-Thank you for coming back to the show.
-Thank you for having me back. -What are you talking about?
Since we've last talked on the show, you've had a crazy ride.
-Yeah. -Yeah. Congratulations.
You won an Oscar. -Thank you.
I did. I did. I did. I did.
[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪
Yeah!
-Look at this. -I know. Crazy.
So did that guy over there.
He won an Oscar, too. -Questlove got one, too.
-No, no, no. [ Cheers and applause ]
-Come on! That's amazing!
-That was a great night. -Yeah.
-You made history as being the first Afro-Latina
and first openly queer woman of color
to win an Oscar for acting.
[ Cheers and applause ] -Yes.
I know it's a mouthful, but thank you.
I appreciate it.
-No, you know, but I wanted to tell you out here
that your speech was so moving
and so perfectly said and well-put.
Everyone was crying happy tears and just so psyched and proud.
I mean, what did that feel
and how did you feel when you got off the stage?
You're like -- Did you know that you nailed it?
Because you nailed it.
-You know, it was really surreal.
-Yeah, it was.
-God, I don't even really know how to describe it.
-Do you remember them saying your name
and you getting up and --
-I did. I really just wanted to cry.
But that's not the moment you cry.
You get up.
You've got to walk and you've got to say something.
And I remember thinking, "Oh, this is the time
to say what you want to say."
And that's what I wanted to say, that there was a place for us.
And it's such a, like, point of joy for me,
especially right now,
because we've got to hold on to our joy, people.
[ Cheers and applause ] Yeah, we do.
You got to hold on to your joy. -Oh, yeah.
-So, I was just so grateful.
And, I mean, I never expected to be
standing in the same spot Julia Roberts stood.
You know what I mean?
Like, Denzel Washington stood there.
Like, it was just -- I don't know.
It was really cool.
-But, also, I loved the detail of your speech.
It was like, "To the little girl in the back of a --"
Was it a Ford --
-A Ford Focus, a white Ford Focus.
-A white Ford Focus.
That immediately set the stage for me.
And I go, "Oh, I love you."
I love that you said that, 'cause that is exactly real.
That's descriptive, and it was like, it really happened to you.
-Well, it's good to remind people, like,
who you are, you know?
It's like, yes, I get dressed and I look like this every day,
but, like, that's a real person.
That's a real little girl.
That little girl still exists, you know?
Like, and there's a little girl
out there in a white Ford Focus right now,
and she needs to know that her dreams are possible.
-That's exactly right. [ Cheers and applause ]
-Yeah.
-That's what I felt. That's what came across.
I loved it.
So, now you have the Oscar.
Where do you keep the Oscar?
Is this one of those things where, like,
it's a doorstop or you --
-Oh, no. -Toilet paper on it.
-I am so not there yet.
Like, I know that works for Dame Emma Thompson,
who I happen to love.
Like, work Queen.
But, for me, I'm like, "Nah, this is too important."
So, I actually have a fully functioning fireplace,
believe it or not,
that's either really dangerous or awesome.
-In New York City? -In New York City.
-Good for you. -Thank you so much. I love it.
-Wow.
-But I have it on my mantel, in addition to the other,
like, blessings, the accolades that I received this season.
And on my way to my coffeemaker in the morning, I just pass by
and I'm like, "Yeah, good things can happen."
Like, you work hard, don't be a dick, be kind,
you know, like, good things can happen for people.
Put in the effort.
-Yeah, be kind, be a good person.
-Yeah, just don't suck, man, please.
I am so tired of people sucking.
-Yes. -Like, be nice.
-Just be nice. -Kindness is free, people.
It don't cost you nothing to be kind.
-That's exactly right.
-I can't do it. So...
-So, not only that, then I saw you -- We were at a thing,
and I saw you and I go, "Are you nervous for the Tonys?"
And you're like, "Yeah, I am. I'm a little nervous."
And I go, "That's my favorite award show.
It's live and it's --" -It's great.
-Oh, I love it. I love the energy.
I love the whole -- I mean, what talent in that room.
And to just, like, show off
in front of so many talented people watching you,
and just like --
-Oh, I was just nervous. I wanted to throw up.
-You nailed it, buddy. -Thank you.
-You nailed it, and I go, "Ooh, yes!"
And then you stuck the landing. I go, "Oh, my gosh!"
It was so good. -Oh, I love that.
For you, it felt like a football game.
-Yes. -Like, "Touchdown!"
-Yeah, no, I was screaming. I was like, "Ooh, yes!
Oh, nailed it. Oh, that's funny.
Oh, that's good. Oh, you look good."
-Well, that means a lot to me, because I'm not a comedian.
Like, I don't do what you do every day.
I'm not Whoopi Goldberg or Billy Crystal for that matter.
So when they asked me to do it, I was like,
"Oh, this is something I didn't know I wanted to do."
-Yeah. -But I like hosting.
And I like doing it my way,
'cause, not for nothing, I like people.
So, I just was like, "Okay, let me do what I do."
And I know Broadway.
Like, I spent 10 years on Broadway.
And I wanted to create an evening
that was just celebratory and brought some joy.
I know it's annoying, but, like, joy.
-Yeah, it was the first show back.
-Back at Radio City.
And I wanted it to be grand and sexy and fun
and new and a little different.
And, not for nothing, those folks working on Broadway
eight times a week -- they deserved a good night.
-Exactly right. They put the work in.
-Yes. So, I'm so glad you liked it.
-I loved it.
You know, there was a great quote I read
maybe from NPR or something I heard from NPR,
and they said, "Ariana DeBose should host everything."
I was like, "That's fantastic."
-That's nervous. That makes me nervous.
-But that's a good review right there, yeah.
-I'll take it, but yikes!
-Yeah. -Ew!
-It is -- Today is the last official day
of Pride Month, and I know that you are
a big supporter and advocate.
What comes to your mind
as we're getting to the end of Pride Month?
-You know, I'm thinking about a lot at the end of Pride Month.
And I think -- I just want to remind, you know,
all my LGBTQAI+ brothers and sisters, like,
don't stop being you.
You know, fight for your dreams, fight for your joy,
and remember, like, you are -- you're valid.
I say it a lot, but it's important.
And it's also important to remember that we're in a fight.
You know, we can talk a lot about how the Supreme Court
has just waged war on women's reproductive rights,
but the reality is,
Clarence Thomas was very clear on what his plan is.
He's not just coming for women.
They already came for voting rights.
They're going to continue.
But they're coming for marriage equality.
And, quite frankly, they'll probably come for
adoption rights by same-sex couples.
So this is the time to get in the fight,
and it starts on a local level.
So find ways to get involved.
I personally, because I -- Come on.
I'm black. I'm Afro-Latina. I'm a woman, and I'm queer.
My country is at war with me, and that's hard.
Oh, my God, that's hard.
But the only thing I can do is hold on to my joy
and make a difference at a local level.
So I'm trying to find the abortion funds
in my community that I can support
so I can help anyone with a uterus,
whether that means getting them to a safe-haven state
or, in the states that don't want to support them,
how can we support them?
So, I want to encourage folks to research, get involved,
but do your part, because this is not about one set of rights.
It's about human rights. -Yeah.
-And I will -- I'm sorry to be on a soapbox,
but I'm not sorry.
I'm fired up and I want everybody else to be, too.
-Be fired up. Be fired up!
-I'm so fired up! -Yeah, be fired up!
-But you know what?
This is a terrible analogy, but I like it.
This is a time of planting seeds, right?
Because seeds beget roots
and hopefully really healthy trees.
We've got a rotten-ass tree called the Supreme Court
and we've got to root it out.
-Yeah. -So do your part, people.
-Yeah. That's right.
Thank you. Thank you, though. Thank you.
Thank you. I appreciate this.
I do also want to --
I want to talk about "Westworld," by the way.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-You know we had Evan Rachel Wood on the show.
-I know, and she did this crazy Janis Joplin impression.
-Was that amazing? -Like, come on.
She is incredible. -Yeah, she was amazing.
But she was like, "Yeah, we have a great season."
And I did not know that you were joining the "Westworld" gang.
-Yeah, it was, like, a surprise to me, too.
No, for real.
We shot this during the pandemic.
And I was really waiting for "West Side Story"
to be released to the world,
because nobody really knew what I did in the film.
So, I got this e-mail about making
a tape for an untitled project.
And so I made a one-minute video.
And they -- It turned out to be for "Westworld."
-Yeah.
-And they were like, "Cool.
So, we want you to come be on the show
for a character we can't really tell you about."
And I was like, "Okay."
-"Yes, I'm going to do this,"
but you really have to trust them.
-Yeah. So, I chatted with the showrunners
and I watched the first season of the show.
And I'm not going to lie.
I got busy with a little show called "Hamilton," so I --
-Yeah. -Yeah.
So, I didn't get to see the subsequent seasons.
But I liked what I saw and I thought it was really special.
-It's all so beautiful.
They're almost like they make movies, almost.
They look like movies. -It is.
It's cinematic art, in my opinion.
And also what I learned is that they shoot on film,
and there aren't many television shows
who do shoot on film these days.
-Yeah. "The Tonight Show" does.
Yeah, our show and "Westworld." We do all of our shows on film.
Yeah. They want to really make sure -- Yeah, we do film.
But that's tricky. -Yeah. It's tricky.
And that just means you have to show up and be present.
We shot "West Side Story" on film, so every take counts.
And I was like, "Okay, I'm going to say yes to this."
And I went on the ride.
And I'm still on the ride
because I have no idea how the show turned out.
So I'm very invested in the season.
-Yeah. I want to show everyone a clip.
Here's Ariana DeBose and Evan Rachel Wood
in this Sunday's episode of "Westworld."
Take a look.
-Couldn't sleep.
I just kept thinking about that guy.
They told me I ruined his life.
-Christina, if he confused a game with his life,
it's because his life was already ruined.
I mean, come on.
Died suddenly, ex-wife.
Hope Center for Mental Health is his charity of choice.
-How do you know that?
-It's right here.
In his obituary.
-His story -- I think I might have
written something like this.
-Doesn't change the fact that he was certifiable.
And you want to know how I know?
He jumped off a roof.
-Ooh! Ariana DeBose, everybody.
You can see "Westworld" Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on HBO.