Kings of Comedy, Toni Braxton, and a Touch of Tea with Cedric the Entertainer

Y’all, comedy has gone through some wild transformations over the years—not just in what tickles our funny bones, but in how humor reflects the times. What once had us rolling on the floor might now feel pretty cringe or even feel straight up offensive. Who better to unpack all this with than one of “The Original Kings of Comedy”— Cedric the Entertainer? He’s giving us the scoop on everything from his daughter dating Toni Braxton’s son (yes, you heard that right!) to why Steve Harvey might not want to do a “The Original Kings of Comedy” reunion. Grab a seat (or roll around on the floor), because this episode is serving laughs, wisdom, and all the tea. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Keke Palmer?

  This episode is sponsored by the good old folks over at Airbnb. This holiday season, be sure to check out the most loved homes on Airbnb by taking a look at guest favorites. Take it from me, some trips are better in an Airbnb. Now, let's start the show.

• 0:21Keke Palmer?

  Hey, how's everybody doing? I know y'all really can't answer, but I'm doing great, and I hope you guys are too. Today, I was thinking comedy and about how what's funny and what's not funny is always changing. I mean, some of the funniest stuff always rise that line between funny and offensive. So I'm bringing on one of my favorite comedians to offer his take on how to stay current in comedy and how comedy's evolved with political correctness. Get ready to laugh, to think, and be entertained, because Cedric the Entertainer is here today. And baby, this is Keke Palmer.

• 1:22Keke Palmer?

  Mom, I'm very excited to talk about set. Did you go to sleep real quick?

• 1:28Speaker 01

  No, I was just listening.

• 1:30Keke Palmer?

  I'm very excited to talk to Cedric because he's the one I shared the screen with first.

• 1:34Speaker 01

  And he sure is.

• 1:35Keke Palmer?

  In barber shop, too.

• 1:38Speaker 01

  A little girl, a little girl.

• 1:40Keke Palmer?

  Yes, oh my gosh, that was such a fun memory.

• 1:45Speaker 01

  Yeah, that was, it was so hot that day.

• 1:47Keke Palmer?

  It was so hot.

• 1:48Speaker 01

  It was so hot, and you turned 10 years old on the set, the second day on set.

• 1:52Keke Palmer?

  And fell in love with Michael Ealy.

• 1:54Speaker 01

  Ah, that is where you first met him. He was such a nice young man. His father was on set. He's a very nice guy.

• 2:01Keke Palmer?

  He is, but today, we're gonna be talking about comedy and something that I think is really important in terms of comedy, which is the change of what is funny, right? The ever-evolving political correctness and also just political education on how things are changing and how your comedy, what vantage point and perspective is your comedy coming from? Like, let's be inclusive, but can we be inclusive without putting people down? And what does that look like? You know, it's very, very interesting, because I think a lot of situations have highlighted... How hard it is to toe that line?

• 2:31Speaker 01

  Right.

• 2:31Keke Palmer?

  But let's start at the beginning. Who are some of your favorite comedians that you grew up growing up? This'll be fun.

• 2:37Speaker 01

  Oh, my goodness. Well, obviously, you love the greats like Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy. You know, those are my, probably my top all time. Um, but like some of the new comics, I've always been a fan of people that tell stories.

• 2:51Keke Palmer?

  Mm-hmm.

• 2:51Speaker 01

  Comedy. I could do that. And um, I, for that, I liked Ellen DeGeneres. I, I like her, her style of comedy. You know, you don't see the joke coming sometimes, you, because you're so into the story. I also like people that are edgy, like Cat Williams.

• 3:08Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 3:09Speaker 01

  I like him, you know?

• 3:10Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 3:11Speaker 01

  He's smart. He's smart. He, he actually does political comedy, mixed in with things. And so I like that. He keeps me thinking, but you know, he's funny, too.

• 3:21Keke Palmer?

  The three comedians who stand up that I really, really enjoy growing up that impacted me would be Mike Epps,

• 3:27Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 3:27Keke Palmer?

  Cat Williams, and Trevor Noah. Now,

• 3:30Speaker 01

  Oh, okay.

• 3:31Keke Palmer?

  Mike Epps, I fell in love with his comedy. I think I was like, I don't know, 16 or something. And he was just so funny. He was talking about, it was like one of his most special stand up, where he was talking about the man that's like, "Get up, get off your ass, go to college." Like, and then he was talking about, um, the, the white boy in the mom basement. "Get my skateboard out the shop." Like, it was just so funny. And then Cat Williams, obviously, he's always funny. One of my favorites is, was not even him doing stand up. He was doing an interview with this lady online, honey. It was on one of them, uh, talk radio something shows. And he was like, she was talking about the, the perm in his hair. And he was like, "This is not a perm, honey. Why don't you come run one of your gnarled fingers through it?"

• 4:07Speaker 01

  He said gnarled.

• 4:08Keke Palmer?

  And him calling her fingers gnarled. It was just so funny.

• 4:11Speaker 01

  Yeah, he has a vast vocabulary, that's for sure.

• 4:14Keke Palmer?

  And then Trevor Noah, I watched when I was like a young adult. I watched his on Netflix. And I was like, "Who the hell is this dude?"

• 4:22Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 4:23Keke Palmer?

  I think it was the nuanced storytelling he did, as, as far as the Black diaspora, where he came over here and understood the difference between what it meant to be a black South African and a black American. And I just thought at that time, it was just so awesome to hear somebody speak on that. And be able to make it funny. You know what I'm saying? Like, I think that is the, the, the interesting thing about... Comedy is the opportunity that you could talk about really real issues, but you can make them funny. And if you're really good, you can toe that political correctness line by creating a space for diversity, without it being bullying.

• 4:56Speaker 01

  Exactly. You know, there's some great women. Obviously, you know, I have always loved Whoopi Goldberg, or I always loved Carol Burnett.

• 5:03Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 5:04Speaker 01

  But another one that I really love, and I just recently read a lot of information about her, was Lily Tomlin.

• 5:10Keke Palmer?

  Lily Tomlin, I have to familiar with.

• 5:12Speaker 01

  Oh, my God. Iconic. She did a show called Laugh-In, and you know, that's, that was kind of like a precursor to Saturday Night Live. It was a lot of skits and stuff like that. But she was just a brill- she is, she's still alive. She is a brilliant comedian and character. She did a lot of characters.

• 5:30Keke Palmer?

  There is so many different versions and styles of comedy. Like, I love when Amy Schumer had her TV show. I used to watch that, you know, every now and then, and I really loved the sketches. And then also, I liked the movies. I never really watched her stand-up, although she's obviously wildly popular for that.

• 5:43Speaker 01

  Right.

• 5:44Keke Palmer?

  But I liked her as well for that same reason of just that sketch comedy. And we all always know one of the most iconic sketch comedy shows is Dave Chappelle's.

• 5:53Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 5:53Keke Palmer?

  Were you a big fan of that when he was out?

• 5:55Speaker 01

  I was. I don't know who, I mean, that whole Rick James. I'm Rick James, bitch.

• 6:01Keke Palmer?

  The Wayne Brady one was for me.

• 6:03Speaker 01

  That was so good, too.

• 6:04Keke Palmer?

  That was insane, like Wayne Brady, like, stop, Wayne.

• 6:07Speaker 01

  That was so good with the Rick James, like, I didn't put my feet on your couch. Then I put my feet on the couch. That was so funny, but that was hilarious. But like, a movie, like, what's a movie? What's a movie that you saw that you just could not stop laughing? I know the one for me. I saw this movie, I laughed so loud in the movie theater.

• 6:29Keke Palmer?

  I killed it.

• 6:30Speaker 01

  That movie, Something About Mary.

• 6:33Keke Palmer?

  Really?

• 6:34Speaker 01

  I could not stop laughing, and then when he had his hair.

• 6:36Keke Palmer?

  Who's that? Is that Ben?

• 6:37Speaker 01

  Carmen Diaz.

• 6:37Keke Palmer?

  And Ben Stiller?

• 6:38Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 6:38Keke Palmer?

  I mean, his movies are always funny.

• 6:40Speaker 01

  Oh, my God. The moment when he took the, uh, and put in the hair. I could not stop laughing. I was laughing so, I mean, I've seen so many great movies. I just remember that experience of watching that movie in the theater and just like laughing like almost every five minutes, I was like just howling laughing at the.

• 7:00Keke Palmer?

  I'll tell you another movie that I watched recently that I thought was so, so, so funny, directed by Tim Story, The Blackening.

• 7:05Speaker 01

  Oh, that was so funny.

• 7:07Keke Palmer?

  You know why? Because it touched on so much nuanced community stuff while also being funny. Like the whole thing at the end with the, just with the black guy being like, y'all took my black card. Like, you know, it's just so funny because that's a real thing. People take your black card. It's like in a world where I'm black and that's like something that's held against me in my community. Y'all gonna actually tell me that that's the one thing you're taking away where I belong?

• 7:30Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 7:30Keke Palmer?

  It's like so, it's rooted in something that's so real and triggering, but they made it so funny.

• 7:35Speaker 01

  It's very triggering. It's very triggering for a black person to be raised with black people or around black people and for people to say you're not black enough.

• 7:44Keke Palmer?

  Yes, it's a real thing.

• 7:46Speaker 01

  That's what Donald Trump is trying to do to Kamala. Well, no, I mean, he basically says she decided to be black, that she was a black.

• 7:55Keke Palmer?

  But why did somebody say online, there was this viral meme going around talking about the blackest thing Kamala ever did was say she had Indian in her family.

• 8:03Keke Palmer?

  That took me out.

• 8:07Speaker 01

  You know, but that's what he's trying to say. You know, we, we all know what he was trying to do. He was trying to say that she's kind of uppity and she doesn't act black. Oh, I didn't, I didn't even know she was black. You know, whatever.

• 8:19Keke Palmer?

  That's so crazy.

• 8:19Speaker 01

  But my thing is, you always say black people are not mono.

• 8:22Keke Palmer?

  They're not monolithic.

• 8:23Speaker 01

  Yeah, so.

• 8:24Keke Palmer?

  Hope I said it right.

• 8:25Speaker 01

  Yeah, me too. I mean, I, well, I guess what we're both trying to say is that just because someone's black, that don't mean that, we, we're diverse people. My brother is black. He loved ACDC, REO Speedwagon. I mean, he did not listen to much R and B. He listens to acid rock and you know.

• 8:44Keke Palmer?

  I'm sorry, you just made me think I had to go back to something else that really was funny. I'm so sorry. I took it back. Three things.

• 8:50Speaker 01

  No.

• 8:51Keke Palmer?

  Trading Places.

• 8:52Speaker 01

  That was hilarious.

• 8:53Keke Palmer?

  When y'all showed us that, I was on the floor. There's nothing more spectacular about Eddie Murphy and that charisma.

• 9:01Speaker 01

  The first 10 minutes of that movie is brilliant, yes.

• 9:02Keke Palmer?

  He's so charismatic and funny and cool. I mean, he's just so Eddie Murphy. Who gets a three picture deal with Paramount at 19 years old? He's just so amazing.

• 9:12Speaker 01

  Yeah, he's super talented.

• 9:13Keke Palmer?

  So I'll tell you this. Sometimes when I see the comedians today that have been around for a long time, they remind me of an uncle or somebody that ain't ready to enter in the new way. What I mean is, a lot of their ideals, the new things that are happening in today's time, their attitude toward it is super like, "Look, I ain't learning nothing new." And it's as if their comedy now has become, "I'm the Gen X in the room that don't care about what you kids are saying." Which is the approach, I guess, which is the perspective. But I guess my question to you then is, do you think that it's a responsibility for older comedians, comedians from other generations, to not let their comedy just be, "These damn kids."

• 9:56Speaker 01

  Oh, I know what you're saying. No, I don't think it is. I think they should, yeah, I don't think that, that's not funny to me, so.

• 10:02Keke Palmer?

  Right.

• 10:02Speaker 01

  No, I don't, I don't think so. I think they, I think everybody should do themselves. And, um, no, I don't think older comedians should turn a whole routine into, you know, these kids today. I mean, we had a comedian who used to do that.

• 10:17Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, and I'm obviously generalizing.

• 10:18Speaker 01

  Right.

• 10:19Keke Palmer?

  But I, I guess for me, my perspective, when I see a lot of feedbacks from some comedians, in my mind, what I take it as, when I see it, how I generalize it, is they don't want to see it necessarily outside of their perspective. Their comedy and their inclusivity is sometimes lazy in the sense where it just ends up being essentially, "These kids is crazy," as opposed to finding a new joke. You know what I mean? Finding a new way to say that joke about...

• 10:45Speaker 01

  Well, the reason why I asked you, the reason why I said what I said is because I have heard some comedians that say, "Well, the new kids that are coming up, they have, I don't know, millions and millions of followers, they didn't study the craft." You know, they're just, you know, doing things to get numbers, but they can't... Performing in an arena.

• 11:02Keke Palmer?

  They can't do a whole set.

• 11:03Speaker 01

  Yeah, they can't do a whole set. So that was my comment about that. And so I hear that. I've heard, you know, many comedians, the older comedians, say that. And I'm just like, well, I mean, I think it would be nice if people studied and, you know, approached what they're doing seriously, but maybe people are, you know, again, it's so hard to judge other people.

• 11:25Keke Palmer?

  I think both things are true, and I think that there's an audience for everything, but I do think there is some level of responsibility that comes with it when you are doing comedy, uh, or when you are a public figure, where if your jokes could put somebody's life in danger, or if your jokes could, are actually not helping to de-stigmatize. You know what I mean? I think that you have to have a level of responsibility while also sharing your perspective. And I don't think that there's any easy way to do that. Especially in something like comedy, because the whole purpose of comedy is to poke fun. If my whole comedy shtick is to poke fun, then my version of inclusivity might include the same thing.

• 12:00Speaker 01

  Right.

• 12:00Keke Palmer?

  But that then could be a danger. And when I look at-

• 12:02Speaker 01

  I like that, uh, what's his name, Marco? Is that his name?

• 12:06Keke Palmer?

  Mm-hmm.

• 12:07Speaker 01

  Is that, he does that-

• 12:08Keke Palmer?

  Bunny Marco?

• 12:09Speaker 01

  I like his style of comedy.

• 12:11Keke Palmer?

  I've never watched his stand-up. I only see his, like, sketch work.

• 12:14Speaker 01

  I like it. You know, I like, I like it.

• 12:16Keke Palmer?

  You watched his comedy?

• 12:17Speaker 01

  Yeah, that's the one that you interviewed with you and-

• 12:19Keke Palmer?

  Yes, but that's only one facet of his comedy. Have you ever seen him do stand-ups?

• 12:22Speaker 01

  I've never seen him do stand-up.

• 12:23Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, me neither, I really wouldn't have seen it.

• 12:24Speaker 01

  I've never seen him do stand-up, but I like his, his delivery and he's not afraid to, you know what I mean? I like, whatever he's doing is different. I like it.

• 12:34Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 12:34Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:35Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, I like him too. I think there's a lot of great comedians out there right now, but I'm excited to hear what Cedric thinks about just like the conversations surrounding comedians of before.

• 12:44Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:45Keke Palmer?

  As opposed to how they stay true to themselves, but also transition their conversation. So let me get into this with him, see what he thinks.

• 12:52Speaker 01

  Alrighty.

• 12:59Keke Palmer?

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• 13:43Keke Palmer?

  but with all the excitement of being somewhere new. Remember my Joshua Tree moment I was telling y'all about a couple months ago? I'm trying to tell y'all. Airbnb's got you covered for those local getaways that feel like a world away. It truly felt like I was on another planet, but it was only a couple hours away. So this holiday season, why not switch it up with Airbnb? You deserve a relaxing holiday season. 'Tis the season for year-end wrap-ups, and baby, Audible is coming in hot with this year's Best in Audio Entertainment. Audible's Best of 2024 picks are here, bringing you the year's top audiobooks, podcasts, and originals across all your favorite genres. From memoirs and sci-fi to mysteries and thrillers,

• 14:26Keke Palmer?

  romance and well-being to fiction. Audible's carefully curated list is the perfect way to experience 2024's finest audio offerings. You can dive into a star-studded production of George Orwell's 1984, putting a whole new spin on this grade-school classic with cutting-edge sound effects and bold, dramatic choices. For those who like to indulge in romance, there's Emily Henry's Funny Story. Or for those looking to tap into the strength of the American spirit, you can listen to Supreme Court Justice Katanji Brown Jackson's memoir, Lovely One. And for my fiction fans, y'all can immerse yourself in a captivating fiction such as The Woman by Kristin Hannah or Percival Everett's brilliantly subversive James.

• 15:10Keke Palmer?

  This holiday season, give yourself the gift of imagination. With Audible, there's more to imagine when you listen. Discover all the year's best waiting for you at audible.com/bestoftheyear.

• 15:27Keke Palmer?

  I am so pumped for today's guest. He is an actor, writer, director, producer, and an entrepreneur, a game show host. I mean, he's one of the original kings of comedy. And he even had his first novel, "Flippin' Box Cars," published last year. He is currently starring on the CBS sitcom "The Neighborhood." And he also has a Las Vegas residency going on with Toni Braxton, my girl called "Love and Laughter." Cedric the Entertainer, everybody. Welcome to the show.

• 15:53Speaker 02

  Yeah, let's go.

• 15:56Keke Palmer?

  It is so good to see you.

• 15:57Speaker 02

  Thank you, this is Kiki for.

• 16:00Keke Palmer?

  I always, just every time I think of you, I think about the beginning of me in this industry and us in Chicago, in hot ass Chicago, doing barbershop too. And you gave me a burnt burger.

• 16:10Speaker 02

  You killed it though. That was one of those things where everybody saw you at that, with that moment, knew you was gonna be famous. Cause you, I was, I was the man. I was holding that seat down and you was like, "I'mma tell my auntie." We used to like.

• 16:24Keke Palmer?

  I loved you then, I love you now. And I gotta tell you, this love and laughter thing is so dope and cool because it's like what we all wanna do. We wanna have some love and we wanna have some laughter. How did you and Toni even get together to think about doing something like this? It's so unique.

• 16:39Speaker 02

  You know, actually Toni and I, we've been knowing each other a long time ago. We, we, we talked about the story because the kids were a lot younger then. But my daughter and her son, they used to date for a minute. So when they were younger, we, as the parents, used to have to hook them up. We had to, you know, drive to each other's house and let them hang out, you know? And so that would leave the adults.

• 16:58Keke Palmer?

  Oh my gosh, that is so cute.

• 17:00Speaker 02

  Hanging out, chilling in the kitchen, you know? And so we ended up being cool. And, you know, when this idea of doing something together in Vegas came up, it felt right and it felt fun and unique. And we both loved it. Once we put the show together, knew we could have this kinda Sunny and Cher, Donny and Marie kinda thing happening on stage and it's killing.

• 17:18Keke Palmer?

  I absolutely love it and I can't wait to see it. I need, you know, go ahead, count me some tickets real quick so I can get there.

• 17:23Speaker 02

  Yeah, easy, easy, easy. You're done. Hey, you gotta do me like you did Usher though. You gotta come in there and be all.

• 17:31Keke Palmer?

  Come on, let's break the internet. Let's break the internet again.

• 17:34Speaker 02

  I just mean, let's start kicking up music, you baby.

• 17:40Keke Palmer?

  I gotta talk to you about how your comedy has evolved because I think you, somebody that's been in the game for so long and have never lost your juice, from the early days to Kings of Comedy, to Johnson Family Vacation, to now what you're doing on the neighborhood, it's just always continued to evolve. But I think in order to get there, we gotta start at the beginning. When you were a kid, what were the kinds of things you found funny? Who were some of your comedy heroes?

• 18:02Speaker 02

  You know, I mean, I grew up in an era where we had very few black people on TV, but the ones that of course, Flip Wilson was one that I loved. You know, and he was really kind of entrepreneurial in a lot of ways. When you think about, he was the kind of person that had his own TV show, a black man, he was stylish, where he presented himself, he was darker-hued, you know, all the things that I could identify with as a young kid, like looking at him and saying, "Oh, I could be that," and I saw it on television. So he was one, he was one of those ones for sure. Jackie Gleason was one, you know, again, he was, he was a big man, light on his feet, dance smooth. And then, of course, it came into the Eddie Murphys of it all, the Richard Pryors. All of these people became what I

• 18:45Speaker 02

  wanted to be as a performer, and especially growing up in a little small town in Missouri before we moved to St. Louis.

• 18:52Keke Palmer?

  Wow, Missouri, St. Louis, Midwest. I'm from Illinois, okay? We got some of those same vibes. What about it, or what was the time that you realized that you actually wanted to enter comedy and, and more specifically, stand-up? Because you know, comedy is, you know, you got movies, you got your comedic actors, but you started out doing stand-up. So what made you want to do that?

• 19:12Speaker 02

  You know, I always knew that I could perform. So like throughout my high school years, even in college, you know, I was in plays, I would be in singing groups, I would do all these things that kind of entertained people. I even wanted to go to a fame-type high school, but my mother, who was an educator and schoolteacher, she really believed in just, you know, the kind of the A, Bs, and Cs of it all, and didn't believe that that was a way out. And so she wouldn't really let me go to a performing arts high school. So when I got to college, that's when I started to stretch out. You know, I would, I would take classes where I could be creative, and I would, you know, I'd do more- Plays, I be in the groups, I be in talent shows. And so, you know, that's when black comedy really started to grow, the Wayans brothers started to pop off.

• 19:57Speaker 02

  Starting to see people like you, in kind of your peer group, Chris Rocks came on the scene. Uh, people like you started to recognize, you know, the Steve Harveys and people you like, alright, you guys are in my age group. And they seem a little more attainable to do stand up. And that's when I first decided to do stand up and first time I ever tried it, I won five hundred dollars and I was good. I was like, come on now.

• 20:21Keke Palmer?

  Well, I've, you know, I've played every now and then. I did a little, you know, five minute stand up things before, but I gotta tell you, I mean, it's such a genuine craft and knowing what you wanna write about or what you wanna talk about up there, it's an art form. How did you know what you wanted to write about the first time that you did it? You know, like, what, did you know or was you up there freestyling?

• 20:41Speaker 02

  No, I had somebody give me a guy, luckily for me, I had a guy that was a, a professional stand up. He, you know, he would take things that I'd say and show me how to shape it into a joke. Like, he was like, that's funny, what you just did, like, you know, blah, blah, blah, let's do that, put that on the show. So when the first time I did comedy, this guy was a professional comedian. He basically took things that I would say already and made the set for me, like, go from here to there, do this, do that.

• 21:09Keke Palmer?

  Who the hell was this dude? I didn't find him.

• 21:11Speaker 02

  Uh, Percy Cruz, Percy Cruz the second, shout out, says St. Louis, Percy Cruz the second. He's still up there doing it, he's still be going on.

• 21:19Keke Palmer?

  That's amazing, that's amazing. What do you think, um, it was as you started to see and grow that separated you from other comedians? Cause like you said, there's a lot of people doing stuff at that time, um, and it's hard to stand out. So what was it you think that separated you from other comedians in your style of comedy?

• 21:36Speaker 02

  You know, I, I, I really think it was the, the idea at that time, you know, that I did so many things on stage, you know, like you say, I, I would dance, I would sing, I had the ability to kind of articulate it in a code switch way because I went to college. I worked in corporate America, so my jokes then wasn't just hood. Even though I lived in the hood, so I would have some hood jokes, I would have jokes that could talk. To the corporate crowd. So I just had this way to kind of make sure everybody felt like they was invited. And I think that's really what worked for me on stage and it kind of still is my brand to this day is that I'm kind of a everyman. I'm kind of like, you look at me and everybody can kind of get who I am for them. And you know, I don't necessarily, I can switch up to be, to walk in any particular block, you know?

• 22:22Keke Palmer?

  I love how you articulated what your brand and Cedric the Entertainer is. How long did it take you to kind of even know that? Cause it's like, you can be that and do that, but to be able to shape what that is into a brand, like, when was the moment that you realized that that's me, this is what I'm selling? And this is what makes me Cedric the Entertainer?

• 22:40Speaker 02

  I think it was, you know, after I did the Bud Light commercials and I did the Bud Light commercials, mainly to get the money to do stand up. It was so funny. I wanted to take some young comedians on tour and Bud Light was based in St. Louis. And so I went in there to have a meeting to do a tour and they, they was like, all right, well, how about we do some commercials and see how it worked?

• 23:00Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 23:00Speaker 02

  So, you know, the commercials work and once commercials work, I just remember going through the airport and seeing some good old boys. One time and they like, I ain't you the guy to do that where you shake up them beers? Man, you shake up there, love, boy, we laugh so hard. And they was just so tickled by the commercial. And I was like, oh, I crossed over. I was like, that's wild. Like, you know, this, this is a whole nother audience for me right now.

• 23:25Keke Palmer?

  That's crazy, but that definitely is one of those moments where you realize, hell shit, it don't matter what it is. When it comes to entertainment and definitely comedy, it can be a great unifier.

• 23:34Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 23:35Keke Palmer?

  And then you said something that was really interesting to me that you was trying to get dudes together to go on tour. That made me want to just switch gears real quick to think about Kings of Comedy. And how that kind of came together and you know, I'm thinking about you and Tony, how you put that together. Was Kings of Comedy something that you went into or was it something that you kind of was a part of curating?

• 23:53Speaker 02

  No, I was actually invited, you know, well, it was kind of a combination. The guy who produced the Kings of Comedy, put it together. He actually did comedy shows with all of us individually. So he would take Steve out, he would take Bernie out, and he would take, and he did a tour with me and DL together. And so then he had this idea of doing like this kind of, you know, super fest, if you will, this all the comics, one night, big show, big arena show. And so it was his idea to create the Kings of Comedy. And when it worked, it worked, man. We were, we were out there at a time when nobody was quite doing it. That we had individual people doing arenas, but not, not where, you know, like all your favorites kind of show up at once.

• 24:36Keke Palmer?

  What was your career like before then? And how was it impacted after the success of Kings of Comedy?

• 24:41Speaker 02

  You know, I was on an upward trajectory at the time. I mean, before Kings of Comedy, you know, there was the success of Comic View. I was the host. So I had already became like a household name, especially in, in African-American households. Because Comic View came on every night. So as the host of Comic View, I became like a pretty well-known name. So I was going around doing theaters, performing. Uh, actually had, you know, landed the Steve Harvey Show on Def.

• 25:09Keke Palmer?

  Me and my family watched it every single time it came on, man. I grew up with you in my household. So, you know, that is so true. Like you were somebody we always knew and loved. That's why it was so amazing to me and my family when I got the chance to work with you on my first thing, dude.

• 25:25Speaker 02

  Yeah, man. And I, I mean, I take, I don't take that for granted, because, you know, a lot of these things are, you know, of course luck and, you know, and, and, you know, being in the right place at the right time. But, you know, even doing Comic View at the time, back then, I did Def Comedy Jam. And that was on HBO and the Do B E T was considered a step back. And I remember a lot of my peers was like, don't go back, dog. You already on HBO. And I was like, man, I got all these new jokes. I just gotta tell them. And I didn't even know that I was gonna become the host of Comic View. I was just going on there to perform. And that led me to be the host and that put me in a lot of people's households even more so. And then Steve Harvey Show. Came along, another, you know, great opportunity. And then the Kings of Comedy came.

• 26:07Speaker 02

  So, you know, after that, it was just like, uh, you know, great runs from movies to more television. To just really, you know, just the, the whole rest of the story, just been, you know, one step at a time and always hustling. Always kind of looking at what's new, what's next, never really getting relaxed in any of it.

• 26:26Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, never really getting relaxed in any of it. That, that makes me think about something that you said in the original Kings of Comedy. You talk about the hope factor and the wish factor. And you say, white people hope nothing goes wrong, while black people wish something would start trouble so that they can retaliate. Do you think that's true? Was that from a source you?

• 26:44Speaker 02

  You got sponsors, Kiki, that's, that's what I said, that's what I said on Kings of Comedy. I wish hopes, I wish, I wish things would never be complicated. But that's, that's, that's what you read on your paper.

• 26:56Keke Palmer?

  That's what I read.

• 26:57Speaker 02

  That's so, that's, oh, so we got, what we got, we got, we got big sponsors. Okay, no worries, I got it. I'm gonna make sure I'm following the rules.

• 27:04Keke Palmer?

  I'm hollow ring, hollow ring. You're too much, you're too much, you're too much. I cannot, I cannot.

• 27:13Speaker 02

  We wish motherfucker would. No, okay, no. I'm gonna leave you alone, you can beep it.

• 27:19Keke Palmer?

  Actually, we don't beep nothing on this show. My mama cursed like a sailor, child.

• 27:23Speaker 02

  I love it.

• 27:25Keke Palmer?

  Um, going back to what I was saying. Something that's happened now, obviously, is there's so much political correctness that surrounds comedy. Was it that way then? And we, like, when it comes to comedy back then, were you thinking about political correctness then? Or was it just kind of not even a thought process? And that's become really more of apparent now because of social media and people being able to say how they feel and, and more commentary.

• 27:52Speaker 02

  Yeah, I think the more exposure people got and the opportunity for people to express themselves individually definitely allowed this world of cancel culture, the idea that you, you saying one thing that's out of bounds or offensive to, you know, a particular group of people could actually ruin your career. I mean, comedians would definitely. Super fearless back then, uh, you had the opportunity to say things. We were looking at Bernie Mac's set on Kings of Comedy. You know, and again, he's legendary to all of us. Everybody know Bernie Mac, but if you look at Bernie Mac's set on Kings of Comedy, he couldn't say none of that stuff today. You couldn't, none of these jokes that made him famous, you know, would be, you, they would be all cancelable, you know, the

• 28:36Speaker 02

  talking about a little nephew and how he grew up and, I mean, you know, like these things, and he was like bold and he was just saying them in this matter of fact kind of way, which again felt authentic and real to us. And we loved that his delivery and his honesty, and yet like nowadays, that would be unacceptable.

• 28:55Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, and it's true. I remember I was talking to some friends about it, where it's on one side of the spectrum, there's this reality that, hey, you're a public figure, you have a responsibility to, you know, evolve in these areas that, you know, are going with the times. And then there's another side where people are saying, well, this is my audience, this is what they expect from me, this is my style. This is what I'm going to stick to. How do you find your balance in between staying true to what's you? While also, like you said, I mean, you're such an entertainer, you, you are a comedian that is able to be accessible to all different types of groups. That is also just who you are, but even still within that, you know, how, how are you able to maintain your authenticity, I guess is what I'm saying, in the midst of this kind of tension?

• 29:36Speaker 02

  I mean, I do think it takes a degree of honesty of recognizing what's really real in the world. Of course, if you have something that you have to say, that you want to say, uh, then you have to, you know, you have to stand on that. Like the kids say, you gotta stand on business. If that's what you really mean, you gotta say that. And at the same time, you know, I do, I do believe that there is growth. There is an opportunity for someone to look at something and go, is this disrespectful? And if so, how can I say this without necessarily being like blatantly disrespectful? But I still want to say what I need to say. Man, that just takes a little creativity, a little thought process. And again, that's the work that we have to do as human beings, but you know, I, I think that causes you in a lot of ways to be a better comedian.

• 30:20Speaker 02

  Because you now realize that you're really just trying to And your point, you're not really trying to offend people. So you know, I think unless you truly trying to offend somebody, which is a different. Now you know, that's a different motivation, right? Cause

• 30:33Keke Palmer?

  Yes.

• 30:33Speaker 02

  Now, literally knowing that you you trying to offend me. Then of course, that's what you gonna get. But if you trying to make a point about something. I might be willing to hear you out, which is

• 30:43Keke Palmer?

  Yeah.

• 30:43Speaker 02

  Any argument, right?

• 30:45Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, that's so true. That's I love how you put that because that really is the point. Comedy is such an amazing art form to be able to do that, to be able to talk about something precious. And make it relatable, bring it down to earth. But yeah, the balance of being able to do that without being defensive, it takes somebody that's really, really well crafted and ve- very well skilled. I'm curious to know how you, someone at your prestige tries out your comedy. And I know comedians, you guys are all used to this. But I remember I was having a conversation with Eddie Murphy and I was asking him about stand up. And he said it got to the point where he'd go on stage and people was just laughing at anything. Where people, you know, he just, it's like, he don't even know if the joke is funny. People just laughing because, hey, I'm Eddie Murphy on stage. And I imagine it could go in the reverse. Well, you go on stage and because you are who you are, people don't want to laugh.

• 31:30Keke Palmer?

  So with being a celebrity and a high profile comedian. How do you test out your jokes in a sp- in spaces where, I mean, everybody knows you? You don't get the same reaction as somebody who's a new comedian?

• 31:41Speaker 02

  Well, you know, I mean, it it is an ebb and flow to that too, because you're right. There's moments when you kind of, you walk into a friendly room and and of course, everybody is just. They just there to love on you and you know, you you you can say anything and it works. And then you walk into a room where the skepticism exists, right? Now, we live in a room where people have their favorites and they have who they like and what they want. Well, now you gotta go in there and earn it. And so, you know, this is really how comedy has always been. And I just kind of really revert back to that. Like when you know, when you first start. You just gotta take it like, nobody knows who I am, even though they know who I am. And they don't know what I'm gonna say. So I'm gonna go out here and try to earn the respect that is laugh.

• 32:23Speaker 02

  I'm just gonna go and work it and see if I can get a real laugh out of them and. And you know, you'll know, you'll know an honest laugh between one that's like, you know, the the buddy buddy laugh. We all know people around us that be laughing for nothing. You be looking That's enough. That's enough already with the

• 32:40Keke Palmer?

  It's so true. It's so true.

• 32:48Keke Palmer?

  As I was saying earlier, Audible's Best of the Year picks are in, and honey, I am sad. Every year, Audible puts together a list of the best of the best when it comes to audio entertainment. I'm talking top audiobooks, podcasts, and originals in all your favorite genres, the works, okay? Now my ears are immediately perked up when I saw that they listed Supreme Court Justice Katanji Brown Jackson's memoir, lovely one, as one of the year's must-listen titles. I checked it out, and it basically felt like I was having a heart-to-heart with the first black woman on the Supreme Court, okay? Really powerful stuff, y'all. From memoirs and sci-fi to mysteries and thrillers, from romance and well-being to fiction, Audible's carefully curated

• 33:31Keke Palmer?

  list in every category is the best way to hear 2024's Best of the Year in audio entertainment. Audible, I mean, there's more to imagine when you listen. Go to audible.com/bestoftheyear and discover all the year's best waiting for you.

• 33:49Keke Palmer?

  Which do you prefer? And maybe this isn't fair, and I hate when people do this to me, but do you love doing stand-up more, or do you love comedic acting more, like doing films and TV shows? What's your favorite?

• 34:01Speaker 02

  That's really a tough one, because I'm really kind of probably at an apex of my career where I really love doing it all, to be honest. And, you know, stand-up is one that is, I like, I consider it a young man's sport, even though, you know, you get crafty, but it makes me think of like the Jay-Z's of the world and people who are really good at their craft, right? They can do it, but you also get to a point that when doing it means like I gotta be saying more, I gotta be doing more, and therefore, I'm not just gonna walk up there and just do it all the time now, because it's not the same as when you're just young and you just wanna go and throw jokes and just get it off, right? You just get it off. So now, you know, stand-up is something

• 34:45Speaker 02

  that's a little bit more thought-provoking for me, a little bit more of a job. I gotta like, you know, I say funny stuff every day, and then I'll be like, I'll write it down, and then I like, I don't know if that goes on stage or not, like, you know? I could write it into a character and I'd much rather be on a character and therefore I'll say it as a character and it'd be like, oh, that was hilarious.

• 35:06Keke Palmer?

  I love this idea that there's a difference between comedy you'd say on stage and comedy you put in a movie and the freedom in being able to go back in between both. That is, that's critical what you just said there. I feel like you are saying so many great gems that acknowledge not only your, you know, artistic sensibility, but your business sensibility. And I think that it's so important for creatives to be able to turn themselves into a real business and have a real, you know, career with longevity. What was the moment that you started to understand? Or in, in kind of be more objective about yourself and not take things personally, because I think art is personal. But you seem, you know, you have such a like, this is business, this is that, this is, how did you get there?

• 35:45Speaker 02

  Oh, it was a couple of different things. You know, I've, I've, I've had a pretty, you know, uh, storied career in a lot of ways with a lot of, you know, kind of upside. And I remember the first time I had like a little bit of controversy, which was actually on Barbershop One, when I had, you know, the kickback for the whole Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King thing. And I remember this big debate with the producers and everybody was like, are you gonna say this? And I just remember that I had chosen to be an artist at that point, that the character was not me. The character was the character. And therefore, when the character feels a certain way and not say it.

• 36:26Speaker 02

  And so when I was able to draw that line and decide like, I could say these things as this character. But, you know, say it, I disagree with that. But as this character, I could say it and I could say it for real. And I was so honest about it. That I remember it was this whole big debate and then of course the controversy and news and people were talking about me and everybody was mad.

• 36:47Keke Palmer?

  I remember that.

• 36:48Speaker 02

  It was a whole thing and I'd never actually been through anything like that before. But that's the point where you realize like, being an artist means actually giving way beyond yourself and deciding like, what I'm gonna put out here, what I'm gonna do in the screen may push some buttons, but I'm willing to do that. Because this actually needs to be said from this point of view, because it's authentic to who this person is.

• 37:14Keke Palmer?

  I love that. Do you think that the other responsibility to that is to also be able to explain it as you just did? Meaning a lot of people go into these things, they're doing them and they, and they don't have that. Explanation or understanding on the other side of it.

• 37:30Speaker 02

  Well, for sure. I think, you know, you got a responsibility. I mean, as an actor, especially when you're doing character work or you being a, you know, playing a role, it should be a responsibility of really defining the backstory of this character for you, so that you again can find some freedom in the words. You can find some freedom for the director that's wanting you to find something in there like, you know, I mean, you played a pimp.

• 37:54Keke Palmer?

  I was just, literally, I was just thinking, as soon as you, I was like, literally, I played a character where people were like, why would Akilah be, why would Keke Palmer play a role like this, a pimp, that's a lesbian, that's a this and that, and all these things that people dehumanize. And my responsibility, the conversation that I had with my mom is exactly the one I'm having with you right now, where I said, as long as I can stand ten toes behind it, and I can tell you what it meant to me, what it was for me to play this character, then hell, I could play any character I want to play, as long as I know why I'm doing it.

• 38:28Speaker 02

  And you think about it, you played at a time and then the identification of that character ends up, you know, becoming even more identifiable in characters we see later. It makes me think about the girl that was on Rap Shit, their kind of manager girl, right?

• 38:43Keke Palmer?

  Yep.

• 38:44Speaker 02

  She ends up being a version of that character. And now that character is believable because of the character you played. Like, I go like, oh, I know exactly who this girl is now. If I've never even met a girl like her before in my life, I get it, right? And so, these are the things that art does. Like, art allows us to be free. We get pulled out of our living rooms, our lives, and into a world that allows us to see something that like, oh, that's crazy. And that's with your responsibility, when you get that, when you get that script in your hand, and you decide like, alright, I'm gonna take this somewhere, and I don't know where, but I'm loving this character and I'm gonna breathe some life into it, and I'm just gonna go.

• 39:26Keke Palmer?

  And that's the thing I love the most about entertainment is what you just said is the ability that art has to just humanize our stories and make us connect on something greater. And I'm wondering if you feel the same way I feel where sometimes I don't know that people realize how much depth there is in comedians and people in comedy and how they see things from this vantage point. Because, you know, I think comedy, the way that it's viewed is like to be a dramatic actor, to cry on screen, you really did something. But to make somebody laugh about something that they're to cry about, to make somebody feel like they can talk about something they never thought they could talk about, to create a character that allows people to see things from a different perspective, that comedy has that ability. And I often wonder what that is, you know?

• 40:11Speaker 02

  Yeah. No, you know, you're right. Those are the emotions that people kind of live by, right? We kind of either, you know, operate with our fears or our anger, or we operate in spaces of joy, right? Or tears. And so, the ability to make someone laugh, to find this kind of inner moment where you identify with something so specifically, it brings you joy. It makes you laugh. I think that's a skill set that most comedians, you know, we look for, we strive for, and usually it comes from their honesty. You know, some of the best comedians, they just honest on stage, you know? And even when you, even if you find them offensive, you'll be like, that was wow.

• 40:56Speaker 02

  Like, what he said was wow. But that was, you know, in a way, I guess, if I was out of my own way, yeah, that would be funny. But, you know, because it's too personal for me, I didn't think that was funny. But you can see why other people laughed in a real way because of the honesty of what it was. So, that's one thing I love about great comedians is that you just got that subjective point of view where the audience and the person sitting there listening to the joke has to decide if that was good or not. And that's what makes you so hard. And out of all of the art forms, being a stand-up, walking up there with a microphone, you don't have no drummer, you don't have no backup singers, people don't know the words already, you know what I'm saying? Like, there's so many things you don't have.

• 41:40Speaker 02

  You have to literally go grab their attention and hold it to tell a joke, to set them up, to get to the punchline, to drop it off, and hopefully it worked. That's crazy.

• 41:49Keke Palmer?

  It's crazy, but you are amazing at it. And not only are you an amazing comedian, like I said, you're an amazing businessman. And I hear you got a barbecue sauce brand.

• 41:59Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 41:59Keke Palmer?

  Like, get me in on this real quick, because I love me some barbecue.

• 42:03Speaker 02

  Yeah, you know, so Anthony Anderson and I, I wish I'd come in my office, I didn't have it. But we have A.C. Barbecue. Uh, it's a barbecue lifestyle brand, it's really great, where, you know, we got rubs, sauces, uh, tools, spatulas, tongs, uh, and we're in Walmart, Lowe's, Amazon. You can, you can grab us all over the place. We got restaurants coming. We got the

• 42:26Keke Palmer?

  What?

• 42:27Speaker 02

  The, the TV show, Kings of Barbecue, that we do. It's on Hulu that you can watch. We, you know, we, we got a podcast coming.

• 42:34Keke Palmer?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 42:36Speaker 02

  We're really growing this world of barbecue. It's something that we both identify with and recognize that barbecue, which is something really belongs to the culture, uh, didn't have any real African-American representation on a national level. And so, we, we took the opportunity, uh, to feel like that was good. And we, in over a year, built a fantastic brand. Uh, and so, we got a restaurant coming in Century City Mall here. We're gonna be on six college campuses this season. Jackson State being one of the first ones, Arizona State, Cincinnati, well, Howard's coming. We, we

• 43:10Keke Palmer?

  Woo!

• 43:12Speaker 02

  Side right now with that queue. We smoking.

• 43:14Keke Palmer?

  Okay, all I know is when the podcast is up and running, I better have a plate there while I'm answering them questions.

• 43:19Speaker 02

  Yeah. And then, you know, I got, I got my wine. I got a wine, this is what, I named this after my mother. So, this is Seta. My mother's name was Rosetta. Uh, so, Seta Wine, I got a, a red, white, uh, and a Napa Valley red, which is, you know, a little more expensive, uh, wine, but you can, uh, people can go and drink this wonderful wine. Uh, we got this out, uh, you can grab, grab it online, smithdeveraux.com, or if you're in Atlanta, go to Total Wines and More, and you can grab it.

• 43:47Keke Palmer?

  I love that. We got wine, we got barbecue, we got love and laughter, you and Tony. And you said right now, you you just started back with the neighbors, right?

• 43:54Speaker 02

  Neighborhood is back on season seven.

• 43:59Keke Palmer?

  Man, that I know that must feel good. You've been on a lot of successful TV shows. I mean, the Neighborhood, like, seven years, man, that's awesome. Congratulations.

• 44:06Speaker 02

  Yeah, and also producing the show. We got, uh, well, I produce two shows. We got Johnson, that's on on bounce, that's in season four. That's rocking. And then, uh, Crutch, which will be coming on with Tracy Morgan. That'll be on Paramount. That's another show that I produce, uh, with my company, Burden and Berry Entertainment, so.

• 44:25Keke Palmer?

  I absolutely love Tracy. Oh, my gosh, that's gonna be good to see him on there, man.

• 44:30Speaker 02

  Legend, yeah.

• 44:31Keke Palmer?

  I thank you so much for being on the show. It's always so good to see you, always so good and hear about everything that you're working on. Now, before I let you go, though, I always play a game with my guests, and I'd love to play one with you.

• 44:43Speaker 02

  Let's go.

• 44:44Keke Palmer?

  Okay, so it's called Here For It or Nah. Basically, I'mma name something that you might have an opinion about, and then you tell me if you're here for it or nah. Sound good?

• 44:52Speaker 02

  I like.

• 44:54Keke Palmer?

  Original Kings of Comedy reunion. Here for it or not?

• 44:59Speaker 02

  I'm here for it.

• 45:02Keke Palmer?

  That would be insane, baby.

• 45:06Speaker 02

  Yeah, Steve just too rich, man. We can't get him to do nothing that don't, don't pay him nineteen million dollars to show up.

• 45:13Keke Palmer?

  No, it's so true. Steve, Uncle Steve, quit it. Please, Uncle Steve.

• 45:18Speaker 02

  I told you, that's my dog. Everybody do, bro, I talk to him all the time. He like, he actually love the idea. We just gotta figure it out. You know, he's just busy, man. That dude got a hundred shows and, and all out of the country, he all over and with the Arabs.

• 45:33Keke Palmer?

  That's a Capricorn for you. That's a Capricorn for you.

• 45:35Speaker 02

  Yeah, real talk.

• 45:36Keke Palmer?

  Watching old stand-up routines of yours. Here for it or nah?

• 45:41Speaker 02

  I'm here for it. I'm here for it.

• 45:43Keke Palmer?

  So you watch it sometimes and think about yourself?

• 45:46Speaker 02

  I actually like to go and watch some of my old stuff. My, my wife really thinks that that's super, uh, ridiculous. She'll come in and be like, really? That's what you're doing? And I'm like, babe, I was, I was actually funny on this. Look, look, what I said.

• 46:01Keke Palmer?

  Hi Larrys, what sign are you?

• 46:03Speaker 02

  I'm a Taurus.

• 46:04Keke Palmer?

  Taurus, yeah, you doing it all good fun. Taurus, you know, they not too full of theyself, dang it.

• 46:10Keke Palmer?

  Golf fashion off the golf course, here for it or nah?

• 46:14Speaker 02

  Well, here for it. I love golf fashion at all times. Let's go, polka dot stripes. Let's get it.

• 46:22Keke Palmer?

  I know that's right. Do you golf often?

• 46:24Speaker 02

  Yeah, I golf a couple, at least three, four times a month.

• 46:27Keke Palmer?

  Huh, Larrys. I love that. I gotta get into the golfing thing. Seems like a lot of business deals be happening on the golf course.

• 46:33Speaker 02

  Yeah, it goes down on the golf course for sure.

• 46:35Keke Palmer?

  Yeah, so I gotta learn that. Um, this is the last one. It's gambling in Las Vegas, here for it or nah?

• 46:43Speaker 02

  Nah.

• 46:44Keke Palmer?

  So you don't gamble?

• 46:46Speaker 02

  Nah, man. I gotta, I gotta keep my little change. All of my shillings.

• 46:51Keke Palmer?

  Me too, because where the hell is it going? If I can't figure out how to scale it and be sure that I'm getting something back, then I can't do it. Like, I'll play a little something with my hundred dollars, but soon as I make my hundred dollars back, I'm going to hell.

• 47:02Speaker 02

  Yeah, they, they used to be trying to put me on the high rollers list and want me to come in the, the, the high stakes suites.

• 47:10Keke Palmer?

  Oh, no boo.

• 47:10Speaker 02

  Sir, not me. You, you got the wrong scent.

• 47:15Keke Palmer?

  Well, you are amazing. You're awesome. I thank you so much for coming to the show and, um, I can't wait to see you the next time, hopefully on a set or something.

• 47:23Speaker 02

  Yeah, let's do it. You know, you, you, you're amazing as well. I really love your trajectory and the way you've been doing things. You, you know, you're adventurous and dynamic and just, uh, just an amazing person, singing, talented, performing, hosting. You, you, you really taking, and you know, the opportunity to take, you know, whatever, whatever crack in the door they give you, you go in there and run in and bust it wide open. And that's awesome. I love that.

• 47:48Keke Palmer?

  You know, that's right. I'm just trying to be like you, man.

• 47:50Speaker 02

  That's good. Now let's spell something together.

• 47:53Keke Palmer?

  Okay.

• 47:57Keke Palmer?

  We don't even know what. A K E E L A H, period.

• 48:01Speaker 02

  With the, with the little, with the pants, though.

• 48:05Speaker 02

  Everybody love that movie. That movie was so legendary right there.

• 48:08Keke Palmer?

  Man, that movie, I never knew how that movie was gonna change my life, man. That movie really did change my life.

• 48:13Speaker 02

  Oh, yeah.

• 48:13Keke Palmer?

  Crazy.

• 48:14Speaker 02

  Perfect.

• 48:17Keke Palmer?

  Well, not only does Cedric know how to entertain us with comedy, but he also knows how to entertain some really interesting reflections on comedy. I don't know if that conversation got me any closer to wanting to do stand-up or anything like that, but it sure did give me a greater appreciation for it. I'll see y'all next time because you know it's your girl.

• 48:46Keke Palmer?

  Enjoy Baby This Is Keke Palmer on the Wondery app, wherever you get your podcasts, and now on YouTube where you can watch full episodes. Subscribe to the Wondery channel on YouTube and don't miss any episodes. You can listen to Baby This Is Keke Palmer early and ad-free on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

• 49:09Keke Palmer?

  Baby This Is Keke Palmer is hosted and executive produced by me, Keke Palmer. Lucas Segal is our post-producer. Music supervisor is Scott Valesquez. Our original theme song was written and performed by me, Keke Palmer. For Team Kiki, my producer is Sharon Palmer. For Wondery, our managing producer is Olivia Fonte. Our producer is Tristan McNeil. Senior producers are Lizzie Basset and Candace Manriquez-Britt. Our executive producers are Date Easton and Marshall Louie.