LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT IS AN ACTRESS AND
EMMY AWARD WINNING WRITER ON "MASTER OF NONE."
HER NEW SHOW IS CALLED "THE CHI."
PLEASE WELCOME LENA WAITHE!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: NICE TO FINALLY MEET YOU.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WE WERE SAYING OVER THERE, WE WERE THERE EMMYS
NIGHT ON STAGE AT THE SAME TIME BECAUSE YOU WERE THE FIRST
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO QUINN WIN WRITING IN COMEDY FOR
"MASTER OF NONE."
CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THAT'S NICE.
>> BIG RESPONSIBILITY.
>> Stephen: YEAH, BIG RESPONSIBILITY.
>> YOU KNOW?
JUST GOT TO MAKE SURE I'M NOT THE LAST.
THAT'S THE GOAL.
>> Stephen: THAT'S TRUE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ALSO BIG RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE
YOU WERE AN ACTRESS ON "MASTER OF NONE."
>> CORRECT.
>> Stephen: AND I UNDERSTAND DID NOT INTEND TO BE A WRITER ON
THE SHOW.
>> NO.
I WAS, LIKE, ACTING AS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A TOUGH ENOUGH JOB,
REMEMBER MY LINES AND HIT MY MARK.
ALSO, I SAID I'M BUSY, MAN.
I'M TRYING TO GET "THE CHI" PICKED UP.
I WAS SHOOTING IN LONDON.
HE'S, LIKE, OKAY, WE'LL COME TO LONDON AND WRITE IT THERE.
HE CAME TO LONDON, WE WROTE IT IN A COUPLE OF DAYS AND, BOOK,
MADE HISTORY.
>> Stephen: WOW.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) SPEAKING OF AWARDS HISTORY, YOU
WERE AT THE GOLDEN GLOBES.
>> I WAS.
I WAS ONE TO HAVE THE SEVEN BLACK PEOPLE THERE.
AN HONOR.
>> Stephen: YOU WERE THERE FOR THE LAUNCH OF OPRAH'S 2020
CAMPAIGN.
CAN YOU GIVE US WHAT THE VIBE OF THE ROOM WAS?
>> WELL, IT WAS VERY EXCITING, YOU KNOW.
IT WAS ALSO -- I JUST WANTED TO SAY, LIKE, I WANT TO BE AN
INTERN FOR THE CAMPAIGN, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO COME AND JUST
SWEEP THE FLOORS AND, YOU KNOW, HELP COMB THE CURLS OUT AND MAKE
SURE HER HAIR IS ALWAYS JUST SO.
>> Stephen: MM-HMM.
OF COURSE, THE CAMERA GUY GOT ME LISTENING INTENTLY.
JUST GOING, YEAH, YOU ARE THE GOAL TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD, TO
BE ON THAT STAGE, TO BE ELOQUENT AND AMAZING AND SMELL LIKE
HEAVEN.
( LAUGHTER ) IT WAS PHENOMENAL, MAN.
IT WAS CRAZY TOWN.
IT WAS, LIKE, THIS IS GOD'S CHILD.
ON STAGE, GIVING US A WORD.
>> Stephen: BUT HOW DO YOU FEEL?
>> DEAD INSIDE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: WHILE IT HAD BEEN
ANNOUNCED, THE GOLDEN GLOBES WAS THE LAUNCH OF THE TIME'S UP
CAMPAIGN.
>> TIME'S UP, MAN.
>> Stephen: HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT HOW THE LAUNCH OF THAT
BEGAN?
>> HONESTLY, IT WAS ANY FIRST GOLDEN GLOBES AND IT WAS AN
HONOR TO WEAR BLACK, TO WALK ON THAT CARPET AND SEE SO MANY
OTHER PEOPLE WEARING PLAQUE AND WEARING THE PINS, I WAS THE
BEGINNING OF THE CAMPAIGN.
I THINK ALL OF US COMING TOGETHER AND SAYING, LOOK, THIS
WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW ISN'T OKAY AND WE WANT TO STEP UP AND DO
SOMETHING, AND I THINK THE FUN IS US PUTTING OUR MONEY WHERE
OUR MOUTHS ARE.
WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT IT.
WE'RE SAYING LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
BUT FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE AN ISSUE AND WANT TO COME OUT AND SAY,
HEY, I WAS ABUSED AND WAS HARASSED AND I WANTED TO SUPPORT
IT AND FINANCIALLY AS WELL.
>> Stephen: THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF A LEGAL FUND THAT
BOTH MEN AND WOMEN CAN USE WHO FEEL THEY'RE POWERLESS AND BEING
ABUSED IN THE WORKPLACE IS A WONDERFUL THING.
>> ABSOLUTELY BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO COME FORWARD AND GO
BROKE HAVING TO SPEAK YOUR TRUTH.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE JUSTICE GOES TO THOSE WHO DESERVE IT AND
WE WANT TO GIVE THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THOSE THEY SO
DESPERATELY NEED ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: YES.
DID YOU THINK OF YOURSELF PRIMARILY OR DO YOU MAKE THIS
DIFFERENTIATION PRIMARILY AS A PERFORM RP OR WRITER?
HOW WOULD YOU IDENTIFY?
>> I THINK OF MYSELF AS A WRITER WHO GOT CO-OPTED TO PERFORM A
BIT.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
ALISON JONES SAID DO YOU HAVE ANY DESIRE TO ACT?
I SAID NO.
SHE SAID, OKAY, I'M GOING TO BRING YOU IN FOR STUFF ANYWAY.
>> Stephen: WAS WRITING EASY FOR YOU?
SOME WRITERS HAVE TO WRITE.
THEY HAVE NO OPTION.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF I SAY IT'S EASY, BUT I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE
IN THE MATTER.
IT'S THE GIFT THAT GOD GAVE ME SO I'M GOING TO USE IT.
>> Stephen: WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD IT?
>> WHEN I WAS SEVEN.
>> Stephen: WOW.
YEAH.
I WAS WATCHING A DIFFERENT WORLD ON NBC AS A LITTLE BLACK KID IN
CHICAGO AND SAID WHATEVER THAT IS, I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT.
MY FIFTH GRADE TEACHER SAID I ENJOY READING YOUR PAPERS, LENA.
I SAID WHY?
SHE SAID BECAUSE YOU WRITE THE WAY YOU SPEAK.
I REMEMBER THINKING, HUH, THAT'S GOOD.
SO I SAID, I LIKE WATCHING TV AND I ENJOY WRITING.
I'M GOING TO PUT THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER AND MAKE A LOT
OF MONEY DOING IT.
>> Stephen: AT SEVEN?
YEAH.
AND THEN MAYBE IN THE BACK OF MY MIND SAID I'LL BE THE FIRST
BLACK WOMAN TO WIN AN EMMY FOR WRITING FUNNY STUFF.
>> Stephen: GOOD PLANS TO FOLLOW.
( APPLAUSE ) TELL ME ABOUT THE NEW SHOW.
THE NEW SHOW IS CALLED "THE CHI."
YOUR CREATOR, PRODUCER, WRITER.
YOU'RE PRODUCING THIS WITH COMMON.
>> YEAH, MAN.
>> Stephen: AND YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO BUT THIS IS NOT
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S THE STORY YOU WANT TO TELL ABOUT
"CHICAGO" -- ABOUT CHICAGO?
>> THE STORY IS THEY'RE NOT A BUNCH OF HOOLIGANS.
THE TRUTH IS THEY'RE A LOT OF WORKING CLASS FOLK, TRYING TO GO
TO WORK, FEED THEIR KIDS AND GET TO CHURCH WHEN THEY CAN AND
THAT'S WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO TELL.
I WANTED TO TELL A HUMAN STORY AND I THINK IT MAY BE A VERY
SIMPLE CONCEPT TO TELL THE STORY ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BLACK
AND HUMAN ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO.
SOUNDS LIKE A NOVEL IDEA, BUT I THINK TV NEEDS THAT BECAUSE I
DON'T THINK PEOPLE OFTEN THINK OF BLACK FOLKS AS HUMAN BEINGS
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT I DID THAT BECAUSE WE'RE BECOMING
DEHUMANIZED.
>> Stephen: ESPECIALLY IN CHICAGO BLACK PEOPLE END UP
BEING STATISTICS.
>> AND WE'RE DEHUMANIZED, WE'RE DESENSITIZED TO OUR DEATHS.
I WANT TO PUT A HUMAN FACE BEHIND THE STATISTICS.
>> Stephen: CAN YOU TELL US WHAT'S APING IN THE CLIP?
>> ONE OF THE CHARACTERS BRANDON HAS LOST HIS BROTHER DOES TO GUN
VIOLENCE AND IS THINKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING THAT MAYBE HE
SHOULDN'T DO TO GET REVENGE.
>> Stephen: JIM?
HOW YOU DOING?
SUPPOSED TO GO OVER TO MY MOM'S HOUSE AND HELP HER CLEAN
(BLEEP) OUT THE ROOM.
BUT SHE'S BLAMING ME FOR (BLEEP).
>> SORRY.
HE'S HEARING VOICES AND (BLEEP).
>> WHY DON'T YOU ROLL WITH ME TONIGHT, MAN.
GET YOUR MIND OFF STUFF?
>> NO, I'M GOOD, BRO.
SOMETHING UP?
TALK TO ME, BRO.
>> BRANDON, I THINK I KNOW WHO KILLED MY BROTHER.
>> IT'S THE FEEL-GOOD SHOW OF THE YEAR.
LOTS OF LAUGHS ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW SHOW.
>> THANK YOU.
>> STEPHEN: "THE CHI" AIRS SUNDAYS ON SHOWTIME, LENA
WAITHE EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY ANDERSON EAST.