The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Democrats' Cringey Opposition, DEI Ban Black History Quiz | Gabrielle Union

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

Desi Lydic rates the Democratic Party's methods of opposing Trump: from off-key protest chants to interpretive dance to podcasts on the cringe-o-meter. Plus, with so many Dems saying "F**k Trump," Grace Kuhlenschmidt thinks that might just be a great idea. Josh Johnson asks how NYCers honor black history without breaking DEI bans.  Actor, producer, and entrepreneur Gabrielle Union sits down with Desi Lydic for a conversation about making the new film she stars in, “Riff Raff,” and how she uses her power as a producer to enact positive change in the industry and uplift people who are typically overlooked. They also discuss Union’s pride in her daughter Zaya’s actvisim work for the queer community and trans rights.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central, it's America's only source for news. This is The Daily Show. I'm Jezzy Lydic. We've got so much to talk about tonight. Democrats can't remember where they put their Riz. America white washes Black History Month. And Donald Trump loses a fight to a girl.

So let's get right into it. ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] I'm gonna come. ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] Since taking office, Donald Trump and the Republicans have been making a lot of big changes in the same way that Godzilla made some big changes in Tokyo. But there's also been a liberal opposition growing.

Over the past few weeks, people have started taking to the streets and making their voices heard. Hundreds of federal employees gathered on Capitol Hill for what they called a rally to save the civil service. Which side are you on? Which side are you on? Which side are you on? We'll fight against Joe's. We'll fight, leave on Mars.

Which key are we on? Oh, sorry, but that sounded so bad, I had to cleanse my ears with an RFK Jr. speech. Were there any protests that aren't just singing? There is a unique protest getting underway at the Kennedy Center. Two dance companies are staging a dance protest, as they're calling it, against the Trump administration's recent takeover of the Kennedy Center. We have started to see dancers show up here to the Kennedy Center doing a dance called

the Melkin Line. It's by a German dancer that is pretty popular, they tell me. Is this how white ladies protest now? I demand to dance for the manager. At least you know what, at least they're getting out there and these are regular citizens doing their best. It's not their responsibility to block the Trump agenda. That's on the Democratic Party.

They have the talent and experience honed from decades of asking me for money. They'll know. They will know exactly the most effective way to fight Donald Trump. We need to change the conversation. And that's why I'm launching a new podcast. Cool. California Governor Gavin Newsom is starting a podcast. I can't believe they rebuilt LA that fast.

Glad you have the time. I mean, forgive me for not subscribing to the Gavin Newsom pomade hour, but I think the moment calls for a little more than polite conversation. Although some Democrats are taking that very literally. If you could speak directly to Elon Musk, what would you say? F*** off. Bush appointment! F*** Elon Musk! f*** Donald Trump and Elon Musk. I say f*** Trump.

Ooh, okay. You guys kissed your lobbyists with that mouth? That's right, the Democratic strategy written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Look, I get the spirit behind it, but cursing in politics doesn't exactly age well. The Gettysburg Address wouldn't have been the classic it became if it went four score in a f*** ton years ago. Not to mention dropping the F-bomb isn't really for everyone. I noticed Congresswoman Maxine Dexter had a little bit of trouble. I am going to tell you that we do have to... I don't swear in public very well, but we have to f*** Trump.

No! Woo! Oh, you are right. You don't swear in public very well. There are a thousand ways to say f*** you when you found literally the only wrong one. I mean, unless she meant, we have to f*** Trump. There's a sign up sheet next to the stage. Suck him off.

Suck him off. But not all Democrats are filling up the swear jar. Some have gone much more high brow with a little resistance wordplay. Every time you hear DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, you just remember it is the Department of Government Evil. DOGE, which actually stands for Destruction of Government evil. Doge, which actually stands for destruction of government by Elon. Just stands for Department of Gutting Education.

Damn this oligarchs got everything. All right, OK. I see what you did there. I'm just glad that Maxine Dexter didn't join in. She'd be like, more like the Department of Glory-Holing Elon. Oh! So, right? This is what happens when you're the party of liberal arts majors.

MAGA stormed the Capitol and Democrats are doing creative writing exercises. But hey, if clever acronyms aren't your thing, Democrats are also pulling out some timely pop culture references. We also know, of course, that Elon Musk is sending his unqualified Doge staff to carry out this agenda across all these agencies. And in some cases, actually teenage staffers. They're trying to rob you, and they're probably a minor. Thank you. And I yield back.

I'm sorry, I became a Republican for a second. Look, I don't know how, but I think this congressman somehow just lost the beef for Kendrick. I do think, I do think though that every rat battle should end with, thank you, I yield my time. Let's all be fair, okay? Because not all of the Democratic messaging has been breaking the cringe-o-meters. Bernie Sanders has been on an anti-oligarchy tour, and his town halls have been drawing huge, huge crowds. Remember, he's been warning us about the oligarchy

way before Elon Musk was wearing a MAGA hat, so this really feels like his moment. Too bad he'll be 87 years old by the time the next election rolls around, unless we can give him the substance. I don't know. I'm halfway through that movie. I assume it all works out.

I'll tell you one Democrat who took it to Trump face to face, the governor of Maine, Janet Mills. Yeah. Yeah. Last week, Trump held a meeting at the White House where he called her out for refusing to comply with his ban on trans athletes. And once he did that, she made it clear

that she wasn't going to comply with any of his bullshit. The NCAA has complied immediately, by the way. That's good. But I understand Maine. Is the main here, the governor? Are you not going to comply with it? I'm complying with state and federal law. Well, we are the federal law.

Well, you better do it. You better do it because you're not going to get any federal funding at all if you don't. And by the way, your population, even though it's somewhat liberal, although I did very well there, your population doesn't want men playing in women's sports. So you better comply because otherwise you're not getting any federal funding.

See you in court. Every state, good, I'll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. It should be for men. Yes! Yes! Andy Cohen will never make a show easy one. It should be some mint. Yes.

Andy Cohen will never make a show just as good as what I just watched. That's how you do it. Forget singing. Forget dancing. This is how you confront Trump with tipsy aunt energy. Define the issues and force the court to pick a side. Which side are you on?

No. No, no, no. No, no, no. No, stop that. Stop that. no, no, no, no. Stop that. Stop that. Stop that. Get it out of here.

Stop. For more on the Democratic resistance, let's go to Washington, DC with our very own Grace Kuhlenschmitt. Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!

Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Great.

It seems like the governor of Maine has the best strategy here for Democrats. Confront Trump and take him to court. Agree to disagree, Desi. I think the other lady had the better idea. Democrats need to f*** Donald Trump. F*** him real good. I don't think that was actually an idea.

I think she just accidentally misspoke. A lot of great ideas come from accidents. Silly putty, super glue, the Titanic movie. Grace, this is not a real idea. How is fucking Trump going to work? Oh, well, a penis will go into the vagina. No, no, no, no, no. I mean, how would Democrats do that?

Of course. Come on, girl on top, guy, no, no, no, no, no. I mean, like, how would Democrats do that? Of course. Come on, girl on top, guy on top, reverse cowgirl, the octopus. No, no, no, no, no, no. I know how to do that. Wait, what is the octopus? You need an above-ground pool and four people. Or one person with a lot of arms. OK, forget it.

But why would having sex with Trump be a good strategy? Think of all this guy's pent-up anger, his terrible decision-making, his frantic energy. He's got blue balls of the brain. Think of it like a volcano. If you don't jack off the mountain every so often, it'll explode and wipe out an Italian village. That's science, Desi.

Grace, that's not how volcanoes or the male body works. Yes, it is. But maybe if the Democrats f*** him so good, he'll get that post-nut clarity. He'll be like, wait, why am I cutting funding to stop Ebola? And what is Elon doing here? I hate this guy. No, Grace, come on.

There are better ways to stop Trump than an orgy. OK, I didn't say orgy. But I like it. You're a freak. Look, it's not like anything else has worked. Voting didn't work. Inditing him didn't work. Indicating him didn't work.

They even lost the election after getting an endorsement from America's sweetheart Liz Cheney. The only option left is to run out the clock. Four to seven minutes at a time. That seems very ambitious. Fine, three to five minutes at a time. Face it, Desi, you want Dems to take action? They gotta give Trump some action.

You want Dems to stop jerking off and get to work? They gotta get to work jerking him off. You want Dems to not blow at their jobs? Yeah, no, I get it. I get where you're going, I get it. Yeah, I bet you get it, you sex monster. But if this isn't the strategy, I literally don't know what is. Well, they could just embrace a younger generation who

can clearly make the case for a pro-worker, progressive America. No, I think you were right. Your group-fuck-fest idea is the only option. No, no, no, no, great. That wasn't my idea. Forget it. Grace Kuhlenschmidt, everybody.

When we come back, we have a very mad Black History Month, so don't go away. Welcome back to The Daily Show. February is Black History Month, but has the Trump administration changed the way we commemorate it? Josh Johnson hit the streets to find out. What up, world? It's Josh Johnson, and it's also Black History Month. Except this year, Trump is back in the White House, and any mention of anything diverse, equitable, or inclusive, AKA black, is absolutely taboo.

So I'm out here to see if we can find some people to help us celebrate the new f***ing History Month. F***ing said it. Can you hit me with the story of Martin Luther King Jr. without saying stuff like s*** or segregation is a tough one? Okay, so he was a leader of the... A b**** at the time. Who shy away from that word?

I mean, a b**** is gonna get people asking questions. Okay. Tell me the story in a few sentences of Rosa Parks without saying stuff like... Uh, woman who... is tired. She was a woman in a time who needed transportation and she was unable to take the transportation she deserved in the...can I say seat? Yeah you can say seat. In the seat she deserved in the... Can I say seat? Yeah, you can say seat.

In the seat she deserved. Okay. Can you tell me about Frederick Douglass without saying... ****. Uh... I know he was... It was Tupac who learned the most

out of Frederick Douglass. It was inspiration through Frederick Douglass and what he did in his time that informed Tupac to inform himself on the law. Yeah. So people didn't know that. You hit me with something I'd never thought about before, which is that Frederick Douglass gave us Tupac, in a sense.

Which I did not see coming. Why do you think some people are so against the fucking Kitcherumon? Oh, some people are just posterior orifices. I don't understand that concept, but I guess they have some issues. More therapy required. Yeah, okay.

So the only thing a person has going for them is the fact that they're white, then they're going to cling to that. I agree with everything you said. It's probably one of the worst things you could have hit on. Okay. I'm going to pull you aside right here for a quick sidebar. Now are there any f***ing meetings that I'm not aware of that we're like getting together

and going over Malcolm X. You could go to a Lauryn Hill concert, wait for her not to show up, and then talk to people at that concert. Okay. All right. I appreciate you playing. Absolutely. And you know what? Because you did such a great job, I do have a prize for you. Okay. You won a Harriet Tubman 20.

Oh, something like that. I have for both of you... Oh, my God....a Harriet Tubman 20. Oh, is that even worth that? I have for both of you, a Harriet Tubman 20. Thank you. Maybe, you know, one day you can use those Tubmans to buy something. F***. Beyonce tickets. Beyonce tickets, yeah.

Beyonce tickets would be great. It would take a substantial amount of Tubmans to get Beyonce tickets, but in a better world. Yeah. Thank you, Josh. When we come back, Gabrielle Union will be joining me on the show, so don't go away. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Welcome back to The Daily Show. My guest tonight is an actor, producer, and entrepreneur who stars in the new movie, Riff

Raff. Please welcome Gabrielle Union. I'm so excited to see you as am I. Oh my gosh. So happy you're here. It was awesome. Thank you guys. Yeah, right? You're good. You're welcome. Good crowd. So happy happy you're here. That was awesome. Thank you, guys. Yeah, right? You're good.

Good job. So happy that you're here. Congratulations on the movie. Thank you. It's so much fun. You're incredible in it. And truth be told, there are a lot of great tips on how to commit crimes in this movie.

So many. Get away with it. So many. Well, not to get away with it. But yeah. Almost. Almost. So close.

Spoiler alert. The cast So close. Spoiler alert. The cast is incredible. It's insane. You, Bill Murray, Ed Harris, Jennifer Coolidge, who you saw in the clip, Pete Davidson. I mean... Lewis Pullman. Lewis Pullman. I mean... No, and I was, you know, a little intimidated. Initially, I think it was the third person to sign on.

It was Jennifer, who's the star and the icon, who's also the executive producer, and then it was Ed Harris, and they're like, you would be Ed Harris' love interest. I said, what? A few good. That's all the right stuff. Yeah, yes, please. That's all it took. That's all it really, it's all the right stuff. Yeah, yes please.

That's all it took. That's all it, really, it really is all it took. And I read that you all filmed everything in 22 days. Yes, yes. Is that true? And mostly in one location. Yes, the vast majority of the movie was in one location, which was the house that you see in the film,

which is a little smaller than it appears. Uh huh. So yeah, we had a lot of challenges, like heat. Yeah. I mean, if you're going to be stuck in a house for 22 days with a cast, that's not a bad cast to be stuck in a house with. It's not a bad cast. Yes.

But, you know, when you bring animals to work, generally most people are like, does anyone have allergies? And that didn't happen. And um... There were animals brought to set? Someone brought their dog, right, to work. Generally, most people are like, does anyone have allergies? And that didn't happen. There were animals brought to set? Someone brought their dog, right, to set. Except one of our cast members, whose show her main name was Pete, he is terribly allergic to dogs. Oh God. And you know, it starts with a, you know, when the, and then we're watching him turn

into Hitch and I was like, this is awful. Oh, no. This is awful. Or like people, you know, they think that they're, you know, far enough away from where we're filming that they can eat Doritos. And you know, you are delivering. You're like, and this is my Oscar-winning performance. And it's like crunch, crunch, crunch.

We didn't get that. We didn't get that. Oh, my God. Well, I have to say the movie's, and your work is phenomenal in it. So congratulations on that. We have a little something in common. Your first job ever was interning at a modeling agency. My first job ever was interning at a modeling agency. Yes. My first job ever was interning at a modeling agency.

No way. Yes, but yours blossomed into an incredibly successful modeling career. Can we show a picture? Incredibly successful? I don't, let's see. Yep. Look at that.

Look at that. I mean, Naomi Campbell was clearly shaking in her boots. I mean, you, absolutely adorable. And you had a booming modeling career at that time. Sure. That was 1-800-DENTIST. But it paid. Well, did it.

I think it was like 120 a day, and I was like, oh, I'm rich. And then you paid 20% and the taxes and the whatnot, and I was like, so, I'm rich. And then you pay 20% and the taxes and the whatnot. And I was like, so I have $6. But you would do those like industrials where they're like, wear this headset, right, for $100 and whatever a day. And then later when I started getting a little bigger in Hollywood, oh, they brought that.

They brought it out because it's cheap, cheap photos. And now I'm the lady in the OnStar, you know, thing. When you buy your car and it's like, hello, I'm with OnStar and it's me with the damn headset on. Oh my God. Like I'm like promoting this, but it was just, you know, back when we're broke, you do these damn. Of course, you sign up and you're young

and you don't know any better. I don't wanna flex, okay. Flex on me. But I too had a little bit of a modeling career. Please, let's see this. Many years ago, so DPM. Do you have a picture? Yeah It's the double loop not everyone would have done the double loop know it's the double loop it's the double it's like the Sunglass like I used to do Montgomery Ward's all the biggest department stores

for their big Memorial Day weekend double spread. And I, yeah. Oh yeah, you know the, oh, just so organic. Yeah, my modeling career started and ended with that photo. Hard same. Same, same, same, same. I am so impressed, you were incredibly outspoken about the deep inequalities

that exist in the entertainment industry. What does progress look like to you? I mean, when you move beyond representation, representation is step one when there's a billion steps. I don't want to seat at a crappy table. That just means I'm covered in crap. I want real, the power to actually elicit change. You know what I mean?

And that doesn't come with step one. Like you have to actually be uncomfortable. So when I started producing and I was putting together projects, and when the rubber hits the road, they're like, well, are you willing to give up money to make sure such and such is paid? I was like, yeah, I am. I am.

And you have to be willing to do the right thing, even if it makes you uncomfortable or even if it doesn't actively benefit you. Because real equality and real liberation is what benefits all of us. And you have to be committed to it. I wish more producers were like you. That's what separates you from a lot of people. And it's proven to be wildly successful. When you were starting your producing career,

you talked about an experience that happened on the set of Deliver Us From Eva that changed the way that you looked at producing from that point forward. What was that? So we were in the hair and makeup trailer, and it was me and L.L. Cool J. Yes.

They are familiar. And I, you know, I'm very Scorpio, and I like to argue and I like to be right more than anything. And people are like, do you want to be right, or do you want, you know, do you want love? And I was like, to be right. I feel loved if I'm right. So we were having a little argument back and forth, but the time has just taken, right?

And you're thinking, this is the most important thing, right? End of the day, I've sort of forgotten about the little debate that we were having, and I overhear one of the crew guys say, well, now I'm not gonna make it to my daughter's event. And you start to realize no one person is bigger than anyone else. It takes every single one of us to make this.

And all of our time is important. And when you start thinking that your time is more important than someone else's, you've lost the plot. And so I vowed that if I ever became a producer, that I would make sure that everyone's time was respected and everyone understood that no one person is more important than anyone else.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love that story. Because that impacts, and it starts at the top. You know, when you set the pace when you're on set, when you're producing something, or you're number one on the call sheet,

you set the pace for everyone else. No, absolutely. But you have to be willing to like, you know, there was a gig and the studio that shall remain nameless, they didn't want to give this woman who has been nominated for Oscars multiple an executive producer credit, which she deserved. We all worked on this project. And they were like, this is good enough for her.

And I said, well, it's not good enough for me. I'll give up mine. I don't have what she has. I'm not bringing the same gravitas to this project. And you have to be able to take a stand. And if that means giving up some of your salary or giving up some of your producer fee or just making sure that people are getting paid or they like the food, that is part of our responsibility. I do believe I am my brother and sister's keeper.

We all have to have that mentality. I want to talk about your daughter Zaya, who was honored at the Out 100 event last year for her trailblazing in the queer community. What does it feel like as a parent to watch your daughter be so fearless in advocating for rights, especially right now in this moment in time when there's so much oppression, hate, fill in the blank, from this administration? It's scary. And I am in awe constantly of her bravery.

But, you know, I'm like, you know? I'm pumped, you know, in the same way that we would cheer for, you know, our son Zaire's first dunk. I was like, get him! way that we would cheer for, you know, our son Zaire's first dunk, I was like, ooh, get him. The way she stands up for herself and the way she fights just as hard as anyone else whose liberty, whose very existence,

whose very humanity is at risk, she puts it all on the line. She is ten toes down, and she doesn't back off for anybody. It doesn't matter if you hold the highest seat in, you know, in our country or you're Elon Musk. Or maybe those are interchangeable. She is about not only her liberation,

but everyone's liberation. Because when you start to barter with whole communities and you let them in the door, they're in the house. They're coming for everybody. Did no one watch Handmaid's Tale? That's right. It's coming. So you have to fight and she's a fighter.

And so I'm proud, I raised fighters and I'm happy about that. Well she has. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. She has an excellent example in you to look up to as a mama. So I'm so happy you're on. Congratulations on everything. Thank you everything thank you for being. We'll be right back. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We have to start in the Pentagon. We need to make a trigon three sides instead of five sides in the Pentagon. It is way too big, way over bloated. Explore more shows from the Daily Show Podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch The Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Fairount Plus.

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