-Our first guest tonight is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated
actress, writer, and producer.
You know her from her critically acclaimed show "Insecure."
The first two episodes of her new show, "Rap [Bleep]",
begin streaming on HBO Max July 21st.
She also stars in "Vengeance," which is in theaters July 29th.
Please welcome back to the show our friend Issa Rae, everybody!
[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪
-Welcome back, Issa! -Thank you.
I'm so happy to be back.
-I've had the pleasure of interviewing in person.
I also -- You were very kind to do a Zoom interview
during the pandemic.
-Yes.
-And of all the people I interviewed on Zoom,
you had the longest and loudest doorbell ring.
-It was already embarrassing.
I have one of those old-school -- It goes --
Y'all want to hear it? It's...
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
-And it was definitely -- You know, it was
the time of the pandemic where UPS was just coming all day.
And I think you were trying to tough it out.
You were like, "You know what?
They'll just leave it there."
And I think we heard the full doorbell ring
three or four times.
-Yeah, you called it. I was very package-popular.
So sorry that I got lots of packages.
-You did say you were going to replace it.
That was your promise to us. Did you?
-I didn't, but I let the battery die.
So now people just knock, like, the old-fashioned way.
-That's really -- You thought ahead.
-I did, yeah. I did that on purpose.
I planned that.
-Congratulations on your many Emmy nominations.
How did you find out that you were nominated this year?
-You know, like, it's nerve-racking to know that
the nominations are coming up.
And I accidentally found out that morning.
And I was like, "Oh, man!"
And then I just kept myself busy.
And I was in the middle of a meeting,
and then my phone kept going off.
And I let out like a... [ Squeals ]
And, literally, the meeting stopped,
and they were like, "Do you want to elaborate?"
And I was like, "Well, no,
we were talking about important business right now."
And then they found out later and congratulated me.
-It must feel special -- extra special --
because "Insecure" wrapped up an incredible five-season run,
and this was, in a way, its last chance to get honored.
And it was really cool that people remembered it.
-That part.
Like, it was -- We came out in December,
and, usually, you know, the academy --
There's so many great shows, and people will forget.
And so it was just nice to get a nice -- like, a nod going out.
And, you know, our cinematographer was nominated,
Ava Berkofsky, and our editor, Nena Erb.
So it was just nice to be remembered.
And hopefully it encourages people to go watch it.
-I do think, as a show, it's going to endure, really,
for a long time because
it is such a wonderful show about friendship.
And I think that, like, that does not date badly,
because people -- I feel like even though
the world changes, the way people are friends
is very consistent.
-Friendship is not dated. -It is not dated.
It stays in style. -That's beautiful, actually.
-You also -- This is very exciting.
You were working on your Emmy day.
-I was.
I took a shift at my local coffee shop, Hilltop.
-Yeah. -But that was already planned.
-You're a part owner. -I am, yes.
-Yeah. So when you say, "My local coffee shop,"
you mean...
-Literally my local coffee shop.
It's down the street from my house.
-Yeah, 'cause when I say -- Oh never mind.
People like you don't understand us small people, who...
who just frequent them, exchange money for coffee.
-Oh, okay.
-But you look like you know what you're doing.
-Yeah, I'm glad I look that way, because, you know,
I was supposed to -- I was supposed to, like,
make drinks for people.
That's what a barista does.
And I was --
I was supposed to have a training for at least
10 to 15 minutes, but I was late for my shift.
-Okay.
-And so they didn't get to train me,
but they were like, "It's okay.
You'll just work the register."
So I was like, "Oh, okay, I got that."
But there was a really long line.
Shout-out to everybody who came.
And, so, I was kind of slow on the register.
And, so, they let me get about like five customers in,
and then they were like, "You know, we're just --
We're going to have you call names.
Call names out."
So that's what I did for the rest of the time.
I just -- But I was a great name-caller.
-Wow. -Like, I was built for that.
-So it does seem like you were demoted twice in one shift.
-I was.
Heavily demoted. But you know what?
You try it. -Yeah, no.
[ Laughter ]
-But respect to the staff.
They were so patient, because there were a lot of
orders to fill, and I was trash, so...
-It does seem like an episode of "Undercover Boss"
where they figure it out right away.
They're like, "I think that lady making coffee is our boss."
-"I think she's in on it." Yeah.
-This was -- So, this is in Inglewood.
-Yeah, it is. -Your coffee shop.
And you were honored recently.
They gave you the key to the city.
-They did.
-And there's the key to the city.
-Yes. Thank you. [ Cheers and applause ]
-It's funny.
Like, when I was little, I definitely assumed, like,
it was a functional key,
like, when you heard "key to the city."
-It should be, honestly. -Yeah.
-It should be a key that just opens up, you know,
people's cars, offices.
-At the very least, municipal buildings,
like library after hours, you know?
-I would love that. -Yeah.
-But it doesn't -- It's just a big key.
Like, it's a big plastic key.
And, unfortunately, somebody was like,
"Oh, you'll get, like, all this access and, you know,
maybe you won't have to pay parking tickets."
But it doesn't do any of that. It just --
-What do you even do with it? Like, where is the key now?
-It's actually in my office, propped up.
-Alright.
-And they sent it --
Blessings for them, but they sent it all lopsided,
so it's, like, a diagonal key.
So I have to reframe it, and it will be beautiful after that.
-Okay, gotcha.
-But, you know, it's a great -- It's a conversation starter.
Like, "What is that?"
"Oh, it's the -- You mean my key to the city?"
-That seems like a very aggressive way
to start a conversation.
"What is that?"
I have a lot more to ask you about your new show.
We'll be right back with more from Issa Rae.