♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: WELCOME BACK,
EVERYBODY.
MY NEXT GUEST IS A COMEDIAN, ACTRESS, AND WRITER WHO CREATED
AND STARS IN THE NEW SHOW "ZIWE."
>> I'M HONORED YOU'RE DOING THE SHOW, BUT MY QUESTION IS WHY DID
YOU AGREE TO THIS?
DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?
>> I DON'T HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA.
♪ ♪ ♪ SOMEONE WHO WORKED FOR YOU WAS
INCREDIBLY PERSISTENT, INCREDIBLY PERSISTENT, TO THE
POINT WHERE THIS JUST SEEMED EASIER.
>> SO SHOUT-OUT TO THE PERSISTENCE OF WOMEN OF COLOR,
REALLY?
>> ANY PERSISTENCE.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME TO "A LATE SHOW," ZIWE!
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> I'M DELIGHTED TO BE HERE UPON.
YOU ARE AN ICON.
>> Stephen: I'M DEEPLY COMPLIMENTED.
I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ON, YOU ARE LIKE ABSOLUTELY THE
"IT" COMEDIAN RIGHT NOW.
EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT YOU.
EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT YOUR SHOW.
AND I FOUND OUT WE ALREADY MET.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS WE HAVE
CONNECTIONS, I FOUND OUT.
THIS IS ME GLOMMING ON TO YOUR POPULARITY IN CASE YOU'RE
WONDERING.
THAT'S HOW YOU GET ONE OF THESE SHOWS.
THIS IS THE FIRST PLACE-- STRAP IN, SO MANY PEOPLE AT HOME,
BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
IT TURNS OUT YOU WERE ONE OF MY INTERNS AT THE OLD SHOW.
THERE YOU ARE RIGHT THERE.
AND-- AND I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT, JIM, BEFORE YOU GO,
EVIDENTLY, SO WAS JOHN OLIVER.
EVERYONE IN THIS PHOTO HAS A TV SHOW NOW.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU.
WHAT WAS IT-- WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING AN INTERN AT THE OLD GIG?
>> IT WAS SO SURREAL, BECAUSE YOUR FACE WAS ON EVERY WALL,
WHETHER THAT WAS ANIMATION OR BABY YODA.
IT WAS A DREAM COME TRUE, HONESTLY.
AND I FAMOUSLY DID A JOKE ON THE SHOW AS THE CHATTY INTERN.
AND THAT KICKSTARTED MY CAREER.
>> Stephen: I HEARD ABOUT THIS, TOO.
THIS MADE ME VERY PROUD-- AGAIN, TRYING TO HOOK MY WAGON TO YOUR
STAR RIGHT NOW.
SO DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THE STORY WAS ABOUT WERE YOU KNOT
YOUR JOKE ON?
I HAVE THE GRAPHIC RIGHT HERE.
WHAT WAS THE STORY?
>> THE STORY WAS ABOUT WHETHER PROP 8 WAS GOING TO BE PASSED,
AND I PITCHED A LOWER THIRD.
>> Stephen: IN CALIFORNIA, THE ANTIGAY MARRIAGE PROPOSITION.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: AND YOU PITCHED THIS LOWER THIRD.
THERE YOU GO.
THERE YOU HAVE IT.
"GAY, SET, MATCH."
AND WHAT DID THIS SAY TO YOU THAT YOU GOT A JOKE ON TV?
>> WELL, HONESTLY, I WAS RAISED BY A NIGERIAN IMMIGRANTS AND I
HAD NO IDEA THERE WERE PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS WHO WERE
NOT DOCTORS AND DENTISTS WHO MOONLIGHTED.
GETTING A JOKE ON A SHOW AT 21 OPENED MY EYES TO A NEW WORLD OF
CREATIVITY.
AND I WORKED AT "THE ONION."
AND "I.O." AND IT KICKSTARTED MY CAREER, HONESTLY.
>> Stephen: YOU ALSO WENT TO NORTHWESTERN, WHICH I WENT TO.
YOU ALSO-- WHAT DID YOU STUDY THERE?
>> I STUDIED RADIO, TELEVISION, FILM, POETRY, AND AFRICAN
AMERICAN STUDIES.
>> Stephen: OKAY, GOOD.
AND ALSO IMPROV IN CHICAGO.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
AND SO AT THIS POINT, IT FEELS LIKELY LIKE STALKING, BUT I'M
FLATTERED.
I'M FLATTERED.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT MY FACE BEING ON EVERYTHING.
YOU DO THE SAME THING NOW, THOUGH.
LIKE, YOU PUT YOUR FACE ON EVERYTHING, DON'T YOU?
>> >> YES, YOU ARE ONE OF MY
BIGGEST INFLUENCES.
LIKE, MY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER SHOWED ME "JONATHAN SWIFT'S
STORY" AS WELL AS YOUR SHOW, AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE.
AS A RESULT, BECAUSE I INTERNED AT YOUR JOB, AND I SAW YOUR FACE
EVERYWHERE IT INSPIRED ME TO CREATE AN OPENING THEME SONG
WITH MY FACE EVERYWHERE AS AN HOMAGE TO YOU.
>> Stephen: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE HONEST IF YOU DON'T WANT TO,
BUT ISN'T IT GREAT TO BE A CHARACTER WHO IS REALLY
SELF-IMPORTANT AND THINKS THEY'RE GREAT AND PUTS THEIR
FACE ON EVERYTHING SO YOU CAN PRETEND THAT'S NOT YOUR EGO,
IT'S YOUR CHARACTER DOING IT?
>> I, ZIWE,AM HUMBLE, BUT ZIWE, THE CHARACTER, IS A NARCISSIST.
>> Stephen: EXACTLY WAY.
THE NEWSY WAY GREW OUT OF YOUR INSTAGRAM SERIES WHICH WAS
HUGELY POPULAR LAST SUMMER.
EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT SWEET 'N SAURON IS.
> "ZIWE" IS A STATIRKAL COMEDY SHOW WHERE I INTERVIEW GUESTS
ABOUT RACE AND POP CULTURE AND HIJINX ENSUE.
>> Stephen: WHEN I WOULD GO OUT ON THE ROAD ESPECIALLY AND
INTERVIEW PEOPLE, PEOPLE WOULD SAY, "HOW DO YOU ASK THAT
QUESTION?
HOW DO YOU, "A," KEEP FROM LAUGHING?
AND "B," HOW DO YOU BRING YOURSELF?
YOU SEEM LIKE A POLITE PERSON?
HOW DO YOU BRING YOURSELF TO ASK QUESTIONS?
>> I START THINKING BEFORE I THINK, AND THE WORDS JUST COME
OUT ( LAUGHS ).
>> Stephen: HAS ANYONE GOT REALLY UPSET WITH YOU?
>> NOT YET.
BUT TIME WILL TELL.
IT'S ONLY A SEASON ONE SHOW, SO I HAVE A LOT OF TIME, HOPEFULLY.
>> Stephen: IN ADDITION TO CREATING THE SHOW, YOU STAR, YOU
WRITE, YOU PRODUCE, YOU EDIT, YOU APPEAR IN YOUR OWN-- AS YOUR
OWN MUSICAL GUEST IN EVERY EPISODE.
WHAT IS THAT-- "A," WHY DO YOU NEED THAT KIND OF CREATIVE
CONTROL?
DO YOU THINK THAT'S ENTIRELY POSITIVE TO HAVE THAT MUCH
CONTROL?
AND WHY ARE YOU A CONTROL FREAK?
>> YOU KNOW, I HAVE TROUBLE LETTING GO.
I READ WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED "LATE SHOW" YOU WERE IN THE
RAFTERS LOOKING AT TILE.
SO I CAN REALLY RELATE TO THAT --
>> Stephen: IT'S NOT A GREAT IDEA.
BUT I'M GLAD IT WORKED OUT FOR YOU
( LAUGHING ) BUT YOU WANT TO GO LIKE, "THIS
PEN, OWLD COULD THIS PEN BE FUNNIER?
WHAT IF THE CAP WASN'T BLACK?" THAT LEVEL OF OBSESSION.
>> YEAH, I THINK IT'S-- I CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF.
I WISH I WASN'T LIKE THIS, BUT THIS IS THE WOMAN THAT I AM.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
STICK AROUND, WHEN WE COME BACK, I'LL ASK ZIWE ABOUT HER
IMPRESSION OF KAMALA HARRIS.