Josh Johnson On His First Piece As Daily Show Correspondent

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Wow.

Hello, everyone, Welcome to The Daily Show. Ears addition, this is Devin dela Quante, writer for The Daily Show, and today I am here with Emmy nominated writer, actor, stand up and the newest Daily Show correspondent, Josh Johnson. Everyone, Hey man, welcome Josh Shaw.

You doing.

It's been an exciting few weeks. So you've been a writer here for people who don't know, since twenty seventeen. That's when I met you. That's when we became officemates, paired together. Yeah, and now you are the newest member of the Daily Show news team.

Walk us through it. How did this happen?

How did your journey lead you to The Daily Show and onto the news team?

Basically, yeah, I mean I got hired in twenty seventeen. We were officemates. I think that when I was even interviewing. When I came in for my interview, I think I randomly saw Roy Ann Hassen and just like in the hallways, and I was like.

Oh, geez, oh geez, oh wow.

You know, it just started to feel less like a potential office job I was going to get in more like an actual Oh, this is this is like where they make the Daily Show, which you would know showing up to the building. But yeah, that was that was really Uh, that was really wild. And then yeah, when I interviewed it was with Trevor. It was like I felt like we were vibing. But also he can never tell if that's like you've definitely got the job or these are just nice people.

Yeah, you know.

So when I got the call that I got it, I was like floored. And then yeah, showing up. I feel like you were the best person to be paired with for the for the beginning, because you were very gracious with all the with all the questions, and you were also like giving me tips of like oh hey there's a chance no one will mention this, yeah yeah, so have just be ready for this as well.

I do feel like your catchphrase that first couple of years was quick question.

Yeah.

I would feel a tap on my shoulder and just quick question yeah yeah less so.

Now yeah yeah, I mean if anything, now I have a quick question, but I know that you won't have the answer.

That's good.

I'll be like, hey, I don't know where to sit anymore.

Yeah I have nothing for you. Yeah, I don't know where you should throw stuff out. I don't know any of this stuff any.

Yeah, but no, I think that we had a good dynamic. I think that it only took a short year and a half before our office was legendary. I don't know if we'll ever reach those heights again.

Well, it was very early on in the process that we were in our office, and then you were very close with Dulce Sloane, who she started as a correspondent then and know how soon it is into your time in the office. She came in with a trophy for you and handed it to you, and it was clearly she was roasting you by giving you a trophy.

It was it was brutal and and well basically this is what she did that was cruel is she mailed it to me, so it was my first piece of mail at the show, and so I was like, the trophy was a knuck if you buck trophy, which is a trophy for a song that I despise, right, And so I can't remember, Yeah, it was maybe I think maybe I opened it was was.

Shocked and then.

I remember you putting your head in your hands, which is a weird thing to see someone do when they've just opened a trophy. Yeah, so there was a lot of things going on in that moment.

Then I think I put it in I think I put in her office for like a day or or something. Sure, I just try to leave it with her, and then she brought it back I think, to our office.

Yeah, and she was like, no, this is yours.

Yeah.

It did feel like it immediately became a hore crux for you, like, yeah, keys of your soul broke off and was imbued into that trophy.

Yeah.

The other thing that was great.

About it was about like to Josh Johnson for something for knucking and bucking. But it wasn't even the winner. It was the runner up. Yeah, we didn't even win the trophy.

Which apparently was Roy.

Yes, that was Roy that was helping her come up with this horrific gift.

Uh.

And then I you know, we had what I'd say, all the way up until COVID, we had such a great like a fool whatever maybe like nearly three year run in that office of just like phenomenal times.

Yeah, twenty seventeen until twenty twenty.

Yeah, and then oh geezy.

Powers that be, it was too powerful. They had to split us up.

Yeah, they they split us up first with a global pandemic. Yes, yes, and then when we got back an office switch.

Really nothing else would have been powerful enough to break us apart in the office.

Yeah, you know.

I also remember you, I'm very kind of neat and organized and fastidious and you're less.

So is that fair to say?

To the point where fair?

You had back injuries at that time, and to make your chair more comfortable you put bubble wrap on it. Not even like a pillow or something ergo. You just had like loose bubble wrap like you were an Amazon package. So that's how you were protecting yourself in the office.

Basically, I did not. I had tried all of.

The sort of normal ways of dealing with the problem, and all of the small pillows were too small to where they were just like maybe hiking my my hips forward, and all the big pillows were so big that the chair was not supporting me in the pillow.

Sure.

So then I was like, I I got all this bubble wrap from I can't remember what it was. I think it was actually something that had been sent to the office and it was about to be thrown away.

Could it have been the Dulce trophy? We got bubble wrap out of the trophy.

It could have been the trophy. And so then I went ahead and just wrapped a little bit of the chair in some bubble wrap because it felt like enough enough give and enough firmness. Sure, it sounds crazy, like I actually forgot I did this until you.

Just say yeah. One other thing I wanted to bring up from our time as office mates. I wrote this down because I went through some of our old messages where we used to like talk when we were in the office, and I had forgotten about this. There was a time when I walked into our office and on your computer screen was a Vice article that said the headline was making people laugh for a living sucks in

In the autice, I'm like, is everything all right?

Man?

Do you want to talk? What's going on?

That is so funny? I? Yeah, I also forgot this happened. I am not the best at reading articles in the moment. Sure, I clicked on the article and then I think someone paged me or something, and then I just left it as like nearly my screensaver all pretty much for like maybe two days, And it wasn't until I didn't even put together how it must look until you said something, because I was like, oh, yeah, not me, it's the guy wrote the article.

I'm just kind of tying to see how.

Think you're projecting.

Yeah, yeah, I have bad news about.

What you have to do as a correspondent is making people laugh for a living is kind of You've kept on the path yet if it.

Sucks you are You're very much on that path.

I've really stayed the course you have. It's a good thing that I did not write that article. I was just sort of curious what this other person was going through.

That's good.

Yeah.

If I'm being completely honest, the entire transition from writer to to like corresponding what I'm doing now was very very like quick really yeah. Yeah, So I'm I'm very excited. I feel like I've been working towards it for a long time. Yeah, But also I'm very much like trying to keep my eyes wide open.

How did you find out? What was the Was it a phone call? Was it a call into someone's office, was it you know.

Like the Yeah, yeah, it was a it was a phone call from my reps, and it was very close to when I was first on the show, so it's like like that cookie monster thing to the Yeah, it was like because my time as a writer was going to come to an end very close to the to the end date in March, and so I was like, yeah, wow, this is all happening. Yeah, it was just a beautiful transition one to the other.

One thing that people at home won't know is you and I have written with Dulce a lot, and there we did a test show for John to come back,

Of, oh, thanks man, it was great. John.

Can I interrupt here?

Yes, I'm sorry.

It's Dulce. So on, everybody, I'm gonna assume that's the same diner. What part of the diner is that.

Oh, I'm outside the dinner because I'm talking to black people.

We don't go to diners.

Well, what unique respective to the black people have about this election.

All say their unique perspective is it's the same as everyone else. You know. They don't want this shit. They can't believe that I have three hundred million people this country churned out the exact same old man fight we just had. One lady told me she, oh, she died in the voting booth. I can't blame her. I asked one dude what he thought about the candidates. He told me leave him the fuck alone, and he was right to say it. I still threw hands, but he was right.

And then one of my other favorite days was when we found out that you were going to be a news team member, because we were in the morning meeting, we watched all the clips and you were there as normal, and then they made an announcement that Josh is joining the show as a news team member, and we cheer. It was so fun and exciting because it was like as if we were your friends finding out, but also your colleagues finding out, and also we get to work

Josh, look, I love hating stuff too. Why don't you be a little too hot on mister monster. He's trying to fight He's trying to fight shrink flation. Oh you're telling me that Cookie Monster just brought up shrink flation the same week as Biden on his own. The only words I've ever heard Cookie Monsters say are me and Cookie who taught him shrink flation?

Walk me through that day from your point of view as a member of the news team, having obviously you've experienced it as a writer, But what was it like as a member of the news team putting that piece together?

It actually felt fairly quick, because then I had to do so many other little things that I could only into the office with you all. You know, really after you were like close to done, right, like y'all were, y'all were close to done, and then and then we went to rehearsal, and then rehearsal was okay, and then we went to the rewrite.

And I do feel like at rewrite.

We made it much better going into the uh, the the final for the show. Then it then it wasn't rehearsal because I thought it was really funny going into rehearsal. And then yeah, I think I think the whole thing just elevated, which was really really cool to see, because sometimes whenever you come out of rehearsal, especially as a writer, you're like, well, I might be out of ideas because yeah,

Yeah, because we initially had an ending where you were just furious at Cookie Monster the whole time. The basic GISTs of it were that you were why would Cookie Monster care about shrinkflation? He drops cookies all the time. Yeah, and then there's bigger problems on Sesame Street. Oscar is homeless. Yeah, that came up. And then we were trying to come up with like an emotionally grounded reason for you to hate Cookie Monster, and we thought it was funny that

Yeah.

But then like you try something in rehearsal and it didn't like hit the way we wanted it to hit. So we got rid of that and we added this thing where we talked about it at the desk that there was something weird about the fact that Cookie Monster was talking about shrink flation, and we didn't know if Ronnie would talk about it in the headline or if you should talk about it in the chat, And we

Bringing up shrink flavor on his own?

Yeah? And that felt like such a great line in your the voice of your stand up and everything, And how did that How is that process as a as a performer for you to to kind of work with the writers and tell us your voice, and are you teaching us how to write for you or I think.

I don't know.

Personally, I've always thought like voice is relative, Like, no matter who I've been writing for, I feel like outside of something being like dirty or something, I feel like people just pick good jokes that they want to say. So I know that's what voice is supposed to be. But I think that sometimes people think about it so much in a way that's a little it's a little limiting because it'll be like, oh, there's all these great jokes,

Know what I mean?

And so I think that for me, I I think everyone already baseline writes things that I want to say, Like every every writer that we have, I see from when I was writing, you know, two weeks ago, Like I see there their jokes when when we're all pitching and everything, and I'm like, that's a great joke.

That's a great joke. That's great.

So voice to me is is uh is relative to like you know that that point of view. I get that it's important, but I also think that coupling what is clearly a great joke with how you want to say it is much more collaborative than just uh, that's a great joke, but it's not in my voice, so I won't even try to finagle the the the wording

Yeah, I mean we had that whole run of Cookie Monster doesn't have a digestive system. He doesn't know the feeling of having his pants around his ankles and having to shovel like shuffle through his own apartment like he's robbing the place, and that his girlfriend walks in.

Explain to me why Cookie Monster cares about toilet paper. He doesn't have a digestive system. He's never taken a shit in his life. He doesn't know the pain of sitting on toil with a stomach full of lamb curry, run it out of paper and having a side step your way out doing the pants around the ankle waddle, like you rob a your own house only for your girlfriend to walk in see you then immediately walk out. Do you have to deal with that, mister cookie monster?

Because me did, Me very much did.

And we talked about do people will this work if people don't know Josh yet, because it felt like a way that you would deliver it as a performer, and it was coloring in like anxiety in the character that is you, you know you on the show, and it's sort of like, well, can we do that?

Will people connect to it?

Or are we kind of establishing like this is what Josh is like that it is like nervous, anxious, angry, Like we're painting a lot of different colors of what your character is. And I feel like it worked really well and now it's like, oh, this is we've established that for you that now we can even go further with it and play with it more, and we're kind of introducing you and your psyche to the audience.

In an ideal way.

You will not just come off like funny, but people will understand what your point of view is every time. And then not saying that you should be predictable, but like I think down the line, people get excited for your take on a thing because you come off a certain way or because they think that they're excited to see what your point of view means to each new subject. Yeah, if that makes sense. And so it's only you know, it's only like one chat to go off so far.

We have to take a quick break, but we will be right back with Josh Johnson. You went out to talk to New Yorkers about the Trump sneakers that he announced, which you know he designed the sneakers and sold them at Sneaker Con.

Now, what do you think of these sneakers? You know, it's very patriotic. I think that there's no rules in fashion. Okay, were whatever you want, But me, Percy, I.

Would not would you copies you You wouldn't know hard pass.

It looks very two thousand and nine deity. Actually, they look like they don't bend. What are your thoughts on this shoe trying to be ic okay, but also very nationalistic. Gotcha, now would you wear the shoe? Though? Okay?

How is it to go out into the field and kind of not necessarily have a plan, but just trust that the comedy will come either from the questions you ask or what people say, or then that it'll boomerang back on you, like where they were roasting your sneakers, because I feel like you have a great you are, especially in a dynamic when like Dulce's around is, I feel like you quickly get into that younger brother dynamic.

So how is going out to do that greater? Yeah? Yeah, uh, it was cool.

I think that because all of funny is relative, I think that what can be funny and who can be funny is much much broader than people imagine, And so I think when you're doing the pieces out there, it's important to sometimes take a step away and let the person you're talking to be funny, because if they have something funny to say, then that's way more interesting than something funny I have to say. Like I already know what I would say. If I'm gonna do all the jokes,

How did you feel when a seventh grader walked up to you and he was as tall as Victor Wibayama and then you had to stand next to him because it felt like you shrunk somehow.

It was crazy. So you think if you wore these two school you might get like roasted up?

Yeah, because like what great are you in seventh You're in seventh grade?

Yeah?

How tall?

Six to one?

I played basketball?

You should When he said he was in the seventh grade, I did to get I had to get him to repeat it maybe twice.

And even then I was like, nah, like this this, this is this feels like.

You know like when a when a baseball team is like trust us, he's in the seventh grade. Yeah, you know, because my man was was huge and and even with even with him, I was like, oh yeah, this this kid's like got his own take on the thing. Just for me, asking and I think that's what That's what audiences enjoy too, is just there's always gonna be someone who has the same take as you, totally different and

Did you imagine that your daily show debut would be you being roasted by a middle schooler? Which seems like the nightmare? Right?

It is on brand though, Sure it's.

A pretty bad. But what about your shoes, Doug?

What those are some dirty ass shoes? Broo a steak ass shoes?

Be run a marathon.

It's really about trauma, is it?

You're lucky bigger than me?

Man.

As much as it is what I would not want for myself, it is probably the most likely thing to have happened.

Sure.

Yeah, and I and look, I thought I thought it was pretty funny. Every once a while you get roasted and you're like, they're just right. I don't even know if that that's a a light crisp. I don't even know if that it's a full roasting. Yeah, definitely not overcooked.

One thing I wanted to ask you about is how over the years working at The Daily Show has changed your approach to stand up comedy Because I'm like a huge fan of your specials and when you put out hashtag and then up here killing Myself, the one where you kind of intercut between you and a therapist, I feel like you were so great at writing about big, broad,

Did you all see the Alabama brawl?

Yo? Yo?

Who knew Wakanda was in Alabama?

Was crazy?

That was wild? So many people came out of nowhere that that shit was like black Jay.

Where is it? And I feel like you've kept up the momentum of writing about topical things and doing it. Do you think writing here and working here has made you want to do that more or is it just how social media is now with stand up where you're putting clips out more and more.

I think that the show has helped a lot in that the show has become its own sort of daily practice for years in writing, when you don't feel funny, or you don't feel like it, or you don't feel creative enough or whatever, and you still manage to help make a show. I think is the greatest testament to that, Like art and creativity aren't these esoteric ideas that are just gonna come and go and leave you and stick with you sometimes. And it's not like an angel that

And it's like lunch pail work. Yeah, John would say about democracy, Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, And so I think that that helped. And then yeah, when we were on the writer strike, I wasn't doing anything else, and so I felt like it was the perfect time to start doing that, and I've

And immediately pivot to a comedic take on it.

Yeah.

You have to lay all the track of here's everything you need to know, and then here's an unexpected comedic twist on it.

Yeah.

Yeah, So I think that with the years of practice doing that here it was it was something that really helped with stand up because it gave me a more like worldly approach, hopefully to everything that I do.

You were on the road with Trevor a lot too. When we were officemates in like twenty eighteen twenty nineteen. Every weekend you'd be like, hey, man, what are you up to this weekend? I'd be like, oh, you know, my wife and I are going out, you know, we were getting ready to have a baby, or painting the nursery, and You're like, yeah, I'm playing the United Center.

Like oh great.

But you would always be like, what do you have to Oh, nothing much and just do it. A couple shows, and then I would look it up and I'd be like, you're playing at the like where the Chicago Bulls played like it was nothing. So what did you learn doing that? And how did that prepare you for you know, joining the show on camera?

Uh?

I learned very often that it was not my show at all, like it was you know, not that I ever thought was, but just you know what I mean, like like it's very it was very like kind and gracious of Trevor to even bring me and everything. And I only say that because like you are part of this thing. And then people, you know, he has great audiences, so then the people were excited for anybody to open up the show or anything like that. So with Vince and I, it was just such a it was such

What's the big difference between you then and you now? Because it's been like probably five years even since you were doing those, Like what you think has changed in your writing and and your performing since then.

I think I'm just a bit more like like confident in what I want to say, and I also move more. Okay, yeah, yeah, because because Tremor was like eventually you go have to move.

He's He's like, you're doing You're doing an arena. You can't just stand.

I mean you did have to sort out your back with bubble wrap.

Yeah you could do that.

Yeah, ye'd be fair just turn and hear seven pops yeah and then start walking.

Yeah.

Yeah, but now I just I'm that was that was kind of my uh, sort of awakening to how big comedy could be because I had always heard of comedy happening in these places, but to actually see it and not just see it, to like see it from backstage and to do some of it is like crazy, Like I always fail you.

Two was here last night. Yeah, now I'm on this stage like what.

Yeah.

I always felt like the most like blessed guest in the in the in the way of like being able to be around for that stuff.

Because that was just yeah crazy man.

That's cool. Well, the fact that you found both confidence and humbleness. It's pretty cool.

Yeah. I mean, look the any sort of humbled just trust me. It's been over years of terrible circumstance.

Like where was I. I was at this place they had asked me to do the show. It was it was so funny. It was like when I still lived in.

Chicago and.

It was like some sports bar they had, and they wanted me to come, and I thought it was gonna be a showcase, but they just wanted me to come do like forty five minutes. Okay, so, which isn't actually the length of a show. That's the length of like a headlining set, but that's not the length of a whole show.

Yeah.

And so then I get there and I'm like, oh, is there a host? And They're like, no, it's all you. And I was like okay, and like and I'm so I'm so early in the stand up. I didn't think to ask about like tickets or anything like that. They just asked me to come because I guess one of the night managers saw me somewhere else and liked me and was like, come do a show here.

We'll pay you whatever.

And so then it's like not quite a sports bar, but sports were on and people were actively watching them, so they turn off all the TVs without warning. So then people are like, what are you doing? And then they're then they're like, uh yeah, show starting. That was the introduction, by the way, show starting. And so then I step on a wooden palette. Oh no, and I have the microphone and I'm just talking. And at one point I could just kind of hear this guy go

Yeah, that'll keep you humble.

Yeah, you have that voice in your head when you're at the United Center that you were worried that that guy was going to be there again hoping to see a Bulls game.

Yeah, and he's just going to go, what are you doing?

Any any long silence in an arena setting, I hear what are you doing?

Before we go?

I do want to You were talking of the internet earlier. I know they say not to read the YouTube comments or internet comments. Yeah, but since you've joined the news team, I did want to take a look at what the response has been from the good people online to you joining the news team. So here's a few Josh Johnson crushed it. His deadpan delivery, frozen pauses for the audience, and his inflection made every joke land a fantastic new edition.

Wow, thank you very good calling for your job security. That's awesome.

Yeah, and then Josh Johnson is a new National Treasure Daily Show. Please buy this man some Jordans for the next shoe segment.

You know, if I had Jordan's, maybe no, this would have happened.

Maybe, Yeah, I mean if I had Jordan's then maybe maybe that kid would have had nothing.

What are you working with? Now?

What do you because I'm sure we can't see your shoes on camera. Definitely not on the ears edition.

No, no, no, So right now, I'm I'm going with some on clouds.

Okay.

They are the black on Black and they are one day old. I've only scuffed them once. Okay, yeah, they're very.

Okay, maybe avoid some middle schoolers, yeah easily, yeah, easily. I Actually I think I told you about this. This is years ago of how like when I'm I used to live down the street from a middle school, and I would walk around the school.

Do you remember this.

Yeah, I would take a left before I got to the school.

I'd walk all the way around the school and then I'd take So I was just basically taking the long way home like I was a middle schooler because yeah, because dude, the kids are like and then one of them was big too, So it's like you can't even the fact that you're an adult doesn't even scare the.

Like, didn't a football like land at your feet or something?

Yes, yeah, so this this was not at home, but it was in my neighborhood. A football landed at my feet and then I look up and they're like, throw it back. But then the fence, the fence was actually like really really high, like like crazy high, to the point where I don't know how they got it over they got it.

Over there, but the most like but the fence where have not fully developed. But the fence was high.

No, I know, that makes it worse.

And so so then I try to throw it back and I hit the fence and it bounced back and it hit me on my shoulder and like, yeah, I like I talked about it in stand up once before where I was like, they they roasted me so hard that I I genuinely thought about calling the police. I was like, I don't care how it looks. I'll be

I like to think that one of the kids that roasted you was the same kid that you saw in the sneaker piece when you went out, that he's just been yeah that he's just got a arm school.

Yeah, yeah, a great arm.

And he's seven foot one and he's just following you around roasting you. Middle Schoolers are your natural predator, So I just I hope you stay safe out there, try to avoid do all good things as a member of the news team, But any middle schoolers who.

Will roast you probably just gonna stay in the building.

That's a good idea. Yeah, it's probably best for everyone.

Well, thank you so much for joining me on, Josh Johnson, and thanks for listening to The Daily Show your's edition.

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