April 25, 2024 • 32 mins
When comedian and “Daily Show” senior correspondent Dulcé Sloan began her memoir “Hello Friends: Stories of Dating, Destiny, and Day Jobs,” she started with the jokes that were too long to tell on stage. She talks with Danielle and Simone about not being famous enough, the tight-knit comedy community, and the perks of growing up in Atlanta. Plus, Caitlin Clark is set to sign a $28 million deal with Nike, Anne Hathaway opened up about a “gross” chemistry test in the 2000’s, and Hello Sunshine’s Mother’s Day gift guide is here.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello Sunshine.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Hey besties. Today on the bright side, we're getting real
with comedian and actress Still Say Sloan. She's here to
tell us how to live life unapologetically. It's Thursday, April
twenty fifth.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
I'm Simone Boyce, I'm Danielle Robey, and this is the
bright side from Hello Sunshine.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
All Right, see money.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
We recently talked about Caitlin Clark's ridiculously low WNBA salary,
and we weren't the only ones talking about it. The
whole Internet blew up over it. She's making less than
one hundred thousand dollars a year for her first four
years in the league.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
But we have some good news today.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
She's apparently getting ready to sign a twenty eight million
dollar deal with Nike and it's going to include her
signature shoe.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, guess that little paltry salary doesn't matter anymore, does it?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
It still matters to me.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I want these WNBA players to be making proper money
like the men are.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
I mean, the men I think make too much money.
I want teachers to make that much money.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
But yeah, I mean, it's systemic issue that's going to
take some time to change. But I'm just happy that
that little number is going to pale in comparison to
what she's going to make from this shoe deal. So
I love that for her.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Are you rocking the shoes?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
I got to see what they look like, but I
want to say yes.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
I actually sometimes don't care what shoes look like when
they're designed by women like Melody Asani has really great
Jordan's and those I actually really love, but sometimes I
think they're ugly. But I want to support the women's shoes,
so I buy them anyways.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
It's very selfless of you, Danielle. Okay, Danielle, I can't
stop thinking about this wild interview that Anne Hathaway gave
to V magazine. It's not really that the interview is wild,
but what she revealed is so shocking to me. She
talks about breaking into the industry back in the early
two thousands, and I had no idea how inappropriate the
chemistry tests were. Back then.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
We knew about the casting couch. We did not know
about the chemistry test exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
This is that other layer of the onion that didn't
quite get peeled back during the me too movement, the
height of that. But so these chemistry tests. That's when
casting directors they put two actors together to see if
the sparks are going to fly on screen. But back
in the early two thousands, producers would force actresses like
Anne Hathaway to make out with the guys who are
testing for the role. So she could be kissing up
(02:18):
to ten strangers in one day of work.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
She's not on the Bachelor exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
She's not a contestant on the Bachelor. She's a professional actor.
This is so insulting to me, and she found it
gross at the time too, But she was worried about
being labeled as difficult. I mean, how many women can
relate to that.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
I haven't seen you this fired up over a story
in a while. Why are you so fired up over this?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
I think it's exploitative. They are forcing her to do
something that is physical and sexual in tone in front
of a room full of people. There are producers watching,
there's probably a director casting director in there. I think
it's unnecessary to put her through this, And like, there's
so many other ways that you could be assessing chemistry
(03:02):
between two actors. And that's the point that she is
bringing up right now. So in this interview, Anne Hathaway said,
it was just a very different time in the pre
me two times, and thankfully now we know better and
as an actor and producer, she's finding better ways to
test chemistry, especially with her new film, The Idea of You.
She basically asked actors to pick a song to dance
(03:23):
to that they felt the characters would love, and then
they did a short little improv like, wow, what an idea.
Don't force strangers to kiss at work even before they
get the job. I mean, I know that's part of acting,
but they haven't even gotten the job yet.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I think that's a little bit of a reach. I
don't think it really shows chemistry. It's more about like
knowledge of character. But I also don't think people should
be kissing a bajillion people to get a job.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
She's saying that dancing together is still a way to
assess chemistry. I think dancing is a better way to
assess chemist that's safer than kissing.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Dancing to me, feels like embarrassing.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I don't want to dance on camera. You'd rather kiss
ten strangers than dance with ten strangers.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
I'm being very clear, I'm not with the kissing.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
I'm just also not with the dancing, okay, but I
do think there needs to be better ways to test that.
The thing that stuck out to me about this article
was Anne Hathaway said, I didn't say anything because I
didn't want to be difficult, And it kind of hit
me in the chest because the amount of times I
have held my tongue because I didn't want to be difficult,
Oh yeah, are just numerous. Brooke Baldwin, who was a
(04:34):
former anchor at CNN, came out with a Vanity Fair
piece this week that gave me chills, and it talks
about how she found her voice. It speaks to this
exact issue. If you are a woman listening to this,
please read her article. I think it'll fire you up.
I needed it.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I honestly think that article is a bigger indictment of
the news industry overall and the fact that these anchors
like Brooke Baldwin were expected to play a game and
go a lot along with these arbitrary rules, and clearly
her bosses didn't feel like she was doing that.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
But she couldn't use her voice because she didn't want
to be difficult. And it's this It's like I hear
this with women all the time, in every industry. It's
not just Hollywood, it's not just media. It's at a
corner store because you need your job and you got
to pay your bills. It's just so it's rampant. And
I don't think that we are at a place in
(05:26):
culture yet where that has shifted.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
We definitely are not. But I think the more often
that we speak up and we decide to speak our minds,
whether or not we'll be perceived as difficult, I think
that's when the change will happen.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I'm so grateful to people like Brooke and Anne Hathaway
and anybody who does speak up, because it makes it
easier for the next person to do so. And usually
there are ramifications for speaking up, so I'm grateful for
them for making a sacrifice too. Okay, I'm gonna switch
up the a little bit because Mother's Day is coming. Yes,
(06:03):
it's May twelfth, and it always sneaks up on me
the day or two we four.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
I'm always like, shit, I.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Forgot, like I forgot to order the flowers or something.
But my mom always says to me, like, save your money,
don't buy me a gift.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
What do you do with your mom?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I still get our a gift. My mom likes gifts.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I think mine secretly does too, so sometimes I do it,
but sometimes I just send a sweet note. This year,
Hello Sunshine is helping us all plan ahead. Thank you
so much. I love an easy button. They have a
Mother's Day Gift Guide that they just released. It's a
one stop shop for all gifts. Their handpicked to bring
mom's joy, and all of the products are made by
(06:42):
female founders. A few of my standouts personally a Favorite Daughter,
which was founded by the Foster sisters. They have a
cute mom of the Year baseball hat. I love a
recess pickleball paddle for all the picklers. Fastest growing sport
in America. I'm not getting agreement there, but that's fine.
(07:02):
Everybody who loves pickleball, please at.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Me at Danielle Robe. I need some support.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Do you play?
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Of course? Who doesn't play pickleball?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Me?
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Okay, We'll get you on the court, my mom, and
I'll get you on the court.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Spanx has a cropped wide leg gene for anybody who
thinks that Spanx is just body shape where I actually
just tried on their clothing the other day.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
They fit really well.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Sarah Blakelee is a goddess and just everything she does
is so great.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
I haven't tried their clothes.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
I have to try that surprisingly good and so for
a little bit of extra joy, Simone and I are
offering a couple gifts to our bright Side besties too,
because we haven't talked about this on the podcast yet,
but we.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Each have our own businesses.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Yes, we do tell us about your entrepreneurial endeavor.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yes, So this is technically a collaboration with a local
sustainable fashion brand called Poplin, and it's my friend's company,
and I was so honored to design a clothing collection
with her. It is a matching top and bottom set
that's super comfortable. The first time I wore it, I
did not take it off for like three days. It
was not comfortable, And I was really inspired by ambitious
(08:09):
women and moms when I made it, because I wanted
to make something that's as versatile as we are, an
outfit that you can wear when you take your kids
to school or take yourself on a summer vacation. So
we also made a toddler set so you can match
with your little one on Mother's Day.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I know what you guys are wearing in your family photo.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Right here, and I made a tall version. And probably
the best part is that this company, pop Linen, is
all about sustainability and size inclusivity, so it's good for
people and the planet. So if you want to get
a Simone set, go to Poplinen dot co and use
discount code bright Side twenty for twenty percent off your purchase.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
You were rocking it on Instagram. You have brown, white
and black.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
It looked really good on you, really flowy, really comfortable.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Have yours?
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Why do you always surprise me?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Because I love surprising.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
He surprises so sweet.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I'm so excited. What color did I get?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I gave you black because you asked me to pick
and you said that you love black the most, so
I gave you black. But if you want a different one,
let me know. We can get you a different one.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
You know this means I'm going to use my coupon
coat to get my mom a matching set. Mom, I'm
sorry that I blew the gift for this year and
you listen.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Every day now you know? Wait, but your question everything
cards are in the gift guide too.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Yes, So the backstory behind these is that Larry King
was my mentor and I used to go to breakfast
with him when I was unemployed flash fun employed, and
he really taught me how to ask better questions and
the meaning and connection that you get from deeper conversation.
And when he passed away, I wanted to create something
(09:47):
in honor of him, and I always called him the
King of Questions. So I put together a deck of
fifty two of my favorite questions, questions that have really
changed the relation in my life, both professionally and personally.
And I always say it's not a game, it's a
game changer because not everybody has access to insane dreams
(10:11):
like I'm five to one. I'm never going to be
a basketball player. It's just not in the cards for me.
But everybody has access to the power of asking questions,
and I really do think it's a game changer.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Was it hard to only pick fifty two? Did you
have a much longer list?
Speaker 3 (10:28):
I had a list of a thousand questions. Stops so
hard to whittle down, but they were carefully curated in
order to It kind of starts off a little soft,
and then I think of it as a song. It's
almost like a crescendo. It gets a little deeper, but
I think they'll make you laugh and make you cry.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
They're so good. I've played the game myself. They're amazing.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
So thanks to money.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, so I have a coupon code for the bright
Side Vesties. Of course, it is bright Side twenty and
you can head to my Instagram at Danielle Robe and
click on the link in my bio and it'll take
you to the Pretty Smart Shop where you can grab
the Question Everything card game. And also please make sure
to check out the Hello Sunshine gift guide. These are
all female founders and the products were really carefully curated.
(11:11):
I think you're going to love them. After the break,
Dulce Sloan is here to give us the gift of laughter.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
How is that? See money?
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Good pun No notes ten out of ten. All right, Danielle,
we are back with one of our favorite comedians. It's
Dulce Sloan. You know, she's a senior correspondent on the
Daily Show and she always has me cracking up over
(11:46):
her hot takes, witty observational humor. If you haven't seen
her Black Karen sketch, you have to go watch it
right now.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Dulce started doing comedy back in two thousand and nine,
and since then she won Stand Up NBC. She's also
been named as one of Rolling Stones ten Comedians You
Should Know, and recently added author to her resume.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
We feel like you should know her too.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Her new book is called Hello Friends, Stories of Dating,
Destiny and Day Jobs. D'll say, Sloane, Welcome to the
bright Side.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Welcome dulcey.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Hello.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
It's a me.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
I want to start out by asking you about your
name for a second, because I totally have name envy.
Duel say Sloane.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
It's just so.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Delicious when it rolls off the tongue, and in your
book you joke about how it almost sounds like it
could be a blaxxploitation character. What's the story behind your name?
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Well, I say that because my first name means either
sweet or it can mean candy and Spanish. And then
my middle name is Lazaria, which is the feminine virgin
of Lazarus. So I say that, like Sweet Lazarus, Sloane
could be like a blaxploitation character.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
But my mother went to hair.
Speaker 5 (12:52):
School with a Cuban lady named Dulce, and she really
liked her name, and it was like years ago, and
she's like, oh, yeah, there were some Cuban girl used
to smoke cigarettes with us outside, and she said they
kept trying to tell us that she was as old
as we were.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I was like, she wasn't.
Speaker 5 (13:06):
She said, girl, Now we were seventeen, she had to
be thirty something, I said, she said, she said, girl,
we carried a purse.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
She had a handbag. Ain't, no way.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Wait, what do you think the difference is between a
person a handbag?
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Girl? You know what the difference is between a person
a handbag?
Speaker 1 (13:22):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Is a person's like smaller, more petite, more cute, and
then a handbag is more for function a person.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
What a seventeen year old told herself around in a
handbag is what a grown woman has. Yeah, so persons
like you give little girl purses like grown women have handbags.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You know you think grandmothers have pocketbooks.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Yes, so it's a pocketbook, handbag, person situation.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
These are the life stages of a woman defined by
the bags that we carry.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
I love that you brought up your mom so quickly,
because I know she's such a huge part of who
you are in your story. There's this book I read
called Raising an Entrepreneur, and this author, Margaret Bisno, interviews
sixty successful entrepreneurs, and she said the one thing they
all had in common was that every entrepreneur in her
book had a parent.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Typically a mother, who believed in them.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
I mean, I remember being backstage one time.
Speaker 5 (14:19):
My mom was with me in a comedy club and
one of the comics was like, so you're like supportive
of her doing stand up?
Speaker 4 (14:27):
She said, yeah, of course, she's very funny. He goes,
can I give you a hug? Because my parents aren't supportive?
Speaker 5 (14:32):
So she's like hugging comics backstage, She's just like she
supports her. I think she hugged like three people. If
I'm not mistaken, I know it was at least that
one dude. But you know, your mom not being supportive
of the things you want to do in your life, Well.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
She said one time that she had this dream of
the whole world laughing at you.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
That's how I got in a stand up because it
was Big Kenny trying to convince me to take a
stand up class for two years and I was like,
I don't know all I want to do it because
I have a theater degree of an accecince I was
a kid, So stand up scared me because it was
the only time I would only be on stage and
I wasn't playing a character and it would be my words.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
So just be me on stage.
Speaker 5 (15:10):
And the way that I am on stage is a
comic is a heightened sense of self. That's what every
comic is. But for the most part, it's all of
my thoughts that I wrote down that I was like, hm,
a bunch of strangers might laugh at this. So that
was a thing that was so hard about stand up
for me to even get into it was because I
had been on stage performing wasn't the issue. It was
how I was performing that was confusing and very scary
(15:33):
to me. And so when she was like, I had
a dream that the world was laughing at you, and
I was like what she said, I prayed on it.
I was like, okay, She's like, yeah, so you know,
I think you should take the stand up class. And
as you know, any child of color, especially black and
brown children, when your mother has a dream about something
and usually means you can't do something. So it was
very refreshing where she had a dream and I could
(15:54):
do something. So yeah, she's really how I got into
stand up. But now she is reading the benefits of
that dream because I retired her in twenty eighteen, and
I bought her a car in twenty nineteen, and I
bought this house last year and moved my mom and
my brother and her dog and my cat to la
in September. So we drove cross country from Atlanta and
(16:15):
I moved them in and then took them the Walmart,
went to sleep for three hours, and then flew to Toronto.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
To pay the mortgage.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
Basically, so I leave a lot so my mother never
has to work at Amazon ever.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Again, it's a lot of weight on your shoulders. Still say, yeah,
it's too much.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
I don't know where my husband is, but he's late.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Nine too.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Oh my god.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
Every time I pay a bill, I'm like, all my
money again, Jesus. Okay, I didn't sign up for this.
This is feminism. I want to recount.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
This is what we was marching for. I think we
did this well. I'm kidding.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
This reminds me of one of the things that stood
out to me from your book, which was this idea
of this hope deficit that you've been really vulnerable about
you shared that professionally you often feel hopeful, but in
your personal life you tend to struggle with the feeling
of hopelessness. Yes, what do you think would need to
change for you personally in order to feel more hopeful?
(17:13):
A better caliber of man trying to talk to me.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
The worst thing that ever happened to somebody was a
dating app because truly see the caliber of men who
want to talk to you. Knowing that you should be
dealing with the best, but only the worst are coming
for you is upsetting because it's just like, I've always
gotten positive reinforcement when it came to my professional life,
so I was always able to have hope because I
(17:38):
always got the positive reinforcement and things were proceeding and
I knew what to do. When it comes to my
personal life, I want to get married and have children.
So this is the only goal that I have for
my life that truly depends on another person participating. It's
the only thing where just like, I really need some
stupid man, because I've had more men ask to give
(17:58):
me a baby than ask me on a day.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Yeah they do that nowadays.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Wait, what can you guys tell me about this?
Speaker 5 (18:04):
What is that Bove had been offered to get me
pregnant more times than a man who's asked me to
go on a net.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Yeah, because like that. That's why I think it's so funny.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
Like when we talk about like reproductive rights for women,
and you know, the reversal of ro versus Wade and
all of these, you know, different states passing all these laws,
we never take into consideration that the fact that pedero
sexual men love the idea of getting a woman pregnant.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Nick Cannon, that's all. That's all I'm gonna say.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Right, and there are women who will participate because you
know that's chet right. I mean, honestly, it's nice work
if you can get it. Listen, some very rich man
just like, hey, you can work when you want to.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Girl.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
You think i'd be going on the road the way
I'm going on the road. And a rich man popped
up and been like, hey, you can work because you
want to. I will take care of anything. I'll give
you babies.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
But da da da da dah. I don't know if
that's true.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
You're so resilient, you're such a hard worker, you're so
good at what you do.
Speaker 5 (18:53):
Say resilient Resiliency comes from struggle. Resiliency comes from having
to make stuff happen on your own. I said, work
because I want to, not work because I have to.
I wouldn't stop working. Yeah, because I can't be financially
dependent upon this man one hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
That's how you get messed.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Up To'll say, I think you're hitting on something that
so many millennial women feel. Yep, we're like caught in
this double bind. And you joked about if this is
what we marched for, But there's so much that's under
this mountain.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yes, right, how exhausting it is to be an independent woman.
We've put this idea of an independent woman up on
a pedestal for so long, and I think a lot
of women in our age group are asking, is it
time to take her down? Because it's just exhausting. Well,
I think it's been used against us. That's the fair Ooh,
what do you mean, Well, it's.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
The idea, like if you put make a whole song
about something and you spelling independent, then it's because think
about it. One of the reasons I'm not in a
relationship is because I've been a relationships and dealt with
men who were resentful because I was successful. Because I've
heard men say, well, women make as much money as us,
they won't need us. It's like, of course I need you.
Trash Day is Tuesday. What are you talking about.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
There's a spider in my bathroom. The feminist leaves my
body whenever there's a spider, and if.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
There's a spider somewhere, I can't open this jar. I'm
five four. A lot of things are high.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
To will say. You said that resilience is a product
of struggle, and when you said that made me think
of your experience of growing up all over the country.
And I really relate to that because that was me
growing up and it's probably the single most impactful experience
of my upbringing. How did that shape you?
Speaker 5 (20:32):
We lived in Miami, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Georgia before I
started kindergarten, but I also went to very diverse It
was either predominant white or diverse schools, and so I
was able to be around a lot.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
Of different groups of people.
Speaker 5 (20:46):
So I think, for me, I'm very grateful that I
grew up in Atlanta. Me and our friends were joking
that every black person that is not from the South
needs to come to Atlanta. Just for a week or whatever,
because I got to see black wealth growing up. Yes,
I got to see generational black wealth growing up. I
(21:09):
got to see black professionals, but I had black doctors
growing up, and I got to see.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Black people excel.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
I was just gonna see black could be mediocre because
they lived everywhere. And even if you're outside of Atlanta,
you're still in Georgia. We're still everywhere in Georgia. Like
if you go to Savan or you going to Columbus,
you go to all been like our family down there,
we're everywhere.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
I love that you're talking about community because when I
look at the comedy community, it feels like equal parts
competitive and supportive, which is super rare.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Like you guys see really tight knit.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
It's the interesting thing about comedy is that there's so
many bad comics. Is that when there's a good comic,
like a really good comic, all of the comics were
like have you seen this person?
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Oh my god d D.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
If I know a comic that's I will tell my
manager about them if they're not ripped.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
Even if they are, I'm like, hey, this person has
horrible managers. You need to know about.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Them, like you want to see good people win, because
you guys love the sport of comedy.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
Deborah to Giovanni.
Speaker 5 (22:13):
Is one of the best comics in the fucking world.
We were on the show called The Barbie Show at
the Comedy Store and it was like me and Tiffany
and Geniacherie and Laurie Kilmartin and Deborah got on stage
and a bunch of us and we're all in the
green room.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
A bunch of us left the green room to watch her.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
And when you see comics come out there, like who's
on stage, We're all like running to go into the
audience to watch this person. We were just every time,
hands on chests, just moving our minds.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Well, is this what Michelle Bueau did for you?
Speaker 4 (22:53):
Washout?
Speaker 5 (22:54):
She helped me with the idea, She helped me come
over with the concept of the book. My manager called
me and was like, hey, what if you wrote a book?
And I was like that sounds hard, no, thank you,
And he was like, what if you just took a meeting.
I was like, I'll take a meeting.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
I don't mind a meaning.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
I would take a meeting.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
And then I took a meeting, and then I took
another meeting, and two more meetings later. He called me
when I was in England hosting some TV show and
he called me and was.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Like, so you got to write a book. I said,
wait a minute, howd up? I didn't read of this?
Speaker 5 (23:27):
He said you did, uh, he said, Andscape bought your book,
and so you got to write a book now. And
I was like, shit, Michelle just done her book, Survival
of the Thickest and I was just like, I called Michelle.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
I's like, hey, Michelle, She's like yeah. I said, how
do I do this? Because I've never read a book before.
I don't want to write a book. Why do I
do this?
Speaker 5 (23:45):
And she said, just start with she said, start with
jokes that are too long to til on stage. And
so when you read the story about like the mechanic
and the dummy and me uh, getting into it with
one of my bosses at a car lot, those were
all stories that I wanted to tell well on stage
that were just needed more context of like teachers and
stuff like that.
Speaker 4 (24:05):
And so I started from a place of comedy with the.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
Book, where we're like, these are all stories that I
would have loved to tell on stage, but they're too
long or they need too much context. And then I
was like, Okay, well, people are gonna want to know
about Daily Show, and people are going to want to
know about my childhood. And so that's why I came
up with like the idea and like the structure of
the book was talking to the show.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Honestly, that's genius. That's such a genius approach to writing
a comedy memoir. We want to know about the Daily Show.
We want to talk to you about that. Becoming a
correspondent and guest host on the Daily Show, I mean
that seems like one of those look, ma, I made
it moments, But how did it really feel?
Speaker 5 (24:42):
It's exhausting, and I don't know how Trevor did it
for seven years. I don't know how John did it
for twenty something. But I talk about it in a book.
I didn't want to audition for Daily Show because I
didn't want to move to New York. When you audition,
you have a piece that they have a pre written
piece for you, and then you have to write your
own piece. And so I send that tape in and
(25:02):
I'm just like, Eh, I'm probably not gonna get this.
He calls back, all right, you got another you gotta
call it back, It's like all right, fine, and then
you get to write another piece. And so my second
piece was how hard it is to be black and patriotic,
especially for me because my birthday is July fourth.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Get out really?
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Mm hmmm?
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Do you love the holiday?
Speaker 4 (25:21):
It's I mean, as a kid, it sucked, but that
as an adult it's fine.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
Do you feel like the Daily Show changed the trajectory
of your career? Like did it blow up after that?
Speaker 4 (25:32):
I thought it was gonna blow up more? Yeah, Because
here's the thing.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
My friends think I'm famous and I'm just like, no,
I'm on TV, and they're like, what, Like, think about
all those shows on the CW. You don't know who
the fuck all those people are. They're on TV, they're
doing well. They are very famous to certain people, but
like Quentin, now, can't go anywhere, right, I just came
(25:59):
back from the grocery store with no problems. So I
am very famous to very specific people.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
But don't you feel like this is the perfect level
of fame.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
I need the next step up from this, Because because
one of my friends, who is legitimately famous, came up
to me and Dave was like, you know, you're famous, right,
I was like, no, bitch, you're famous. It's like, what
do you mean, I said, When I walk into a restaurant,
they say, how many when you walk into a restaurant,
the whole restaurant loses a mine.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Is it fame that you're really after or do you
think it's respect?
Speaker 5 (26:36):
Honestly, I just want to be able to go to
all the little parties I listen. I want to be
able to get to the essence black lady in Hollywood,
uh lunch.
Speaker 4 (26:45):
I want to be able to get into that.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
You should be there already. That's crazy to me that
you're not there. Crazy to me as well, you will say.
I am a sponge for comedian content. I listen to
every interview with comedians. I watch a lot of comedy,
and I often hear comedians say that they get high
off the feeling of making people laugh. How real is
that for you?
Speaker 4 (27:08):
That's not a real thing for me.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
No, not at all.
Speaker 5 (27:11):
No, because I came in a different way. Okay, I
came in as an actor, as a stage actor. What
I like is the connection with the crowd is what
I'm going for. Like when I look at other comics
and they're just like I just want to make people laugh.
I got to stand up because of a stand up class.
I wouldn't have gotten a stand up without a class.
So for me, I already knew what a crowd felt
like before I started doing stand up. There are other
(27:34):
comics that just started doing shows and had never had
this experience before, which is insane to me. So like
for me, it's like, I'm always looking for the connection
to the crowd, because the crowd's going to tell me
what I can do. As in, there's some crowds where
you're like, I can try this silly thing and you
can take them with you on this journey of Yea,
(27:56):
I can a riff, I can go off on this tangent,
I can do this, and other crowd like I'm doing
the hits. I'm doing the things that I know are
one hundred percent funny, and I'm not doing nothing else.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
This is not the crowd to play with.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
I think something that we've both noticed during this conversation
is that you are willing to say the things that
a lot of people won't say.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Where does that come from?
Speaker 2 (28:20):
In you?
Speaker 5 (28:21):
I'm a black woman in America. There's a goss courses.
I can say what I want Who's gonna tell me now?
Speaker 3 (28:26):
But I just say nothing, rude, don't say where can
we see you next?
Speaker 5 (28:30):
I have Netflix as a joke on May third at
the Improv Lab. That's my next big thing coming up
in Los Angeles. And then for all of my other dates,
you can go to my website, Don'lsaysloan dot com. Also,
I have a lift gloss business with comedian Lay's Larabee
called Giggle Gloss Love that, and I pack all the
(28:52):
orders at the house. Me and Lay started this as
a company for one pressap merch to sell on the road,
and two to give other comics the opportunity to to
sell merch that's easy to handle on the road. So yes,
giggle glass dot com or talk. Two selling colors right
now are no more Broke Dick, my Ministry and Perse
Vodka are too in future, wife, those are top three
(29:13):
colors right.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Now, not pocketbook vodka and not handbook vodka.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
No no, no, no pers vodka.
Speaker 5 (29:18):
Because we are classy young ladies who you know, you'll
never know if we don't have an adult free son
in our band.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
She's a true multidisciplinary creative y'all. Do we'll say thank
you so much, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
For having me.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Thankst'll say, Thanks Bye.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Do'll say. Sloan is a comedian and the author of
Hello Friends, We'll be right.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Back, Sweet, Sweet, dull Sy Sloan.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
She seriously has the best name ever.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
She does. She really does. What stuck out to you
about our conversation, I.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Like how real she was about that achievement of reaching
the Daily Show. We tend to romanticize these jobs, these accomplishments,
and she was like, listen, it was really exhausting behind
the scenes, and at the end of the day, it
didn't give me the kind of juice that I thought
it was going to.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Yeah, I was actually kind of shocked to hear her
say that. I liked how real she was all around
you and I have been doing this for ten fifteen years,
and it's like, you don't get a lot of people
that are just willing to say all the things, because
no matter how big of a celebrity somebody is, there's
(30:37):
always that next job, and nobody wants to be looked
at as a problem or a liability, and so everybody's
really careful about what they say, and she was like
letting it all hang out.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
It was very refreshing.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
It also is good to see that because I think
that people can tend to idolize the personalities that they
see on TV. But she's just as real as everyone else.
The stars, they're just like us. Uh.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
That's funny.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Do'll say as someone who lives unapologetically, And I think
you can only get to that place in life if
you really learn how to love yourself and be kind
to yourself.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
She's on that journey.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
I think maybe that's what we want to leave with
ourselves and everybody listening today is speak about yourself the
way your friends would speak about you. And when I
say that, I'm actually really talking to me too.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
I need to do that.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Tomorrow on the show, we have poet Laureate Ada Lamone
joining us for National Poetry Month. She's talking all about
her latest poetry project and she has a few words
for us.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Listen and follow the bright Side on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can
find me Simone Voice on Instagram and TikTok.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
And I'm Danielle Robe at Danielle Robe on Instagram and TikTok.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
That's ro Bay.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
We'll see you back here. Tomorrow, keep looking on the
bright side,
Hello Sunshine.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Hey besties. Today on the bright side, we're getting real
with comedian and actress Still Say Sloan. She's here to
tell us how to live life unapologetically. It's Thursday, April
twenty fifth.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
I'm Simone Boyce, I'm Danielle Robey, and this is the
bright side from Hello Sunshine.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
All Right, see money.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
We recently talked about Caitlin Clark's ridiculously low WNBA salary,
and we weren't the only ones talking about it. The
whole Internet blew up over it. She's making less than
one hundred thousand dollars a year for her first four
years in the league.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
But we have some good news today.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
She's apparently getting ready to sign a twenty eight million
dollar deal with Nike and it's going to include her
signature shoe.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, guess that little paltry salary doesn't matter anymore, does it?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
It still matters to me.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I want these WNBA players to be making proper money
like the men are.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
I mean, the men I think make too much money.
I want teachers to make that much money.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
But yeah, I mean, it's systemic issue that's going to
take some time to change. But I'm just happy that
that little number is going to pale in comparison to
what she's going to make from this shoe deal. So
I love that for her.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Are you rocking the shoes?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
I got to see what they look like, but I
want to say yes.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
I actually sometimes don't care what shoes look like when
they're designed by women like Melody Asani has really great
Jordan's and those I actually really love, but sometimes I
think they're ugly. But I want to support the women's shoes,
so I buy them anyways.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
It's very selfless of you, Danielle. Okay, Danielle, I can't
stop thinking about this wild interview that Anne Hathaway gave
to V magazine. It's not really that the interview is wild,
but what she revealed is so shocking to me. She
talks about breaking into the industry back in the early
two thousands, and I had no idea how inappropriate the
chemistry tests were. Back then.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
We knew about the casting couch. We did not know
about the chemistry test exactly.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
This is that other layer of the onion that didn't
quite get peeled back during the me too movement, the
height of that. But so these chemistry tests. That's when
casting directors they put two actors together to see if
the sparks are going to fly on screen. But back
in the early two thousands, producers would force actresses like
Anne Hathaway to make out with the guys who are
testing for the role. So she could be kissing up
(02:18):
to ten strangers in one day of work.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
She's not on the Bachelor exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
She's not a contestant on the Bachelor. She's a professional actor.
This is so insulting to me, and she found it
gross at the time too, But she was worried about
being labeled as difficult. I mean, how many women can
relate to that.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
I haven't seen you this fired up over a story
in a while. Why are you so fired up over this?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
I think it's exploitative. They are forcing her to do
something that is physical and sexual in tone in front
of a room full of people. There are producers watching,
there's probably a director casting director in there. I think
it's unnecessary to put her through this, And like, there's
so many other ways that you could be assessing chemistry
(03:02):
between two actors. And that's the point that she is
bringing up right now. So in this interview, Anne Hathaway said,
it was just a very different time in the pre
me two times, and thankfully now we know better and
as an actor and producer, she's finding better ways to
test chemistry, especially with her new film, The Idea of You.
She basically asked actors to pick a song to dance
(03:23):
to that they felt the characters would love, and then
they did a short little improv like, wow, what an idea.
Don't force strangers to kiss at work even before they
get the job. I mean, I know that's part of acting,
but they haven't even gotten the job yet.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I think that's a little bit of a reach. I
don't think it really shows chemistry. It's more about like
knowledge of character. But I also don't think people should
be kissing a bajillion people to get a job.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
She's saying that dancing together is still a way to
assess chemistry. I think dancing is a better way to
assess chemist that's safer than kissing.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Dancing to me, feels like embarrassing.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I don't want to dance on camera. You'd rather kiss
ten strangers than dance with ten strangers.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
I'm being very clear, I'm not with the kissing.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
I'm just also not with the dancing, okay, but I
do think there needs to be better ways to test that.
The thing that stuck out to me about this article
was Anne Hathaway said, I didn't say anything because I
didn't want to be difficult, And it kind of hit
me in the chest because the amount of times I
have held my tongue because I didn't want to be difficult,
Oh yeah, are just numerous. Brooke Baldwin, who was a
(04:34):
former anchor at CNN, came out with a Vanity Fair
piece this week that gave me chills, and it talks
about how she found her voice. It speaks to this
exact issue. If you are a woman listening to this,
please read her article. I think it'll fire you up.
I needed it.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
I honestly think that article is a bigger indictment of
the news industry overall and the fact that these anchors
like Brooke Baldwin were expected to play a game and
go a lot along with these arbitrary rules, and clearly
her bosses didn't feel like she was doing that.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
But she couldn't use her voice because she didn't want
to be difficult. And it's this It's like I hear
this with women all the time, in every industry. It's
not just Hollywood, it's not just media. It's at a
corner store because you need your job and you got
to pay your bills. It's just so it's rampant. And
I don't think that we are at a place in
(05:26):
culture yet where that has shifted.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
We definitely are not. But I think the more often
that we speak up and we decide to speak our minds,
whether or not we'll be perceived as difficult, I think
that's when the change will happen.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
I'm so grateful to people like Brooke and Anne Hathaway
and anybody who does speak up, because it makes it
easier for the next person to do so. And usually
there are ramifications for speaking up, so I'm grateful for
them for making a sacrifice too. Okay, I'm gonna switch
up the a little bit because Mother's Day is coming. Yes,
(06:03):
it's May twelfth, and it always sneaks up on me
the day or two we four.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
I'm always like, shit, I.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Forgot, like I forgot to order the flowers or something.
But my mom always says to me, like, save your money,
don't buy me a gift.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
What do you do with your mom?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I still get our a gift. My mom likes gifts.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I think mine secretly does too, so sometimes I do it,
but sometimes I just send a sweet note. This year,
Hello Sunshine is helping us all plan ahead. Thank you
so much. I love an easy button. They have a
Mother's Day Gift Guide that they just released. It's a
one stop shop for all gifts. Their handpicked to bring
mom's joy, and all of the products are made by
(06:42):
female founders. A few of my standouts personally a Favorite Daughter,
which was founded by the Foster sisters. They have a
cute mom of the Year baseball hat. I love a
recess pickleball paddle for all the picklers. Fastest growing sport
in America. I'm not getting agreement there, but that's fine.
(07:02):
Everybody who loves pickleball, please at.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Me at Danielle Robe. I need some support.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Do you play?
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Of course? Who doesn't play pickleball?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Me?
Speaker 1 (07:12):
Okay, We'll get you on the court, my mom, and
I'll get you on the court.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Spanx has a cropped wide leg gene for anybody who
thinks that Spanx is just body shape where I actually
just tried on their clothing the other day.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
They fit really well.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Sarah Blakelee is a goddess and just everything she does
is so great.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
I haven't tried their clothes.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
I have to try that surprisingly good and so for
a little bit of extra joy, Simone and I are
offering a couple gifts to our bright Side besties too,
because we haven't talked about this on the podcast yet,
but we.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Each have our own businesses.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Yes, we do tell us about your entrepreneurial endeavor.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yes, So this is technically a collaboration with a local
sustainable fashion brand called Poplin, and it's my friend's company,
and I was so honored to design a clothing collection
with her. It is a matching top and bottom set
that's super comfortable. The first time I wore it, I
did not take it off for like three days. It
was not comfortable, And I was really inspired by ambitious
(08:09):
women and moms when I made it, because I wanted
to make something that's as versatile as we are, an
outfit that you can wear when you take your kids
to school or take yourself on a summer vacation. So
we also made a toddler set so you can match
with your little one on Mother's Day.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I know what you guys are wearing in your family photo.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Right here, and I made a tall version. And probably
the best part is that this company, pop Linen, is
all about sustainability and size inclusivity, so it's good for
people and the planet. So if you want to get
a Simone set, go to Poplinen dot co and use
discount code bright Side twenty for twenty percent off your purchase.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
You were rocking it on Instagram. You have brown, white
and black.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
It looked really good on you, really flowy, really comfortable.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Have yours?
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Why do you always surprise me?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Because I love surprising.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
He surprises so sweet.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
I'm so excited. What color did I get?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I gave you black because you asked me to pick
and you said that you love black the most, so
I gave you black. But if you want a different one,
let me know. We can get you a different one.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
You know this means I'm going to use my coupon
coat to get my mom a matching set. Mom, I'm
sorry that I blew the gift for this year and
you listen.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Every day now you know? Wait, but your question everything
cards are in the gift guide too.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Yes, So the backstory behind these is that Larry King
was my mentor and I used to go to breakfast
with him when I was unemployed flash fun employed, and
he really taught me how to ask better questions and
the meaning and connection that you get from deeper conversation.
And when he passed away, I wanted to create something
(09:47):
in honor of him, and I always called him the
King of Questions. So I put together a deck of
fifty two of my favorite questions, questions that have really
changed the relation in my life, both professionally and personally.
And I always say it's not a game, it's a
game changer because not everybody has access to insane dreams
(10:11):
like I'm five to one. I'm never going to be
a basketball player. It's just not in the cards for me.
But everybody has access to the power of asking questions,
and I really do think it's a game changer.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Was it hard to only pick fifty two? Did you
have a much longer list?
Speaker 3 (10:28):
I had a list of a thousand questions. Stops so
hard to whittle down, but they were carefully curated in
order to It kind of starts off a little soft,
and then I think of it as a song. It's
almost like a crescendo. It gets a little deeper, but
I think they'll make you laugh and make you cry.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
They're so good. I've played the game myself. They're amazing.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
So thanks to money.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Yeah, so I have a coupon code for the bright
Side Vesties. Of course, it is bright Side twenty and
you can head to my Instagram at Danielle Robe and
click on the link in my bio and it'll take
you to the Pretty Smart Shop where you can grab
the Question Everything card game. And also please make sure
to check out the Hello Sunshine gift guide. These are
all female founders and the products were really carefully curated.
(11:11):
I think you're going to love them. After the break,
Dulce Sloan is here to give us the gift of laughter.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
How is that? See money?
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Good pun No notes ten out of ten. All right, Danielle,
we are back with one of our favorite comedians. It's
Dulce Sloan. You know, she's a senior correspondent on the
Daily Show and she always has me cracking up over
(11:46):
her hot takes, witty observational humor. If you haven't seen
her Black Karen sketch, you have to go watch it
right now.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Dulce started doing comedy back in two thousand and nine,
and since then she won Stand Up NBC. She's also
been named as one of Rolling Stones ten Comedians You
Should Know, and recently added author to her resume.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
We feel like you should know her too.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Her new book is called Hello Friends, Stories of Dating,
Destiny and Day Jobs. D'll say, Sloane, Welcome to the
bright Side.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Welcome dulcey.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Hello.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
It's a me.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
I want to start out by asking you about your
name for a second, because I totally have name envy.
Duel say Sloane.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
It's just so.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Delicious when it rolls off the tongue, and in your
book you joke about how it almost sounds like it
could be a blaxxploitation character. What's the story behind your name?
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Well, I say that because my first name means either
sweet or it can mean candy and Spanish. And then
my middle name is Lazaria, which is the feminine virgin
of Lazarus. So I say that, like Sweet Lazarus, Sloane
could be like a blaxploitation character.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
But my mother went to hair.
Speaker 5 (12:52):
School with a Cuban lady named Dulce, and she really
liked her name, and it was like years ago, and
she's like, oh, yeah, there were some Cuban girl used
to smoke cigarettes with us outside, and she said they
kept trying to tell us that she was as old
as we were.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I was like, she wasn't.
Speaker 5 (13:06):
She said, girl, Now we were seventeen, she had to
be thirty something, I said, she said, she said, girl,
we carried a purse.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
She had a handbag. Ain't, no way.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Wait, what do you think the difference is between a
person a handbag?
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Girl? You know what the difference is between a person
a handbag?
Speaker 1 (13:22):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Is a person's like smaller, more petite, more cute, and
then a handbag is more for function a person.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
What a seventeen year old told herself around in a
handbag is what a grown woman has. Yeah, so persons
like you give little girl purses like grown women have handbags.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You know you think grandmothers have pocketbooks.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Yes, so it's a pocketbook, handbag, person situation.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
These are the life stages of a woman defined by
the bags that we carry.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
I love that you brought up your mom so quickly,
because I know she's such a huge part of who
you are in your story. There's this book I read
called Raising an Entrepreneur, and this author, Margaret Bisno, interviews
sixty successful entrepreneurs, and she said the one thing they
all had in common was that every entrepreneur in her
book had a parent.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
Typically a mother, who believed in them.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
I mean, I remember being backstage one time.
Speaker 5 (14:19):
My mom was with me in a comedy club and
one of the comics was like, so you're like supportive
of her doing stand up?
Speaker 4 (14:27):
She said, yeah, of course, she's very funny. He goes,
can I give you a hug? Because my parents aren't supportive?
Speaker 5 (14:32):
So she's like hugging comics backstage, She's just like she
supports her. I think she hugged like three people. If
I'm not mistaken, I know it was at least that
one dude. But you know, your mom not being supportive
of the things you want to do in your life, Well.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
She said one time that she had this dream of
the whole world laughing at you.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
That's how I got in a stand up because it
was Big Kenny trying to convince me to take a
stand up class for two years and I was like,
I don't know all I want to do it because
I have a theater degree of an accecince I was
a kid, So stand up scared me because it was
the only time I would only be on stage and
I wasn't playing a character and it would be my words.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
So just be me on stage.
Speaker 5 (15:10):
And the way that I am on stage is a
comic is a heightened sense of self. That's what every
comic is. But for the most part, it's all of
my thoughts that I wrote down that I was like, hm,
a bunch of strangers might laugh at this. So that
was a thing that was so hard about stand up
for me to even get into it was because I
had been on stage performing wasn't the issue. It was
how I was performing that was confusing and very scary
(15:33):
to me. And so when she was like, I had
a dream that the world was laughing at you, and
I was like what she said, I prayed on it.
I was like, okay, She's like, yeah, so you know,
I think you should take the stand up class. And
as you know, any child of color, especially black and
brown children, when your mother has a dream about something
and usually means you can't do something. So it was
very refreshing where she had a dream and I could
(15:54):
do something. So yeah, she's really how I got into
stand up. But now she is reading the benefits of
that dream because I retired her in twenty eighteen, and
I bought her a car in twenty nineteen, and I
bought this house last year and moved my mom and
my brother and her dog and my cat to la
in September. So we drove cross country from Atlanta and
(16:15):
I moved them in and then took them the Walmart,
went to sleep for three hours, and then flew to Toronto.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
To pay the mortgage.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
Basically, so I leave a lot so my mother never
has to work at Amazon ever.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Again, it's a lot of weight on your shoulders. Still say, yeah,
it's too much.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
I don't know where my husband is, but he's late.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Nine too.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Oh my god.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
Every time I pay a bill, I'm like, all my
money again, Jesus. Okay, I didn't sign up for this.
This is feminism. I want to recount.
Speaker 4 (16:47):
This is what we was marching for. I think we
did this well. I'm kidding.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
This reminds me of one of the things that stood
out to me from your book, which was this idea
of this hope deficit that you've been really vulnerable about
you shared that professionally you often feel hopeful, but in
your personal life you tend to struggle with the feeling
of hopelessness. Yes, what do you think would need to
change for you personally in order to feel more hopeful?
(17:13):
A better caliber of man trying to talk to me.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
The worst thing that ever happened to somebody was a
dating app because truly see the caliber of men who
want to talk to you. Knowing that you should be
dealing with the best, but only the worst are coming
for you is upsetting because it's just like, I've always
gotten positive reinforcement when it came to my professional life,
so I was always able to have hope because I
(17:38):
always got the positive reinforcement and things were proceeding and
I knew what to do. When it comes to my
personal life, I want to get married and have children.
So this is the only goal that I have for
my life that truly depends on another person participating. It's
the only thing where just like, I really need some
stupid man, because I've had more men ask to give
(17:58):
me a baby than ask me on a day.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Yeah they do that nowadays.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Wait, what can you guys tell me about this?
Speaker 5 (18:04):
What is that Bove had been offered to get me
pregnant more times than a man who's asked me to
go on a net.
Speaker 4 (18:08):
Yeah, because like that. That's why I think it's so funny.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
Like when we talk about like reproductive rights for women,
and you know, the reversal of ro versus Wade and
all of these, you know, different states passing all these laws,
we never take into consideration that the fact that pedero
sexual men love the idea of getting a woman pregnant.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Nick Cannon, that's all. That's all I'm gonna say.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
Right, and there are women who will participate because you
know that's chet right. I mean, honestly, it's nice work
if you can get it. Listen, some very rich man
just like, hey, you can work when you want to.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
Girl.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
You think i'd be going on the road the way
I'm going on the road. And a rich man popped
up and been like, hey, you can work because you
want to. I will take care of anything. I'll give
you babies.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
But da da da da dah. I don't know if
that's true.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
You're so resilient, you're such a hard worker, you're so
good at what you do.
Speaker 5 (18:53):
Say resilient Resiliency comes from struggle. Resiliency comes from having
to make stuff happen on your own. I said, work
because I want to, not work because I have to.
I wouldn't stop working. Yeah, because I can't be financially
dependent upon this man one hundred percent.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
That's how you get messed.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Up To'll say, I think you're hitting on something that
so many millennial women feel. Yep, we're like caught in
this double bind. And you joked about if this is
what we marched for, But there's so much that's under
this mountain.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Yes, right, how exhausting it is to be an independent woman.
We've put this idea of an independent woman up on
a pedestal for so long, and I think a lot
of women in our age group are asking, is it
time to take her down? Because it's just exhausting. Well,
I think it's been used against us. That's the fair Ooh,
what do you mean, Well, it's.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
The idea, like if you put make a whole song
about something and you spelling independent, then it's because think
about it. One of the reasons I'm not in a
relationship is because I've been a relationships and dealt with
men who were resentful because I was successful. Because I've
heard men say, well, women make as much money as us,
they won't need us. It's like, of course I need you.
Trash Day is Tuesday. What are you talking about.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
There's a spider in my bathroom. The feminist leaves my
body whenever there's a spider, and if.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
There's a spider somewhere, I can't open this jar. I'm
five four. A lot of things are high.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
To will say. You said that resilience is a product
of struggle, and when you said that made me think
of your experience of growing up all over the country.
And I really relate to that because that was me
growing up and it's probably the single most impactful experience
of my upbringing. How did that shape you?
Speaker 5 (20:32):
We lived in Miami, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Georgia before I
started kindergarten, but I also went to very diverse It
was either predominant white or diverse schools, and so I
was able to be around a lot.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
Of different groups of people.
Speaker 5 (20:46):
So I think, for me, I'm very grateful that I
grew up in Atlanta. Me and our friends were joking
that every black person that is not from the South
needs to come to Atlanta. Just for a week or whatever,
because I got to see black wealth growing up. Yes,
I got to see generational black wealth growing up. I
(21:09):
got to see black professionals, but I had black doctors
growing up, and I got to see.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Black people excel.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
I was just gonna see black could be mediocre because
they lived everywhere. And even if you're outside of Atlanta,
you're still in Georgia. We're still everywhere in Georgia. Like
if you go to Savan or you going to Columbus,
you go to all been like our family down there,
we're everywhere.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
I love that you're talking about community because when I
look at the comedy community, it feels like equal parts
competitive and supportive, which is super rare.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
Like you guys see really tight knit.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
It's the interesting thing about comedy is that there's so
many bad comics. Is that when there's a good comic,
like a really good comic, all of the comics were
like have you seen this person?
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Oh my god d D.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
If I know a comic that's I will tell my
manager about them if they're not ripped.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
Even if they are, I'm like, hey, this person has
horrible managers. You need to know about.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Them, like you want to see good people win, because
you guys love the sport of comedy.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
Deborah to Giovanni.
Speaker 5 (22:13):
Is one of the best comics in the fucking world.
We were on the show called The Barbie Show at
the Comedy Store and it was like me and Tiffany
and Geniacherie and Laurie Kilmartin and Deborah got on stage
and a bunch of us and we're all in the
green room.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
A bunch of us left the green room to watch her.
Speaker 5 (22:37):
And when you see comics come out there, like who's
on stage, We're all like running to go into the
audience to watch this person. We were just every time,
hands on chests, just moving our minds.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Well, is this what Michelle Bueau did for you?
Speaker 4 (22:53):
Washout?
Speaker 5 (22:54):
She helped me with the idea, She helped me come
over with the concept of the book. My manager called
me and was like, hey, what if you wrote a book?
And I was like that sounds hard, no, thank you,
And he was like, what if you just took a meeting.
I was like, I'll take a meeting.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
I don't mind a meaning.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
I would take a meeting.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
And then I took a meeting, and then I took
another meeting, and two more meetings later. He called me
when I was in England hosting some TV show and
he called me and was.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
Like, so you got to write a book. I said,
wait a minute, howd up? I didn't read of this?
Speaker 5 (23:27):
He said you did, uh, he said, Andscape bought your book,
and so you got to write a book now. And
I was like, shit, Michelle just done her book, Survival
of the Thickest and I was just like, I called Michelle.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
I's like, hey, Michelle, She's like yeah. I said, how
do I do this? Because I've never read a book before.
I don't want to write a book. Why do I
do this?
Speaker 5 (23:45):
And she said, just start with she said, start with
jokes that are too long to til on stage. And
so when you read the story about like the mechanic
and the dummy and me uh, getting into it with
one of my bosses at a car lot, those were
all stories that I wanted to tell well on stage
that were just needed more context of like teachers and
stuff like that.
Speaker 4 (24:05):
And so I started from a place of comedy with the.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
Book, where we're like, these are all stories that I
would have loved to tell on stage, but they're too
long or they need too much context. And then I
was like, Okay, well, people are gonna want to know
about Daily Show, and people are going to want to
know about my childhood. And so that's why I came
up with like the idea and like the structure of
the book was talking to the show.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Honestly, that's genius. That's such a genius approach to writing
a comedy memoir. We want to know about the Daily Show.
We want to talk to you about that. Becoming a
correspondent and guest host on the Daily Show, I mean
that seems like one of those look, ma, I made
it moments, But how did it really feel?
Speaker 5 (24:42):
It's exhausting, and I don't know how Trevor did it
for seven years. I don't know how John did it
for twenty something. But I talk about it in a book.
I didn't want to audition for Daily Show because I
didn't want to move to New York. When you audition,
you have a piece that they have a pre written
piece for you, and then you have to write your
own piece. And so I send that tape in and
(25:02):
I'm just like, Eh, I'm probably not gonna get this.
He calls back, all right, you got another you gotta
call it back, It's like all right, fine, and then
you get to write another piece. And so my second
piece was how hard it is to be black and patriotic,
especially for me because my birthday is July fourth.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Get out really?
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Mm hmmm?
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Do you love the holiday?
Speaker 4 (25:21):
It's I mean, as a kid, it sucked, but that
as an adult it's fine.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
Do you feel like the Daily Show changed the trajectory
of your career? Like did it blow up after that?
Speaker 4 (25:32):
I thought it was gonna blow up more? Yeah, Because
here's the thing.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
My friends think I'm famous and I'm just like, no,
I'm on TV, and they're like, what, Like, think about
all those shows on the CW. You don't know who
the fuck all those people are. They're on TV, they're
doing well. They are very famous to certain people, but
like Quentin, now, can't go anywhere, right, I just came
(25:59):
back from the grocery store with no problems. So I
am very famous to very specific people.
Speaker 1 (26:07):
But don't you feel like this is the perfect level
of fame.
Speaker 5 (26:12):
I need the next step up from this, Because because
one of my friends, who is legitimately famous, came up
to me and Dave was like, you know, you're famous, right,
I was like, no, bitch, you're famous. It's like, what
do you mean, I said, When I walk into a restaurant,
they say, how many when you walk into a restaurant,
the whole restaurant loses a mine.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Is it fame that you're really after or do you
think it's respect?
Speaker 5 (26:36):
Honestly, I just want to be able to go to
all the little parties I listen. I want to be
able to get to the essence black lady in Hollywood,
uh lunch.
Speaker 4 (26:45):
I want to be able to get into that.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
You should be there already. That's crazy to me that
you're not there. Crazy to me as well, you will say.
I am a sponge for comedian content. I listen to
every interview with comedians. I watch a lot of comedy,
and I often hear comedians say that they get high
off the feeling of making people laugh. How real is
that for you?
Speaker 4 (27:08):
That's not a real thing for me.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
No, not at all.
Speaker 5 (27:11):
No, because I came in a different way. Okay, I
came in as an actor, as a stage actor. What
I like is the connection with the crowd is what
I'm going for. Like when I look at other comics
and they're just like I just want to make people laugh.
I got to stand up because of a stand up class.
I wouldn't have gotten a stand up without a class.
So for me, I already knew what a crowd felt
like before I started doing stand up. There are other
(27:34):
comics that just started doing shows and had never had
this experience before, which is insane to me. So like
for me, it's like, I'm always looking for the connection
to the crowd, because the crowd's going to tell me
what I can do. As in, there's some crowds where
you're like, I can try this silly thing and you
can take them with you on this journey of Yea,
(27:56):
I can a riff, I can go off on this tangent,
I can do this, and other crowd like I'm doing
the hits. I'm doing the things that I know are
one hundred percent funny, and I'm not doing nothing else.
Speaker 4 (28:07):
This is not the crowd to play with.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
I think something that we've both noticed during this conversation
is that you are willing to say the things that
a lot of people won't say.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Where does that come from?
Speaker 2 (28:20):
In you?
Speaker 5 (28:21):
I'm a black woman in America. There's a goss courses.
I can say what I want Who's gonna tell me now?
Speaker 3 (28:26):
But I just say nothing, rude, don't say where can
we see you next?
Speaker 5 (28:30):
I have Netflix as a joke on May third at
the Improv Lab. That's my next big thing coming up
in Los Angeles. And then for all of my other dates,
you can go to my website, Don'lsaysloan dot com. Also,
I have a lift gloss business with comedian Lay's Larabee
called Giggle Gloss Love that, and I pack all the
(28:52):
orders at the house. Me and Lay started this as
a company for one pressap merch to sell on the road,
and two to give other comics the opportunity to to
sell merch that's easy to handle on the road. So yes,
giggle glass dot com or talk. Two selling colors right
now are no more Broke Dick, my Ministry and Perse
Vodka are too in future, wife, those are top three
(29:13):
colors right.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Now, not pocketbook vodka and not handbook vodka.
Speaker 4 (29:17):
No no, no, no pers vodka.
Speaker 5 (29:18):
Because we are classy young ladies who you know, you'll
never know if we don't have an adult free son
in our band.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
She's a true multidisciplinary creative y'all. Do we'll say thank
you so much, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
For having me.
Speaker 1 (29:34):
Thankst'll say, Thanks Bye.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Do'll say. Sloan is a comedian and the author of
Hello Friends, We'll be right.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Back, Sweet, Sweet, dull Sy Sloan.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
She seriously has the best name ever.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
She does. She really does. What stuck out to you
about our conversation, I.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Like how real she was about that achievement of reaching
the Daily Show. We tend to romanticize these jobs, these accomplishments,
and she was like, listen, it was really exhausting behind
the scenes, and at the end of the day, it
didn't give me the kind of juice that I thought
it was going to.
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Yeah, I was actually kind of shocked to hear her
say that. I liked how real she was all around
you and I have been doing this for ten fifteen years,
and it's like, you don't get a lot of people
that are just willing to say all the things, because
no matter how big of a celebrity somebody is, there's
(30:37):
always that next job, and nobody wants to be looked
at as a problem or a liability, and so everybody's
really careful about what they say, and she was like
letting it all hang out.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
It was very refreshing.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
It also is good to see that because I think
that people can tend to idolize the personalities that they
see on TV. But she's just as real as everyone else.
The stars, they're just like us. Uh.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
That's funny.
Speaker 2 (31:01):
Do'll say as someone who lives unapologetically, And I think
you can only get to that place in life if
you really learn how to love yourself and be kind
to yourself.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
She's on that journey.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
I think maybe that's what we want to leave with
ourselves and everybody listening today is speak about yourself the
way your friends would speak about you. And when I
say that, I'm actually really talking to me too.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
I need to do that.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Tomorrow on the show, we have poet Laureate Ada Lamone
joining us for National Poetry Month. She's talking all about
her latest poetry project and she has a few words
for us.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Listen and follow the bright Side on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can
find me Simone Voice on Instagram and TikTok.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
And I'm Danielle Robe at Danielle Robe on Instagram and TikTok.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
That's ro Bay.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
We'll see you back here. Tomorrow, keep looking on the
bright side,
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