I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT MY NEXT GUEST.
SHE WAS "THE DAILY SHOW'S" YOUNGEST CORRESPONDENT EVER AND
NOW STARS IN "THE INCREDIBLE JESSICA JAMES."
PLEASE WELCOME JESSICA WILLIAMS.
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
THERE YOU GO.
ALL RIGHT.
>> OH, BOY.
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> OH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
I APPRECIATE IT.
>> Stephen: I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN ABOUT A YEAR THE LAST TIME
YOU WERE ON HERE.
SINCE THEN, YOU'VE LEFT "THE DAILY SHOW."
THINGS ARE BLOWING UP FOR YOU.
I UNDERSTAND-- AND I KNOW WE'VE GOT THINGS TO TALK ABOUT IN
TERMS OF YOUR CAREER-- BUT THE MOST EXCITING THING I'VE HEARD
IN ALMOST ANYONE'S LIFE HAS HAPPENED TO YOU.
CAN YOU TELL THE PEOPLE WHO YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND IS.
>> SO I RECENTLY GOT TO MEET J.K. ROWLING.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) AND I AM A HUGE HARRY POTTER
FAN.
I'M 27 AND I FEEL LIKE I GOT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF POTTER
MANIA AT THAT AGE.
>> Stephen: OH, YEAH.
>> I WAS LIKE, "MOM, TAKE ME OUT AT MIDNIGHT.
I WANT TO GO, LIKE, GET A BOOK."
YEAH, I TOTALLY MET HER.
AND HOW IT HAPPENED WAS MAYBE MY SECOND YEAR ON "THE DAILY SHOW,"
SHE STARTED FOLLOWING ME ON TWITTER.
AND I GOT REALLY FREAKED OUT, AND I WAS LIKE MAYBE IT'S LIKE,
SHE'S, LIKE, FAKE FOLLOWING ME, LIKE WHEN BARACK OBAMA FOLLOWED
A MILLION PEOPLE AND YOU'RE LIKE, WHATEVER.
SHE HAD ACTUALLY FOLLOWED ME.
>> Stephen: HOW DID YOU KNOW SHE ACTUALLY FOLLOWED YOU?
>> BECAUSE SHE ONLY FOLLOW MAYBE 300 PEOPLE AT THAT TIME.
I WAS LIKE OKAY, THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
THIS IS VERY REAL.
SO THEN, I KIND OF STOPPED TWEETING.
LIKE, I GOT TWITTER SHY.
IT'S LIKE WHAT DO YOU SAY AT THE ALTAR, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN,
WHEN YOU GET THERE?
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU SAY TO HER?
>> YEAH, LIKE WHAT DO YOU SAY!
WHAT I DO SAY TO HER?
SHE ENDED UP DM''ING ME.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID HE SAY?
>> I ALWAYS KNEW I HAD THE SAME BIRTHDAY AS HARRY POTTER WHICH
MEANS I HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY AS HER BECAUSE BOTH OF OUR
BIRTHDAYS ARE JULY 31.
SHE WAS LIKE, "HEY, IT'S ME."
IN MY HEAD I WAS LIKE, "I KNOW."
AND SHE WAS LIKE, "I WAS LOOKING UP PEOPLE THEY SHARE THE SAME
BIRTHDAY WITH, AND I SAW THAT YOU WERE ONE OF THEM AND I WAS
GOING TO WISH YOU A HAPPY HOUR BIRTHDAY BUT I BLOODY FORGET."
AND THEN SHE PUT, "WHICH IS TYPICAL ME."
AND SHE SAID, "ANYWAY, I THINK THAT YOU ARE FUNNY, BRAVE, AND
COURAGEOUS.
>> AND ALWAYS KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD "DAILY SHOW" WHEN
YOU'RE ON."
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> I WAS JUST, LIKE, SOBBING.
I WAS LIKE-- LIKE I WAS DEAD.
>> Stephen: SO WHAT DID YOU SAY BACK?
>> I WAS JUST LIKE, "THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WHERE DO I START?
I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOUR STORIES, AND I JUST THINK YOU'RE
AMAZING.
ALSO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.
>> Stephen: I'M NOT SURE IF I WOULD HAVE HAD THE COURAGE TO
WRITE BACK RIGHT AWAY.
>> I DIDN'T ACTUALLY.
I TOOK, LIKE A WEEK BECAUSE I WAS DRAFTING.
I WAS LIKE, "THIS IS TRASH.
THIS IS TRASH."
>> Stephen: DID YOU SHOW IT TO EVERYBODY YOU KNOW FIRST?
>> I DID.
I WAS WORKSHOPPING IT AROUND TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
I WAS LIKE THERE WERE NO BAD IDEAS AND THERE WERE A LOT OF
BAD IDEAS.
I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HOUSE I WOULD BE IN IF I WENT TO HOG
WARTS GLI HEARD ABOUT THIS, TOO.
WHAT DID SHE SAY?
>> I DIDN'T ASK VIA D.M.
I WAS AFRAID TO TWEET AND IT SEEMED LIKE A BIG DEAL, TOO BIG
A DEAL TO SLIDE HER D.M.s ABOUT.
MY BOYFRIEND WAS LIKE-- WE WERE AT A BAR MAYBE, LIKE, A MONTH
AND A HALF AGO, AND HE WAS LIKE, "SHUD.M. HER."
I WAS LIKE, "WHAT?" AND HE SAID, "YOU SHOULD MESSAGE
HER."
I DID A SHOT.
AND I MESSAGED HER.
I WAS LIKE, "HEY, JOJO."
>> Stephen: IS THAT YOUR NAME FOR HER?
>> YEAH, IT'S MY NAME FOR HER.
IT'S, LIKE, IGNORANT.
IT'S MY NAME FOR AMERICAN IT'S DEFINITELY JOANNE.
I WAS LIKE, "HEY, JOJO, IT'S JESSICA.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY 'HEY' AND SEE HOW YOU'RE DOING?"
AND SHE MESSAGED BACK A LOT OF STUFF.
AND SHE SAID, "WHEN IS THE NEXT TIME YOU WILL BE IN LONDON.
I PROMISE I'M NOT THIS BLABBY AFTER FORCOCKTAILS."
VERY OVERWHELMED.
>> Stephen: THAT LED TO THIS?
>> YES, HERE'S A PHOTO OF ME AND JOJO.
IT'S AMAZING.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) IT'S AMAZING.
I WAS NERVOUS.
>> Stephen: SO GO ON, TELL YOUR STORY.
I WANT TO CHECK SOMETHING OUT WHILE YOU'RE DOING IT.
>> OKAY GREAT.
>> Stephen: I JUST WANT TO CHECK OUT IF SHE FOLLOWS ME.
>> WELL, SHE PROBABLY DOES.
I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT MEETING HER.
I WAS WORRIED IT WOULD BE LIKE A REALLY BAD TINDER DATE OR
SOMETHING WHERE WE BIT INTO A PIECE OF SALMON AND HAD NOTHING
TO SAY TO EACH OTHER.
BUT WHEN I MET HER SHE WAS REALLY, REALLY COOL.
AND WE HAD A LOT IN COMMON, WHICH RULED.
SO MUCH SO THAT SHE WAS LIKE, "WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR
SPARE TIME?" AND I SAID, "I ACTUALLY LOVE TO
PLAY THE SIMS."
AND SHE FEELS LIKE, "YOU PLAY THE CYMES, TOO."
JKROWL-- HERE IT IS.
>> Stephen: J.K. ROWLING FOLLOWS YOU!
WAIT, WAIT.
I'M GOING TO FOLLOW HER.
>> YOU HAVE TO.
>> Stephen: I'M GOING TO FOLLOW HER.
LET ME HIT HER UP RIGHT HERE.
>> OKAY.
>> Stephen: OKAY, SO I'LL SAY HEY, JOJO.
HYPHEN.
STEPHEN COLBERT HERE.
COMMA.
JUST HANGING WITH JESS.
PERIOD.
SHE SAYS YOU PUT HER IN...
>> SHE TOLD ME I WAS GRIFFENDORF.
>> Stephen: GRIFFIN DORPH HOUSE.
PERIOD SIRI KNOWS HOW TO SPELL GRIFFINDORF."
I KNOW WE JUST MET.
COMMA.
NOT TO PUT OW THE SPOT.
COMMA.
BUT WHAT HOUSE WOULD I NUMBER?
QUESTION MARK.
HOPE WE MEET SOME DAY.
PERIOD.
I LOVE YOU.
STEPHEN.
( APPLAUSE ) WE'VE GOT TO WAIT ON THAT,
OBVIOUSLY.
WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL I FIND OUT.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: NOW, YOU HAVE A NEW MOVIE CALLED...
>> "THE INCREDIBLE JESSICA JAMES."
>> Stephen: OKAY, AND IS THIS YOUR LIFE?
ARE YOU JESSICA JAMES OR HOW MUCH OF JESSICA JAMES IS YOU?
>> WELL, JESSICA JAMES AND I ARE SIMILAR IN THAT BOTH BOTH SIX
FEET TALL AND WE'RE BOTH BLACK WOMEN, WHICH IS CORRECT.
AND, ALSO, WE ARE SIMILAR-- IT'S NOT BASED ON MY LIFE.
DITHIS MOVIE WITH THIS WRITER AND DIRECTOR JIEMED JIM STROUSE,
AND I DID THIS MOVIE "PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS" A COUPLE OF
YEARS AGO AND IT WAS REALLY FUN.
AND THE NICE THING THAT HE SAID, HE WAS LIKE, "I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL
SOMEBODY WRITES YOU A MOVIE."
BECAUSE I WAS A SUPPORTING CHARACTER.
AND HE SAID, "I CAN WRITE HER A MOVIE."
WE WORKED TOGETHER FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE IDEA.
WE SHOT IT AND I BECAME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MOVIE.
AND JESSICA JAMES IS BASICALLY THIS 25-YEAR-OLD PLAYWRIGHT WHO
IS LIVING IN BROOKLYN WHO IS GOING THROUGH A REALLY BAD
BREAKUP AND REALLY WANTS TO SUCK SEEPED IN HER CAREER AND IT'S A
COMEDY WITH A LOT OF ROMANCE IN IT.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP HERE.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE CLIP?
>> , I DO, ACTUALLY.
IT'S WHERE JESSICA JAMES IS SET UP ON A BLIND DADE WITH CHRIS
O'DOWD'S CHARACTER.
>> TASHA THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR ME TO GET OVER THIS GUY
I THOUGHT I WAS IN LOVE WITH.
BUT TO BE HONEST, THIS WHOLE THING IS MAKING ME THINK ABOUT
HIM MORE INTENSELY.
>> HOW SO?
>> I'M JUST REMINDED OF HOW MUCH HIM YOU'RE NOT.
>> COOL.
I MEAN, I GET IT.
UM... YOU ARE THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE TO MY EX-WIFE.
>> WHAT IS SHE DUMB, SHORT, AND (BLEEP)?
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW FILM.
>> I APPRECIATE THAT, THANK YOU.
"THE INCREDIBLE JESSICA JAMES" IS ON NETFLIX ON FRIDAY.
CHECK OUT HER PODCAST.
JESSICA WILLIAMS, EVERYBODY.