Who's with Me? with W. Kamau Bell

Aug 19 · 1h 13m

W. Kamau Bell opens the interview with Sara Sidner by giving her flowers and praising her long record of reporting from conflict zones.   Sidner explains her attraction to covering conflict despite disliking it, seeing it as a way to witness honesty and possibly help resolution, a dynamic she connects to her family background. She describes being mixed race, the “quintessential person to hate” for white supremacists, and her commitment to showing her humanity even to those who hate her, insisting she does not truly hate anyone.   The conversation turns to their shared experience as only children and Sidner’s deeply “country” childhood in North Florida: no shoes, many animals, and even picking up snakes, followed by a move to Miami Lakes and a more urban life. Her British mother from rural England ensured she knew her Black family and culture, giving her “double country” roots and vivid Southern Black church and music memories like “Great Balls of Fire.”   She recounts early poverty in Florida with no electricity, running water, or TV, pumping well water and entertaining herself outdoors, which later made television mesmerizing and helped spark her interest in journalism through shows like 60 Minutes and 20/20.   She describes how traumatic stories and war coverage live in her body, from George Floyd’s murder to bombed children in hospitals, and argues that external conflicts stem from unresolved inner conflicts and ego.   Sidner insists on being “human being first, journalist second,” willing to intervene in emergencies even if it “kills the story,” and says if she ever loses her humanity she must leave the profession.   Sara discusses publicly sharing her breast cancer diagnosis, the unexpected community of survivors it created, and her current “cancer‑free” status, while highlighting the Breast Cancer Research Fund’s work, especially on aggressive cancers and the 40% higher mortality risk for Black women.   Donate to the Breast Cancer Research Fund at give.bcrf.org   Chapters: 00:00:00 Conflict, Humanity, and War Coverage 00:10:04 Florida, Miami, and Multiple Lives 00:20:23 Education, Privilege, and Mom’s Work 00:32:03 Big J Journalism School, Low Pay, and Ethics 00:42:30 Human First, George Floyd, and Refusing to Lose Humanity 00:52:14 Cancer Journey   Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Distributed by Pushkin Industries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 12 · 1h 5m

Kamau chats with comedy legend Margaret Cho about her evolution from prodigy stand-up to comedy elder, activist, and craft‑obsessed lifer. They bond over their shared San Francisco roots and how he sees her as a “comedy mother.” Cho embraces that role, saying she loves taking ownership when younger comics build on what she did and “make it better.”   They dig into her landmark solo show I’m the One That I Want, which kicked open the door for comics to be vulnerable and “give a damn” onstage. Cho contrasts traditional self‑deprecation with a philosophy of self‑affirmation, arguing that comics can “choose yourself,” insist “I matter,” and avoid self‑deprecation that, for comics of color, can reestablish white supremacy in front of mostly white audiences.   Asked for her “state of the comedy universe,” she critiques the Kevin Hart roast as disheartening, praising Cheryl Underwood while condemning the racist jokes about lynching, George Floyd, and Underwood’s husband’s suicide, as ugly and unimaginative. This leads into a broader discussion of how comedy has drifted from speaking truth to power and punching up toward being “cozy with power,” with some comics mistaking racist or “forbidden word” jokes for genuine edginess.   Cho’s decades‑long LGBTQ advocacy runs through the episode. The host notes she identified as queer early and helped define the universe of what comedy could be, especially in San Francisco’s queer scene. She warns that comics “testing” boundaries around trans people without understanding the stakes contributes to real‑world harm: “when you take trans lives lightly… trans people die.” She calls current conditions “really sad” and “scary,” citing bathroom and identity laws, driver’s license issues, and the re‑legalization of conversion therapy, and says “we’re in the middle of a transgenocide” that demands action to keep trans people safe and restore equality.   The episode also touches on grief and community as Cho and the host remember their friend, brilliant but troubled comic Jim Short, reflecting on his neurodivergence, volatility, and genius, and wishing more people would discover his work.   Support Friendly House, which provides assistance for low‑income women dealing with addiction, at https://friendlyhousela.org.   Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Distributed by Pushkin Industries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 5 · 1h 26m

The interview opens, as always, with Kamau giving Open Mike Eagle his flowers. Open Mike Eagle is someone Kamau feels a lot of kinship with, both men being somewhat outsiders in their given crafts.   After, they shift to recalling how they met during the production of Kamau’s TV show Totally Biased, and the chaotic period when the show expanded to five nights a week.   Both describe their shared “over there” feeling, being spiritually outside mainstream entertainment spaces even when physically in LA or New York, and how that shapes their careers.   Mike recounts growing up on Chicago’s South Side, raised largely by grandparents, kept indoors because of neighborhood violence, and absorbing hours of MTV and The Comedy Channel, which helped form his alt-Black sensibility.   He explains discovering Chicago’s underground hip hop scene, breakdancing, graffiti, DJing, freestyling, and building a sense of self through that meritocratic culture. Initially scared of rap as a child, hearing Eazy-E with his mom, he later finds his lane in “art rap,” naming his first album Unapologetic Art Rap.   They discuss capitalism’s role in killing alternative rap once fans stopped buying records, and both agree American capitalism is the “ultimate villain” behind many social issues.   Mike describes his TV peak with The New Negroes alongside Method Man, Lizzo, and MF DOOM, then the emotional toll of Comedy Central’s handling and the network “shitting in his heart,” leading to no second season.   He describes his recent YouTube work—clips from Twitch, commentary on the Kendrick vs. Drake battle and Diddy’s arrest—and the tension between chasing algorithmic topics and only speaking on issues he genuinely cares about, like Jack Harlow and misogyny in hip hop.   They close with parenting and the manosphere: Mike’s 17-year-old son at a mostly white school, his constant effort to warn him that many online figures and artists “hate women,” and the need to fight those influences.   Mike offers a five-song “starter kit” for his catalog and shares a core life lesson: maintaining deep gratitude for improbable achievements—from underground success to seeing a billboard of his own TV show outside his bedroom window—even in lean years.   Check out Inglewood Mutual Aid at https://www.instagram.com/mutual_aid_inglewood/ and Los Angeles Mutual Aid at https://www.instagram.com/mutualaidactionlosangeles/    Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Distributed by Pushkin Industries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 29 · 1h 18m

Kamau chats with alternative comedy legend Maria Bamford, praising her artistry and creative fearlessness, recounting how fellow comedians have long considered her a genius.  They bond over difficult, irritable fathers teaching practical skills like changing tires, and how the “vibe” made learning impossible. Maria and Kamau discuss their sometimes complicated love of standup: both cherish the craft but often prefer being home, joking that the best part of a show is when it’s canceled. Maria talks about wanting comedy to bring bliss while recognizing it rarely changes the world, and Kamau says comics must write as if jokes will change the world but not actually believe that they will. Kamau describes reshaping his touring life, early shows for older and parent audiences, bringing his daughters on the road, and credits Maria’s DIY coffee-shop and 9 a.m. shows as inspiration to make standup work on his own terms. Maria explains her pay-what-you-can neighborhood theater shows, and intimate Zoom sets for tiny audiences, which she prefers over “great crowds.” They move into mentorship and money: Kamau leans on Dwayne Kennedy and others for artistic and ethical guidance, while Maria uses 12-step programs like Debtors Anonymous to manage work and finances, and openly discusses low opener pay and her efforts to profit-share with her openers, like Jackie Kashian.  Maria insists on paying friends well for show-business advice and stresses the importance of financial transparency. They discuss her Judd Apatow-produced documentary, Maria’s ambivalence about being its subject, and its value in normalizing mental health within a sexist, racist, ableist comedy world. Later, Maria critiques benefit shows and nonprofit “hustles,” recounting her disastrous schizophrenia benefit set and Howie Mandel’s success, and Kamau’s reliance on Pastor Mike McBride to vet which causes to support. Support women living on Los Angeles’s Skid Row by donating to The Downtown Women’s Center at downtownwomenscenter.org Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Part of the Pushkin Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 22 · 1h 28m

Kamau sits down with Leslie Jones for a raw, funny, and fiercely honest journey through becoming one of Saturday Night Live’s most unforgettable forces, and why she ultimately had to walk away. She explains the emotional grind of SNL, and the insane internet reaction to the announcement of an all-female Ghostbusters. Jones traces how Chris Rock helped propel her toward Saturday Night Live, including the controversy over SNL’s lack of Black women and her long‑gestating “slave joke,” written from a bad date in 1999 and eventually used in her audition for SNL and on Weekend Update.  She describes arriving at SNL as a writer, the brutal table reads, and the psychological grind of the show’s 200‑hour weeks, breaking down the Monday-Saturday schedule in detail. Jones explains how profound family losses—her parents dying within a year and her brother a decade later—pushed her into fearless living and fueled her pursuit of comedy. She shares behind‑the‑scenes SNL stories; from Black Trump and Weekend Update chemistry to how sketches live or die, and why “the good ones always want to leave.” Later, Jones recounts the racist abuse and hacking she endured after Ghostbusters, including leaked nudes, and uses it to talk about social media toxicity and the fragility of fandom. To support Brown Bag Lady’s mission to feed LA’s homeless community, visit brownbaglady.org, and donate to Planned Parenthood at plannedparenthood.org . Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Part of the Pushkin Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 15 · 1h 15m

Kamau sits down with the outspoken multihyphenate Eddie Huang to discuss his evolution as a chef and writer. Kamau gives Huang flowers for his moral clarity and refusal to let Hollywood reshape his identity. Eddie describes himself as blunt, and is guided by a strong internal compass that his wife and close collaborators help refine. They discuss code-switching and how Huang leverages being perceived as nonthreatening, while his “pen game” and willingness to speak truth can feel threatening in a different way. The conversation shifts to Huang’s debut novel, Come Undone, an autofictional work about Hubie, a rough-edged TV chef and traveler clearly modeled on himself. The final draft was written in five intense days while juggling childcare and marriage, with a disciplined daily routine and tight domestic deadlines that he believes improve his work. Huang embraces polarized reactions to his work. He prefers “five stars or zero stars” because, to him, that’s evidence that he has told a specific, truthful story. Kamau and Huang discuss his fraught history with ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, the sitcom based on his book of the same name. They connect this to broader frustrations with Hollywood’s risk-averse, IP-driven system and contrast it with the relative artistic sanctity of publishing, where Huang works closely with publisher Chris Jackson, whom he calls the premier progressive editor championing writers like Ta-Nehisi Coates and others who push boundaries and speak truth to power. They also touch on Eddie’s relationship with Anthony Bourdain, who he describes as a generous mentor who shared their disillusionment with travel TV’s demand for “happy endings” in a world where most people don’t get them. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788. Find the Anti Police-Terror Project at antipoliceterrorproject.org and Live Free at livefreeusa.org . Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Part of the Pushkin Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 8 · 1h 5m

Kamau opens the episode recalling Misty Copeland’s surprise appearance at the Oscars shortly after her hip replacement, marveling at her return to elite performance so soon after surgery and the physical demands of ballet. Copeland explains she had her farewell performance at American Ballet Theatre (ABT) after a 25‑year career, then learned she needed a hip replacement, which she welcomed as a solution to debilitating pain. Misty and Kamau discuss the importance of accessibility to ballet and how her foundation brings free, culturally responsive ballet classes with live musicians into Black and brown communities. They talk about Misty’s work with the legendary Prince, who pushed her to improvise on tour, boosting her confidence and drawing new audiences to ballet. The conversation closes with advice to young Black and brown girls to stay rooted in joy, seek mentors, and remain open to support, and with a call for audiences to invest in the arts by attending performances and supporting organizations like the Misty Copeland Foundation. You can support the Misty Copeland Foundation at mistycopelandfoundation.org Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Part of the Pushkin Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 1 · 57m

W. Kamau Bell talks with economist, author, and former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich about his lifelong fight against inequality, his journey through four presidential administrations, the capture of American democracy by big money, and why he refuses to give up on social justice. Kamau opens the show by “giving Robert his flowers” for being one of the few public figures who have remained focused on social justice and inequality throughout their lives without wavering. Reich reflects on how widening inequality, corporate money in politics, and a Democratic “Faustian bargain” with the wealthy long predated Donald Trump. Reich traces his politics back to being bullied as a very short child and protected by an older boy, Mickey Schwerner, who was later murdered by the Ku Klux Klan as a civil rights worker. Reich recounts how this commitment led him into the anti-Vietnam War movement, organizing students for Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 presidential campaign, then into a Rhodes Scholarship, where he met Bill Clinton, and later to serving in the Carter-era Federal Trade Commission and eventually to becoming Clinton’s Secretary of Labor. Kamau and Reich also discuss Reich’s evolution into a pop culture figure, generational identity, and staying connected with younger people. Turning to the present, Reich warns against despair in the face of authoritarianism, neo-fascism, and bigotry, arguing that hopelessness is exactly what those forces want so people will give up and cede everything. The conversation also turns to war and foreign policy: Reich strongly supports Ukraine’s defense, condemns the war in Iran as “really, really stupid,” and calls Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a dangerous war criminal whose actions have turned Israel into a pariah, while stressing that opposing Netanyahu is not antisemitic. Donate to the ACLU at action.aclu.org and support Common Cause at commoncause.org. Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Distributed by Pushkin Industries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 24 · 1h 19m

W. Kamau Bell talks with actress and filmmaker Nava Mau about Baby Reindeer, her short films, being a trans woman in Hollywood, and the pull of Oakland. Kamau opens up the show by giving Nava her flowers, praising her performance in Baby Reindeer, her advocacy, and her public presence. He warmly reviews All The Words But The One, a short film she wrote, directed, and acted in, which hit the festival circuit right when she broke out in Baby Reindeer. It's a work that delves deep into past traumas and relationships. Nava discusses growing up in Mexico City and San Antonio, her struggle with body image, and the importance of seeing trans actors of all shapes and sizes on screen. She also reveals her childhood alter ego, the fabulous "Christina Escalante". Kamau and Nava talk about the current state of the entertainment industry and the brief period of time when Hollywood seemed open to trans, queer, and brown representation. They vent about the confusion and cost of streaming consolidations, including convoluted app structures, free‑trial cancellations, and sports fans needing multiple services. They also touch on Dave Chappelle's insistence on writing jokes about trans people. The topic turns to Oakland, a place where Nava feels at home and has experienced some of the best years of her life. Support Level Ground, an artist incubator supporting black, brown, queer, and trans voices at levelground.co, and support the TransLatin@ Coalition at translatinacoalition.org  Chapters: (00:00) Flowers for Nava (09:44) All the Words But the One (21:23) Representation, Identity, and Visibility (30:18) Post-Baby Reindeer Entertainment Industry (45:42) Dave Chappelle and Accountability (01:00:31) Oakland and Finding Home (01:05:55) Charity Shout Outs Who's With Me is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Chris Dowd. Part of the Pushkin Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.