The Daily Show: Ears Edition - The House Passes Gun Reform | Michael R. Jackson

Episode Date: June 10, 2022

The House approves gun control legislation, Congress kicks off hearings investigating the January 6 Capitol riot, and playwright Michael R. Jackson discusses his musical "A Strange Loop."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Coming to you from New York City, the only city in America. It's the Daily Show. Tonight, America's gas is out of control. Remembering January 6th, and Michael R. Jackson. This is the Daily Show with Trevor Hall. Thank you so much for tuning in. Thank you for coming out in person, which is it.

We made it. We're here. Take a seat, everyone. Let's do this. We've got a really great show for you tonight. Joe Biden is beefing with Mexico's president. Congress is trying to do something about guns, and the price of gas is still rising. So the next Fast and Furious is just going to be Vin Diesel giving piggyback rides to everybody. But only for family. Plus, really excited about this.

Our guest tonight is the creator of one of the most amazing Broadway shows ever created, nominated for 11 Tony Awards. Michael R. Jackson is going to be joining us. So let's do this people. Let's come straight straight straighttoday's headlines. All right, let's kick things off with the price of gas, aka car cocaine. R. there are a few commodities out there that affect the cost of living more than gas. You know, it's how we get to work, it's how we ship products across the country. And, the truth. And, our the thirty, our the the the the the the th. th. the th. the th. the th. th. the the the th. th. the the the the thirty, our the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their th. thin. threat. threat. threat. threat. threat. threats. today. today, today, today's today's today's hea. today's today's to th. their their that affect the cost of living more than gas. You know, it's how we get to work, it's how we ship products across the country, and it's how we let our ex know that we busted them cheating. Now, I don't need to tell you that over the past few months, the price of gas has been climbing faster than your grandpa's heart rate on Viagra.

In fact, gas is so expensive. Instead of champagne, boilers have started ordering cannaces of premium at the club. Yeah, it was like, bim, bee, bee. That club was really lit. And as the national average in America hits $5 a gallon for the first time ever, people all over the country are doing whatever they can to stretch a tank as far as they can. For a nation that feels like it's stuck right now in gas gridlock. Many drivers aren't sitting idle with soaring costs. They're getting creative. My salary hasn't changed so I carpool with my sister to work. One week she drives. the one week I drive. I just bought the motorcycle because now for 20 bucks I used like for three days to four days. She saves me a lot. At a time gas prices are so high, bike sales are exploding.

I've moved to the city, I don't need my car, can't afford gas. And even Google Maps is your friend, with an option to navigate based on fewer hills and traffic. Even police departments are under strain. This Michigan Sheriff's Office is feeling the pain at the pump as well, according to its Facebook post and has advised deputies to manage non-urgent calls over the phone. Well, well, well. I guess Joe Biden did end up defunding the police, yes. The secret was just defunding everyone at the same time so we didn't notice. I see you, Joe, very slick.

But yeah, gas prices are so high. Even police have to do the same time so we didn't notice. I see you Joe very slick. But yeah, gas prices are so high, even police have to do their jobs over the phone, which you got to admit is going to be tough for some cops, you know, it's just going to be like, all right, sir, are you black? Okay, then I'm going to have to ask you to whoop your own ass a little bit. Yeah, just frisk yourself yourself yourself yourself yourself yourself yourself. Yeah, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, just, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the their to their to their to to to their to to to to to to their their their, their, their, their, their, their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their their their their thiii. thi. the. the. the. the. thease, thoooooooooooooooom, their their their their be hit the hardest by this right? It's the Karen's. Yeah because they're the main people calling the cops with non-urgent shit. They're like, hello police, there's a black man at the grocery store buying tricks cereal which is illegal because tricks are for kids. Hurry! Hurry quickly quickly! But yes, all over the country, Americans are doing anything they can to save on gas.

Carpooling, switching to motorcycles. Shit, I pretended to be sick this morning just to get a free ambulance ride to work. It's definitely AIDS monkey pubs Ebola. I don't think I'm gonna make it. I don't know how much longer I have. Oh wait, that's my office. You guys can drop me off here. Yeah, I'm gonna pull through. You guys can pull over here. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. I'll see you guys tomorrow.

All right. I'll see you guys tomorrow. All right. bye-bye, bye-bye. You know, for real, though, it's actually times like this, that a lot of people are glad they live in New York City, because you don't need to pay for gas here. You can walk, you can ride a bike, you can take the subway, and then with all that money that you've saved not buying gas, you can afford a room, you can afford a room, throwne, you, you, you, their, their, their, their, to to to to to to their, their, their, their, to afford, their, their, that, their, that, that, thee, thee, thee, thee, thi, thi, thee, thee, thee, thi, thi, thi, thi, their their thi, their their, their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi's to to to to to ti's times, times, times, times, thii's times, thi's thii's thi's a thi.a'' is have ten roommates, there's no space for any of you. That was a verse they cut out of the song.

But it goes to show you how desperate times are. America will do anything to save on gas right now. I mean not investing in mass transit, obviously, but anything else. And that means we're going to have to move on, because unfortunately, gas prices aren't the only problem affecting American people right now. And yes, I'm talking about guns, the never-ending problem that America just can't seem to solve, which, now that I think about it,

maybe America shouldn't keep hitting the same brick wall. Maybe America can just use some of its problems to solve some of its other problems. You know? Yeah, like maybe the price of gas will get so high that mass shooters won't be able to drive to a gun store to buy weapons in the first place. You don't need red flag laws if gas is $40 a gallon. But until that happens, lawmakers in Congress are trying to find any measure that can help reduce the amounts of guns that end up in the hands of madmen. And yesterday, the House took action.

A major legislative package on new gun measures is headed to the Senate after passing in the House yesterday. By a 223 to 204 vote, lawmakers approve the Protecting Our Kids Act. The legislation is a collection of six new gun safety measures, including raising the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 and requiring that all firearms be traceable. Five Republicans joined Democrats and also supported the bill. It is, however, unlikely to pass in the Senate, where control is evenly split. One Republican congressman who voted against the bill, Congressman Steve Scalise, explained

his opposition to new gun control laws. I go back to September 11th. Airplanes were used that day as the weapon to kill thousands of people and to inflict terror on our country. There wasn't a conversation about banning airplanes. Wow. Wow, that is a good point! I can't think of anyway flying changed after 9-11. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to the airport 15 hours early so the TSA has time

to run a background check on my shampoo to see if it has any links to ISIS! This is a terrible comparison. Nobody's trying to ban all guns. They're trying to add small measures to make people more safe, which is exactly what happened to air travel after 9-11. I mean, do you even remember what airport security was like before 9-11? You could basically walk onto a plane and just browse around like it was in Ikea. You could just be be like, no, I don't have a ticket. I just wanted to check out the cockpit. This is nice. What does this do? Boop, poop, poop, poop, poop? This is fun. All right, have a safe trap. But this is the problem,. So the options and the analogies they use always don't make sense.

They're always like, cars kill people too, but you don't regulate, but wait, wait, actually, no way. their cars kill people too, but you don't regulate, oh, wait, we do. Let me think, guns kill people, but we don't regulate those, huh? See what I did? That's, I've gone back on myself, that's what I've done. But despite, despite these dumbass objections from people like Steve Scalise, the House still passed a gun control bill. The only problem is that everyone already knows that it has zero chance of passing in the Senate, which has got to be rough for the House. You work so hard on something that you know is going to lose.

You know, they're like the New York Knicks of legislation. Like, what a weird system in America, where one chamber of Congress spends all this time passing legislation that they know the other chamber is going to shoot down. It's such a strange system, normal for America, crazy for most of the world. America's basically doing that thing that parents do with their kids, you know? You know those parents that aren't on the same page? Like you ask your dad, dad, can we eat ice cream for dinner? And he's like, yeah, sounds good to me, but you've got to ask your mom. And you know mom is going to say no.

So I should have just asked your mom on the record saying no then I can run ads against her next year and then we can get a new cooler mom yeah. What's especially interesting to me is that as modest as this bill is only five Republicans voted for it. Only five and get this four of them aren't running for re-election. Yeah which is really interesting. You know time and time again you see whenever Republicans aren't running for re-election. Yeah, which is really interesting. Time and time again, you see whenever Republicans aren't worried about pandering to Trump voters, all of a sudden they make common sense decisions. And I'll be honest, this has shown me something that, like maybe America needs to re-elected.

Maybe people in Congress shouldn't get to be re-elected. You just do one term, and you're done. That's it tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thu thu thu term and you're done. That's it. Yeah, because then America's politicians would finally care more about governing as opposed to getting re-elected. You know, it's kind of like the same way people in relationships finally tell the truth when they're breaking up. You know what I mean? Yeah, because the whole time you're worried about their tea thae thin' thea'-a' You fought like a beatboxing machine in your sleep. Sarah? The whole night.

A p-pip-tip-tip-pip-pip-ba-ba-ba. Bip-pah-ba. Buh, baa. Moving on. This week, Los Angeles is hosting the Summit of the Americas, because, contrary to popular belief, America isn't the only America in the world. Yeah, there are dozens of countries in North and South America, and every once in a while, they get together to discuss issues that affect the entire region,

and then they bitch about Christopher Columbus. But, for this year's summit, the person most countries are bitching about is Joseph Robinette Biden. Drama before the diplomacy officially begins this week in Los Angeles, where President Biden will be hosting the Summit of the Americas. There is a significant snub. The President of Mexico has announced that he is refusing to attend the summit because the U.S. is not inviting Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua over their lack of democratic values.

But Mexico says the agenda of migration, economics, climate, and COVID is just too important to exclude any of the nations from this region. The White House counters that it believes that no dictator should be invited. Wait a second. Joe Biden has stopped a Mexican from coming to America? You know wherever he is, Trump must be so pissed off right now. He's like, Joe Biden is stealing my ideas. I'm the Mexican man. Mom!

But seriously, though, this is such a petty story. This is a meeting of the leaders of an entire hemisphere. But instead, they sound like middle school mean girls. You know, so like, hey, Mexico, I'm having a party, and you can come, but don't tell Cuba and Venezuela and Nicaragua, because they're not invited. Oh, America, it's so brave that you think you're cool enough to even throw a party. You bitch!

Oh my God! Whom! Blah! Brah! I won't say this. I think we can all agree that Mexico's making a good point. America's stance on human rights violations seems a little inconsistent. All right? Think about it. You won't even talk to Cuba and Nicaragua, but then you're going to fly to Saudi Arabia and beg Prince

Bonesore to release more oil? Huh? I mean, it seems like America's a lot more toleran of countries that have a little chiching. Is that what it is? Yeah, in many ways the American government is like a stripper. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's like if you ain't paying, they don't care about you. And I hope you know that Saudi Arabia. America's not actually into you. They're just saving up for college.

That's all this is. It's not about you, America. The transaction. Here's a thing. Here's a thing. Whether the US likes it or not, it is connected to these countries. They affect the United States, affects them, right, right, right, right, the the the their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the, the, the, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, the, their, is their, and, is their, is their, is their, is their, is the, is the, is the, is the, is, is the United States affects them. Don't you think it's weird that you're going to be talking about migrants from Nicaragua, but then Nicaragua is not going to be at that summit? You don't think it's strange?

It's going to be like staging an intervention without the teate without the to him. It really would have been great. Where is Barry, by the way? What? Drunk again? Well, we tried. All right, that's it for the headlines. But before we go, let's check in on the traffic with our very own. Roy, what's happening, everybody, everybody, everybody. Oh, what's up, man? What's happening, man? What's happening in the trail? I'm just looking, man.

Ain't nothing happening. There ain't nobody out there. The gas costs too damn much. Everybody at home. Ain't nobody on these roads today, man. It's looking pretty, looking pretty good out there. You know, I'd be honest, man. it's got me kind of rooting for monkeypox. Sorry, what? How was traffic during the last shutdown?

It was good, wasn't it? It was good. The last pandemic, it wasn't no traffic. So bring back another pandemic, boom, traffic fixed, problem solve. I'm telling you about the gas prices are getting out of hand. I kind of like the fact though that the police can't respond to every call. That's cool for now, but then when the emergency start really start piling up, then it's going to be bad, man. Eventually the police are going to have to start carpooling with the fire department and

the ambulance. They're going to have to ride together. Like the only way they're going to come and save you is if all thi all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all they'll show up. They're going to have to combine their vehicles. It's going to get bad. They're going to have to come check on you in a fire truck ambulance cruiser. Yeah, the fire truck ambulance cruiser. That's what all three police cruiser, all combines. It was in boys in the hood. What's happening in the traffic tra traffic tra traffic tra traffic tra traffic tra traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic the the traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic traffic the the the the the the the the trucking. All combines. It was in boys in the hood. What's happening in the traffic, Roy?

It's just people going, errands. People are just going to and fro, man. It's just, it's a beautiful thing, man. Real quick about the gun law stuff, the gun, whatever they're trying to pass. Yeah, yeah, the gun safety, yeah. That's part of that, that, that, that, that's, that's, that's, that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's the that's that's the that's the that's the that's the the the that's the that's the the that's the the that's the the that's the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thathea. thathea. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. traffic. that's that's that's tha. It, whatever they trying to pass? Yeah, yeah, the gun safety, yeah? That's part of it. All right, can we, like, that's the only solution to gun violence is gun regulating guns? A lot of different things contribute to gun violence in this country.

I agree. You start with the guns, but then you look at communities, you look at schooling, you look at eradicating poverty, I hear what you're saying, right? I don't talk about that. I'm talking about lonely white dudes. I'm talking about, we've got to have legislation. Like, every lonely white dude got to have a friend. We got to legislate friends for lonely white men. And I think that's how we get to fix some of it. Like, it'd be like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, th. th. th. th. th. th. to th. th. to, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. I, th. I, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, I, to. I, to. I'm, to. I'm, to. I'm, to. I'm, to. Like, you think you got to, you think you get to go out this week, but then you get a letter in the mail,

report to Gary's basement, and you gotta be Gary's friend for a little while. Because them, them lonely white but ain't got no friends, so we don't let the lonely white man not have a friend. thii. Every lonely white dude gets a friend. Yeah, yeah, I understand. Brokating group of friends. Yeah, yeah, but then what if they put a lonely white man with another lonely white man? Then isn't that double dangerous? No, that's called a militia. That's safer than a lonely white man.

A militia is much safer than a lonely white man. Militia. They got a website. They got a schedule. They got a they got a they got a they got a they're they're they're you rather deal with a militia or a lone wolf? Militia. That's what I'm saying. That's what we need. We need that. Yeah, because we got to do, somebody got to talk to these white dudes in person.

We try talking to them over the internet but Reddit didn't work. It was a big failure. It's just so beautiful when you just stare at all. Now let's get to, we got time. No, we ran out of time again for it. We got time? Yeah, we got time. Let me just, let me, just, let me, just, real quick. Okay, what are you going to say?

Okay, what are you going to say? It's just so, that guy's guy's gonna have a wreck. You know what? Thank you so much, running with Junie, everybody. When we come back, we're gonna find out what mega-insurrectionist and black people have in common. You don't want to the daily show. Tonight, Congress officially launched a major round of hearings into the events of January 6, 2021. Welcome back to the day of show. Tonight, Congress officially launched a major round of hearings into the events of January 6th,

21st, the day when white people visited the democracy store and demanded to speak to the manager. And by the way, they're still arresting people for this. You may not know that, but they are. In fact, just today, they arrested a guy who's running for governor of Michigan because he also stormed the Capitol. Yeah, and you know that's definitely going to change the whole course of the election, because now we know he's going to win the Republican nomination. I mean, you can't do that.

And this is a new experience for a lot of these white people, you know? All of a sudden, they're finding out what it's like to be on the bad side of the police. And it turns out trim their fingernails. Imagine a group of men being held in jail with no idea when they're going to go to court. No ability to bail out, no ability to see their family. If you're Peter Navarro, they will literally pull you off of a plane, shackle you and throwro, they will literally pull you off of a plane, shackle you, and throw you in the brig.

I went up in leg irons. I wasn't allowed to call a lawyer, no food, no water, solitary confinement. Illegal aliens to Al-Qaeda terrorists were treated better than I was. They actually followed him in the car to the airport to make a scene and to handcuff him. Why would they do that? It actually puts an exclamation point on the fact that we have a two-tiered justice system. If you're a Republican, you can't even lie to Congress,

or lie to an FBI agent, or they're coming after you. You can't even lie to Congress or the FBI without them coming. You realize he's just stating the law, but in an angry voice, you can't hit pedestrians and drive away. You can't even sell another man's kidney on Craigslist, and if you steal your neighbor's dog and sell it back to them for the money, it's also not allowed, is this America? Is this America? It is wild that Louis Gomey over here is complaining about not being allowed to lie to Congress because he's in Congress.

Why does he want people to lie to him? Why would you want that? I feel like he must have asked someone for their honest opinion at some point and then gotten it. Tell me the truth. Do I look like someone 3D printed Elmer Fudd? Wait, I changed my mind. Lie to me. But yeah, as you can see, many, many Trump supporters saying that they're being oppressed

and they're just learning how tough the justice system can be. You know? I mean, Marjorie Taylor Green, you heard what she says, she's like, can you imagine a group of men who can't pay bail and can't see their family. Well, you don't have to imagine it. America's already got the largest population of them in the world. And then just so we clear, just so we clear. I'm glad the people who storm the capital are being held accountable,

but I don't take delight in the idea of them experiencing the shitty side of America's criminal justice system. Yeah, so Marjorie Taylor Green, I hope you keep this exact speech ready for the next time black people in America are complaining about the exact same thing. You don't even have to change the words. You don't even have to change the words. It was a while but they've been treated like this for like five minutes and all of a sudden like it's a two-tier system. They're like it's so hard being a Republican in this country. I was always waiting for them to go into like a white negro spiritual.

You know, it's just like, who, go, go to the whole foods. My gluten intolerance is getting me. Anyway, conservatives are now learning that interactions with law enforcement don't always end well. Which means, they're going to have to have some hard conversations with their children. As a Trump supporter in America, you already know that cops treat people like us differently. We can be profiled and misjudged any time, just trying to overthrow a free and fair election. That's why it's time for us to have... The talk.

As a Trump supporter, it's important to remember that law enforcement is always out to get you. You can be targeted solely because of how you look, or what you chant, or who you're assaulting with a flagpole. How many young and middle-aged men have already been arrested, just because they tried to vote for Trump one too many times. And then stormed the Capitol. And then posted on Facebook for some reason. And they'll use anything against you, your skin color, your politics, evidence.

If you so much just think about overthrowing the government and then actually attempt to, there is nothing anyone can do to protect you. Unless your husband is like on the Supreme Court. Sure. So first rule, always listen politely to the police. Don't freak out and call them bullies or fascist until after you're booked on Tucker Carlson. The bad news is that if they do arrest you, you can expect the worst kind of abuse. They'll put you in handcuffs,

take you to the station, and put you behind bars, and thin openly throwing around the word traitor? Yeah, with a hard art. You know, every time I see a young man being hassled by police for smearing theses on the walls of Nancy Pelosi's office, I think that could be our son. He is a sweet boy and we're proud of him. So that's the way things are. And hopefully the next generation of conservatives

won't have to have this talk. Because there won't be elections. Exactly. Powerful moment. Thank you, Desi and Michael. All right, stay tuned because we're going to be joined by the playwright. Michael R. Jackson right up to the break. You don't want to the daily show. My guest tonight is Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Michael R. Jackson. He's here to talk about his smash hit new musical, A Strange Loop, which is currently nominated for 11 Tony Awards. Please welcome, Michael R. Jackson.

Thank you for having me. Before we get into the show that you have created that is getting everybody buzzing, let's talk about the name. How many people do you disappoint when you show up? I mean, like, not now, obviously, maybe now it's more like I'm like but like Michael R. Jackson, people just see Michael Jackson. I don't know I think like I always get people to perk up a little bit. Oh, my name precedes me. You just show that Mr. Jackson. Yeah, and then um that was the R was always there I'm assuming? Oh, I'm always always there. Oh, I'm? the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the that's? Oh, that's? that's? Oh, that's. Oh, that's. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, that's. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, that's. Oh, that. Oh, that. Oh, that. Oh, that. Oh, that. Oh, that's. Oh, that's. Oh, that. Oh, that. Oh, that. Oh, that. that. that. that. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. th. th. the. th. the. the. th. the. th. the. the. th. the. the. th. the. the. the. the. the. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. People. th. People. People just just just just just just justthere, I'm assuming. I kind of dropped it in there to make a distinction. On Facebook on them, I'm the living Michael Jackson. I like that.

The only other person who I think has is Michael B. Jordan. That's right. Right. Right. I interned all my children when he was like a kid working there. It's really weird. There's a connection. Yes, look at all the famous names people going on to create their own famous things and that's exactly what you've done a strange loop Congratulations 11 Tony award nominations Thank you

I Have you? I have the pleasure of seeing this production and I can't even explain it to people, but you know what I love about it is? It makes me seem cool when I recommend it, you know, no, no, no, because you know, in this world, there's not many things you can recommend to people that'll have them leaving feeling like you're so cool because you told them to go. Everyone I tell to see this, goes and sees it, going to be the hit that it is? Not even close. It was like not on my vision board even a little bit. So it's really exciting. But you took 20 years to write it? Yeah, almost. Yeah. That's that's wild. George R.R. Martin would be like, yeah, I know what that's like. I would love to know where this idea came from because I don't want to this where where this where this where this where this where this this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea this idea came thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thiii thi thi thi. thi. this idea came this idea came this idea came this idea came this idea came this idea came this idea came this idea came from because I don't want to give anything away for the audience because part of the joy of the show is that you won't really know what it's about and you'll just be in a story but what we can tell people is it is a

story of a gay black man who is in the world of the theater and he's in the world of being black and in the world of being gay but it come into and every gay black fat yes and you talk about that in that in that of the funniest shows I've ever seen one of the most poignant shows I've ever seen people crying people laughing like that I see why it took 20 years yeah yeah yeah it just started off you know I was about 23 years old I'm 41 now and I had just graduated from undergrad playwriting in NYU I didn't know what I was gonna do with the BFA degree I was living in this old th. th. th. th. the old the old the old the old the old the old the old the old the old the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm th. I'm th. I'm t. I'm t. I'm. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm, the NYU. I didn't know what I was going to do with the BFA degree. I was living in this old lady's bungalow style house in the middle of nowhere Jamaica Queens, which if you live in New York, that's like all the way

to the end of the E or the F train. And then you take a bus that man walking around New York wondering why life is so terrible. So, and sort of the show sprang from that sort of primordial soup. I didn't know that it was, it was true that you worked as an usher at the Lion King. Yeah, I worked at, when the Lion King used to be at the New Amsterdam Theater and I and I and I and I and I and I and I and I, and I, and I, and I, and I, and I, and I, and I, and I, and I, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, so, so, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the theater and I worked there for five years. I did like four years of Lang King and a year of Mary Poppins and then I did a couple years later a seasonal sin of Aladdin. So I ran through the whole Disney Pantheon. Was there anything that you saw,

was there anything that you saw where you were like, I don't ever want to see this again in a Broadway show so I'm going to create something something something something something way you did? Well, it was kind of both. It was a strange loop. Oh, I like what you did there. Okay, okay. Yeah, like, you know, you're standing in the back of the theater, you're ringing the bells, you're watching the audience night after night after night, show after show, you get a little bored. And luckily, you know, I was there with their, their, their, their, I, their, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th, th, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, th. th. th. th, th, that, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, the, th, I, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was a thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, that, and, and, was, to, was, to, to, to, to... to. that, was, that, was, that, that, was, was, that, was, was, was was there with my thoughts and just sort of thinking to the show I used to, we used to have the stuff to play bills and sometimes I would write little

ideas for, that would go into the show on the back of the inserts for like today, this understudies in or whatever and I would collect them and they would be in all my pockets when I got home. But so it was wild, again, I, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, again, again, again, again, again, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I never, I tho, I tho, I tho, I the, I the, I would the, I would the, I would the, I would the, I would the, I would th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. I would th. I th. I th, I would th. I th, I th and, I would th. th. thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, come of it, but I just was doing it to sort of keep myself sane. What do you think you have taken away from this? You know, I saw so many people in the audience who were tou-su who were touched for different reasons. You know, if people grew up in a religious family, I saw them connecting with the show in a different way. If people, you know, had issues with therying to get by. You're trying to find friends, love. All of these themes are touched on. I watched people in the audience feel something. I watched everyone walked out, just making sounds. That's when you know.

No one said anything. Everyone was just like, mm-hmm. It was beautiful. But then I wondered what you got by creating, like for yourself, did it change anything in your world? I mean, I guess for me, the best part of the show has been actually talking to people after, like when it lets out, because what I've been finding is that for some people the show is a mirror and for other people the show is a window, and that seeing people there

together experiencing the same thing but through those two different lenses has been creates a really powerful energy that sort of goes up onto the state, goes to the actors on stage and they send it back and it really brings the audience into the loop of the show of the characters mind that we're in as we're watching. You had a great, I forget what was the phrase you called it, you said it was like a, it was a big, gay, big black and queer ass American Broadway show. I love that. I love that. I love that. You know what I loved about that? Yeah, it was. It was what you just said. I've seen some shows where, you know, if an audience is, let's say from New York, they really get the show. If they're not from their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, I, I, I, I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, they really get the show. If they're not from New York, maybe they don't enjoy it as much, or if the audience is black, maybe they get it more or less. This was one of those shows where everyone was enjoying it from a different perspective.

Yeah, there's a lot of different points sort of in it, because that's kind of what it's like to be a person. You're made up of your reference points, your history, your history, your history, your history, your, your, your, your, your, your, your, your, different memories, everything. And so the main character, Usher, that's his name, he loves a lot of different things and he hates a lot of different things. And so my sort of hope was by exposing the audience to that everybody can sort of meet Usher and the show,

and the show, and that the show is sort of promoting a spirit of inclusion, for anybody who decides to come in and stick it out. I don't think anybody's sticking it out. I will tell you not, no, genuinely. There's some difficult moments for some people. But you know what, I think that's what made it so amazing is it's not difficult for the sake of being difficult. It's difficult in like a life way. It's not gratuitous. It's not at all at all. It's not at all. It's not at all. It's not at all. It's not at all. It's not at all. It's not at all. It's not at all. It's not at all. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not not. It's not not not not not. It's not not not not. It's not not not not not. It's not not. It's not not not the there. It's not. It's not not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not at all. And I've seen shows where audiences go, I'm uncomfortable.

But here it was people experiencing the discomfort that somebody else may be living through. Yeah, because that's what the character and I am trying to do, is we're trying to get the audience to feel what it's like to walk in the skin that they may not be, either that they don't feel familiar with, or that they feel they feel they feel they feel the the they feel their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, and feel, and feel, and feel, and feel that they feel familiar with, but feel unseen, unheard or misunderstood. It's phenomenal. It's one of the funniest, most intelligent, just everything in this is that you put.

I hope you win every single Tony Award that you're nominated for Tony Award. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. to go watch it. Everyone needs to go at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway. Go and watch it. I promise you now it's the best thing you love. See we're going to take a great break, but we'll be right back after this. The Strange Loop,

don't forget. Adjong, thank you. Thank you. We're not that short for tonight, but before we go, please consider supporting March for our lives. This Saturday, June 11th, the youth-led movement dedicated to eliminating gun violence is marching again on Washington and in communities across the country. So if you can, please go to the link below to donate and get more information on how you can show up and demonstrate two elected officials

that we demand and deserve a nation that is free of gun violence. Until next time, stay safe out there and remember, gas costs money. But holding onto the back of your neighbor's car while he drives, that's free. Watch the Daily Show, weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.