Ziwe has found her latest iconic guest: George Santos.
After teasing a collab with the expelled congressman, comedian and celebrity interviewer Ziwe released her sit-down interview with Santos on YouTube on Monday morning.
Ziwe’s “Znn” interview, a CNN spoof with her own Ziwe News Network, began with onscreen text saying “No congressman were paid in the making of this interview even though George asked three times.” She then listed civil rights icons and asked Santos to say what they meant to him. The list included Marsha P. Johnson, James Baldwin, Harvey Milk and Bowen Yang’s “SNL” impression of Santos — which he said deserves an Egot.
When asked if he would want Yang to play him in HBO’s movie about him, Santos said “that movie is not ever going to happen. That book has no perspective of me or anybody close to me. It’s fucking fiction,” referring...
After teasing a collab with the expelled congressman, comedian and celebrity interviewer Ziwe released her sit-down interview with Santos on YouTube on Monday morning.
Ziwe’s “Znn” interview, a CNN spoof with her own Ziwe News Network, began with onscreen text saying “No congressman were paid in the making of this interview even though George asked three times.” She then listed civil rights icons and asked Santos to say what they meant to him. The list included Marsha P. Johnson, James Baldwin, Harvey Milk and Bowen Yang’s “SNL” impression of Santos — which he said deserves an Egot.
When asked if he would want Yang to play him in HBO’s movie about him, Santos said “that movie is not ever going to happen. That book has no perspective of me or anybody close to me. It’s fucking fiction,” referring...
- 12/18/2023
- by Jordan Moreau and Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Janelle James has received awards and fan adoration for her breakout role as the stylish and self-centered Principal Ava Coleman on "Abbott Elementary." But just five years ago, she was living in the back of a bike shop in New York. "There was an air mattress and a rat," James said in Variety's April/May cover story. The shop belonged to a friend who let her sleep there four nights a week between comedy gigs around the city. "I would wake up and get out before the store opened. I'd just walk around all day with my stuff until I did shows and then I'd go back to sleep."
James's origins as a struggling actor may be surprising to those who've seen her work. As Ava, she's a natural on screen, delivering punchy one-liners that have quickly gained her a cult following. Seeing her success as an award-winning actor, it's...
James's origins as a struggling actor may be surprising to those who've seen her work. As Ava, she's a natural on screen, delivering punchy one-liners that have quickly gained her a cult following. Seeing her success as an award-winning actor, it's...
- 4/19/2023
- by Chanel Vargas
- Popsugar.com
If you Google Janelle James, the first thing that comes up is that she got her big break from Chris Rock. Wrong!
Rock did hire her as a comedian on his 2017 “Total Blackout Tour,” but James says that’s as far as it goes. “He’s done a lot,” she says, carefully choosing words to describe someone who is credited too frequently for her rise. “He’s done enough for me. He didn’t make my career or anything.” She adds, “I was never close with Chris Rock. We went on tour together, and then I didn’t speak to him after that.”
And of course, she followed what happened to him at the Oscars, but hasn’t watched his Netflix special. She doesn’t want to be cornered into talking about him or the slap in interviews like this one. “I want to truthfully be like, ‘I ain’t seen it.
Rock did hire her as a comedian on his 2017 “Total Blackout Tour,” but James says that’s as far as it goes. “He’s done a lot,” she says, carefully choosing words to describe someone who is credited too frequently for her rise. “He’s done enough for me. He didn’t make my career or anything.” She adds, “I was never close with Chris Rock. We went on tour together, and then I didn’t speak to him after that.”
And of course, she followed what happened to him at the Oscars, but hasn’t watched his Netflix special. She doesn’t want to be cornered into talking about him or the slap in interviews like this one. “I want to truthfully be like, ‘I ain’t seen it.
- 4/19/2023
- by Emily Longeretta
- Variety Film + TV
Robin Thede, creator and star of “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” has set a new comedy series for development at HBO.
The half-hour project is titled “Disengagement,” and centers on the prestigious Cole family after a very public and embarrassing business implosion shatters their perfect Midwest image. Per the logline, it was just an image, because behind closed doors, even their dysfunction has dysfunction, proving family is the ultimate pyramid scheme.
Thede serves as writer and executive producer of the series, which she is developing via the overall deal she signed with HBO in 2022. Meghan Cheek produces on behalf of For Better or Words, Inc.
Thede began her career performing sketch comedy and went on to write for programs like the BET Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. When she joined the staff of “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,” she became the first Black women ever to serve as...
The half-hour project is titled “Disengagement,” and centers on the prestigious Cole family after a very public and embarrassing business implosion shatters their perfect Midwest image. Per the logline, it was just an image, because behind closed doors, even their dysfunction has dysfunction, proving family is the ultimate pyramid scheme.
Thede serves as writer and executive producer of the series, which she is developing via the overall deal she signed with HBO in 2022. Meghan Cheek produces on behalf of For Better or Words, Inc.
Thede began her career performing sketch comedy and went on to write for programs like the BET Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. When she joined the staff of “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,” she became the first Black women ever to serve as...
- 3/23/2023
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
With over a decade at one of the most successful independent studios under her belt, Michelle Sneed is striking out on her own.
The Tyler Perry Studios alum, who most recently served as president of the sprawling and prolific Atlanta operation since 2018, just launched a new studio. A Few Good Women Productions is targeting a first-of-its kind model, with an exclusively female leadership offering green lights and maintaining project autonomy through every phase — acquisition, development, financing, production, licensing and distribution.
“One thing that I’ve always said is, ‘Why do big studios get to have lot of fun?’ — and by ‘fun’ I mean majority ownership of these assets,” says Sneed, who wants to see that money trickle down not to just partners and creators but budgets. “I have dedicated my career mostly to Black and brown content. And I’d say that about 99 percent of the time it’s been on extremely small budgets.
The Tyler Perry Studios alum, who most recently served as president of the sprawling and prolific Atlanta operation since 2018, just launched a new studio. A Few Good Women Productions is targeting a first-of-its kind model, with an exclusively female leadership offering green lights and maintaining project autonomy through every phase — acquisition, development, financing, production, licensing and distribution.
“One thing that I’ve always said is, ‘Why do big studios get to have lot of fun?’ — and by ‘fun’ I mean majority ownership of these assets,” says Sneed, who wants to see that money trickle down not to just partners and creators but budgets. “I have dedicated my career mostly to Black and brown content. And I’d say that about 99 percent of the time it’s been on extremely small budgets.
- 3/14/2023
- by Mikey O'Connell
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
When Full Frontal launched on TBS in 2016, host Samantha Bee’s publicity tour was dogged by questions about her show signifying a shift in the late night comedy space — a space dominated by white men named Jimmy.
It was a media obsession that she tweaked in the premiere, which began with faux reporters peppering her with queries like: “Is it hard breaking into the boys’ club?” and “What’s it like as a female woman?”
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee — an opportunity long overdue for a host who watched as a string of fellow Daily Show correspondents got their own platforms ahead of her — truly was a breakout. It won awards and prompted conversation and controversy.
Though white men named Jimmy still dominate, the late night landscape that Bee leaves now isn’t the same as the one she arrived in; it’s more inclusive.
When Full Frontal launched on TBS in 2016, host Samantha Bee’s publicity tour was dogged by questions about her show signifying a shift in the late night comedy space — a space dominated by white men named Jimmy.
It was a media obsession that she tweaked in the premiere, which began with faux reporters peppering her with queries like: “Is it hard breaking into the boys’ club?” and “What’s it like as a female woman?”
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee — an opportunity long overdue for a host who watched as a string of fellow Daily Show correspondents got their own platforms ahead of her — truly was a breakout. It won awards and prompted conversation and controversy.
Though white men named Jimmy still dominate, the late night landscape that Bee leaves now isn’t the same as the one she arrived in; it’s more inclusive.
- 8/3/2022
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alison Grillo can see both sides of the debate around Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix stand-up special, “Sticks & Stones,” which has been criticized for jokes about Lgbtq people. As a comedian, she thinks Chappelle should be free to joke about anything. But as a trans woman, she said one of his jokes “rankled” her a little bit.
“I wouldn’t say you shouldn’t make jokes about Michael Jackson, or you shouldn’t make jokes about trans people unless you’re trans, or you shouldn’t make jokes about school shootings unless you’ve been in a school shooting. No. I wouldn’t put that level of censorship on anyone,” Grillo told TheWrap.
But she didn’t love a joke in which a character isn’t sure what pronoun to use for trans people: “I guess the most offensive joke I would say, personally, was the joke about the Lgbt people in the car,...
“I wouldn’t say you shouldn’t make jokes about Michael Jackson, or you shouldn’t make jokes about trans people unless you’re trans, or you shouldn’t make jokes about school shootings unless you’ve been in a school shooting. No. I wouldn’t put that level of censorship on anyone,” Grillo told TheWrap.
But she didn’t love a joke in which a character isn’t sure what pronoun to use for trans people: “I guess the most offensive joke I would say, personally, was the joke about the Lgbt people in the car,...
- 9/5/2019
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
The 2018 TCA Awards winners have been announced. Emceed by Robin Thede, host of Bet’s late-night show “The Rundown With Robin Thede”, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Saturday, “The Americans” was the most decorated series of the night. Leading the 34th annual awards show with four nominations, the FX espionage drama, which came to its...
- 8/5/2018
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
The 2018 TCA Awards are all handed out, but there was more to see Saturday than just some trophy presentations. TheWrap was in attendance at the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom, where Robin Thede emceed the annual summer event.
Here’s what else we witnessed:
We’re All Winners!
Well, not really — but here’s the complete list of people who did win.
Also Read: TCA Awards Winners: 'The Americans' Nabs Top Honors, Anthony Bourdain Wins Posthumously
Robin Thede’s New Gig
In July, Bet canceled late-night comedy series “The Rundown With Robin Thede.” On Saturday, Thede was all ours.
To open, Thede asked all in attendance to stand with hands over hearts, then cued the theme song to “The Americans,” our new national anthem. Politics aside, it was the FX thriller’s night. Later in the monologue, Thede cracked jokes about the Trumps, “Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Crown,” Rachel Dolezal,...
Here’s what else we witnessed:
We’re All Winners!
Well, not really — but here’s the complete list of people who did win.
Also Read: TCA Awards Winners: 'The Americans' Nabs Top Honors, Anthony Bourdain Wins Posthumously
Robin Thede’s New Gig
In July, Bet canceled late-night comedy series “The Rundown With Robin Thede.” On Saturday, Thede was all ours.
To open, Thede asked all in attendance to stand with hands over hearts, then cued the theme song to “The Americans,” our new national anthem. Politics aside, it was the FX thriller’s night. Later in the monologue, Thede cracked jokes about the Trumps, “Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Crown,” Rachel Dolezal,...
- 8/5/2018
- by Tony Maglio and Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Chris Rock is moving to “Fargo.”
The comedian will star in season four of FX’s hit limited series “Fargo,” the network announced Friday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour. The critically acclaimed series will begin production next year, for a targeted air date next year as well.
Described as a story of “immigration and assimilation and the things we do for money,” season 4 of “Fargo” is set in 1950 in Kansas City, Missouri, where two criminal syndicates — one Italian, one African-American — have struck an uneasy peace. To cement their peace, the heads of both families have traded their eldest sons. Rock will play the head of one of the syndicates, who has surrendered his son to his enemy, and who must raise his son’s enemy as his own. But then the head of the Kansas City mafia goes into the hospital for routine surgery and dies — and everything changes.
The comedian will star in season four of FX’s hit limited series “Fargo,” the network announced Friday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour. The critically acclaimed series will begin production next year, for a targeted air date next year as well.
Described as a story of “immigration and assimilation and the things we do for money,” season 4 of “Fargo” is set in 1950 in Kansas City, Missouri, where two criminal syndicates — one Italian, one African-American — have struck an uneasy peace. To cement their peace, the heads of both families have traded their eldest sons. Rock will play the head of one of the syndicates, who has surrendered his son to his enemy, and who must raise his son’s enemy as his own. But then the head of the Kansas City mafia goes into the hospital for routine surgery and dies — and everything changes.
- 8/3/2018
- by Debra Birnbaum
- Variety Film + TV
Jimmy Fallon has Friday on his mind.
Fallon’s “Tonight Show” will, starting this evening, try out a few weeks of “hybrid” Friday shows. On Friday broadcasts from July 20 to August 17, NBC will air “Tonight Show” broadcasts featuring an original monologue and Fallon’s popular “Thank You Notes” segments along with celebrity interviews that have aired in the past. NBC says “Tonight” will resume full original episodes on Fridays after Labor Day.
“Tonight” isn’t the first to test the idea. Last summer, CBS’ “Late Show” tested similar hybrid broadcasts on Fridays, combining fresh segments early in the broadcast with recent interviews between guests and the show’s host,, Stephen Colbert. This summer, “Late Show” is airing full original broadcasts on Fridays, according to a spokeswoman for the program. Tonight’s broadcast is scheduled to feature an interview with and performance by Janelle Monae.
Both shows’ efforts suggest late-night producers...
Fallon’s “Tonight Show” will, starting this evening, try out a few weeks of “hybrid” Friday shows. On Friday broadcasts from July 20 to August 17, NBC will air “Tonight Show” broadcasts featuring an original monologue and Fallon’s popular “Thank You Notes” segments along with celebrity interviews that have aired in the past. NBC says “Tonight” will resume full original episodes on Fridays after Labor Day.
“Tonight” isn’t the first to test the idea. Last summer, CBS’ “Late Show” tested similar hybrid broadcasts on Fridays, combining fresh segments early in the broadcast with recent interviews between guests and the show’s host,, Stephen Colbert. This summer, “Late Show” is airing full original broadcasts on Fridays, according to a spokeswoman for the program. Tonight’s broadcast is scheduled to feature an interview with and performance by Janelle Monae.
Both shows’ efforts suggest late-night producers...
- 7/20/2018
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
Last Year’s Winner: “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
Still Eligible: Yes.
Hot Streak: Though the category has only been in existence for three years, only “The Daily Show” or “Daily Show” alumni have won: “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
Fun Fact: To that end, only men named Jon/John have won.
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” has won two years running, and the hit HBO late night series isn’t slowing down in 2018; it’s a major threat to take home the trophy again. But before we get to Phase Two, there are only a few slots up for grabs and quite a few shows looking to fill them.
Of last year’s nominees, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” have only strengthened their cases. “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” has a bit of a controversy to contend with,...
Still Eligible: Yes.
Hot Streak: Though the category has only been in existence for three years, only “The Daily Show” or “Daily Show” alumni have won: “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
Fun Fact: To that end, only men named Jon/John have won.
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” has won two years running, and the hit HBO late night series isn’t slowing down in 2018; it’s a major threat to take home the trophy again. But before we get to Phase Two, there are only a few slots up for grabs and quite a few shows looking to fill them.
Of last year’s nominees, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” have only strengthened their cases. “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” has a bit of a controversy to contend with,...
- 6/20/2018
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
With more news to cover than ever, TV’s late-night talk and variety shows have had their work cut out for them. Luckily — if a bit overwhelming — for us, there are also more talk and variety shows on the air than ever to help us parse through it all. In fact, some of the year’s most poignant news coverage came from usually comedic shows, from Jimmy Kimmel’s earnest Obamacare monologues to John Oliver’s deep dives into decidedly unsexy topics including crisis pregnancy centers and Joe Arpaio’s horrific human-rights record.
Even when not making direct eye contact with the camera to plead some joke-free case, however, late-night hosts have found their own way of dealing with the onslaught of news. On CBS, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” runs on a steady diet of fuming incredulity, while “The Late Late Show With James Corden” opts for explosions of giddy pageantry.
Even when not making direct eye contact with the camera to plead some joke-free case, however, late-night hosts have found their own way of dealing with the onslaught of news. On CBS, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” runs on a steady diet of fuming incredulity, while “The Late Late Show With James Corden” opts for explosions of giddy pageantry.
- 6/18/2018
- by Caroline Framke
- Variety Film + TV
Robin Thede remembers everything about the afternoon last October when she taped the first episode of her Bet late-night series “The Rundown With Robin Thede.”
Wearing a velvet-green suit and black pumps, she strode out onto the stage at CBS Broadcast Center on 57th Street in Manhattan with fierce determination to add the voice of an African-American woman to the late-night TV landscape.
“People kept asking me if I felt nervous or felt pressure,” Thede recalls. “I kept saying, ‘No, I’m ready.’ ”
As momentous as that first taping was for Thede, an equally important moment came months earlier at the “Rundown” production offices across the street from the stage, when her core team of writers and producers assembled for the first full day of work. Thede, a seasoned comedy scribe who was head writer for Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore,” looked around at a staff...
Wearing a velvet-green suit and black pumps, she strode out onto the stage at CBS Broadcast Center on 57th Street in Manhattan with fierce determination to add the voice of an African-American woman to the late-night TV landscape.
“People kept asking me if I felt nervous or felt pressure,” Thede recalls. “I kept saying, ‘No, I’m ready.’ ”
As momentous as that first taping was for Thede, an equally important moment came months earlier at the “Rundown” production offices across the street from the stage, when her core team of writers and producers assembled for the first full day of work. Thede, a seasoned comedy scribe who was head writer for Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore,” looked around at a staff...
- 4/10/2018
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
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