FOLKS, YOU'VE SEEN MY NEXT GUEST IN EVERYTHING FROM "RENO 911" TO
"MASTERS OF SEX."
PLEASE WELCOME NIECY NASH!
♪ TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD TELL ME THAT YOU LIKE ME, YEAH ♪
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen HEY.
>> HELLO!
>> Stephen: HEY.
HOW ARE YOU?
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> I'M WELL, HOW ARE YOU?
HI, Y'ALL.
HI, EVERYBODY.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: HOW HAS YOUR SUMMER BEEN?
HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING FUN THIS SUMMER?
>> I DID GET TO TRAVEL WITH MY HUSBAND A LITTLE BIT WHICH WAS
NICE.
WE WENT-- WAIT, WAIT.
STOP IT!
I'VE BEEN WORKING A LOT!
WHERE DID WE GO?
OH, NO, NO, NO.
WE WENT TO MEXICO.
YEAH, WE WENT TO CANCUN, AND WE GOT TO SWIM IN THE UNDERGROUND
CAVES.
>> Stephen: THAT'S DANGEROUS.
>> YOU'RE TELLING ME!
YOU KNOW BLACK PEOPLE DON'T SWIM!
I WAS SO NERVOUS!
>> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW THAT, ACTUALLY.
>> WELL, NOW YOU KNOW.
>> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW THAT.
GOOD TO KNOW.
>> FUN TRIVIA FACT.
>> Stephen: YOU LEARN SOMETHING EVERY DAY.
>> BOOM.
>> Stephen: WE FIRST GOT TO KNOW-- I FIRST GOT TO KNOW YOUR
WORK IN "RENO 911".
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THAT SHOW, GREAT SHOW, WAS ON
FOR SHEERS.
AS RANESHA-- >> WILLIAMS.
>> Stephen: THAT SHOW, A FAIR AMOUNT OF THAT WAS IMPROVISED,
WASN'T IT?
>> THE WHOLE SHOW WAS IMPROVISED, HOWEVER IT WAS MY
FIRST TIME DOING IT.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IMPROV WAS, AND I'M FROM LOS ANGELES, BUT
I'M FROM ALL THE RADDEDY PARTS.
I NEVER HEARD OF GROUND LINGS OR SECOND CITY.
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IMPROV WAS.
BUT I CALLED MY FRIEND BIG GEORGE, AND I SAID, WHAT THE
HECK DO I HAVE TO DO?
WHAT IS IMPROV?
WHAT IS SKETCH?" AND HE TOLD ME WHAT TO DO.
AND I WENT AND I DID IT.
BUT I LIED, YOU KNOW.
BECAUSE WHEN THEY CALL AND THEY SAY, "DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IT?"
YOU KNOW WHAT YOU STAY,"OF COURSE!"
>> Stephen: THEY SAID DO YOU IMPROVISE?
>> AND I SAID, OF COURSE.
I DO ALL OF IT.
AND THEN I CALL SOMEBODY AND GOT A REAL QUICK LESSON ON WHAT I
HAD TO DO.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THAT?
I WOULD LOVE A REFRESHER COURSE?
>> HE SAID YOU HAVE TO DO CHARACTER AND YOU HAVE TO
THINK-- YOU KNOW, IMPROV YOU MAKE THE WORDS UP AS YOU GO, OFF
THE CUFF.
AND I SAID, "WAIT A MINUTE.
I'VE BEEN ARGUING WITH MY EX-HUSBAND FOR YEARS.
I KNOW HOW TO THINK ON MY FEET.
I'M GOING TO GET THAT DAMN JOB!" >> Stephen: SOMETHING NICE
THAT CAME OUT OF THAT.
YOU STARTED OFF AS A SERIOUS ACTOR, RIGHT?
>> NO I WANTED TO BE A VERY SERIOUS ACTOR, BUT NO ONE WOULD
TAKE ME SERIOUSLY.
I WANTED TO DO DRAMA.
THEY SAID, "OH."
"THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
I'M OKAY.
I STILL GOT SOME WORK YOU ALL.
BUT NO ONE TOOK ME SERIOUSLY.
I WOULD GO INTO AUDITIONS WHERE I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DRAMATIC,
AND THEY WOULD LAUGH.
THEY THOUGHT I WAS SO FUNNY.
AND ( LAUGHTER )
SEE?
BUT HERE'S THE THING.
BEING FUNNY WAS NOT A GOOD THING IN MY HOUSE.
OKAY?
>> Stephen: GROWING UP?
>> RIGHT.
BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET REWARDED FOR THAT.
I GOT PINCHED IN CHURCH.
AND I WOULD COME HOME WITH "TALKS TOO MUCH" ON MY REPORT
CARD.
AND MY WORTH WAS LIKE, "WHAT WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"
"I WAS TELLING JOKES."
SHE SAID, GO GET THE BELT BECAUSE I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU
WHAT'S FUNNY."
THAT'S BACK WHEN YOU COULD STILL WHIP YOUR KIDS AND IT WAS ALL
RIGHT.
IT WASN'T A GOOD THING, SO I DIDN'T KNOW BEING FUNNY WAS A
THING.
>> Stephen: YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD MAKE MONEY DOING THAT?
>> I DID NOT.
WHO KNEW.
>> Stephen: IT'S A PRETTY GOOD LIVING--
>> THE SAME FOR YOU.
>> Stephen: WHAT?
>> I HEARD THE SAME FOR YOU, THAT YOU WANTED TO DO DRAMA?
>> Stephen: SURE, I WANTED TO BE HAMLET.
NO ONE WANTED TO PAY ME TO DO THAT, THOUGH, STRANGELY.
I KEPT ON GETTING CHECKS TO DO COMEDY.
AND I WENT, "I WOULDN'T WANT TO DO THAT.
THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN TO BE ABLE TO EAT."
>> SEE, SEE?
I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
>> Stephen: THERE WAS A REASON BEFORE I WENT INTO COMEDY I
WEIGHED 135 POUNDS.
>> AND LOOK AT US NOW!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I GOT THE
THICKNESS.
I GOT THE THICKNESS.
>> YES!
>> Stephen: NOW, "CLAWS" ON TNT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> THANK YOU!
>> Stephen: BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT, IT TAKES PLACE-- YOU KNOW,
YOU'VE GOT A SALON OF YOUR OWN.
YOU WERE IN THE BEAUTY BUSINESS FOR A LITTLE BIT YOURSELF,
WEREN'T YOU?
DIDN'T YOU DO HAIR?
>> OKAY, "BEAUTY BUSINESS" IS A STRONG TERM, OKAY?
LET'S JUST BE CLEAR.
I BOUGHT MY BOOKS IN COLLEGE BY BEING WHAT I CALLED A "KITCHEN
BEAUTICIAN."
WHICH MEANS YOU DO HAIR AND MAKEUP FOR PEOPLE-- AT LEAST I
DID-- WITHOUT A LICENSE.
DON'T JUDGE ME.
I WAS-- I WAS HUNGRY.
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> RIGHT!
AND I NEEDED BOOKS.
SO THAT'S WHAT I DID.
AND ONLY ONCE DID I HAVE A BAD ACCIDENT WHERE--
( LAUGHTER ) OKAY.
STOP IT!
EVERYBODY, STOP IT!
OKAY, SO, DO YOU KNOW-- OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS WHEN A BLACK
WOMAN GETS A WEAVE.
>> Stephen: I HAVE A GENERAL IDEA, A GENERAL IDEA.
>> OKAY, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU HOW YOU KNOW OFF CAMERA.
BUT HERE'S THE THING.
( APPLAUSE ) HEY!
>> Stephen: I WAS YOUNG.
OKAY.
>> BUT THE LADY HAD THE BRAIDS UNDERNEATH, AND I WAS SUPPOSED
TO TRY TO TAKE THEM OUT, YOU KNOW, SO I COULD PUT THE
EXTENSIONS ON.
BUT I CUT THE BRAID IN HALF.
SO WHEN I TOOK IT OUT, A BIG THING OF HER HAIR CAME OUT.
>> Stephen: WAS JUST GONE?
>> RIGHT.
AND I BECAME AN ACTOR ON THE SPOT.
( LAUGHTER ) I SAID, "GIRL, WHAT HAVE YOU
BEEN DOING TO YOUR HAIR?" "MY.
I'M GOING TO GET YOU SOME CREAM BECAUSE-- ARE YOU STRESSED?
YOU STRESSED OUT?
YOU DONE BROKE YOUR HAIR DOWN TO THE NUB."
YEAH, I JUST BLAMED IT ON HER.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: TELL THE GOOD
PEOPLE OUT THERE WHAT "CLAWS" IS ABOUT.
WHAT HAPPENS IN "CLAWS"?
>> OKAY, "CLAWS--" I PLAY A WOMAN WHO-- I RUN A NAIL SALON,
BUT I'M-- LAUNDERING MONEY FOR THE DIXIE MAFIA.
THERE, I SAID IT.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S THE "DIXIE MAFIA?"
THEY MAKE ALL THEIR MONEY OFF OF CUPS?
WHAT IS DIXIE MAFIA?
>> WELL, IT'S LIKE-- A MAFIA FOR REDNECKS.
>> Stephen: OH, OKAY.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
SOUTHERN -- >> Stephen: SURE, SURE.
>> FOLK.
>> Stephen: SURE, YEAH.
>> AND I'M LAUNDERING MONEY FOR THE DIXIE MAFIA.
I WANT TO GET OUT.
>> Stephen: BUT?
>> BUT THEY KEEP -- >> Stephen: PULLING YOU BACK
IN.
>> PULLING ME BACK IN, YES.
>> Stephen: EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE CLAWS.
>> WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT'S THE VOICE?
I NEVER-- OKAY, WAIT.
CLAAAW.
>> Stephen: THEY LOOK DANGEROUS ALMOST.
ON THE SHOW-- ON THE SHOW, THESE ARE QUITE LOVELY.
ON THE SHOW THEY'RE EVEN MORE DANGEROUS LOOKING.
>> OH, VERY MUCH.
BUT I'M GOING TO BORROW THAT FROM YOU-- CLAAAWS.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
THE "CLAWS" SEASON FINALE AIRS THIS SUNDAY ON
TNT.
NIECY NASHEVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.