>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
THANKS, EVERYBODY!
THESE PEOPLE GIVE AND THEY GIVE.
>> Jon: OH, YEAH, THEY'RE FEELING IT!
>> Stephen: GENEROUS PEOPLE.
MY NEXT GUEST IS AN EMMY AWARD WINNING COMEDIAN WHO GOT HIS
START AT "THE DAILY SHOW."
HE NOW HAS HIS OWN SHOW, "WYATT CENAC'S PROBLEM AREAS."
PLEASE WELCOME, WYATT CENAC!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
I WAS SAYING BACKSTAGE I REALLY LOVE THE LIGHT SPRING TWEED.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: SO PROFESSORIAL.
WITH THESE SNEAKERS, I FEEL I SHOULD BE A LAWYER AT THE X
GAMES.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
LIKE READY TO HELP SOMEBODY SUE IN CASE THEY GET HURT?
>> YEAH, LIKE, OH, YEAH YOU HURT YOURSELF ON A HALF PIPE AND YOU
WANT TO MAKE SOME MONEY, COME SEE ME.
>> Stephen: HERE'S MY CARD.
EXACTLY.
I'M A SKATE BOARD CHASER.
( LAUGHTER ) >> THANK YOU TO THE THREE PEOPLE
WHO CLAPPED FOR THAT.
>> Stephen:.
>> Stephen: THREE VERY NICE PEOPLE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: DID YOU THINK OF DOING ANYTHING OTHER THAN BEING
A COMEDIAN?
I THOUGHT MAYBE LAW SCHOOL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
COULD YOU BE A LAWYER OR SOME OTHER OCCUPATION?
>> I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE A SKILL SET FOR ANYTHING ELSE.
I DIDN'T BECAUSE, WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD TO TAKE ONE
OF THOSE TESTS THAT WAS LIKE ONE OF THOSE THAT'S LIKE WHAT COLOR
IS YOUR UMBRELLA OR PARACHUTE.
>> Stephen: A JOHNSON O'CONNOR APTITUDE TEST OR SOMETHING LIKE
THAT?
>> YEAH, AND IT WAS FOR THIS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WHERE YOU
TOOK THE TEST AND IT WAS LIKE A COUPLE HUNDRED KIDS AND EVERYONE
TOOK THE TEST AND BASED ON YOUR ANSWERS, THEY WOULD PLACE YOU IN
SOME SORT OF SPERNSHIP.
>> Stephen: THAT'S COOL.
YEAH, SO THEY WERE, LIKE, KIDS WHERE IT'S, LIKE, OH, YOU
SEEM LIKE JOURNALISM, SO WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU SET UP AT THE
LOCAL NEWSPAPER.
OH, BUSINESS, OKAY, WE'LL GET YOU AT BANK OR SMFLGHT AND FOR
ME I TOOK THE TEST, AND THE ANSWER THAT CAME BACK WAS STUNT
MAN.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: HOW IS THAT A
CHOICE?
>> I FEEL LIKE IT'S JUST ONE THEY KIND OF SLIPPED IN THERE
JUST TO SEE IF ANYONE WAS PAYING ATTENTION.
>> Stephen: DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS ABOUT YOU THAT QUALIFIES
YOU FOR STUNT MAN?
>> I DON'T KNOW.
I MEAN -- >> Stephen: ENJOYS LONG FALLS
AND SUDDEN STOPS.
>> PRETTY MUCH, YEAH.
BUT THEN THEY TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T PLACE ME IN AN
INTERNSHIP SO THEY KICKED ME OUT.
>> Stephen: WHERE WERE -- I'M FINE NOW!
>> Stephen: WHERE WAS THIS?
THIS WAS IN TEXAS.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
NOT A LOT OF STUNT MEN WORK IN TEXAS.
>> WELL, I GREW UP IN DALLAS, AND, SO, I THOUGHT MAYBE THEY
WOULD, LIKE, HOOK ME UP WITH WALKER TEXAS RANGER OR
SOMETHING.
( LAUGHTER ) I WAS, LIKE, OH, YEAH, COOL,
LIKE, I COULD BE ONE OF THE GUYS IN THE CROWD THAT CHUCK NORRIS
KICKS.
( LAUGHTER ) THEY WERE, LIKE, YEAH, WE DON'T
KNOW HOW TO REACH HIM.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE AT "THE DAILY SHOW" WHAT YEARS?
>> I JOINED IN 2008.
>> Stephen: SO LONG AFTER I WAS GONE.
I LEFT IN 2005, YEAH.
>> DID YOU THINK WE OVERLAPPED?
WERE YOU, LIKE, OH, MAN, IT WAS SUCH A BLUR, I DON'T REMEMBER.
WERE WE THERE AT THE SAME TIME?
>> Stephen: WELL, THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE CAME AND WENT.
>> SURE.
>> Stephen: I WASN'T SURE WHETHER OLIVER AND I OVERLAPPED.
WE JUST MISSED EACH OTHER.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
SO DID YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WERE INTO, WHAT YOUR OPINION IN FOR
WHEN YOU GOT A JOB AT "THE DAILY SHOW"?
BECAUSE BEFORE YOU GOT A JOB AS A CORRESPONDENT, IT'S HARD TO
EXPLAIN WHAT THE JOB IS.
>> YEAH, I HAD NO CLUE.
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE JOB WOULD ENTAIL.
EVEN WHEN I GOT THE JOB -- WEIRDLY, I FOUND OUT I GOT THE
JOB WHEN I WAS STANDING OUTSIDE YOUR OLD STUDIO WHEN I WAS AT
THE -- I HAD GONE -- LIKE, I HAD AUDITIONED FOR THE JOB AND THEN
I HAD A FRIEND LAURA CRAFT, WHO WAS A WRITER ON YOUR SHOW.
SHE TOOK ME ON A TOUR AND, AS WE WERE STANDING OUTSIDE SO I COULD
WALK BACK TO THE CAR, I GET THE PHONE CALL THAT THEY'VE OFFERED
ME THE JOB, AND, SO, LAURA AND I ARE THERE TOGETHER, AND, SO,
SHE'S LISTENING IN ON THE WHOLE PHONE CALL, AND SHE'S JUST,
LIKE, OH, MY GOD, THIS IS TO GREAT!
AND JUST, LIKE, SO HAPPY AND LOUDLY SCREAMING WHILE WE'RE
STANDING OUTSIDE AS YOUR AUDIENCE LINE IS CUEIN QUEUING U
AND THEY HEAR EVERYTHING.
WHEN I LEAVE TO GO GET TO THE CAR, YOUR ENTIRE AUDIENCE WAS,
LIKE, CONGRATULATIONS!
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: THAT'S NICE.
FOR WHAT?
>> Stephen: AND DID YOU TELL THEM?
>> NO, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.
SO I WAS JUST, LIKE, YOU WILL SEE.
AND THEN RAN AWAY.
>> Stephen: SO NOW YOU'VE GOT THE NEW SHOW ON HBO, IT'S CALLED
"WYATT CENAC'S PROBLEM AREAS."
WHAT DO YOU DO IN THIS?
IS THIS ALSO FIELD PIECES AND THAT SORT OF THING?
>> IT'S A LOT OF FIELD PIECES.
WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH THE SHOW IS I FELT LIKE AT "THE
DAILY SHOW" WE WOULD TALK ABOUT STORIES NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER
NIGHT, AND I THOUGHT WHAT IF I COULD FIND STORIES I COULD LIVE
WITH A LITTLE LONGER AND TAKE AN ENTIRE SEASON AND TALK ABOUT AND
REALLY DIG IN AND DO FIELD PIECES AROUND AND, SO, FOR THIS
SEASON, WE DECIDED TO LOOK AT POLICING IN AMERICA.
SO, OVER TEN EPISODES, WE WENT TO TEN DIFFERENT CITIES AND
TRIED TO EXAMINE DIFFERENT ISSUES AROUND THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN COMMUNITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.
AND LOOKING AT IT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, ARE
THERE THINGS THAT CAN HELP US FIND SOME COMMON GROUND LIKE
WHEN WE LOOK AT AND HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS AROUND LAW
ENFORCEMENT IN THIS COUNTRY, WE HAVE THESE POLARIZED NATIONAL
CONVERSATIONS THAT GET COVERED ON, YOU KNOW, CABLE NEWS SHOWS,
BUT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN CITIES THAT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED
BY POLICE MISCONDUCT OR POLICE BRUTALITY, THEY STILL HAVE TO
MOVE FORWARD AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE AND WHAT PROGRAMS GET
CREATED THAT TRY TO HELP PREPARE THAT RELATIONSHIP AND CITIES
DOING THINGS AND RESOURCES THAT ARE BEING USED TO KIND OF HELP
CREATE SOCIETIES WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY CAN WORK
TOGETHER.
>> Stephen: AND I DON'T MEAN THIS FACETIOUSLY, BUT AND
COMEDY.
>> THAT WHOLE THING DIDN'T SOUND FUNNY TO YOU?
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: BECAUSE THAT'S A
CHALLENGE.
>> THAT IS A CHALLENGE, YEAH.
NO, THAT'S DEFINITELY BEEN ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IN TRYING TO
MAKE A SHOW LIKE THIS IS THAT, ALSO, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT A
JOURNALIST, SO I'VE GOT TO FIND -- YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE
WATCHING BECAUSE THEY'RE, LIKE, WHERE'S THE JOKE, DUMMY?
>> Stephen: WELL, CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> Stephen: "WYATT CENAC'S PROBLEM AREAS" AIRS FRIDAY ON
HBO!
WYATT CENAC, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY LEON BRIDGES!