Diane Warren, I said, your girl who
likes to curse just as much as you. That's how they became friends, because he said, I've never met somebody who drops an fbom more than me, faster than me.
But she's brilliant, right, She's a brilliant songwriter.
And I was just so happy that this is this is the category that we got an OSCAR nomination, and I was like, Okay, I'll take this because this song is everything and the song really makes the move.
I don't know how you felt, but I thought the song was just perfect.
It was a lot of good stuff that was entertwined into a song. I think the costuming was great. I thought that was important to especially when he got off the I'm telling too much.
About that march.
No, but in the march, Yeah, that was such a powerful moment. And I think as a like as a black woman, for me, when they were doing that march, I was like, I feel that because there's a lot of times where you just got to like, you know, like you're powerful, but you gotta like let other people assert it for you. And that march was that.
It was.
It's a really good movie.
I love that.
You know, every single test screw that we did the march. It could be white men, black men, Asian women, this that children, that march.
There's nothing is said.
Everyone gets moved, people cry, people are moving around their seats because it stirs up.
The underdog and everybody.
It's the March, and it's that power of I know I'm being underestimated, no one believes in me, but I'm about to show you.
Yeah.
Laura said something that I want you to expose on the call because you are a powerful woman, you know. She said, when you're a powerful woman, you have to often have to let other people assert it for you.
Mm hmmm.
Do you feel you feel that way?
I understand that. Mm hm. I do understand that it's a you know, it's so funny.
I remember being in a meeting once and I looked at this man and he said, well, why you you know we believe in this. I said, you know, I do have a brain and it does function.
I'm just in case you guys didn't know that I do have a functioning brain. But it's true, you go into it.
It's so conditioned by everyone that sometimes people have to go before you and just assert it for you, and in a different way. Even when I became ambassador, it was my friend Charlie who said, I said, no, no, no, I don't want to do I'm doing this. I'm going back to the record business. I know what I like to do. I'm done with this. And he looked at me like, really, you've outdone so many other people who are demanding to have all these roles, and you earned it.
And so Charlie said, I'm gonna put your name in just ree, I'm about to do this. And it's interesting how I just didn't.
Even realize that I wasn't really.
Stepping into You're full you, my full me, my whole life force, my whole thing. I just didn't realize, you know, And it's it's I think we have to just remind ourselves all the time.
Of of course I'm gonna try it.
It's I don't want to give my half, meaning I want to give all of me and people take it or leave it. But we should all feel comfortable enough with our life force to show up as best.
We can and as much as we can.
Not dim our light because it makes other people feel uncomfortable. I mean I used to do that a lot growing up, Like, oh, I don't want to say this, Oh I don't want to say this. No, there's just you're just dimming your light for what And you're taking your energy down to make other people comfortable, and then the only one that's hurt in the end, you Yeah, they don't care.
If they feel more comfortable or not.
And then I feel like shit when I get home because I dimmed myself and I shrunk myself.
Becoming your full you is interesting though, because sometimes other people see things in you that you don't see yourself, and I.
Think we need Yeah, but I think that.
Sometimes I think there's a flip side and a good side to that too. I think that there's a you know, like my father, for example, I think he saw he was very good at seeing talent and seeing people that could really change things, and they just for example, Hank Aaron.
I don't think Aaron was, you know, insecure.
I think he was never just thought of, oh, I should be getting endorsement deals.
I just don't think he ever thought of it.
And Clarence comes along and was like, I don't even know who you are, but if you're about to break break Baboos record, you definitely need an endorsement deal. But again, my father saw things in people that they sometimes didn't see for themselves, and then he made magic for them.
You know.
He would always say people tell black people to just run your erase, run your erase, and he goes a mother thing to everybody is well, we can't.
Even get on our marks.
Let us get on our mark and then let us But if you're going to take our mark away, don't you dare tell anybody just run your race.
You know, you can't say pull up your bootstraps. You don't have boots on. Ah, you know, get it together, and we have to remind people.
But knowing your history, even if you're the only person at the table, I always tell people, know as much as your history, just know as much as you can, so that when you are at a table or when you're with people that don't know any of it, you could be the one instead of worry about I'm the only black person at this table, be so proud I'm
the only black person at this table. And then when they're talking about certain inventions and talking about this and that, you could say, oh, well, you know, this black scientist did this, and this black inventor did this, and this person did this, and they happen to be black, and people don't know that. And it is a superpower that my mom gave me that I have used all my life and.
It it does feel great.
Just because everybody else doesn't know it doesn't mean that I'm not going to express it. Kind of to your point, everybody else is talking about it and their light is up and their vibration's up, and oh, I'm not going to mention this scientists because they may not know George Washington Carvery may they may not know Elijah McCoy, or they may not know somebody. Well, I'm just gonna tell them, well, this is why we say we want the real McCoy.
I like why, I'm like, well, good, you know, and then you tell the story and then everyone has that Oh I didn't know. And so that's where the power does come from knowledge and information and it is powerful and to use it in the best way is kind of how we move forward, especially women, just really knowing everything who we are and being rooted and grounded in real power versus I always say, there's real power, and then there's power adjacent.
I'm not interested in the power adjacent. I'm not. You know, there's and that's the pride and we all fall into that too. You know.
My father says everything that I had lost it all in one fell swoop. You know why, because I had pride and my ego was too big. And then he was able to share that with music, and then I was able to pick myself up and I was able to start to have you records and I was able to bring Jimmy jam and Terry Lewis.
He goes all.
Before that, I got too erring itt and I started doing too many things, radio station, this TV show that out of focus, lost everything. He goes, and you know, it's like my grandmother used to say, you know, pride cometh.
Before the fall. It's just it does. And to all of us.
So we all have to remember to try to say rooted and grounded, but in real power, in God's power and light versus human power.
When you know, talking to your dad, people always say when you lose everything, it makes you a strong individual, right, and that you can't be the person that you need to be unless you lose everything.
Did he ever talk about that?
Yes, he did, Yeah, and he felt that he lost a really good question. He felt that he lost everything from a very young age. Is all the time he was being bounced around, moved around, stepfather kicked him out of his house. He was always starting new and losing everything, losing a home, you know, and just starting new.
But it does build character.
And he'd always say to me every time, every time you have a shortcoming in life, every challenge, the real power comes from what's the lesson behind it. You don't all learn it in the beginning. You just like, oh my god, they shut the door because of this. Oh this didn't have so But you got to go behind it and figure out what you're And if you learn the lesson, you get to graduate.
It's like school.
You get to get you know, you read a certain level, you get to go to the eighth grade.
You do this, you get to go to high school. It goes.
But if you don't learn as you fall, then you'll.
Just stay where you are. And he'd love the pivot.
He'd always say, sometimes you have dreams and shit, and sometimes the universe is thinking way.
Bigger than you. I have to have this.
I have to be on this radio station, goes, and God's trying to tell you you're going to go all the way over here and run the station. But you're so stuck in your one dream. You have to be able to open your dream up and then be able to pivot. And then at some point, if you keep getting closed doors, just say maybe I'm supposed to go somewhere else. And if I am, he goes, just ask maybe. But the pivot, he said. People who aren't successful usually never get the pivot.
That's right, he said, they will not pivot. Be Goues.
I see it all the time, the most successful people, and they end up right flatline because they just won't change. They won't change with the times, they won't change their stubborn ideas.
Have to be this. And he said, I just tried everything. Some of it.
I was great at some of it I failed. Then I figured out what I was good at and just kind of say, once he figured out managing was his thing, and that's what he was really good at, and he can change people's lives.
That's when he started over.
And then it was Jimmy and Terry, and then it was La and Face, and it was Benny Medina and it was because all of a sudden, he's like this, this is what I can do.
I say that to people all the time, Like I think folks they like to say, reinvent yourself.
No, you just got to know when to pivot.
Pivot. It's not not a reinvention.
It's just a pivot.
It's a pivot, you know.
And it's in the beauty as humans is that we're the only animals that could actually do.
That, you know. So we can change. As soon as you change your mind. Think about it.
As soon as we change our minds, and as soon as we start thinking different thoughts, speaking a new way, behavior changes right doors open all of a sudden, You're in the right place, at the right time, with the right people.
As soon as you change your mind.
My dad always used to say, keep your mind right, keep your mind right.
And I knew what he means.
You have to renew it every day your thoughts, O, it's never gonna work. It's never gonna work, because so why would you expect it to work. It's doesn't this science doesn't even the universe doesn't even work like that. You tell it it's not gonna work, and the universe is gonna be okay.
I mean why why would it be any way else?
It doesn't work like that. Life doesn't work like that. So he just he just, he said, Nicole, I just rolled. I didn't care anybody color. I didn't care this.
I just my mentors were white. I just rolled, he said.
And none of my mentors thought, oh, he's going to be end up being the black out Father and he's going to use all.
This power that we're giving him people. So that was not their intention, he goes.
I just got lucky and they picked me, and then they let me in and taught me things that gave me connections, and then I chose to go back and try to make a difference for black people, he said. But that was my decision on what to do with what was given to me, not their intention.
You know, the name of his book is Think you'll be happy, and it's because of something your.
Mother used to say. Yes, yes, So what is the book about mister Avon be titled?
I know, you know, okay, it's the true story. And I think I can curse on this show. Sorry, of course.
So when I wrote think You'll be happening, I told my dad, your daddy, I'm saying, think you'll be happy, because this is mommy's last message to me.
Six hours later I was heard she was shot. And so.
He said, maybe it's a later you know, maybe I should write a book.
I should write a book. I should write a.
Clarence save On book. I said, well, what would your title be? And he was thinking about it, and then he had watched you know, some I don't know what station, MSNBCC, and so somebody had said on TV was the black person who said, you know, there's been no progress sixty years, nothing and on and on and I'm telling you my everything in my father his back when I goes no progress, what, Yeah, he was like, I'm picking cotton, I'm picking tobacco.
I'm doing this. There were no rights. You couldn't vote, you could do that.
He went on on. I go, okay, but what's the title of your book, I ain't lean's in. He goes, You're fucking welcome. That's my that's the title of my book. You're fucking welcome by Clarence. Oh my god. He gave me all these like I have all the Clarence isms written down, and I was like, you know what, I'm gonna I'll do that for you. I'm gonna write your book. Just now I'm writing it.
It's so good of just his little nuggets. It's not gonna be wrong. It's just clarence Ism right on it. Next page of just real nuggets of how to get through life. You know, his whole thing. Remember you know this, it is what it is?
Right now?
What are you gonna do about it?
And he'd always say, everybody's always like, it is what it is. He goes, No, then you.
Finished the sentence. What you want? What are you going to do about it?
Make a decision of what you're going to do about whatever it is.
And if you're not gonna do nothing, boy, to shut the fuck up.
Shut, he would always say.
If I and I remember one day I called and I needed advice and I was in the Bahamas, and I was so feeling sorry for myself.
I said, but daddy, daddy, I'm crying. He goes, it is what it is.
And I said, can't you just be sensitive for one minute and just listen to me. I'm trying to explain something. And he said. I said, I know it is what it is, but it hurts me. And he said, okay, what you gonna do about it? I said, but dad? He goes, no, no, no, I'm trying to teach you something. You cannot make a constructive decision in chaos.
So when I say, what are.
You going to do about it? You got to accept what is, don't fight what is. Don't because you don't like it. It's not fair. That's going to keep you spinning.
So it is what.
It is, accept it like own it it's happening, and then sit with yourself. Calm yourself down, tell yourself I'm in control of my soul.
Is well?
I met control? And then make a decision. Now what am I going to do about it? What's your new attitude going to be from this? And I'm telling you it worked. I calmed down, I said a prayer, I cried, I got over the self pity and I focused and I was like, Okay, who.
Do I want to be? Who do I want to be?
How do I want to s up in this situation? It was the best advice he gave me. And I've used it throughout my life, you know. And but he gave me those little nuggets. And and you're fucking welcome. Also was about like, you owe me a life.
I gave you a life. Live it. You're welcome. All of us got here.
You had parents, every bid, generations of generations of generations of people did.
Not quit, so you got you all definitely.
Do not have the audacity to just sit and do nothing with everything that we went through for you, because we had a big dream for you, all of you, and and and we do. And you guys, by the way, have done a phenomenal job. I mean, I'm looking every time I watch I'm thinking, look at all these politicians coming on this show, Look at how they're changing the culture.
Look what you're doing.
And the truth is this would not this show would not have happened twenty years ago, thirty years I'm sorry it was wasn't even probably drummed up, do you know what I mean?
I followuprint I never seeing a black man who you know, had that type of influence in so many different industries and so much respect and so many different And to me, that's how you move culture forward for real.
Yes, and and but that's what you guys have done. I mean, I hope you guys really understand. I'm not just saying this. I mean it's real, and it's a big deal, and it's a big deal for people of all colors, all races to tune in and see what you create. See who gets to sit in this chair, listen to different ideas.
By the way, I love that you have diverse ideas.
I love that you have Republicans and Independents and Democrats and everybody talking so that people can make an independent.
Decision on who they are.
I think that's very very important, especially for black men, because I think that black men have always been piggeled everybody else. You notice, everybody else gets to be whatever they want, everybody, everybody gets to think conservatively.
I know, everybody else.
I'm like, wait a minute, hold on, they're black conservative men. There are black independent men. There are black liberal men, just like every other.
Type of man. Do you know? And every time I turned around, I was at a dinner table.
That black man's conservative, But why are you hating on him because he's conservative? Because the white guy's conservative, the Asian guy's conservative, the Hispanic person's conservative.
But none of you are throwing this person.
In any shade whatsoever. And I don't know why this group only, not even women. I'm talking men, only have to think one way. We're not that kind of Everybody else thinks different ways.
Yes, I mean Booker, T. Washington, there are many.
Remember we all come many of us were a Republican in the beginning.
So I just I don't know what I love that you do.
Again, is I love that I've watched everybody sit in this chair and there's different ideas, and I've always taken a little piece from everybody. Even if I disagreed with ninety percent, there's always that two percent five percent that I think I never thought about it that way. Sure I agree with that.
That's what you do, and I think it's really powerful what you guys do.
Thank you, Thank you so much. I do have one last question. Six trip late right, that's out on Netflix now. You can you can basically probably tell any story you want to and get it on Netflix if you want it to right, how do you pick which stories you want to do?
I for me, if it's for me personally, I love anything that's inspiring, empowering, motivating, and if it's true.
I love true stories, you know what I mean. And I love documentaries.
Documentaries for me are everything because I think that you can teach people again, like I say, through film and art. It's so important for me to tell something that people will be moved by and people will leave that room saying I didn't know that, or.
I feel so good about this, or I don't care about that. That's what I care about.
Empowering people, motivating people, aspiring people. Any kind of script that I get that's like that, that's those are the stories that I want to tell that move culture forward and have people thinking even in a different way than they ever have before.
But that's what I love making people.
I want people to feel good, and I want people to feel positive, and I want people to feel hopeful and also be educated in ways. You know, if I don't like I said, we both said, like, oh my god, I didn't know this story. And I love the response around the world about the six triple eight of every response is I had no idea number one. And then the second response is and now I could feel that I could do anything. Or I've sat with my children and I've watched us with my children, and this has
been great. I mean, I was on Brett Baer Show on Fox and they were so supportive of the six Triple A and it was so great that this.
Story is just resonating.
That's what I mean is every everybody wants to talk about this film because it's important and it's it's a great piece of history that everyone should know.
Well, thank you for joining us this morning. That's right, Trip.
You can check it on Netflix right now. It's streaming now. And the book I Think You'll Be Happy is out right now, right now.
Well afford by Ted. Saranda tell Ted we do want him up there?
Yes, well Ted will Ted will love it.
He's great, Okay, but.
We'll see you again when, yes, when the other book comes out. Please all right, Nicole Avon, good morning, thank
You, thank you,