The Three Questions with Andy Richter - Amber Ruffin (Re-Release)

Episode Date: February 21, 2025

Writer, comedian and TV show host Amber Ruffin joins Andy Richter to talk about getting started at Boom Chicago, auditioning for SNL, making the news funny, and more. This episode originally aired in October 2021. Do you want to talk to Andy live on SiriusXM’s Conan O’Brien Radio? Leave a voicemail at 855-266-2604 or fill out our Google Form at BIT.LY/CALLANDYRICHTER. Listen to "The Andy Richter Call-In Show" every Wednesday at 1pm Pacific on SiriusXM's Conan O'Brien Channel.

Hey everyone, thanks for tuning into another episode, another edition of the Three Questions with Andy Richter. I'm Andy Richter, so remember this voice because that's who I'll be throughout the entire thing. And I am lucky enough to talk to a very funny woman who I don't know that we've ever met. I don't think we ever have, have we? No, I would have remembered. I mean, I don't mean to sound like a shallow Hollywood phony,

but I probably wouldn't have, because I meet lots and lots of famous people all the time here in Burbank. You do though. No, I really have. It is a weird situation to be in where you're like, you know, like Robin Thicke. Do I just know about Robin Thicke or have I met Robin Thicke?

You know, like things like that where it's- Why would you choose Robin Thicke? I don't know. I don't know. It's just what came to mind. When I'm talking to Amber Ruffin, that's who I'm talking to. She's obviously in her office because I recognize that radiator over by the window. That old timey radiator. That's Rockefeller Center.

Yeah. You've been here, buddy. I have. I have. Isn't it fun to work in that building doesn't it feel like You're a big-time showbiz grown-up when you do that. It really does nothing is better than breaking Like hurrying down the hallway and you have your sketch on your What is this iPad on your iPad?

Making changes on the fly. It's the yeah, or you mean clipboard Clipboard. Yeah clipboard Yeah, now what what night do you guys tape your show? We tape rough and show on Fridays at 1 45. Okay, we take late night with Seth Me, Monday through Thursday at 4 p.m. Okay, so you're still working full-time for Seth or are you just doing occasionally? Yeah. Oh my God.

That's not fair. We're doing all of it. Some of us don't even have jobs anymore. Well, now how did, I mean, how come you wrangled that sort of deal? Did you, was it just because you're under the same kind of production umbrella? And they're like, yeah, they produce my show. Yeah. Yeah.

And they're like, you don't just get your own show and you can't focus on your own show. Seth Meyers is like, no, you, I still, you're still mine. Look, late night with Seth Meyers, it's so easy. I could do a third show. Oh, what a dicky thing to say. People out here wanting just something, anything. You're like, I can do a third show.

And aren't you like writing a play or something too on the side? Writing a Broadway musical too, yeah. Oh my God. And that, from the future, that will prove the bridge too far. That was where my eyes got too big for my stomach. Why do you think your parents didn't pay enough attention to you?

Thank you for asking. I'm the youngest of five. Oh, okay, that makes sense. That was never good enough. But aren't you though the baby then? I mean, you know, of course I'm the youngest of five. Oh, okay. That makes sense. That would never get better. But aren't you, though, the baby then? I mean, you know, of course I'm joking about, you know, needing attention, but... But I am the baby,

and that means just leave the baby alone. Let her do what she feels like doing. That's what the baby gets you. I know, I know. Like, no one's gonna beat you up or make fun of you. And you're only allowed to talk to me like this. And that's how I became terrible. I was truly babied within an inch of my life.

All right, I don't know how much I believe in all the birth order stuff, but who do you think is the most healthy of your siblings? And there's, is there five? Is that what it is? I'm the youngest of five. Wow. Yeah.

The healthiest of my siblings is the middle child actually. Really? Yeah. Lacey, my sister, is the middle child and she's the only normal person the ruffins have to offer. You can tell my siblings I said it. They know. Don't tell them I said it. Why is that? Do you think, did she have the classic taken care of everybody middle child?

Or was she also, was she left alone too and able to form herself? I think she was left alone too. Well, no, she did a really good job and she got really good grades. She did very well. Yeah. And then she was also like very kind and nice. Whereas the rest of us are kind of like, maybe not,

but a lot of us are like rowdy. Like I'm kind of rowdy. Like if I'm talking to you and you say something funny, I'm gonna grab your arm and then shake like rowdy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right, exactly. Like a rodeo cowboy. Exactly.

Exactly, exactly. Exactly. I get in a barrel, I taunt a bull, and then whatever happens happens. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, because I do think the younger kid does get the benefit of, in some ways it seems counterintuitive, but I think it's the least stressed parents.

Because by this point, they know you're not gonna die. ways it seems counterintuitive, but I think it's the least stressed parents, because by this point, they know you're not going to die. You know, like they know they're not going to kill you. Because when you have a baby, you're just afraid this thing's going to die. You know, because it seems so helpless and so little, and you think, oh my God. And then after a couple of them, you're like, oh no, no, these things, they live. You know, you feed them, you put them somewhere, you know, keep them from making too much noise and yeah, and they'll be fine. Now where did you grow up?

I know I saw it, but I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. Oh, that's right. You're a, where did you grow up? I grew up in Illinois. I grew up in central Northern Illinois town called Yorkville, which is about 70 miles west of Chicago. And then you did Chicago. And then I went into Chicago. Yeah, like you did too. Yeah, because that was kind of, you know, it was the closest draw. I got, I mean, you actually got pulled to Chicago. I just was in Chicago. And so, yeah, I mean, my first improv class,

which I took, I was working in film production because I'd gone to film school in Chicago. I started at University of Illinois in a big 10 school down there. And I went there two years and then I decided I wanted to do film school and I couldn't afford New York or Los Angeles to big fancy film school.

So I went to Columbia College, which at the time had what they called, they actually referred to it in the literature as a liberal admissions policy, which meant if you can get a Pell Grant, come on in. You don't need to read that well. It's no problem. And I think it's much more legit now. Like it used to be like three buildings in the South Loop and now it's like the entire South Loop

is Columbia College. But I got a good education there. I got a very kind of practical film education and I left there and worked in film production and learned more on two weeks of working on commercials than I did a two years of film school, as it always is the case. And then I just, I wanted to perform

and I started taking improv classes at IO. And in my first improv class, I sat next to a kid that was, had moved there from Phoenix cause he wanted to be on SNL. And I was like, what? This is like a fun Saturday morning thing for me. What?

It was kind of daunting in a way, you know? But yeah, no, I was glad. Cause I don't know if I'd been in Omaha. I don't know if I would've, you know, had the nerve to leave. I mean, I left Yorkville to move to Chicago, but so I don't know, but yeah, that was probably, I mean, how did you, did you expect to be in Omaha? Like when you were a kid, did you think I'm going to be here?

Yeah, absolutely. I thought I was going to live in Omaha forever. Yeah. And I was going to, um, deliver the mail. That was what I thought. Really? Why, why is that? Cause it's a job.

I know. I would it's a job. You like the uniform? I just love a good khaki short. Yeah, a sensible walking shoe. A sensible walking shoe. A piff helmet? Are those hats they wear? I got to share with the Hatties. I bet you got to bring those from home.

I don't think they provide you with piff helmets. I think you'd get a safari helmet. I'm pretty sure. Sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, But no, I really thought I was gonna work at that. And I was like, I will work in the day.

And then at night I'll be, you know, the part of the chorus and whatever musical is downtown. Andy, I couldn't even imagine getting a speaking role. Oh my goodness. In downtown of Audubraza. That's how never going to leave I was. Wow. I was never going to leave. Yeah.

Yeah. Wow. I did not see it. Then it was, well, first of all, you had the urge to get on stage, you know, I mean, you you were that much of an extrovert was, was that something that had older siblings done that? Or was that just something that you pushed for yourself?

That kind of just happened to me because in when I was in kindergarten, I could read and when you did shows at school, you read a thing. Hey, I'm a pilgrim and I arrived at this time. Thanksgiving is a time, so the kid has to read it. So I was always the person because I could read. Yeah. That's the only time it's ever code Andy. And I would do that.

And then in church, I was learning how to play the piano. I'd had two lessons. And then the lady who was teaching me, for some reason, could not be the piano player anymore. Now, I think she did something the church didn't like, so they made her stop. But I have no proof of that. But I'm just saying that's the rumor. So then I just had to figure out.

Did anyone have an idea of what the rumor was? Rumor was she cheated on her husband. Oh. That's the rumor. Like that's, like that's ever really a problem at church. You know? I know! That must have been a pretty, I mean, come on.

You can't play the piano anymore. You cheated on your, that makes no earthly sense, okay. I mean, she's still there. I'm looking at her. Right, Right. Um, so then I just had to figure out how to play the piano and I had to figure out how to tell people what to sing. And then I had to, then that evolved into me leading praise and worship. Yeah. Every Sunday. And then I just, I really never sat and thought about this, but it was, it didn't, it wasn't a thing I was after. It was a thing I was pushed into everywhere.

Oh, wow. Yeah. And what age did you become the church soloist? 1991. So I was, oh no, I was not yet born because I'm so young. No, I think I was. Wow. Those little hands reaching out of your mother,

hit the keyboard. And that and the other woman was a problem. Your mother was in stirrup, in stirrups in front of the piano. I think that makes me 12. Well, 12, Jesus, that's that is like, because church is church is a show, you know, church is theater. That's I always, you know, I mean,

because I was involved in our church too, you know, always being unencumbered by a belief in God, but still enjoying, like the whole, you know, community aspect of it and all the different stuff you'd get to do and, you know, community aspect of it and all the different stuff you'd get to do. And you know, a lot of my friends were involved in their families went to this church and, you know, I was even like a youth deacon and stuff. So, and my brother would say to me, you don't even believe in God. And I'm like, yeah, what's that got to do with anything? You know,

And I'm like, yeah, what's that got to do with anything? You know, like, you know, you can belong to any club you want. Well, so, so then that just sort of evolved and you just kind of found yourself and you just kind of had to learn to deal with it. Yeah. Yeah. Now, do you think that kind of mechanism of being like, here, you go do this, helped you in the sort of the, being in the daunting position of launching your own show. Yes.

Like, I feel like all those things happened to me because I was like, fuck it, I'll do it. Yeah. You know, there are those t-shirts that say, fuck it, I'll do it. And then it's credited black women. And that's kind of like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, tomorrow, it'll probably be fine. Let me just slap together some choreography. Yeah. It's fine. Yeah, yeah. You get it. It's always, I always said, like the Conan show, it was a train that you're laying tracks for

and you can hear it. It's coming, you know, and you're laying tracks. So it's like, you don't have time to worry about it. You just gotta get them laid and get on, you know, and move on and, and never, you don't have time to worry about it. You just got to get them laid and get on and move on. And never, early on Conan would have, we'd have a bad show and Conan would freak out. And I would say, you know, cause actually, cause when we started,

I kind of had more stage time than he did when we started doing the show. Cause he had done the groundlings, but I had done improvrov Olympic and Annoyance Theater and just had more stage time. And he would freak out and be like, oh my god, that show is off. And I'd be like, yep, it's a shame

we don't get to do another one. And then nine months later or 10 months later, I don't know, a year later, he said to me one time, he goes like, you know, it's like, that was not a great show. But I always tell myself, well, we always get to do another one tomorrow. And I was like, I told you that you didn't come up with that on your own. God damn it. I told you that. Well, now you also did.

You started doing improv as a kid too, right? Is there an Omaha improv scene? There was. You don't happen to know Fuzzy and Sean, do you? I do not. There were some improv. Sounds like a children's show. It is.

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Sean. No, Fuzzy and Sean were some improv guys in Chicago and their third was a major in the Air Force like an Air Force pilot. And he lived in Omaha because we have a big Air Force thing. And he started a group, Matt Martin. And then we started improvising. And once we went to Chicago for Chicago Improv Festival, and I took a class from Sharna, the lady who runs Improv Olympic.

And she said, if you move here, you'll have a job within a year. And then I did, and I did. I got hired up in Chicago. Yeah. Wow. That's one time Sharna's been right. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Was I 21? Oh, wow. And why no college? Did you just, it wasn't for you or? I just never really considered it.

Really? I know that's awful. But I'm just not, like all my siblings did go to college, but after like they were out in the world for a while and then they're like okay I gotta go to college and then everyone has gone to college since but yeah yeah I don't know also no one's forcing me to do shit I'm the baby I said shit that's how are we cussing on you can say whatever the fuck you want fuck balls fuck fuck shit yeah fuckity fuck fuck yeah that's uh well

that's good I mean like I have a I have a younger brother who went to the Navy because he wasn't sure if he wanted to go to college and like within five minutes of being in the Navy, he's like, I wanna go to college. So yeah, I think sometimes it does take that. Well, so how did your folks feel about unpacking up and moving to Chicago? And, um, they did not give two shits. Yeah, they really didn't.

Because at that point, my oldest sister used to live in Panama and my second oldest sister used to live in Namibia. Oh wow. So me going to Chicago from Omaha was nothing. And they were like, bye, you know? So it wasn't scary for them at all. Also like, I have an aunt and uncle who live in Chicago. So it didn't feel like I was out in the middle of nowhere.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That does help a lot. And did you stay with them when you first moved there? No, I don't think I saw them once. Oh, wow. Well, fuck that. But I do remember it. Like it did provide great comfort.

Right, just in case. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just in case. Yeah. I can call them. You can show up on their door bloody and say like, I just committed a crime. I've come to implicate you.

Yeah. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Well, I mean, what was it like going from Omaha to Chicago and going, I mean, is this the first time that you really kind of seriously felt like, OK, I can do this for a living? Yeah. Yes. Well, first of all, it was my first time on a plane when I went to Chicago. And

then I took all those classes. Sharna let me intern. So I interned at IO and had just the freaking best time. And I would call my mom and be like, mom, the lady I work for has me buying cheeseburgers and she's going to feed them to the dog. Yep. That sounds like Sharney. I am buying cheeseburgers for a dog. It must be nice. This is a cheeseburger every day for me is just, it's a weekly, um,

fingers crossed I have enough left. We have enough. Yeah. Yeah. Meanwhile, I'm giving the cheeseburger to this dog. Like, Oh, enjoy it, buddy. But, um, I forget what I was talking about. Well, I was just saying, what was it like to move there?

And was it daunting? And did you, you know, was this, how do you transfer? How do you go from Omaha to like, I'm gonna make it in show business. I never ever thought I'm gonna make it in show business. I always thought if they'll pay me to be dicking around, I'll do it. Yeah.

And I never gave any thought to the next thing. I was always like, how can I stay paid? And that's it. I certainly wasn't making big moves. I still wasn't. I got this job at Seth and was like, okay, I'm just gonna keep my head down and be quiet. And they started putting me in things

and I was like, oh, okay. I better figure out how to do it like this then. Yeah. Well, you, no, go ahead. You were gonna say something. No, but I was just gonna say, but it didn't, it was, that's the way to do it though. Like you had just said that your friend was like, I moved here from Phoenix to try to get on SNL.

Like that was not my experience in Chicago. And Chicago to me, these people were like, we live and die on the stage and we're young brothers and blub-a-bee-blue like a bunch of hippies. Whereas out here in New York, people are like, look, I have goals. But in Chicago, it wasn't really like that. Were you, in Chicago, do you feel like people were like, I'm doing this as a stepping stone to the next thing? Or were people like, oh well?

There were some that had that vibe and might even overtly say things like that. And everyone sort of rolled their eyes about it. You know what I mean? Like they were the ones, like they were the ones that sort of, like we had a splinter group that we took off from Sharna at one point called the Comedy Underground. And it was a scandal. Sharna, the Improv Olympic was at that time, it was in the, there's a, I don't know if it's still, it was called Papa Milano, and it was a restaurant,

an Italian restaurant that was on Lincoln, and I don't remember the cross street, but it was like one of those wedge, you know, how like the cross was dying. It was like a wedge building and above was, it was a Italian restaurant. And then below was kind of like a bar party space. And Sharna, that was, that was where the improv Olympic was. And I was not, I was just a co-conspirator. I wasn't like one of them, you know, connivers. But we split off. There was like, we were having these secret meetings, like, let's, let's, you know, let's start our own thing. Cause it was kind of, you know, we'd have

gotten experience under our belt. And wait, so you didn't misspeak. That's where IO was? Yes. Oh, it was in the basement of an Italian restaurant. Oh, I didn't know that. When I first started, it was in the second floor of an Italian restaurant. It had a lot on Well Street, a restaurant called Chow. She didn't have her own building until after I left town. Whoa. It was always, oh no, actually when it started, it was above a blues club off of

Belmont called Cotton Chicago. James Cotton had a blues club and it was in the top floor there was where she was doing classes and doing shows. I think there was a downstairs space that she'd get, that she would do shows at, but it would have to be split with Blue's acts, you know? And then it went from there to down to Well Street. And then after that, it went to this other, she was always looking for a space and always getting kicked out and you know, and then these two guys were friends with these two brothers that, you know,

and like classic Italian Chicago restaurant owner brothers, they got chummy with them and they kicked Sharna out and we moved into that spot. So we, we made Sharna homeless, which was like, it was, it was, it didn't feel great. But you know, it was like one of those first lessons and kind of like, well, it's going to happen anyway. Like these guys, you know, cause these brothers had made it clear like, no, we're going to get rid of Sharnam no matter what. So it was like, well, okay, then we'll take over this space, which it didn't last very long anyway.

And actually a couple, these same two guys, after a short time of, of being there had decided that we hadn't progressed enough and we needed to dissolve the group. Oh. Yeah. And which we were, everyone was like, no one else here felt that way. And it was actually me. And I was always the youngest. So it was like, it was one of my first, one of the first times of really stepping out, you know, in front of the group and saying, I don't, and everyone, you know, they're also fucking passive. They're like, okay, I guess if this is the way it is. And then I went like, wait a minute, what I got nothing else to do. Like, this is fun.

I love doing this and it's good work. And we really were, it was like the best improv I ever did. It was, you know, like those magical times when you stuff comes out of your mouth and you don't even know where it's coming from. Like you surprise yourself with like, holy shit, that was a good one. I don't even, I don't even, I don't remember thinking of that. It just came out. And the two guys that were trying to dissolve it were pissed

because then I sort of swayed everyone. Cause the, you know, the other guys who had been like, yeah, I guess we should break up. We're like, no, you know what? I guess we swayed everyone. Cause the, you know, the other guys who had been like, yeah, I guess we should break up. We're like, no, you know what? I guess we should stay together. You know, like just so infuriating, like improv guy, you know? Yes. Yes. And in everything. And, and so we stayed together for a little while,

but then it all, you know, kind of fell apart. And those, but like those, those two, those guys were two guys that were totally like open about their ambition to be something and do something. And, and I just didn't, I was like, I don't know. It just, I'm, I'm like you. I was like, I can't even conceive.

Well, first of all, for me to say like, I want to be on SNL just seemed like the, oh my God, what? Get a load of big shot over here thinking that he can just will himself on TV, you know, just kind of Midwestern, like, eh, take it easy, buddy. And I also wasn't even like, I'm like, I don't know, is that what I'm going to do? I, you know, I think I also thought like,

I'll probably just end up writing an ad copy because it was Chicago. But yeah, I'm the same thing. I just kind of went from opportunity to opportunity of like, okay, yeah, I'll do that. And okay, yeah, I'll do that. And you know, and I never really, and I didn't have any concrete plan,

you know, but I didn't get my own show in Rockefeller Center. I had to latch onto somebody else. You had to be his anchor. What studio were you guys in? We were in 6A. Yeah. Which is where, that's where Seth is now, right?

Or is that where we're at Studio? We're right next to SNL on 8. Oh, Allen is Studio 6B. You had Studio 6A, which is where which is the one that changes all the time. A lot. Yeah. Yeah. Because when we were there, A lot. Yeah. Yeah. Because when we were there, we were in 6A and across the hall was live at five was like the news. And so we would, we shared all kinds of space with like, you know, like the news anchors

became like our buddies, like, oh, hey, hi there, Chuck Scarborough and Sue Smith, I think was her name. But yeah, and when we started working there too, people could smoke. You'd see like people running down the hall with tapes to put in the local news smoking cigarettes, running down the hall. It felt very Lou Grant,

very kind of Mary Tyler Morish being there. That's so cool. Yeah. It still feels that way. Does it? Yes. It's amazing to't it's amazing to me just the stuff that like that building is so when you think about like all the cables running around in that building like from one studio to another and there'd be times when something be edited

late and they would have to roll it from the edit room and like, you know, like how I just, the technology involved and just like the most complicated AV setup ever. And it's all in that building. In fact, some of those wires caught fire. Some of those cables caught fire once. And we had to do our show outdoors for a couple of years. Really?

Yeah, yeah. We had to, yeah, we had, we ended up doing the show out by the ice skating rink and it was like late fall. And Samuel L. Jackson gave me a foot massage. I remember, I will always remember that night for that. I don't know, it just happened. It's like a dream. I still think of it.

Just get all giddy. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha.

Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Can't you tell my love's a-growing? You were in, you did what a lot of people, I mean what a number of notables have done, including I think Seth. Didn't Seth do Amsterdam or was it his brother that Seth did Amsterdam? Yeah. Boom Chicago is like a place that you go when you do improv in Chicago and you realize I'm not going to make him enough

money here. I go to Amsterdam and make some money there doing improv. And what was that like? and make some money there doing improv. And what was that like? Boom Chicago was the frickin' best. Like we would, you know, we had like a regular 300 seat theater, like in the heart of Amsterdam. Huge. And it was like, back when I was there, being there was kind of a big deal a little bit.

Like if you said, I work at Boom Chicago, people would go, Oh, are you an actor? Oh, you know, in Amsterdam or you mean anywhere? Oh, nowhere else in the world. Yeah. But people cared a little. Did they recruit you or did you like apply and try and get in? Yep. Every year they would go to LA, New York and Chicago and audition people.

And I auditioned in Chicago and got it and was there for two years. And it was just like the first, I'm going to say like year and three months was just horrible. It was horrible. The early part of it? Yep. I did a bad job. I had a horrible time. I did not like it. But I was eating a full dinner every night. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. When you're hungry, dinner hits the spot, that's for sure.

Every day. So yeah, I just had a very bad time. And it was like the vibe wasn't good. It was a bad vibe then. It was a bad vibe time. And then everything changed, and the actors changed. And then it was the most fun I've ever had in my life. I mean it was always the most fun. Right. During the shows I would be like, oh I'm doing a bad job.

But then when it got good and I got good at the job, I was like there will never be anything this fun. So then I left and I did, I called, I called second city on the telephone and asked for a job and they gave me a job. Oh, second city Denver. Okay, so I had just visited second city. And I did you know how you can sit on the bench in Chicago and then do the set after the show you could perform. The day I went Martin Short was there. So all of the people who make decisions at Second City were also there. Martin Short I was like, Oh, well, I don't get to do the set because Martin Short's here. But it's cool. I get to see Martin Short. Martin Short did not want to do this set. So I got to do the set. And it was like everybody in front

of everyone. And it was like slumdog millionaire. They the only suggestions were things I just so happen to know everything about. Like it was like sign language, gymnastics, and like one was spark plugs. And I just so happen to know where a spark plug is and how to install a new one. I was like, these people must think I'm a genius. I only know four things and you shout it out. Three of them. It was the best. It was the best. I slum Millionaire. It was like, that was

a fucking excellent set. And it was. And then when I called, they were like, yes, actually, you can have a job. We're creating a second city Denver. So then I did second city Denver for a year more than that, too. I don't know. And then we did, we existed and it was great. And then I was like, okay, I'm going back to Boom Chicago. And they were like, no, no, no. Will you do main stage?

And I was like, oh, yeah, great. Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. Right, right. You should have said that. Yeah. So then I did. But they were like, come back and tour. I was like, but I am hungry for food. Yeah.

And Turco is not gonna do it. Yeah. So then I did. I don't wanna live in a van. Cause that's- I don't wanna live in a van. You can live in a van, yeah. I know, but I do feel like I did miss Turco.

But, so then I did main stage for two years. Then I went back to Boom Chicago. at, so I, then I did a main stage for two years. Then I went back to Boom Chicago, Boom Chicago, you do a lot of tour shows. Like there's enough actors to do two corporate shows while and one home show. So you were always doing all of them. Yeah. So we'd be like, hey, um, welcome to Brussels shell oil.

Now here's a special song that goes out to Barry Jenkins. He's one crazy CEO. And you'd have to do that like four times a week. You would have to do that. Yeah. And it was the best because you never knew what was going to happen. Yeah. Sometimes you step out, you know, you step out and that you can was gonna happen. Yeah. Sometimes you step out, you know,

you step out and you can feel the hate. Yeah. They just hate that you're talking when all they wanna do is have a beer. An indifference that's like aggressive. At some point, you know what I mean? Like how you can like actively not care about that, you know?

Yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes. So I mean, we performed shows literally all over Europe, everywhere, and it was the most fun because sometimes you would know the sketch, sometimes you didn't look at it enough, sometimes you would have to get there and they'd be like, we don't like the sketch

and you'd have to be like, oh my God, so you'd have to change the sketch, learn it and then do it. So it really like, you'll never feel uncomfortable again after doing a show like that. And most of it's improv, you'll never feel uncomfortable on a stage.

So we- Completely agree, yeah. And then you go and you perform with other adults and then you see how they act. And it's like, oh, you've never been unprepared in your life. Right, right. I'm sure it feels great, but it's not good for you.

No. We call it cowboying it. It's like, hey buddy, get out there and cowboy it. And if you haven't had to do that, you, you should. Yeah. Yeah. Because there, it, you get like, um, you get a nerve, you know, you get nerves or whatever word, you know, balls or, you know, chutzpah, you get like this

kind of, which isn't like, it's not a swagger necessarily, it's just sort of like, oh, no, no, I can't. You know, it's like. I don't know. It is like sort of a low level trauma trauma, you know, you can't. Trauma does once you kind of live with trauma on a regular basis, you get, you know, your shit gets together and you're like, all right, you know, this is nothing. I can handle get, you know, your shit gets together and you're like, all right, you know, this is nothing. I'll act and handle this, you know, you know, it is, it's like, oh God, it's like an entire room full of people hating you. That sucks. You know,

I mean, hey, if there was a better word for hate, I mean, when, when was a better word for hate. I mean, when the show starts, those bad shows, what you feel then is hate. Then after you finished a whole hour, it's something deeper. It's people that hated you, but they hated you, but they hated you, but you hadn't taken an hour of their time.

Now you've got those two things together. I also wanna ask, do you think that like, sort of getting to do all of that work and getting all of that stage times out of the context of what is in any way sort of relevant to showbiz here in the States. Do you think that that isn't that it's like another kind of version of, you know, a safe place to fail?

Yes. And that, I think that's all it is. Like once you've had the worst possible show a human being can have, then you wake up the next day and you have to do another show. And then you realize, oh, none of this is anything. So I might as well be balls out forever. And then the way you perform changes, because

you know, the ultimately the only thing that's going to stick is how much fun you had. That's it. Yeah, yeah. So once you figure that out, and it takes forever. I really do think you have to be all the way embarrassed to be a good performer. Like you have to have like, if an audience didn't make you cry, and I don't know that I've ever cried, but I'm not the crying this guy. But like if an audience has never really made

you have a very sad day or two, then I don't know how good a performer you're going to be. You're going to have a bad time. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I always, I think it's, it's similar to, and this is something I didn't have to do until on the Conan Show, we would occasionally do bits

that were like fake nudity. Like, you know, we're like, it'd be like we're supposed to be naked, and it'd be pixeled out, but we'd be wearing what's called a dance belt, which for people don't know, it's like a one strap jock strap. It's a waistband and then a center strap and a pouch.

And it's flesh color, or at least it's Caucasian flesh color, the one that I had. And the first time that I ever had to do, you know, like you put that thing on and you get in a robe and then you go out onto a set and you're like, oh, this is just like, oh fuck. You know, and I mean, you know, it's like, it's also that thing of where you know

that your nudity is gonna be comedy nudity. There's other, you know what I mean? Like it's like, it's like, it's funny that that guy thinks he should show that thing, that body, you know what I mean? Like it's like, it's funny that that guy thinks he should show that thing, that body, you know? Like that can only be a joke. You know, the vessel in which he exists. As it was, you know, like pretty people,

it's like, it's not funny. Like their nudity is cool. And, but I always was struck by, once the robe came off, it was done. It was like, oh, I'm not going to get any more naked. You know, I'm not going to get any, any more revealed. So oh, I don't, you know, and then I would like, you know, probably do actionable things like, you know, put my leg up on somebody's chair and just like, how's it going over here? You know, cause you know,

and it was all, it was all family anyway. You know, we all knew each other at that point anyway, but, but yeah, it's, it's, it's, it is, it's good to be humiliated. If you're going to do this, cause that's always a risk and you might as well. It's like, you know, it's, it's like inoculation. It's like you're getting little doses of it where, you know,

to inoculate you against the big scales that you might get when you're, you know, doing your own show or something. Yeah. Now, according to my research, you married a Dutchman. Would you carry to defend that? I was drunk. Oh boy. I didn't know.

No, I did. I just spent so much time in Holland. I spent a total of five years there. Yeah. So I'm not surprised. I'm not surprised who'd have it. Is your husband a comedian in any way or? No.

No, he's a bummer. He's not funny. Real downer. He's actually a painter. Oh, wow. A married Dutch painter. Wow. And he paints beautiful paintings.

painter. Wow. He paints beautiful paintings. But he is, I mean, he's hilarious. But when I married him, he was absolutely not funny. I just wasn't. And also I was doing comedy every minute of every day and every night I had a show no matter what. It was constant. Yeah. So I didn't need him to be funny, but I saw that he felt like he was funny. And I was like, I think that's cute. Then over we've been together 10 years. And now I understand the man is hilarious. It's just when we first got together, my Dutch wasn't good enough to understand the structure of the jokes. Yeah. And now I understand very clearly. He's absolutely hilarious. I just needed to understand the nuances of Dutch. Yeah, in order to get it. And now, you know, in his language,

he's fucking hilarious. And in English, it's pretty close to getting good. Yeah. Yeah. Do you speak Dutch at home? You know, is it is it? I never think we do. But then sometimes at the end of the day, I'll be like, I think we spent most of the day speaking Dutch. Wow. I think what happens a lot is he will speak Dutch and then I will respond in English. And then when we go out in public.

We will both speak Dutch so that no one knows what we're talking about. And then if we're around friends, then we speak English. Yeah. Yeah. French should just let you speak. What a downer. Let you have your secret language together. I love our secret language.

Yeah. It really is. It's so cool to have a secret language. Uh-huh. I bet it would be. Yeah. Yeah. Now people hear you speak it and go... Yeah. ...because Dutch doesn't sound good. Oh, no.

It sounds bad. Ha ha ha ha. Truly the ugliest language. The first time... I'd been there just for vacation a couple of times, which I always find... I always found... Because my ex-wife and I loved Amsterdam. Just it's such a beautiful, relaxed town. And we were coming from New York City. And it was kind of like a pretty green New York City in that you go to a restaurant,

you go have coffee, you hang out, you know, just like it's kind of a cafe kind of life. But so, you know, with the canals, it's just a gorgeous place. And it's very easy too, cause everybody speaks English. But every time here you go like, oh, we went to Amsterdam, people be like, oh. Like, you know, like you're just like, yeah, to get high and go to the red light district,

which I mean, like I, we walked, we walked not the length, but across the red light district once and I was like, you know, thank you. No, thank you. This is, you know, nothing. The vibe is murderers, but yeah, it is. The vibe is different. It's not what you think it's going to be.

It doesn't feel sexy, you know? Yeah. Yeah. It feels scary. Scary. It feels like you shouldn't be there for sure. Yeah. yeah. It feels scary. Scary. It feels like you shouldn't be there for sure. Yeah, yeah. But any, oh, but yeah, people are always like,

oh, you know, Amsterdam is, but it's, It's so much more. I know what I was, the first time, when we first got there, we were staying at the Amstel Intercontinental, which is a nice hotel. And I don't know if it's even still there, but.

The Amstel Hotel, the big gorgeous hotel on the river? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, I was on TV then. No kids yet either. So, but it was, I just, the taxi driver, we got in, we said we're going to the Intercontinental, the Amstel. And he went, Amstel Intercontinental. And I was just like, oh my God, Dutch is just, the taxi driver we got and we said, uh, we're going to the intercontinental lands. And he went, I'm still intercontinental. And I was just like, Oh my God, Dutch is just, it's like hocking up a loogie with every sentence. Yeah. It's bad. Did you, did you start learning it right away when you got there or was it kind

of, yeah, I'm a language guy. Okay. Language guy. I love languages. I love learning them and I really do think I'm good language guy. Oh, okay. I'm a language guy. I love languages. I love learning them. And I really do think I'm good at it, but that might not be true. I think I might just be willing to sound like an idiot. Yeah, yeah. No, but I really, they made us take Dutch classes? I think we are the only generation of Bloom Chicago who they made take Dutch classes. Oh, wow. We took it. It was super fun. I had a great time. I love a class.

Yeah, I would love to have an excuse to learn a different language. Because that's the only way I'd ever do anything is if it's forced on me, you know? So, you can't, I mean you end up, you come back, You go to is do you go to New York to work for Seth? Is that what it is? Oh, I know. I remember. I remember you audition for SNL. And then saw you. Yeah, yeah. But in between, I went we lived in

L.A. two years to try to make it right. It was horrible. Terrible. Was it a question between you and, what's your husband's name? Jan. Between you, of course. It was, was it a question between you and Jan,

whether you would be staying there in Amsterdam or whether you would, you know, whose career would take the lead or, you know, or because he can paint anywhere. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was like, yeah, let's do it.

Okay. Cool. He's a pretty chill guy. Yeah. Yeah. Great jokes. You, uh, so, so two years in LA and it just, yeah, it's not a bad place to be. Very sad.

You know, it's a great place to be broke it is it is that you have so much sunshine and Even though you have no money your apartment is nice. Yeah, compared to New York. Oh, you live in a little mansion Yeah, it was great. I mean I had a lovely time and I was a part of this theater called What were we called? The, it's a theater called, oh, Sacred Fools, where it was like a writer's theater where you write most of your stuff and they put it up as the best,

it was the best experience I could have got. For what you do now, for sure I bet, yeah. Absolutely, but then we auditioned for SNL and then I did not get it. I we auditioned for SNL and then I Did not get it. I very didn't get SNL and then and then I got Sam Because he was there like he was there hiding in the lurking in the back trying to poach people From all auditions look, I think I didn't get a smell and he was like, oh, that's too bad. I'm going to give her this job so she doesn't cry. What a sucker.

I was like, no, I didn't get it. I was like, okay, all right, come here. But there was like four, you know how you audition and then you stay, and then most of you go home and there was four of us there. LeKendra who went on to be a writer, Sashir Zemeda who got the job, Leslie Jones who initially was a writer and then me and I'm the only one who didn't get SNL.

Anything? Yeah, even though you made it all the way to that point, because it was just the four of us for like three days, so it feels like I extra didn't get it. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. But then I think it turned out pretty good. Yeah, I think so too. I think you probably, yeah, you, I bet you have, I'm just guessing,

but I bet you have a more pleasant existence than the people that are working on an SNL because that's just, it seems like, like trying to, you know, like, you know, trying to serve eggs in a dryer, you know, like, you know, you're constantly traveling around, you know, and you're trying to keep things precious and keeping together, you know, you're constantly Oh, I... Turbling around, you know, and you're trying to keep things precious and keeping together, you know? Why in a dryer? I don't know.

I was thinking a tumbler, some tumbling thing. It hurts. Do you have siblings? I do. Did they put you in the dryer? No, I never got put in the dryer. Well, you know what? I think I got in one once on my own,

but like in college at a laundromat. So I can't really say it was like, you know, it was self-imposed torture. Why, did you get put in a dryer? Yeah, but I was gay. I got to know what happened. Yeah, all right, hey, no problem. Yeah, maybe someday I'll go over a waterfall

and a wheel or a barrel and I want to know what that's like. Yeah. Yeah. So I bet you. And also, I mean, it also just might be my perspective because doing a daily show in that building is, I mean, it's different.

Like people, when I was there, people would complain. Cause when we started, we did 47 weeks a year, five days a week. Yeah. Yeah. It was, it was a lot, like right off the bat when we started. And then also to be constantly under fire, you know, like the people that put you on the ship, then sit on the shore and shoot cannonballs at you. And but people at SNL would complain about how much work it was, especially in the early days we were so scared and we'd, you know, spend just put so much comedy into the show

early on because we didn't know any better. And we would, I would be like, shut up SNL people. You get the fucking summer off. We get two weeks at the most and that's like once a year. And it's like, and also, but I did like that we couldn't be so precious about our stuff. It's got, you gotta get it out there, you know, and it's like every night you got to. You know, it's more like a diner than a fine dining.

You just, just get the food out and it'll taste good. You know? I feel like everyone feels that way about their job. But when you say 48 weeks, my god, 47 is a lot. I know, I know. We have 14 weeks off at Seth, 14. I just think it's just a different time. It's just like, they just, and I think that they were just,

they knew, I mean, Conan was coming from nowhere. So I think they just knew like, well, we can just make him do whatever we want. And he kind of gave off a whatever you guys want kind of vibe, which I learned like, oh yeah, don't do that. Like let them, let the people know right from the beginning, you got limits. Cause otherwise they'll be like, oh, oh, we can fuck you.

Oh, we will fuck you hard then, you know. Learning, learning, learning. But yeah, but it was, was it was a lot and especially because like, in the early days too, I was the one that did remotes and the first, you know, I did remotes for maybe like a year and a half before he ever started doing them because Robert Smigel thought it was too letterman-y for Conan to go out. So it was like, let the dumb-dumb.

I mean, I mean that in just like, I was the dumb guy. I mean, that was a persona I could put on for the comic value for the show. Let me go out and do the remotes. I would sometimes do remotes, I do them on the weekends and I remember there was remotes, I'd do them on the weekends. And I remember there was one, and then I'd have to edit them myself

because there wasn't like that structure yet. I was hired as a writer first, and I was still expected to put, you know, fill up spots on the grid, you know, like write bits and make sure that we had enough stuff to put on the show for the first couple of years. And then I was like, you know what, fuck this, this is too much, you know, like write bits and make sure that we had enough stuff to put on the show for the first couple of years. And then I was like, you know what? This is too much. You know, I, nobody's going to fire me now. I'm on the show,

you know? Um, but I remember there was one and I, it was like either 24 or 25 days in a row that I worked, that I was working, uh, on, you know, putting that show together. Cause like I said, I go shoot it all weekend and then I'd come back and have to edit it until two o'clock in the morning because it would be on the show the next day, yeah. Oh my gosh. We killed ourselves.

The early days of that show, we had so much comedy. We would do like four acts of comedy. Just because that was where we were coming from. I mean, especially Conan being a writer, it was just, that's what, and, and Smygle pushing us. It was like, we made this kind of defensive wall of comedy while he and I figured out how to be on TV. Cause when we first got on TV, we sucked at being on TV.

I look at tapes, I can't look at tapes of it. I can't look at tapes of the first few shows. It's just too painful, you know. Oh. ["Can't You Tell My Love's A-Crowin'"] Can't you tell my love's a-crowin'. But anyhow, how did your own show come about? Did you start to, was it because of your segments

that you were doing on Seth? We saw a slot open up at some time on NBC and we were like, oh, we should pitch. And this is Shoemaker's idea, who's the executive producer of, um, late night set to shoemaker is like, you should write up a proposal for a, a late night show and turn it in. And we did. And they were like, no, thank you. And then a year later, they were like, we're launching this thing called Peacock. Can we have that show you pitched?

And we're like, okay, great. So it was shoemaker's idea to do a late night show, but Jenny and I really thought, you know, cause you turn in so many sketches. Yeah. And most of them have to go in the garbage. Yeah, yeah. So we were like, we can certainly do a once a week show,

for sure. Right, right. Especially if we have other writers. So we do and it's pretty great. It's four acts of comedy and it's pretty easy. Yeah. I have to stop saying that, but it's true. But only because it's once a week, man.

You can do once a week. Yeah, you can do once a week. Yeah. You can. Yeah. And your co-host, Tarek, where, I don't know him. Where does he come from? Was he a? Tarek is also a Bloom Chicago actor.

Oh, OK. So when I got hired at Bloom Chicago the very first time, Tarek was there too. And we had just the best adventures all over Europe. It was the most fun. Yeah. And he also, I know he has this training of where I can give him a script and be like, read this over.

You have two minutes. We're going to cards. Let's go. And he'll be like, yeah. And it does not care. You can't phase the man. You can't do it. So yeah, it was.

You learn not everybody can do that. So he's really talented. He also does a Broadway show called Freestyle Love Supreme, which is all like freestyle rapping, but it's on Broadway. And it is a Lin-Manuel Miranda show. And sometimes they have like Wayne Brady and like special guests who can improv improvise like songs and, and raps. It's the weirdest best show, but Tarek does that show.

And he does our show. It's really cool. Wow. Yeah. You, you guys are great together. And I, you know, and being a fan being for obvious reasons a fan of like two people better than one person because it is it just it's like you got so much more to do and it's just more fun to watch um and did you do was there ever a consideration to do interviews on this show

because that's such a staple of most late night shows. No, absolutely not. We never thought to, only because we were like, let's call it a late night show and really let it be a variety show. And then by the time they figured out it'll be too late. But if they ever make us do more than one show a week, if we get to keep doing the show. But in a month from now, I mean, let's start there.

Yeah, no, I know. Happened. That'd be great. But if they if we ever did end up doing the show. More nights a week, then we would have no choice. We'd have to we'd have to start interviewing people. Yeah. Because I don't know, I couldn't do no. Oh yeah, no.

Fucking 47 weeks a year, five days a week. Sounds insane to me. Yeah, yeah, no, it's a lot, it's a lot. So much of, I mean, you know, so much of kind of your identity on Seth's show was, did it start with thing jokes Seth can't tell? Was that, was that sort of when you first started getting on? I think I started doing a bit called Amber Says What before that.

And that was a recurring bit where I said what in different ways in response to new stories But I think that was before Joke Seth can't tell but also before that because we didn't start doing jokes I can tell until Jenny worked here and I don't think she worked here until like Two or three years after the show started. Mm-hmm. So I had to be without her for that long. But when she started, it was off to the races and you would just rip up whatever you could get out of your brain into a script and send it to her,

and she would do the rest. She'd send you her half idea. It was, we just created this machine that we just fit each other's brains so perfectly that it became such a like fun factory. And when she came up with the idea for jokes, Seth can't tell, I thought, what a fun bit to do at the read and never in front of other people.

I thought that there's no way we can do this in front of people. Yeah. But we did. Yeah. I'm still shocked. At the end of every one of those set goes, it's like my grandpa always said, black women and lesbians are liars. When he said that at the table read, I laughed myself sick.

And then he did it at the rehearsal and I laughed I was like he's he's got to stop saying that he's gonna accidentally say it in the show he said in the show and I was like we're dead we're done the show's canceled I don't think he can say that I thought it was like yeah all right you like it. I love it. Yeah. Yeah. Now, a lot of the stuff you guys do is topical and about really awful topics and really dreadful topics. I mean, full of dread topics. And from my perspective, and especially coming from the comedy that I've been doing most of my life, which is absurdist, silly nonsense. And we were on the air before

there was a daily show that is kind of like the current daily show, you know what I mean? Like before show that is kind of like the current daily show. You know what I mean? Like before topicality was seen as like, you know, like serious topicality of really tackling issues in a comedic way was even done. So like if we had also, you know, if we had sort of tried to do that, I think we just would have looked, you know, we looked like we're chasing somebody's tail. But it's terrifying to me that you guys do this because I find so much of what's in the news,

just, I don't know how to make that funny. I don't know how to make comedy out of George Floyd. I mean, can you speak to like that mechanism in you and I guess in Jenny too and the staff too? I mean. Yeah, I think it comes from like being black. Yeah, I was like, because you know, you come home from work and you're like, well, I got like, I can remember when I got fired from a like, I got a job at a sandwich place that will remain nameless.

It's not the one you're thinking of, but the other one. And it was way out in West Omaha where all the white people were. And my parents were like, you do not want to work out there. That's too many white people. They don't want to see you and you will be fired. And I was like, you guys are old as fuck. So I went out there. Sure enough, the, um, after like two weeks working there, the boss pulled me aside. I was like, you're, I had braids. She was like, your hair is gross. I, uh, I think you should just straighten it,

make it straight, you know, like the rest of you do. And I was like, Oh, no. And the next day I was fired. I came home. I was like, Mom, Dad, you're right. And we laughed. What was the reason? I mean, what, what reason did they give that you couldn't sue over or did he just know like, Yeah, they know I'm not suing. Yeah, they know. But they didn't give me a reason. They did. They said that my drawers were never balanced. That's not true. But you know, give me a reason. They did. They said that my drawers were never balanced. That's not true. But you know, you gotta say something. But yeah, like when you have to deal with stuff like that, you know what I mean? If you can see that as funny, then you're like, yeah. Yeah, no, those things pile up and pile up.

And if you're going to be in like some sort of, you know, paralyzed with rage over that, you're going to have a real short life. So it's got to end up being, you know. Yeah. And everybody has their own version of it. Jenny said the other day she said something knocked me out She was talking about how she loved her Little girlfriend a million years ago. She was like, but you know, we couldn't get married because it wasn't legal I was just like oh, oh, yeah. Oh my god. I know yeah like that shocked

So I was like, oh, yeah, you just have to live like that. You go to bed, you wake up, it's still true. You can be sad all you want, it's not gonna do nothing. I think that's how we, because you have to talk about all that stuff at home. Then Trump really makes you real good at it because it was so hopeless for so long that it just got extra funny. that it just got extra funny. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah. Well, and yeah, and because it just... Well, I mean, on one level, you know,

this is just one aspect of it, but like racism is so stupid. Like it's just so dumb. It just doesn't even make any sense. So it's, It's just so dumb. It just doesn't even make any sense. So it's that sort of just that stripe of stupidity. Trump is like a farmer that like cultivated it

and made it grow and it gave a lot of, well, I don't know if they're all stupid, but a lot of people's stripe of stupidity and gave them that permission to let it fly. I mean, I've said this before, I mentioned this on, I don't know if it was this podcast or one of the many I do. But I grew up in a very Republican area

and I was never really a Republican. I mean, I didn't, I wasn't anything until I kind of, you know, got to be a young adult and started to figure things out for myself. But you know, you'd see like Republican road sign 20 years ago, it's like, okay, that, you know, I probably disagree with that person. And now they just seem sinister.

Like I saw, I was down by San Diego and I saw a Larry Elder yard sign. And I was just like, that might as well be Voldemort. What? You know, like just the shit that Larry Elder says, it's like, how can you put that in your yard and be okay with it? It's like, it's to such an absurd level.

I know, it's sad and it makes it extra on your brain, you know, because of people want to put their signs out in their yard. Like that specifically is like, you keep this yuckiness alive. Whereas before you never saw it when nobody wear no hat or T-shirt. You just everyone was a normal until proven an idiot. And then but now it's just it's everywhere. It's everywhere. Yeah. Yeah. So it's a little extra sad. Yeah. But also a little extra safe because now I know what to do.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're not going to catch me. It's it's it's you know, I mean, I had the comfort of never, you know, just being a white male, a white cis het male, that I might have thought like, oh, you know, Republican, that doesn't necessarily mean racist. But now it's like, mean racist, but now it's like, well, it's been made pretty clear that you're, you're signing onto something that now is like, not even ostensibly racist. It's outwardly racist in so many ways.

And, and it makes me think it didn't change. Like I was just comfortable in thinking like, oh, there's just like, there's a little aspect of that. Like, no, no, there's like that Willie Horton ad. There was a reason for that Willie Horton ad. Like that was the expression of something that was just there that was like that to a certain amount, a certain number of white people is like, yep, I like that was like, that to a certain amount, a certain number of white people

is like, yep, I like that. I like that. Yeah, yeah, that's for me. So anyway, I mean, when I watch your stuff, it's, I just, I can't, well, I mean, you know, it's like you said, there's jokes that Seth can tell, but I mean, but just the ability to derive joy from what is happening in the world is just really a wonderful talent and a gift for

everyone. And you know, good on you for doing it. Thank you, Andy Richter. I love you so bad. You're welcome. You're welcome. Well, so what do you, do you have any big, big, uh, world owning plans at this point or Or you just kind of gonna chug along? Yeah, I learned not to make plans. Also like nothing is scarier than this. Cause like, you don't know.

Yeah. You don't, is it gonna keep going? Is it gonna stop? Does it have to stop tomorrow? Like what is happening? Will this go on forever? What is this? So it keeps you on your toes and I'm like, I don't need to be making any other plans. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You got to keep keeping you busy. Yeah.

Yeah. I just gotta keep trying it along. Like my old friend, Andy Richter says. What are your plans? I don't even, I listen, I'm 54. I been divorced for two years. I was married for 25. I got a 15 year old and a 20 year old and somebody said something about, you know, a year from now.

And I was like, I don't even fucking know. I don't have any, I'm like, I don't even fucking know. I don't have any. I'm like, getting divorced was a big thing. Like if I hadn't gotten divorced, that was a different, it's a different story. Like I would have kind of known, like it's when you're in a marriage, you sort of, I mean, that was one of the, and I mentioned it,

I just had Aisha Tyler on, we talked a lot about divorce and, uh, cause we're both failures. And, um, and, and I, you know, like one of the, one of the things you don't anticipate is it's, it's like a death of a future that you were holding onto. You know, it was my, I had the same future in my mind for 25 years, 27, if you were together for two years before. And that was like, oh, that future doesn't exist. That future that seemed so like real.

Like I thought about it so much, like where are we gonna live and what are we gonna do? And how are we gonna, you know, how are the kids lives gonna still be in our lives? And it just, it goes away. So I don't know. I've got like, you know, my decks have cleared and I don't know what's going to happen.

And I, and in very much the same way. And now, you know, having the Conan show just ended, that's another wrinkle. And I'm readjusting my mind to a freelance mindset because I was spoiled by 10 years of steady income. And I have to just calm that shrieking voice of like, I know I'm not making money, you know? Like, where's the check coming from?

You know? And also getting back to not being, for me, now I gotta figure out what I wanna do with myself. Like am I just gonna make myself available to some other situation and devote myself to that situation or am I gonna be an author and sort of start to write my own story? And I don't know which is,

I might not be that author. I might just be like the guy, you know, I might be a utility player and I'm, I don't have any qualms about that. I love what I do. And I, you know, and I help out in lots of different ways. You know, I can help with the story and I can help with, you know, the dialogue

and I can help with the way it looks in addition to performing. So I know how to make television, I know how to be on television, I just am not sure in what capacity it's going to be. How exciting. Yeah, exciting and terrifying. Gosh, what is going to happen? I don't know. I will keep you appraised.

So the final of the three supposed questions, it's just a format here. What have you learned? What do you think is the main lesson you've learned from starting out in Omaha and ended up where you are now? I don't know. I think the main lesson I've learned is to stay open and never make a single plan. Like I certainly was not going to leave Omaha, but I'm going to go to the

city hall and I'm going to go to the city hall and I'm going to go to the city hall and I'm going to go to the city hall and I'm going to go to the city hall and I'm going to go to the city hall and I'm going to go to the city hall and I'm going to go to the city hall and I'm going to go to

the city hall and I'm going to go to the city hall and I'm going to go to like, wow, did not see this coming. And then second city, I was like, okay, never would have guessed this. Then main stage, I was like, this is it. This is the pinnacle of that back to Boone, Chicago. Oh my God. And then I couldn't believe I gathered enough guts to move to LA to die slow there for two years, and then I. Couldn't believe it when I got Seth. It's all, I would have never have guessed. And then I couldn't believe it when I got Seth.

It's all, I would have never have guessed, I would have guessed wrong at every turn in my life, every last turn. So I just don't, I don't have any plans for anything. But I know that I'm capable of literally anything. So I think it's all right to not have plans. Yeah, that's what I, that's, you know, because because I was as you're sitting there saying like that, you know, all these all

these accomplishments, all these like places that you end up and that you wouldn't have expected it. That's it sounds like somebody that's going, oh gosh, you know, I little old me, but you're not saying that you're saying, yeah, all right. I didn't, I wouldn't have thought, but I mean, but you, I can do it, but I just didn't think the world worked that way where I'd get the chance to do it, you know? Cause you gotta, you know, you do have to believe in yourself.

I don't know if anyone's heard that before. It's very helpful. You revolutionary, you. You believe in myself? I've been tearing myself down daily. I thought that's what you were supposed to do. You're telling me. All right, Amber, I'm gonna let you get back to work.

Okay, do you have any ideas for like any topical sketches of any kind? All right, Amber, I'm gonna let you get back to work. Okay, do you have any ideas for like any topical sketches of any kind? See you now, don't you feel good? Yeah, I'm gonna go to the grocery store. I don't have to think about, you know, from after this, I'm going to the grocery store. Oh my God, in a car? In a car, spoiled little piece of shit. I know you're so lucky. And then I'm going to pick my daughter up from school and my dog up from daycare. That's my yeah, no topical bits. I don't have to think like,

oh, let's make anti-vax funny today. Yeah. You, Sarah, I live in the life. All right. Well, thank you so much for your time. And, and good luck. Eddie Rizzo, thank you for having me. And I love you so bad. I've loved you forever. Thank you. You're part of my favorite show. I love you. I love you. I love you so bad. I love you too. And, and tell everybody there, I said hi and, you know, and, and, and make a good show. And, and all of you out there in Podcastland, thank you for listening to another episode of The Three Questions. And we will be back next week.

With more Amber Ruffin. Oh, what? The Three Questions with Andy Richter is a Team Cocoa and Your Wolf production. It is produced by Lane Gerbig, engineered by Marina Pice and and talent produced by Galit Zahajak. The associate producer is Jen Samples, supervising producer Aaron Blayert, and executive producers Adam Sachs and Jeff Ross at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson and Cody Fisher at Earwolf. Make sure to rate and review The Three Questions with Andy Richter on Apple Podcasts.