Geoff: Your favorite TV comedies
likely owe a lot to Larry
Wilmore.
As the creator or guiding force
behind some of the most popular
and most impactful sitcoms and
comedy shows over the last 30
years.
Starting in the 1990's, as a
writer on hit shows like in
living color, and the fresh
prince of bel-air, to creating
and executive producing the
Bernie Mac show, which earned
him an Emmy for writing.
From there, consulting on the
office before executive
producing black-ish.
In 2015, Wilmore hosted his own
late-night talk show, "The
nightly show with Larry
Wilmore," which ran for two
seasons on comedy central.
On cam now, he's tapping into
his experiences in late-night
for a primetime comedy that ABC
recently announced.
I spoke with him earlier about
how work has challenged
traditional notions of politics,
race, and comedy, in the
process, helping to shape the
broader cultural conversation.
It's part of our arts and
culture series, Candace.
It is great to speak with you.
Larry: Thank for having me on.
Geoff: Before you were a writer
and producer, you were a standup
comic.
What drew you to it?
Larry: Standup comedy offered
the opportunity to create
something because you have to
write an act and even though it
is scary at first, it was one of
the best decisions I ever made
because you find out kind of who
you are, you have to make
strangers laugh all the time.
It was really diving headfirst
into that, really trying to get
control of my career to a
certain point in that time.
Geoff: He credits as his
influences Johnny Carson,
Richard Pryor, Steve martin,
Monty python, and flip Wilson.
>> Don't touch me.
>> It was so funny.
>> You don't know me that well.
Larry: And I just wanted to be
him, you know?
And I used to make my parents
laugh.
I would do Geraldine and all
that, you know, and I would do
impressions, you know, you
better watch it, fool, you know,
do stuff like that.
Geoff: Ultimately, though, you
abandoned the standup comic
route because you felt like you
couldn't find a lane for
yourself.
Tell me more about that.
Larry: That's true.
So what happenedwas I did a lot
of, you know, what you might
call a hodgepodge kind of stand
up act.
I did political humor, I did
impressions, I did social
commentary.
I did things like that.
And at that time, I thought
Hollywood was only interested in
one type of black comedian.
And Robert Townsend kind of
lampooned that in Hollywood
shuffle where we said we need
somebody more urban.
They would use those kind of
terms, you know, kind of
somebody more mur-phonic like
Eddie Murphy.
Geoff: Murphonic.
[Laughter]
Larry: Yeah.
I felt like if I wanted to have
a space in Hollywood, I would
have to create that space for
myself.
I was very influenced by what
spike Lee had done in film at
the time.
What keenen ivory wayans had
done, you know, with in living
color and that kind of stuff.
And so I thought, if I start
writing and producing, I can
maybe create a space for my type
of voice.
And so that's what I did at that
time.
>> Welcome to the home boys
shopping network.
Geoff: You mentioned in living
color.
You were a writer on that show.
It was really a seminal moment
in culture.
It launched the careers of
people like Jim Carrey, Jamie
Foxx's David Alan Grier, the
wayans brothers.
What was that experience like?
Larry: The amount of talent that
went through was really kind of
surreal because in those days,
if you worked on a living color,
people went crazy, like, say, so
what do you do?
I go, oh, I write for
television.
Oh, really?
The didn't seem that impression.
Well, what shows you write for?
I write for in living color.
In living color?
Oh, my god.
Like people, the energy they had
for that show, it was so
interesting.
And I think because we were
pushing boundaries at that time
that we hadn't really been
pushed before, especially in
race and culture.
And people were so excited to
see that on their television.
So I'll forever be grateful for
that experience.
Geoff: What was it about the
1990's?
Because I'm convinced that the
1990's were sort of this high,
high point in cultural creation,
but black cultural creation in
particular, from TV to fashion
to music to movies just across
the board.
What was it about that time?
Larry: I think a lot of black
culture was finding its voice
during that time after not
having a voice for a long time,
because many like if you talk
about black shows on television,
many of them were created and
run by white people, you know,
and those were good shows, but
they just had a different voice
to them, a different gaze, as I
like to call it.
And when more black creators had
an opportunity to create things
so much creativity, just
pouredout.
And I think the audiences were
grateful to see all these
different voices on TV, you
know, with all these things that
that they had to offer.
So a lot of it, I think, geoff
was the energy that was coming
out of that. U know, it was kind of a yous energy of, hey, we get to we get to be on this show W, you know.
Geoff: -- The next generation of
comedians and creators including
quinta Brunson
star and creator of the hit,
award-winning sitcom Abbott
elementary on ABC.
Larry: I had quinta on the
nightly show back in the day,
back in 2015, you know, and I
immediately said, oh, wow, she's
she's she's got she's got a
-- she has got a toolbox.
I saw in quinta just this
ability to keep expanding what
her skill set is, you know, and
to do it at such a high level
because she started off making
like little videos, I think from
Facebook and that kind of stuff
and was that buzzfeed?
And she kept increasing like her
skill set of what she does and
she does it so fast.
I mean, she is like she's a she
-- she is at the top of her game
as a showrunner creator, and
, after.
-- Actor.
That's crazy.
Just when you think about it in
that short amount of time.
And she's crushing it too, so
I'm so proud of her.
I was so surprised when she
called me out.
I was like what?
,It was a really cool moment.
>> It's your fantasy.
>> I will always be here what if
guide.
Geoff: And he has worked with
Lisa ray -- Issa Rae,
co-creating her breakout show
íinsecure" for HBO.
What about Issa Rae in the early
days signaled success to you?
Larry: There was nothing in
premium cable quite like that at
that time.
You know, a show from black
woman's point of view that was a
little different.
She was kind of the underdog and
Issa had a very interesting
quality where you really wanted
to be her friend.
You know, she was kind of like a
that girl next door type of
thing.
Very empathetic.
You know, there's -- she has all
these kind of -- I call them
quiet qualities, but they're
very interesting.
You can't take your eyes off of
her.
There's something going on.
And she's so nice and she's so
funny and really so smart.
You know, I saw so much
potential in her at that time.
So it was a joy figuring that
show out.
Geoff: You seem to be really
intentional about mentoring
younger artists.
Larry: Yeah, I enjoy it a lot.
I think I come from a family of
teachers all around in my family
and, you know, it kind of frees
you up to take the attention off
of yourself, you know?
And I learn a lot from mentoring
too.
It's honestly not just a one way
street, but it is important for
me.
And I think it's because of the
time I came up in if I can help
somebody to get through that
door also, then I like doing it.
I always used to joke.
I say, if I get my foot in the
door, I'm just going to keep
that door open and say, come on,
everybody come on through as
many people and as you can.
So it's kind of that philosophy
too.
Geoff: Larry Wilmore, it's a
real privilege to speak with
you.
Thanks for your time.
Larry: The pleasure's all mine.
Stick around for the whole hour,
you guys.
It's pbs news hour, not half
hour.