Comedy with Ego Nwodim, Girl Talk on Girl Talk

[00:00:00] Speaker A: I'm doing sugar. [00:00:01] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:00:02] Speaker A: Sweet tooth. [00:00:02] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:00:03] Speaker A: Sugar. Have a sweet tooth. Look. [00:00:05] Speaker B: Oh, my God. Outnumbered. [00:00:07] Speaker A: You're outnumbered. [00:00:08] Speaker B: Welcome to Image Unscripted, the official NAACP Image Awards podcast. Hosted by me, Jemele Hill. Image Unscripted features candid conversations with its brightest black voices, discussing pivotal life moments, giving them their flowers, and how they are advancing the community. And today I'm joined by actress and comedian Ego Wodom. We're talking career milestones from leading projects alongside NBA great Steph Curry to seven seasons on Saturday Night Live where she became the show's seventh black female cast member. We'll also get into what it takes to make comedy in today's landscape, how to keep it culturally relevant and still land with mainstream audiences. Eggo. Welcome to Image Unscripted. So good to see you. [00:00:53] Speaker A: Thank you. [00:00:54] Speaker B: Yeah, you had quite the 2025 year hu. [00:00:58] Speaker A: I did. I really did. 2025 was like 10 years in one for me. I genuinely, I was like, that happened this year. That was this year, like, yeah, it was a big one. [00:01:07] Speaker B: Yeah. So how have you put the year that you've had into perspective? [00:01:11] Speaker A: You know, it feels like a comprehensive year in that it was everything all at once. And I feel like when I think about it, I'm like, that was a year. It was high, it was low. It was being in the east and then being in the west. It was downtime and it was a lot of work. And it just fel felt like such a. Yeah, a comprehensive, all encompassing year. That's really the best way for me to describe. [00:01:35] Speaker B: And it seems like 2026 is going to be a pretty big year for you too, because you have a lot of projects coming up. You have the Hulu series not suitable to work. That was just announced. And so you have a lot of things going on. But before we kind of dive into those projects and obviously people know about your departure from Saturday Night Live, let's talk about these early years. Now, I know you come from a traditional immigrant family, so I didn't know that you were pre med major. Is that correct? [00:02:03] Speaker A: So pre med is not technically a major, but it's a track, if you will. And so I was a biology major, so that covered all the pre med ticking all those boxes. We ticked all those boxes of pre med. Yeah, I studied biology. I have a biology degree. I laugh because I'm like, you can't ask me anything about biology that I could answer. I know that plants eat via photosynthesis. So I learned that in, like, fourth grade. And I learned it for free because I went to public school in fourth grade. [00:02:32] Speaker B: Okay, so why were you thinking biology was the way you wanted to go? [00:02:37] Speaker A: Well, see, it wasn't exactly my idea. Okay, so when you said, I'm from a traditional immigrant family, my mother wanted me to be a doctor. As is the experience of lots of children of immigrants, their parents want them to be doctors. And so I, you know, I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and I wanted to get to LA where the acting happens, just so I could understand how to get in there and get involved. And I knew I wanted to be an actor, I just didn't know how to do it. But I definitely knew I needed to get to the place where it happened. So I hustled to get into usc, worked really hard to do so, got the grades I needed to get, and then the agreement was like, my mom would let me move across the country to LA from Baltimore, where we don't know anyone. If I would be on that pre med track and study, like biology, I could have chose chemistry as well. [00:03:24] Speaker B: There were options, but all within all of them that led to you being a doctor. [00:03:28] Speaker A: Okay, exactly. [00:03:30] Speaker B: So how did that conversation go when you told them you wanted to depart from following a medical school to fully pursuing acting? [00:03:40] Speaker A: My mom was actually supportive, is the truth. So I have this sketch I did at SNL with Daniel Kaluya called Proud Parents, which was like a overly exaggerated version of what it was like to have that conversation with my mom. But, you know, my sister did go to medical school when she wasn't particularly interested in. She's like a genius, though. We're different. It wouldn't have been the same for me, but my sister, she's so smart and it just comes to her naturally. And she's also very studious and likes school. But because I am the youngest, I feel like by the time parents get to the youngest, they're a little like, just don't be a degenerate. Like, the bar is low. So it was like, please stay on the path that we have set for you. But when I told her, she was like, okay, if you can figure this out, but you do need to get that pre med track degree. So you have this insurance policy. But it was actually. My mom is actually quite supportive and always has been. [00:04:34] Speaker B: So you knew that you wanted to pursue acting. Did you know you always wanted to follow the comedy path? [00:04:39] Speaker A: No, I didn't, because I didn't understand because this was such a foreign concept to me in terms of it being a potential career. I like performing. I Didn't know that there were, if you will, specialties of sort, like, doctors have specialties. So I didn't know. I was just like, I wanna act, I wanna entertain. I love acting. I love watching people do it. I loved comedy growing up, but I didn't even understand. I'm like, this is a comedy, and this is a drama. It was like, I'm watching Martin, and I love Martin. We love Martin here. Jamie Foxx show, another favorite. So I didn't know until I started to pursue it that, oh, if you go take an improv class now, you're in the comedy space doing comedy. And I begrudgingly took my first improv class. And so I had no idea. And so I started taking acting classes, and they were dramatic acting classes. I actually even took acting classes at a studio that specialized in comedy. And the teacher of that, or the owner of that school and teacher had a book that was very popular at the time and in that decade for how to do comedy acting. But I was taking drama classes at his studio, so that's how much I did it. And I didn't know what I was doing. I was like, I know I need to get in class. I've heard all the great actors say that you should be in acting class. [00:05:56] Speaker B: So a lot of people think they're funny. And comedy, as you know, is very hard to execute. So when did you know you were funny? [00:06:05] Speaker A: You know, it took someone, a roommate of mine in, like, 2012, maybe, she was subletting a room in this place my sister and I were staying, and she Just for the summer, and she said to me, you're funny. And I was like, is that what that is? Because I just think I'm weird, and I am weird, but the two often go hand in hand. And so I think that was the moment I was like, oh, it's funny is what it is. Cause I think everyone's kind of silly. And so in my mind, everyone could be funny. I'm starting to wonder about that. But at the time, I certainly thought everyone had their silly side and could be funny. So it took this woman, Rose, saying that to me, and she was a stranger to me, essentially. And, like, two weeks into living with me, it was like, you're funny. You're really funny. I was like, oh, okay. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. [00:06:58] Speaker B: So at one point, though, because as we've often heard other actors talk about how they struggled early on, and some actors overcome that struggle, and some of them don't. Did you ever come close to quitting? [00:07:11] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. Yes. Right before I got snl, I had that year been like, oh, my goodness, I'm gonna book a pilot. I'm gonna make my first TV show. I went out to pitch a show, and it's all gonna culminate my birthday week. My birthday's on Friday. This is gonna be the best week ever. And it was the worst week. It was the worst week ever for me at that point. And what happened? I didn't sell the show. Everyone passed, and I didn't cast. I didn't get cast in this role that I felt like was mine. And it was so close. And I was like, in that final stage. Didn't get it. And I was. And at that point, it had been. I got SNL nine years into, you know, taking classes and finding my way. Cause again, I started in dramatic acting classes. And so I was just like, it might be time to do something else. [00:08:02] Speaker B: Might be time to use that biology degree. [00:08:04] Speaker A: I wasn't gonna do that. That's how much I'm telling you. Me and biology, we do not go together. I don't know where that degree is. So I was like, we're not gonna do that. We'll do something else, but maybe it's not gonna be that. That's for sure. I would not be a good doctor. I'll be a fun one. But do you want a fun doctor? [00:08:19] Speaker B: No. The jokes aren't really going to heal you. [00:08:22] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:08:22] Speaker B: I know they say copies, medicine is medicine, but in that case, not medicine. [00:08:28] Speaker A: You want, like, an Advil? But so I. I was like, I need to do something else. But then, you know, I had never gone on vacation either, legitimately, because I was like, vacations are for successful people. My mindset around all this has shifted quite drastically. But I'm like, rest are for people who have earned it. Vacations are for success. Successful people who got it. And I was like, tunnel vision, pursuing this career. And I wasn't going anywhere. I was just, like, focused on the work and being available for the work. If I get an audition, I need to be in town. So when that all came crumbling down and it was like, by this time, I'll have this. And it didn't work out. And after that was nine years deep. I was like, okay, I need to. I need to. I need to go on vacation. [00:09:17] Speaker B: So wait, your response to not having steady work was, I need to go spend some money? [00:09:24] Speaker A: No. But let me tell you what. My friend who was in my improv, he was an improv teammate of mine on our improv group thread. And I was in. A couple had sent this, like, text that from this website. I think it was like, Scott's flights. I don't know, but it was deals. It was deals. And it's like, right now, flights to so and so from this place are only this much. And he sent it to our group and was like, anyone want to go to Hawaii? And then I on the side, because it was like, flights from LA to Hawaii are currently $197 on United. And I was like, you know What? I have $197. I do have that. And so I booked a flight to Hawaii on my own. And then I invited two friends. After I immediately went to the website was like, I'm booking this flight. I need to go somewhere. I need to. Because me staying put and being like, I got to be available and ready at all times was not working. Clearly, at that point, I didn't have a job. I went. And that was really healing because then I was in the ocean and I was like, nothing matters. It was amazing. It was so healing. I was like, nothing matters. This is so crazy. This feels great. I'm like, this feels nice. And you have to leave room for humanity and to be a human and to live a life as well. And I didn't have that balance. But then I come back from Hawaii, and then I had met Kevin Hart. He was gonna EP a show of mine, which was so exciting, and we were getting an offer to do that show, and I was like, this is all looking up. This is exciting. And then I got SNL instead, like, two months later. Wow. Like, weeks later. Yeah. [00:10:57] Speaker B: Wow. So was. Were you surprised that you got Saturday Night Live? Cause I know they have quite a rigorous audition process. So was that something that you thought, hey, I got a really good shot at this? [00:11:09] Speaker A: Well, I had tested for SNL in 2016. So, you know, as, you know, final stage audition, essentially, like, at that point, you've signed a contract. Like, if we choose you, this is what you be getting paid. This is what the weeks look like. And so in 2016, I tested for SNL. I didn't get it. And by this point, was I surprised? Not so much. I had done my One Women show the year before and leading up to this great Black Women. And Then There's Me was the name of the show, and I had honed my comedic voice, and I just knew my voice so well from having done all the years of comedy at that point that I had done, and from doing the One Woman show and writing it all myself. And I wrote a Lot of things that did not make it into the show. And by that point, I felt like I did have the skillset to do that job. So I, and I, and I had this like, premonition. I just, I did feel like I was like, I feel like I'm gonna get it if I test for it. If I agree to test for this, I feel like I'm gonna get it. Is that what I wanna do? Do I wanna just go down this path with Kevin and make this show that because of my lack of experience, may not be great, but it'll be mine and I'll get to learn so much, like hands, have so much hands on experience here and have so much ownership, or do I want to go down this path? And I obviously went down the SNL path. But I don't know if I would say I was surprised. That's not. I would be lying if I said [00:12:36] Speaker B: I was like, yes, I was going to get that. Yeah, yeah, that's right. [00:12:41] Speaker A: At that point, at that point, specifically, if I had gotten it in 2016, I do think I would have been like, oh, my gosh, where did this come from? This is crazy. This wasn't even on my radar. I'm surprised, but by that point, less surprised. [00:12:51] Speaker B: So you just used an interesting phrase. You said comedic voice. How did you find your comedic voice? [00:12:57] Speaker A: From doing improv. From doing improv. And I started in improv and from that, improv and sketch go hand in hand. Usually people who do improv do sketch comedy. And so from doing that and the reps, I devoted a lot of time to doing improv. And you don't get paid to do improv. In fact, you pay people to do improv improv. Like I'm paying to do this. Not only the classes, the coaches, the stage time. So I. It was, it was reps and, and, you know, performing with different kinds of people because I had multiple improv teams and then I was on multiple. I was on one sketch team and they're like family still to me, honestly. And. And then writing my one woman show, figuring out what I actually think is funny and not what I think anybody wants me to do or what they're looking for from me. It was like, what do I think is funny? And so at that point I felt I had honed my comedic voice because I had all that time. And those reps who were some of [00:13:55] Speaker B: your early influences, like as you were developing your voice. [00:13:58] Speaker A: Well, while I was developing my voice, I don't know if, I mean, I was going to UCB Theater and watching other improvisers who don't do what I do, but were very funny. But I can say, growing up, I really. I mean, I loved Martin. I loved the Jamie Foxx show, like, love, love, love. And so those. Those two, I would say, were just. Those were the beacons to me of comedy, those two. Yeah. [00:14:24] Speaker B: I still watch Martin almost every day. [00:14:26] Speaker A: Yeah, right. It's like I have a friend who [00:14:28] Speaker B: does, too, as a guy. I don't know what it is. It's like, I still watch it every day. So you got to tell me now, what's your favorite Martin episode? [00:14:33] Speaker A: Oh, goodness. [00:14:36] Speaker B: Or one of your favorites. [00:14:37] Speaker A: Yeah, but I'm trying to. So. Because favorite is tough. [00:14:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:39] Speaker A: Gina. The swollen. [00:14:43] Speaker B: It was. It's almost reminiscent of the. What the vitamin vegamin, like with Lucille Ball. Oh, my God. I'm a thousand years old. By referencing that. [00:14:51] Speaker A: Oh, my God, don't tell on your. [00:14:52] Speaker B: I know, I know. [00:14:53] Speaker A: I'll say to people, not my mama's biscuits. And some of them don't know what I'm talking about. [00:14:57] Speaker B: Wow. My mama bird, I love. Okay, we can't go off into a tangent. [00:15:04] Speaker A: I'll go. We'll go back and forth. That's why. [00:15:06] Speaker B: Yep. [00:15:06] Speaker A: I'll go. [00:15:07] Speaker B: I'll go too deep into the. Well, but, you know, nevertheless, you said, like, you were developing your comic voice, figuring out what was funny. You know, how do you figure that out as a comedian, as somebody who's a comedic actress? Is that this I know will be funny? Like, what's that process like? [00:15:22] Speaker A: Well, because I don't know if it's so much. Well, I can tell you, like, when writing sketches. When writing sketches doesn't make you laugh. And sometimes the funny thing is. [00:15:32] Speaker B: Or that's how you know it's funny. [00:15:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Is it like, it's making me laugh, honestly, That I know. So even when we rewrite sketches at snl, I would be like, we do rewrite tables, and it's like half of the writing staff. Cause it's divided on floor because there's so many sketches to go through once we have decided what the show is. And you have a. The beauty of a rewrite table is you have some of the funniest people, the writers, the cast who are involved in that particular piece. They're there, and people are pitching jokes. Now it's a bigger group pitching jokes as opposed to the smaller group who wrote the initial draft. So now it's a bigger group, and it's kind of a test audience, and somebody will pitch a Joke and the whole table erupts in laughter. And now we've heard, now this is snl. We have heard a lot of jokes, kind of desensitized to jokes. So when the whole room erupts in laughter, you're like, that's funny. I'm writing that down. We're including that. That is my first metric of this is going to be funny. Now, sometimes we as a room are laughing at something that we take to an audience in because maybe it's too inside baseball or they don't have the context for it. It's not as funny, but we could usually discern that as well. But for me, it's. Does it make me laugh when I think of the idea and in that rewrite table, is it making the group laugh? Did all of us erupt into laughter? And sometimes when we were writing in those smaller groups before that big table, it would make the three of us who are writing this piece laugh. Or even when I was coming up at ucb, it would make three of us laugh. And we could go, we might go, oh, I don't know if we should go with that. I don't know. And it's like, why are we policing ourselves that way? We're like, it just made us laugh. It just made us laugh. And we're like, we need to try to beat that. But that was close enough. And I'm like, but it just made all of us laugh. That's the tell. Like, we all just laughed. [00:17:14] Speaker B: So did you know right away that Lisa from Temecula was going to be funny? [00:17:19] Speaker A: Listen, I. The writers of that sketch, Alex English, Gary Richardson and Michael Che, God bless them, wrote me that sketch. And it was a gift that had come to me. And I normally was at that point too. In my tenure at snl, I was so involved in the creation of, of any sketch that I was sort of starring in. And I had surrendered. I was like, I don't know, you guys want to write this sketch? Go. And normally I'd be like, okay, so she's got this extra well done steak. What happens from there? So, okay, that's a great idea. But then what? But then what? And I was like, I'm going to let them go do their thing. And they did their thing and they brought me the sketch before table read, I got to read it. And it's when. In the physical comedy of it, when I was actually at table read, which is where we, we kind of auditioned the piece properly when I was doing it at table read, the physicality of it Mimicking it. Cause they got a steak delivered to me at table to do this with. I was like, well, now I'm laughing. Yeah. So I knew it was funny. It was really funny. But the crazy thing is I was laughing so hard I couldn't get through the sketch at table read. And I thought, well, that was fun to do at table read, but they probably won't pick it for the show. But, like, I don't even know what made me think that. Cause it was like, this is clearly fun. Again, we're all laughing. I'm laughing, but my mind was like, that was fun. I couldn't get through it. They probably won't pick it. I couldn't even finish. I couldn't get through the sketch. But. So in that moment, I knew it was funny. But did I know if they'd let us do it? I did it. Yeah. [00:18:49] Speaker B: Well, we were talking about Martin a moment ago, and I think some of the funniest Martin sketches is seeing the other actors try not to break. And in Lisa from Temecula, you see Pedro Pascal is trying his hardest not. Not to break. So when that. When you're doing that sketch, obviously live, and you see him doing that, how did that impact how you sort of carried out that sketch? [00:19:15] Speaker A: I mean, I love to play. I am an incredibly silly person. And it's funny people even I came up with in comedy who maybe had never hung out with me individually or a more intimate setting. I just remember the story, one of them being, like, having hung out with me and a friend being like, he was a lot goofier than I. And I'm like, we do comedy together. You didn't know that, but, like, spent a day going to lunch with me and my friend was like, that's a goofy bitch. The good kind of goofy. The good kind of goofy. So that sketch, specifically, when they were laughing like that, it was fun for me, too. I was tickled. I was tickled. I mean, I almost broke as well. To be clear, to set the record straight. I mean, if you know me, I have a weird laugh at times. And so actually my laugh just sounds like I'm running out of breath. And so I'm actually tried. I'm trying not to break myself, but it was just mayhem and fun. And that sketch we did at the very end of that night, the 10 to 1 sketch, and it's the last few minutes of the show, it's a sketch that often gets cut down from its original length drastically in order to make it fit into the show. Last minute, they Slashed a lot of the original sketch. And so I'm having fun. I am seeing them do that. I almost break. Cause I'm just being obnoxious. Cause at that slot, I was just feeling particularly, one, surprised we were doing it. Cause it almost got cut. And two, so I wasn't even mentally prepared to do it, to be honest. And then two, once I'm doing it, I was just like, is this. I don't even know. I didn't even know if the cameras. I mean, I knew they were rolling, but I'm like, is this still on air? Cause sometimes a sketch gets cut off at the middle. You don't even know. We were just playing. And so it was so fun. That was such pure joy to me. [00:21:01] Speaker B: Well, and, you know, another one of your hallmarks is obviously impressions. And you know, your impression of Maya Angelou and Dionne Warwick, especially Dionne Warwick are pretty legendary and iconic. But these are also two very beloved black women that you are, you know, sort of poking just a little bit of fun at. So when you're dealing with somebody that beloved, how do you approach how to do an impression of them? [00:21:28] Speaker A: Well, an impression is always, at least for me, supposed to come from love. It's from admiration of that person. They obviously have a unique first, they're usually well known. And which is to say you're a legend. We're doing an impression of you. You have made a mark on culture. And then two is they have these unique qualities to them that you go, that would be fun to toy with, whether it's the cadence with which they speak or the what they speak about. And that's for me, I'm like, it's always meant to come from love. Like, it doesn't need to be mean spirited. So that's. It was. Those were easy to tow because also Ms. Dionne. Ms. Dion, in her tweets that she. She was feeding, like, we just had to mimic literally what Ms. Diod was tweeting. Love her. Yeah. [00:22:16] Speaker B: And so how did you respond knowing that she saw the sketch? [00:22:20] Speaker A: Yes. [00:22:20] Speaker B: She was in a sketch with you. She was in a sketch with you too. Yes, Correct. So what was that like, the fact that she was in the sketch with you and she also enjoyed. [00:22:29] Speaker A: Was the day after the first Dionne Warwick talk show. And I wake up and somebody's like, she's tweeted one of my closest friends, Rashida. I adore her. She printed out this tweet response that Ms. Dion had. It still sits on the vanity in my bedroom in a frame that My friend got me, but it was like, you did a wonderful job, baby. You're a star. And it was so. It made me. My heart beam because I was like, she understood. This comes from love. This comes from admiration. She is so fun, obviously, on Twitter at the time, and she's like, yeah, she felt like. She felt honored, enjoyed it. And it's just the longevity of her career and how relevant she was able to stay from the time she started to now is incredible. And so I felt so honored. It made me feel so, so happy. To wake up to be like, she loves it. That's incredible. And then to know that she wanted to come on the show, so that happened because I DMed her, and I was like, you really want to come? Okay, this week. Okay, let's try to make it happen. And so I feel eternally grateful for. For embracing that impression. [00:23:36] Speaker B: I mean, not every sketch goes viral, and just because it doesn't go viral doesn't mean it's not funny. But does that give you some sense of maybe added validation if something becomes something that people really, really respond to, as they did with that Meg the Salion, another one that people really responded to? [00:23:54] Speaker A: Yeah. Thank you. Yes. It's affirming. It's affirming. It's nice to know that your work resonates and this thing that you think is funny because you're in a room writing it on your own or with two other people or other person. It starts. There is like, oh, there's a really broad audience for this, and they're sharing it far and wide. Like, someone saw this in an age where there's so much content out there and there's so much to watch, and there's so many funny Internet comedians, and there's so many funny comedians we know and love, and there's so many different mediums in which people can consume content for people to go, I enjoy this enough to share it with four friends, and then that person, then those four share it with another four is. Is amazing. And that feels. It just feels very affirming. [00:24:37] Speaker B: How was it working with Meg, thee stallion? Just because obviously she's not an actor, not in comedy. But that. That sketch was hilarious. So how was. How was that? [00:24:46] Speaker A: She's so fun. Yeah. Love, Megan. Love Megan. Loved when she came to snl. Her energy, so just so warm and inviting and ready to play, which is, I feel like, the right way to approach that show, but that's just how she is. Every time I've seen her, even out in the wild, I'm like, she's so kind. And so it was really fun to get to do that sketch with her. She immediately understood the assignment. And there's this moment in that sketch where she adjusts her wig. I was like, come on, girl, make a choice. I love. I'm like, she is a comedian. I'm like, she made that choice that was not in the script. And I love it. The unstated moment, as they would have taught me in my dramatic acting class, she said, okay, let me get this. Literally adjusted the wig. Love her. And it was so fun. And she was the exact right person for that sketch. You know, I had written that iteration of, of that sketch my first season at snl and it just wasn't quite right. But the idea was there. And then these writers, I think, I don't remember what year that was, my tenure there, maybe fifth season, I believe maybe we ended up rewriting it and making tweaks to it. And then there's obviously some topical parts of that sketch as well that you see at the bottom of the screen. And that feels cool too. That's another thing that would happen regularly there. It's like you have this idea, but. But it's not the right time. It's not the right version of it. It's not quite the right host. And so very grateful I got to do that with her and that people like it. [00:26:13] Speaker B: I mean, you know, SNL obviously has been an institution. And when you're coming into something that is considered a institution, like how long did it take you to get comfortable there? [00:26:26] Speaker A: You know, it takes time for anyone, I will say, because it's an institution. That show, speaking of comedic voices, has its own comedic voice. Okay. And it was a 44 year old institution when I arrived that very much had its comedic voice, had its audience and the audience understood this is what we can expect from this show. Then I had my comedic voice. And this is the task of any new cast member there is to figure out how to hone, excuse me, how to marry their comedic voice to that of the show. And so it took time. It took time. There were moments where I'm like, I think I got it. I think I figured it out. I think I figured out how to make my voice sort of work here and fit into what exists, but also still remain myself. But to feel comfortable, I don't know if you ever feel totally comfortable. And that's a little bit of the magic of the place, to be honest, because. Because it's ever changing week to week. And what worked last week may not for a myriad of reasons. Work the following week. And so it keeps you on your toes. So I don't know if I would ever use the word comfortable, but you just start to understand the voice of the show more as what I would say happens. [00:27:49] Speaker B: You were one of eight black women who have been on Saturday Night Live. You know, I think there's a perception, I guess, in our community that that's not necessarily a space for our comedy all the time. And so. But it seems like you were able to bring our type of comedy to that space along with, you know, just general, relatable comedy. So how did you approach that part of it in terms of how to bring this sort of element, a blackness to snl, which kind of has struck with that over the years? [00:28:22] Speaker A: Well, thank you for saying what you said. I appreciate that. I took that job. I really wanted to represent for black women, given the figure you just shared, me being one of eight black women, being the seventh black woman on the cast, I really was excited to represent. I'm like, I literally came up in sketch and improv. It's what I did. And I was. Often times it wasn't the most diverse community coming up in improv and sketch, but I really loved it. And it was also. I'm like, this is what it's like. Me and my siblings. This is what me and my cousins are like when I'm doing improv. I'm like, is this what this is called? So I didn't know what improv was also, initially, I did not know what that was. There was a name for that. I'm like, this is what me and my friends, so we talk to each other on the phone. This is us playing with each other. And so it was really. I felt honored to get to represent for us. And I genuinely felt I had the skillset to do so and do so well. And it was a joy to get to do that. And because I understood how sketch comedy worked. And the, you know, SNL often finds talent via UCB Theater, which is where I came up the Ground Links, which is where a lot of other cast members came up. A lot of them, Second City and I.O. west at the time. And so I came from one of those four improv SO schools. And I go, I understand that they're pulling from these places. And I've come up in one of these places. And so I think I'll understand how the process works, because it's a hard process for anyone. But then imagine being a black woman in that space. Right. So it was it was. I just felt I had the skill set and I. It was really important to me to represent and also to have my fun and bring my full self to all that I am, all Nigerian, black woman to the show and also just comedic talent, just period, you know, represent all that I am and represent women. And so I was just bringing myself to it. [00:30:22] Speaker B: Speaking of that representation, I think one of the banner moments was seeing you on the show when Eddie Murphy returned to host the show. So what was that experience? [00:30:34] Speaker A: Yes. Whew. That was fun. That was unreal. That was really unreal. Surreal. You know, watching him at our table read, I genuinely was like, I'm watching a master at work because not only do I know his resume and did I. Not only did I grow up watching him, that's another we nutty professor on loop. In my house during childhood, my mom had those VHSs. My mom had really good taste. In retrospect, I got to call her to be like, you really put me onto some stuff. She did, that lady. But watching him was like watching a master at work. Not just because of his resume, just because I was like, oh, my goodness, the way he performs and the level of comfort and confidence with which he performs and there's just a mastery I'm witnessing is so cool because also I found Eddie Murphy to be quite reserved and introverted. And I was like, but then he's just an incredible talent. And I think people expect that any comedian is super extroverted and out there, but his work was just so grounded and real, but. But then so funny at table. And so I just felt so honored to be there. And at certain times, my castmate Heidi Gardner, in the seven year tenure after Eddie came. So I would say in the last three years of my tenure would remind me, like, sometimes I have to tell myself, we have, hey, go. We have the same job Eddie Murphy had. That's crazy. What an honor. [00:32:00] Speaker B: Well, to that end, I mean, you talked extensively about your decision to leave Saturday Night Live and saying that it hasn't been a place where they've certainly had black comedians that have come through there, but that's generally a tough job for us to get. So how much did that factor or weigh on you as you made your decision to leave? Like, man, a lot of black people don't even get here. And here I am. I'm leaving it. So how much did that. Did you think about that? [00:32:30] Speaker A: I don't think I consider that, to be honest. When leaving, I think I think I did what I had hoped to do. For the culture. And I think that I represented. And you have to. The cast evolves. Right. And that's how the longevity of the show is a function of that. And it wasn't there. I wasn't there to like, stake my claim on the show as the show's black woman. I was there to showcase our ability because we know some of the conversations around that long before I got there. And so I wanted to be like, oh, no, we could do that. We do this. And now there's room for someone else, another black woman to do it. And there's room for another woman of color to do it and to showcase that the talent is out there. And I think that I got to showcase that. And I'm so excited to see who shows up next to the show. But I also wanted to create space for myself. And in creating space for myself, which was my priority, I'm now creating space for someone else to also have that opportunity because it's a very cool opportunity. Opportunity. There's nothing like it. [00:33:32] Speaker B: So as you now have pivoted out of Saturday Night Live, you know, what are you finding so far in terms of, you know, does it feel a little weird? Does it, like, how have you adjusted to this post SNL life? [00:33:48] Speaker A: It's like a recalibration. I've spent seven years with a very specific schedule and basically non stop or I don't know how many hours a week we work, but it's a lot of. It's a lot of hours and a lot of eating candy. And so I'm like, I am recalibrating all fronts. Okay. [00:34:06] Speaker B: Recalibrating your diet as well. [00:34:07] Speaker A: Okay. Yes. I'm like, man, the candy. And I have a bad sweet tooth. And the candy would just be all around and people would give me candy, gift it to me. Anyway, so recalibrating. And it's, it's nice. It's just like, like I said, creating space. It's different because I've remained busy. I feel very fortunate for that. I like working. That's why, partially, I was very well suited for that place because I'm like, I love working. They work at that show. We worked. And so I'm working. I'm still busy. It's just a different kind of busy. And I might be able to go to somebody's wedding now. [00:34:40] Speaker B: Oh, that's right. Cause Saturdays are off limits. [00:34:42] Speaker A: Yes, off limits. Off limits. I missed my brother's wedding, which was Devastation Nation for me. My second week at SNL, I was in my dressing room crying. I FaceTimed him, and I was like, you look so handsome. Yeah. [00:34:56] Speaker B: Well, nevertheless, in what ways? After doing a show like that, now that you are, you know, out here, as you said, creating space for yourself, what areas do you feel like you really improved or grown and. Or much more versatile than you were seven or eight years ago? [00:35:12] Speaker A: I feel like professionally I can handle anything. That is what I have been prepared for. Just all the experiences I was afforded at snl, the hard things, the. The. The just purely enjoyable things. I feel it was a full experience in that way. And so now I feel prepared to face whatever else comes my way professionally. And that feels really nice to be like, I have trained for this life. I have really trained at the highest level for this life. And that feels very empowering. And so I just feel very excited to continue my podcast. Thanks, dad. We're on season two. Enjoying that, having those conversations with my. I guess doing Mindy Kaling's NSFW Little Brother for Netflix with John Cena and Eric Andre, I just feel like I'm able to take all that I learned, all that I experienced and use it to show up in these other places in the way that I want to. [00:36:12] Speaker B: I don't know if you do, like, vision boards or anything, but when you think about exciting things, you want to try now. Like, what are some ways in which you want to stretch yourself in this industry that people might not people that might surprise people? [00:36:27] Speaker A: You know, I think I. Drama. Because, remember, I came up. [00:36:31] Speaker B: That's how you started. [00:36:32] Speaker A: You know, this now from our conversation, but I started taking dramatic acting classes I would really like to do. I think that might surprise people, but then I think it might not. Because every once in a while someone goes, do you do drama? Because I could see it in your. In your sketch, like, and if you're paying attention, I do try to be grounded. So at times, unless I'm cutting a steak and then my foot is on the chair, because imagine someone really doing that at a restaurant. I was really thinking about that. [00:36:55] Speaker B: I mean, it was. [00:36:56] Speaker A: That thing fell on the ground, sounded like a hockey puck. That was not planned anyway. But I think drama, that would be really fun. [00:37:04] Speaker B: Yeah. As a. You know, sometimes when. When people, you know, sort of leave legacy places, something I know about, you know, of my time at at espn, that they get a little anxiety about, you know, what's out there. But it sounds like you were fully prepared for this, for this moment. So, you know, what would you say has been instrumental in terms of you preparing for this, like, next stage? [00:37:29] Speaker A: Of your career. I mean, first of all, pursuing a career in acting is so unpredictable. And you say you want to be an actor, but you don't have a job. You don't know how you're going to do it. Nothing about the process or the career trajectory is linked. And so it's not so unfamiliar to me to go, I'm gonna dive into the unknown. It's what I did when I moved across the country, and then when I was like, I'm not gonna go to medical school after I graduate, I'm gonna just figure this out. And so it doesn't feel unfamiliar to me, and it doesn't feel particularly scary to me because I'm like, it's the very way the whole thing began for me. It's unknown, and you're just taking a risk and you're having. When you say, what's been instrumental is my faith. I believe in God's ability to make whatever happen for me. And I believe God has equipped me with all that I need for this journey. And I have an incredible family, an incredible friend group. My life. It feels good. Yeah. [00:38:30] Speaker B: Now, there's been so many conversations in the comedy community about whether or not you can be edgy. In today's political climate, comedy landscape, however you wanna look at it, what are your thoughts on that? [00:38:44] Speaker A: I think you can be edgy. It just depends what edge you're trying to get to. How close to the edge. How close to the edge are you trying to be? But I think you can absolutely be edgy, and there's ways to do it. And some nuance is lost on some people, and you have to be okay with that. If you wanna get close to the edge, go, okay. The nuance here might be lost on some people, and you might get so close to the edge that you're like, no, I'm at. And we're all human, and everyone's sorting it out, some people better than others. [00:39:14] Speaker B: But, yeah, it seemed like there used to be. Well, I won't say used to be, but there was this sort of perception about whether or not women could be funny. And it feels like a very outdated, misogynistic perception. But as somebody who's in the field, do you still feel like female comedians and comedic actresses that are women, that they're still facing that stereotype? [00:39:37] Speaker A: I'm sure they are. I can speak to my experience, which is. I'm sure that has. I've been in rooms where that's the case, or I've. I mean, even coming up in comedy at times, Whether intentionally or subconsciously, people kind of disregarding what I say in an improv scene. I personally am like, it's. That is a reflection of you and not of me. You sort that out for yourself. I know I'm funny. Um, so that's. That's how I feel about it. [00:40:06] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm of the opinion that black people are the funniest people on earth, especially the way we can turn something truly awful into something really hilarious. [00:40:18] Speaker A: I'm sure you get to see that on the Internet. [00:40:19] Speaker B: Yes. [00:40:20] Speaker A: The stuff I see on the Internet, I'm like, there's some comedians on there. [00:40:23] Speaker B: There really are. [00:40:24] Speaker A: And they work at an office job. And I'm like, some. I'm like, we need to recruit you. Come do truly. Sometimes I see threads, and I'm like, this person needs to be in contact. [00:40:33] Speaker B: Well, why do you think laughter has been such a staple and something that has been such an integral part of who we are as black people? [00:40:42] Speaker A: The need for joy. The need for joy. You need to have. I feel the antidote to so much of what we experience is joy to counter that. And just anybody. You imagine having a bad day, just like, super. I'm oversimplifying here, but you have a bad day and someone makes you laugh, how good does that feel? And I'm thinking about. I was a big fan of Patrice o'. Neal. I remember having a really bad day, and I had never seen Elephant in the Room. And this is, like, right when I had started to get into comedy, and I watched Elephant in the Room, and I was cackling, and I was in the awful mood, and I was cackling at the end of it. I was like, how powerful is that? That this person was just able to transform my mood? What a gift. And I feel grateful that I have ever been able to do that for even one person, like, somewhere on the planet, I hope. And I think it's because you just. You need something to counter the rest. Yeah. [00:41:43] Speaker B: I mean, we Talked about the 5011 projects that you're doing and everything. And while we're on the topic of joy, you know, where do you find your joy? Or, you know, what do you do for fun? How do you sort of get that balance? [00:41:56] Speaker A: I like to eat out. I love to eat out. My mother tried to train me as a child not to eat out. It didn't work. I'd be at these restaurants, okay. Ordering in all the time. I truly eating a good meal brings me, I think, an unconventional amount of joy. Unconventional, but also my friends. I have Such. Again, I have such a great community of supportive, wonderful, fantastic, genuine people. We just. We'll be on the phone just laughing about God knows what, anything, and that is the best. My family, I have two nieces there just to play with them, and they don't give a damn about what I do. They don't care. That's so fun. Yeah. I think it's the people in my life and the food. Yeah. That's where I get my choice. [00:42:43] Speaker B: Okay, so I know where to get restaurant recommendations from. [00:42:45] Speaker A: Hit me up. I take pride in it. [00:42:47] Speaker B: All right, Ego, before I get you out of here, here. Going to play a little game with you, cuz, like all great podcasts end with a game of some sort. Something that'll put you on the spot. This is where the controversy happens. [00:42:57] Speaker A: Okay. [00:42:58] Speaker B: Going to play a little game called this or that. [00:42:59] Speaker A: Okay. [00:43:00] Speaker B: All right. [00:43:01] Speaker A: Usually, like. Oh, is that an option? Yes. [00:43:06] Speaker B: Spades or uno? [00:43:09] Speaker A: Spades. You see my. [00:43:13] Speaker B: I, I. [00:43:13] Speaker A: With both of them. [00:43:14] Speaker B: Okay. All righty. Okay. Though I'm convinced that Uno starts more fights now. [00:43:18] Speaker A: Uno does start a lot of fights. Like you. You got to have security play by funny rules. Like, what do you never heard of this version? [00:43:26] Speaker B: Right. Okay. Soft Life or Hustle season? [00:43:30] Speaker A: You know I'm saying? Soft life. Heard that story. I told you. Yes. Soft life. [00:43:36] Speaker B: Standup or improv? [00:43:38] Speaker A: Improv for me. Yeah. [00:43:39] Speaker B: Okay. Impressions or original characters? [00:43:43] Speaker A: Original characters. Mm. [00:43:45] Speaker B: Now, this is the controversy. [00:43:48] Speaker A: Uh. [00:43:48] Speaker B: Oh, sugar on grits or salt on grits? [00:43:54] Speaker A: Oh, can I ask. [00:43:55] Speaker B: Can I ask. [00:43:56] Speaker A: Apollo up. Is there shrimp involved? [00:43:59] Speaker B: There's no shrimp involved. You just taking them grits as they come? [00:44:03] Speaker A: I'm doing sugar. [00:44:04] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:44:05] Speaker A: Sweet tooth. Oh, my God. You have a sweet tooth. [00:44:08] Speaker B: Oh, my God. Outnumbered. [00:44:10] Speaker A: She outnumbered. I used to. You outnumbered? [00:44:13] Speaker B: Squad that squad. You know what? You're a heathen and a communist, and I can't help you. And I can't help you. [00:44:20] Speaker A: Can. I threw you the title of the episode. [00:44:23] Speaker B: You got a heathen, or today we got a heathen and a communist. It's salt, pepper, cheese. That's it. If you wanted sugar, get cream of wheat. [00:44:30] Speaker A: Okay. [00:44:31] Speaker B: All right. That is sugar on grits. It's cream of weed. [00:44:34] Speaker A: Sweet tooth. I put sugar on my popcorn. [00:44:37] Speaker B: What? [00:44:37] Speaker A: What? You've never heard of it? [00:44:41] Speaker B: No. [00:44:41] Speaker A: It's essentially homemade kettle corn. [00:44:44] Speaker B: Okay, well, that's like the hood version of kettle corn. [00:44:47] Speaker A: You like I just put some sugar on there. Yeah, you can put sugar on anything. [00:44:50] Speaker B: You know, that's kind of ghetto. [00:44:51] Speaker A: I ain't going to lie. That's kind of ghetto. You know what? [00:44:53] Speaker B: That, that's Baltimore right there. [00:44:56] Speaker A: And listen, born and raised proudly. You know what? Proudly. [00:45:01] Speaker B: The farthest I will go is putting Raisinets in the box. Popcorn, Raisinette chocolate and now. [00:45:06] Speaker A: What are you talking about? [00:45:07] Speaker B: Raisinets and a popcorn. [00:45:08] Speaker A: Now, where are you from? [00:45:10] Speaker B: I'm from Detroit. [00:45:11] Speaker A: Okay. [00:45:13] Speaker B: Very, very like minded with Baltimore, that's for sure. All right, in terms of cut, rewrite, or make it into a movie. Lisa from Temecula. The Meg the Stallion sketch or the Dionne Warwick impression. Impression. [00:45:29] Speaker A: Cut, rewrite, make it. So this is our version of Mary Kill. [00:45:33] Speaker B: Yeah, it is. [00:45:33] Speaker A: Okay. Rewrite, make it into a movie. A movie. A movie. A movie. A movie. What's. It's Lisa from Temecula. Girl. A movie is Lisa from Temecula. Okay, I need to see her in court. Say she got court in the morning. Like, girl, whose lawyer are you? Okay, okay. That's the. [00:45:50] Speaker B: And you need to see her at a restaurant too, right? [00:45:52] Speaker A: With her extra. [00:45:53] Speaker B: Well, well, well done steak. Okay. Got you. [00:45:55] Speaker A: Okay. Okay, Rewrite. Ooh, I'm not. Because I think the girl sketch is perfect, if I may say so myself. I don't want to rewrite it. I'm going to have to say rewrite. Dionne Warwick talk show. [00:46:10] Speaker B: Okay, so you cut and beg the stallion. [00:46:12] Speaker A: But I'm not cutting her. I'm cutting the girl sketch because I think as it exists, it's perfect. We saw it, we loved it, we understood it. [00:46:21] Speaker B: Okay. Girl, girl, girl, girl, girl. [00:46:26] Speaker A: So. Yes, but I don't like that you made me do that to my children. That's right. [00:46:31] Speaker B: That was. That was wrong of me. [00:46:32] Speaker A: That was really wrong. [00:46:32] Speaker B: That's okay. That's the way things go. Your podcast does you. You know how this. You know how this routine is. All right, that is it for this episode of Image Unscripted and NAACP Image Awards production. Huge thanks again to EGO W for pulling up and keeping it real with me. Thank you. If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with a friend. Subscribe and watch on YouTube. And if you're listening, set your alerts on your podcast platforms so you do not miss the next episode. I will catch you next time. Keep it black, Keep it brilliant. Keep it unscripted. [00:47:13] Speaker A: It.