Phoebe, welcome to the show.
Hi. I sound way more impressive through your accent.
I'm like, "Oh, my God, who's this woman?"
It is an impressive resume, though. I mean, even...
Not even... even if it's not in my accent,
it's really impressive.
And I'd love to know, what is the end goal?
Are you... are you trying to Oprah this thing?
Are you trying to Shonda Rhimes it?
Are you trying to, like...?
What-what is the end goal for Phoebe?
Because it feels like you are mogulling this thing
-one day at a time. -Yeah.
-I would love to be the baby of Shonda and Oprah. -Okay. Okay.
Just like a super Black baby
who is, like, out here dominating everything.
But, no, really, I just, like, have a lot of fun creating,
and I really think I learned so much
from 2 Dope Queens and just how much
Jessica and I were really creating a platform
-for other people to get their stuff out there. -Right.
So I really am like, "Oh, this is so cool."
So I want to do more of that.
I love how all of your books turn into something.
-You know? Um... -Yeah, you, too.
Your books are great to read. Your-your...
You know what I love about reading your books is,
-they sound like you hanging out with me, but on a page. -Yes.
That's what it always feels like when I read your books.
Oh, thank you so much.
You know? And this one is no different.
Please Don't Sit On My Bed in Your Outside Clothes.
-Mm-hmm. -Sounds a little bit like something
my mom would say to me without the "please."
My mom wouldn't say "please" at all.
This would be an instruction.
So the book is essays from your life--
how you think, how you see the world.
I love that part of it is you just giving us lessons.
Like, one of my favorites-- I paraphrase it.
Basically, like, what Warren Buffett hasn't told you--
-this could have been an email. -Yeah.
Just, like, how to be a CEO.
Let's talk a little bit about that.
You know, we live in a world, where for a long time,
many Black women were-were,
you know, in many ways, restricted to certain roles.
You know, it's like, "Oh, you can only do this, you can
only do that. You can't be running things."
Slowly, we've seen those things change.
It hasn't completely changed,
but we're seeing the changes that take place.
You're one of the success stories.
What have you learned in a world
that wasn't necessarily designed for you
but is now in some way, shape or form being shaped by you?
Oh, wow, to think that I'm, like, shaping anything feels...
I will happily take that compliment. Thank you so much.
I think, you know, all of the industries
that were-- and you're an author, too, as well--
they're predominantly white,
and so you get a lot of pushback initially,
and then sort of once you become a little more well known
or a little more proven, the doors open up a little bit more.
And so I think the biggest thing I've taken away from this
is, like, just don't let anyone's "no" stop you.
I know, like, it's hard to persevere at times
because you're just kind of, like, I don't know.
I'm, like, trying, I'm trying, I'm not getting anywhere,
but I'm always, like, I feel like
we've always proven people wrong.
And so that's been the biggest thing.
It's, like, don't doubt yourself.
Like, don't trust the outside person tell you that you...
Like, I had so many people tell me, like, I'm not funny,
that I don't have what it takes, so all these things.
I'm like, look at where...
I'm across from you with your perfect skin,
your perfect Fro, and I'm talking about a book I wrote.
I mean, come on. That's a win!
I think a lot of people can write a book.
Not anyone can become a New York Times bestseller
as you have,
and even fewer people can stop their own imprint.
I've never even thought of that.
I genuinely was just like, wait, Phoebe's...
you're going to be the imprint now, Tiny Reparations?
-Greatest name I've ever come across, by the way. -Thank you.
What's the plan for that? What are you hoping to achieve?
Yeah, we're highly curated, so we're publishing
three to five books-- we have five books coming out next year,
and then five more in 2023.
Right? Yes. Um, and I'm really excited about it.
It's literary nonfict... sorry, literary fiction,
nonfiction, essay questions and some poetry.
Which I'm very jazzed about.
And I just wanted it to be a place that will make authors
feel welcomed, and they wouldn't have to go through
what I went through back in 2015.
Like, only one publisher, my publisher Plume, said yes to me.
Everyone else was like, your book won't sell,
it's not relatable, nobody wants to read books
written by funny black women.
Like, got so much negative feedback.
-Wow. -In 2015, I was like, there's no way
that I'm going to, on my watch,
anyone's gonna say anything like that.
Before I let you go, I have to talk to you
about one of the most exciting moments
-in a comedy person's life. -Yes.
And that is doing their solo special.
-This is big. I mean, this is... -ROBINSON: Yeah.
-NOAH: This is Phoebe. -ROBINSON: Yeah.
NOAH: On HBO. Just you.
What is the balance of, like, nerves versus excitement?
I... That was, like, always... When I started stand-up,
it was do a late-night set on Letterman.
-Uh-huh. -That didn't happen.
Half-hour special on Comedy Central.
(chuckles): That didn't happen.
One-hour special, HBO.
So, I feel like my dream has come true.
-I was very nervous. -Wow.
Because I was just like...
You know, it was, like, Chris Rock and Wanda Sykes
and Margaret Cho. Like, I'm gonna be in this group?
And it feels like, "LOL, do I belong?"
But it also was really sort of like, "I put in the hard work."
And you know how it is. Like, you do your first special,
you feel like everything is riding on it
'cause you, like, you dreamed about this moment
-for so long. -Yeah, this is it. Yeah.
So, I'm really excited. I think people are gonna love it.
And I really wanted it to be something light and uplifting
during this time because we are all so weary and tired,
and I want people to just laugh for an hour.
-That's all. -I mean... I mean, we're just gonna watch you
turn into, like, a super mogul, and we're just gonna enjoy it.
Yeah, and I'm not gonna talk to you in ten years.
I'll be like, "Trevor who?"
-I-I like that, actually. -(laughing)
I like it. I would like it if everyone I knew now
doesn't talk to me in ten years because they're that successful.
And I'll just wave from far, be like, "Phoebe!
-Remember the hair?" -"Huh? No, I don't."
-"Well, it was nice knowing you." -(chuckles)
Thanks for being here with me. I appreciate you.
-Thanks for having me. -Phoebe's book
Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes
is available right now.
Her HBO Max comedy special,
Sorry, Harriet Tubman, will be available October 14th.