FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS A STAND-UP COMEDIAN AND THE
HOST OF "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA" ON CNN.
PLEASE WELCOME W. KAMAU BELL!
♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> Stephen: THAT'S YOURS IN CASE YOU NEED TO HYDRATE.
I SAW YOU REACHING FOR IT UPON.
I KEEP MINE HIDDEN OVER HERE SO THE GUESTS CAN'T GET AT IT.
I HAVE TO POINT OUT.
YOUR T-SHIRT IS INTERESTING.
"YES, HE'S A RACIST."
ME, 2017.
>> Stephen: IS THE "ME" YOU?
>> YES, YES.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THE CONTEXT-- WHAT IS THE CONTEXT OF
THAT QUOTE?
>> A FRIEND OF MINE MAKES THESE SHIRTS.
AND THERE'S A WAY TO-- THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK
IN 2018, 2017.
IT JUST ELIMINATES THE FIRST QUESTION.
"IS DONALD TRUMP A...?" YES, HE'S A RACIST.
>> Stephen: DOES THIS BENEFIT.
IT'S AN ORG?
IS IT A NONPROFIT.
>> I DON'T TAKE ANY OF THE MONEY.
ALL THE PROCEEDS GO TO-- THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB IN PUERTO
RICO, LAST TIME.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: AS I SAID YOU'RE THE HOST OF THE EMMY WINNING--
CONGRATULATIONS-- "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA" ON CNN.
WE TALKED ABOUT RACE AND RACISM ON THE SHOW TONIGHT.
YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT YOUR WHOLE CAREER.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: THIS IS A PERFECT AND TERRIBLE WEEK TO HAVE YOU
ON.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS?
>> YEAH, YEAH.
I'M SORT OF A STRANGE COMEDIAN.
LIKE WITH KEVIN HART, "ARE YOU ON VACATION?
WHAT'S IT LIKE WORKING WITH THE ROCK?"
WITH ME IT'S, "TELL ME ABOUT THE SAD THINGS.
EXPLAIN RACISM.
OKAY, HERE WE GO."
>> Stephen: OKAY, TELL ME ABOUT THE SAD THINGS, W. KAMAU
BELL.
THERE'S ALL SPECULATION THAT THERE IS A TAPE OUT THERE, THAT
THE PRESIDENT SAID, A PARTICULARLY CHARGED RACIAL
EPITHET.
>> A PARTICULARLY CHARGED RACIAL EPITHET.
>> Stephen: THE "N" WORD EYE DON'T THINK I NEED TO SAY THE
"N" WORD TON WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE "N" WORD.
I CERTAINLY DON'T NEED TO SAY THE "N" WORD.
>> YES.
YOU DON'T WANT TO GO VIRAL LIKE THAT.
>> Stephen: I DO NOT WANT TO.
I GET ENOUGH ATTENTION.
DO YOU THINK HE SAID IT?
>> I DON'T REALLY CARE.
I ALREADY KNOW DONALD TRUMP IS A RACIST.
( APPLAUSE ) I THINK NEEDING A WHITE PERSON
TO SAY THE "N" WORD TO REVEAL YOUR RACISM IS REALLY A WHITE
PERSON THING.
>> Stephen: OH, OKAY.
>> THAT'S LIKE AN-- FOR BLACK PEOPLE THAT'S LIKE AN MATTER,
"WELL, HE ALSO SAID THE 'N' WORDS SO MAYBE HE'S A RACIST."
WE LOOK AT THE WHOLE PACKAGE.
A FEW YEARS AGO EMINEM SAID THE "N" WORD.
AND BLACK PEOPLE SAID, "IT'S ALL RIGHT.
HE'S FROM DETROIT.
HE'S REALLY GOOD AT RAP."
WE WEREN'T LIKE, "OH, NO!" DONALD TRUMP HAS A CAREER OF
RACISM, SO THE "N" WORD IS LIKE, WE DON'T NEED THE ROTTEN CHER
OAT CRAP SUNDAE TO GO, "OH, YEAH, HE'S A RACIST."
>> Stephen: IT'S A SYMPTOM, NOT THE DISEASE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: IT'S A SYMPTOM.
>> IT'S "HE ALSO SAID THE 'N' WORD."
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE RETURN OF OMAROSA?
DO YOU GIVE HER ANY CREDIT FOR BLOWING THE WHISTLE.
>> MY STOMACH HURTS WHEN I HEAR OMAROSA.
THIS IS HOW BAD AT LIFE DONALD TRUMP IS.
HE HAS FIGURED OUT A WAY TO MAKE BLACK PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE
TO DEFEND OMAROSA.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?
ALL DAY ON TWITTER YESTERDAY BLACK PEOPLE WERE LIKE, "I DON'T
LIKE OMAROSA, BUT PLEASE DON'T CALL BLACK WOMEN 'DOG'."
ONE SAID YOU MADE THE FOUNDER OF BLACK LIFE MATTERS FEEL BAD
ABOUT DEFENDING OMAROSA.
>> Stephen: A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO, SADLY, THERE WERE THE
PROTESTS AND THE TRAGEDY, THE DEATH, IN CHARLOTTESVILLE.
AND IN RESPONSE, TRUMP SAID THERE WERE FINE PEOPLE ON BOTH
SIDES.
HE TWEETED ON THE ANNIVERSARY, "I CONDEMN ALL TYPES OF RACISM
AND VIOLENCE."
WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THAT BLANKET
CONDEMNATION?
>> FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD GIVE TRUMP $1 MILLION IF HE COULD
NAME THE TYPES OF RAICH.
I DON'T BELIEVE HE HAS ANY IDEA WHAT THE TYPES OF RACISM ARE.
HE'D PROBABLY BE LIKE, "BAD, VERY BAD, BIGLY?"
>> Stephen: "BIGLY" I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT IN A WHILE.
>> YES.
>> BEST RACISM.
THIS IS THE BEST -- >> Stephen: FABULOUS, THE MOST
TREMENDOUS.
>> "THIS IS THE BEST RACISM OF ALL-- I CREATE THE MOST RACIST
RACISM."
YOU KNOW.
( LAUGHTER ) THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER
DONE MY TRUMP IMPRESSION, EVERYBODY.
SO I'M WORKING ON IT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) IT'S ONE-- IT'S ONE TWEET--
AGAIN, WE HAVE A CAREER.
BACK TO 1973 WHEN HE WAS INDICTED FOR HOUSING
DISCRIMINATION, WHEN THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
INVESTIGATED HIM FOR HOUSING DISCRIMINATION IN NEW YORK
BECAUSE HE WOULDN'T GIVE APARTMENTS TO BLACK AND BROWN
PEOPLE.
BIRTHERRISM, THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE.
LeBRON JAMES AND DON LEMON.
IT GOES ON AND ON.
ONE TWEET DOES NOT CHANGE ALL OF THAT.
>> Stephen: ONE THING THAT CHANGED-- REALLY IN THE PAST FEW
WEEKS, I THINK-- IS PEOPLE'S WILLINGNESS TO SAY OUT LOUD, ON
TELEVISION-- LIKE BROADCASTERS-- TO SAY, "THIS PERSON IS A
RACIST.
HE'S A RACIST."
THERE WAS A HESITANCY FOR A LONG TIME TO SAY THAT.
I THINK BECAUSE THEY THINK WELL THE CONVERSATION SHUTS DOWN WHEN
YOU GO NUCLEAR AT THAT LEVEL.
WHY DO YOU THINK-- IN YOUR OPINION-- THERE WAS SUCH
HESITANCY?
>> LET'S BE CLEAR IT'S HESITANCY IS GENERALLY AMONG WHITE PEOPLE
AND PEOPLE-- YES, YES, YES, I CAN TELL.
>> Stephen: SPEAKING FOR ALL WHITE PEOPLE, YES.
>> AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HIRED BY WHITE PEOPLE.
"AT HOME I WOULD SAY HE'S A RACIST BUT I CAN'T SAY IT HERE."
I THINK THE HESITANCY IS SOMETHING WHITE PEOPLE HAVE TO
GET OVER.
I'M LOOKING AT YOU IN THE AUDIENCE, WHITE PEOPLE.
>> Stephen: LET ME SEE IF THERE ARE ANY.
HOLD ON.
LET ME SEE IF THERE ARE ANY WHITE PEOPLE OUT THERE.
I SEE ONE OR TWO.
>> I SEE ONE OR TWO.
I SEE THESE TWO BLACK PEOPLE UP FRONT YOU PUT, BLACK POWER FIST,
MINIATURE, BECAUSE WE'RE SURROUNDED.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF WHITE PEOPLE'S HESITANCY?
>> WELL, AS A-- YOU KNOW, I DECIDED TO REALLY INVESTIGATE
WHITE PEOPLE'S HESITANCY SO I MARRIED A WHITE WOMAN.
>> Stephen: HOW IS THE EXPERIMENT GOING?
>> WE HAVE THREE KIDS SO IT'S GOING PRETTY WELL.
>> Stephen: OH, GOOD.
YOU HAVE A SAMPLE SIZE.
>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: THAT'S GOOD.
>> EVERY YEAR WHEN I GO TO HER HOUSE FOR-- TO HER PARENTS'
HOUSE FOR THANKSGIVING I'M INVESTIGATING WHITE PEOPLE SO
YEAH.
I'LL GIVE MY MOTHER-IN-LAW CREDIT.
SHE WENT FROM A PERSON WHO IS VERY-- FIRST OF ALL, I'M NEVER
SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT HER ON TV.
>> Stephen: I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT.
>> SHE WENT FROM A PERSON WHO NEVER TALKED ABOUT RACE AND
RACISM TO BEING AT THE MARCHS AND SEWING A PUSSY HAT.
DONALD TRUMP HAS RADICALIZED MY MOTHER-IN-LAW IS WHAT'S
HAPPENING.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: THAT'S SOMETHING GOOD THAT CAME OUT OF SOMETHING
TERRIBLE.
GOOD TO SEE YOU, MAN.
CONGRATULATIONS.
THE PAPERBACK OF HIS BOOK, "THE AWKWARD THOUGHTS OF W. KAMAU
BELL," YOU CAN BUY IT RIGHT NOW.
AND YOU CAN SEE HIM DOING STANDUP IN OREGON NEXT MONTH.
WHAT TOWN?
>> IN EUGENE AND PORTLAND.
>> Stephen: GOOD TOWNS.
W. KAMAU BELL, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY ELLE KING.