CRAVING STABILITY FINANCIALLY Ft. Grace Kuhlenschmidt | Episode 161

The hilarious-talented-incredible Grace Kuhlenschmidt is on the show this week!! Drew and Grace unpack all of Grace’s lore, from gay awakenings to bad grades, getting Jane Lynch’s approval, Top Gun as porn, dressing as Éric Gagné for Halloween as a child, petitioning for a microwave in the school cafeteria, Grace’s duet with Phoebe Bridgers, and so much more! Shop Billie in-store and at https://www.mybillie.com https://www.mybillie.com/ Grace IG: https://www.instagram.com/gkuhlenschmidt/?hl=en Grace Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gkuhlenschmidt?lang=en Follow The Comment Section on IG! https://www.instagram.com/thecommentsection/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

• 0:00Speaker 00

  Network freedom and flexibility. That's what you want in a healthcare plan. With a Humana Medicare Advantage PPO plan, you can see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare, including specialists. No referrals, no kidding. Learn more at gethumana.com. See any doctor who accepts Medicare and is willing to bill Humana. Humana PPOs may not be available in all areas. Benefits and costs share may vary. Humana is a Medicare Advantage PPO organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in any Humana plan depends on contract renewal.

• 0:32Drew Afualo?

  This episode of the comment section is presented by Billie. Taking care of yourself is very healing, like just a hot shower when you're feeling stressed about work or some cringe encounter can make you feel so much better. Billie gets that, and it's why they make amazing products for every step of your routine. Their award-winning razor gives you a super smooth shave while their hydrating body wash and lotion helps nourish your skin. And their aluminum-free DOs keep you smelling fresh for 24 hours. You've got your reasons, Billie's got your routine. Shop in-store and at mybillie.com. I had to walk two miles in a corset, bitch. I was walking and I had like a tote bag and a bunch of my other shit, and I'm vaping the whole way there.

• 1:17Drew Afualo?

  While I'm going there.

• 1:18Speaker 02

  You're like, Shirley, this will make it easier to breathe.

• 1:22Drew Afualo?

  It's my oxygen.

• 1:23Speaker 02

  Tighten my corset and give me another fucking vape.

• 1:33Drew Afualo?

  Hey, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Comment Section Show starring me, your favorite. Everybody knows me, who cares about me. Onto the guests today. We have the iconic, the hilarious, the unbelievable Grace Coolishman.

• 1:47Speaker 02

  Keep going.

• 1:48Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, right. I know, that's all, I jerk everybody off.

• 1:51Speaker 02

  What other adjectives do you have for me? You must have about 10 written down.

• 1:55Drew Afualo?

  Stunning, gorgeous, amazing.

• 1:57Speaker 02

  Oh, thank you.

• 1:57Drew Afualo?

  Never been done before.

• 1:58Speaker 02

  No, whoa, cool. Right. I'm really, really happy to be here.

• 2:03Drew Afualo?

  I'm so happy to have you.

• 2:04Speaker 02

  I was so kind of honored and chalk.

• 2:07Drew Afualo?

  Honored and shocked, why?

• 2:08Speaker 02

  Oh, my self-esteem is so low that I thought I'd never be asked on a podcast.

• 2:15Drew Afualo?

  Okay, you've been on many.

• 2:17Speaker 02

  But I really was like, whoa, this is so fun.

• 2:19Drew Afualo?

  Oh, I'm so glad.

• 2:20Speaker 02

  You're so funny. I really am flattered.

• 2:23Drew Afualo?

  Thank you. I, I find you equally, if not more funny than me personally.

• 2:27Speaker 02

  I love saying, I find you equally funny.

• 2:29Drew Afualo?

  Equally funny. Just as.

• 2:31Speaker 02

  No more, no less.

• 2:34Speaker 02

  Don't test it.

• 2:35Drew Afualo?

  I did want to say, I literally was playing your clip. I favorited it actually when you were on Caleb's and you were talking about being a softball player. You were saying like, I was so convinced I was straight.

• 2:48Speaker 02

  I mean, yeah, there, no part of me thought I was gay.

• 2:51Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 2:52Speaker 02

  Not a single part.

• 2:53Drew Afualo?

  When did that come to your, to fruition, you think?

• 2:55Speaker 02

  It actually hit me like a brick one day.

• 2:57Drew Afualo?

  Really?

• 2:57Speaker 02

  I was in college and my friend texted me, hey, my friend has a crush on you. She's a girl. And I was like, oh, I'm gay. But like, and she was like, do you want to hook up with her? And I was like, no, actually, she's not really my type.

• 3:13Drew Afualo?

  You just discovered and you're all, that's weird that you would assume.

• 3:16Speaker 02

  But that girl like actually made me gay, even though I was like completely uninterested in her. It just never crossed my mind to be gay.

• 3:22Drew Afualo?

  Right. You just never really saw it like that?

• 3:24Speaker 02

  No.

• 3:25Drew Afualo?

  Did you ever have crushes or anything?

• 3:26Speaker 02

  On boys, plenty. I do think there might've been a best friend I was in love with in high school.

• 3:32Drew Afualo?

  It's so funny because that's like my sister's story too. My sister's a lesbian, obviously, but I.

• 3:37Speaker 02

  Not obviously. Not all sisters are lesbians.

• 3:41Drew Afualo?

  You're right. Not all older sisters are lesbians, but mostly because I always bring up the fact that my sister's a lesbian. And I said that it's the hidden Mickey in all my episodes. Like when I bring up her and the fact that almost all my entire team are gay. So like, you know.

• 3:58Speaker 02

  I love that.

• 3:59Drew Afualo?

  When I told Chapel that she's like, I can tell. And I was like, clocked their tea fast, fast bitch, shit, damn.

• 4:06Speaker 02

  Yeah, Chapel's like the jealousy in your eyes. You want to be gay so fucking bad. Your brain, your body just won't let you.

• 4:13Drew Afualo?

  The pheromones, the smells coming from outside. I can smell from when I got out of my car. But that's, that's so funny you say that because I had no crushes at all when I was younger, like none.

• 4:21Speaker 02

  On anyone?

• 4:22Drew Afualo?

  Anyone at all. Like I had like a few celeb crushes. Like I was a big Jonas Brothers girl.

• 4:28Speaker 02

  So who was your guy?

• 4:29Drew Afualo?

  Mine was Nick, which I feel like is the straight sister. Whoever loves Nick is like, well, yeah.

• 4:35Speaker 02

  Why? Cause he's the hottest?

• 4:36Drew Afualo?

  No, I feel like the pipeline from

• 4:38Speaker 02

  You're like, cause a lesbian wouldn't have a crush on a really hot guy.

• 4:42Drew Afualo?

  No, because lesbians love Joe Jonas.

• 4:45Speaker 02

  Oh.

• 4:46Drew Afualo?

  It's always Joe, or they, or they don't wanna pick any of them, so they pick Kevin. Like, that's like, kind of, I think that

• 4:50Speaker 02

  Okay, gotcha.

• 4:51Drew Afualo?

  That goes that way.

• 4:52Speaker 02

  Were you proud to be a Nick head?

• 4:54Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. Yes, I was. I was very proud. I was so proud, in fact, that I did like a home ec, like, kind of, unit once in middle school, I think it was in eighth grade. And we had to do flower babies, right? Like,

• 5:07Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 5:07Drew Afualo?

  Like a ten pound sack of flour, and we had to like,

• 5:09Speaker 02

  Oh my god.

• 5:10Drew Afualo?

  Carry it around like it was a baby. We had to dress it, name it, all of that. And so, we got to pick our marital status, like, out of a bowl, and I really wanted to be single, cause I wanted to control all of it. Like, I was like, I wanna name my kid, I wanna like, and I was like, super like,

• 5:23Speaker 02

  Said a lot about you, probably.

• 5:25Drew Afualo?

  Right, me being neurotic. And, of course, I got married, and I got married to this kid in my class, and I remember his name was Freddie. And I was like, Freddie, listen to me, um, this is what's gonna happen next. This baby is named after Nick Jonas.

• 5:37Speaker 02

  Uh huh.

• 5:37Drew Afualo?

  If you have any questions about that, you let me know.

• 5:40Speaker 02

  Right.

• 5:40Drew Afualo?

  And he was like, I don't care. So I named the baby.

• 5:43Speaker 02

  He's like, I actually don't wanna be in the baby's life.

• 5:46Speaker 02

  I seriously, like, you can tell anyone, that anyone else's dad, sperm donor, I don't give a fuck.

• 5:51Drew Afualo?

  He's like, that baby doesn't even look like me, so, nice try. And honestly, I named it Nicholas Jerry Jonas. That's literally what I named it.

• 5:57Speaker 02

  Is Jerry Nick Jonas's?

• 5:59Drew Afualo?

  Real middle name, yes it is.

• 6:00Speaker 02

  Really?

• 6:01Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and I would know, because I was obsessed with him.

• 6:03Speaker 02

  Right, right, right.

• 6:03Drew Afualo?

  But other than, like, him, and I think I had a thing for Corbin Blue, too, when high school and school came out.

• 6:08Speaker 02

  Perfect sense.

• 6:09Drew Afualo?

  Those, other than those two?

• 6:11Speaker 02

  They have the same kind of, like, cuteness, hotness combo.

• 6:14Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 6:14Speaker 02

  Don't you think?

• 6:15Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and I'm like a long hair girl. I figured that out later in life. But like, I love long hair on a man, and I felt like they had the longest hair I could see at the time.

• 6:23Speaker 02

  On Disney Channel, that was like, whoa, they had to come in every day and get like, two snips. They're like, it's looking a little fucking girly.

• 6:32Drew Afualo?

  Hey, long, that long of a hair is for girls. So, go ahead and tighten that up.

• 6:36Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 6:36Drew Afualo?

  Other, but I had no crushes, and my sister had a crush on everyone, like, every man possible. To the point where sometimes I was like, what are you talking about?

• 6:43Speaker 02

  I, well, you know, that might, cause I feel similar. Like, I was like, I have a crush on Nick, oh, fuck, Nick has a crush on my best friend, okay, who's next, who's next? Like, I always had to have someone else.

• 6:56Drew Afualo?

  You had to have someone.

• 6:56Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, I had a roster, basically.

• 7:00Speaker 02

  A roster of guys who wanted nothing to do with me.

• 7:05Speaker 02

  And but it was like important to me thinking that I was straight.

• 7:10Drew Afualo?

  Right. It's like something to hold on to.

• 7:12Speaker 02

  But you know, even when I like talk to people about like when I was closeted, it comes off sad and I really wanna like emphasize like it was not sad for me. Like I so didn't know I was gay that it was not like, I don't look back on it and I'm like, I had to have a crush on a guy. I really was like, no, I wanted to and I was happy, happy, happy.

• 7:34Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I was like, sure, right? Yeah, it's almost like living in ignorance.

• 7:38Speaker 02

  Yeah, and then being gay was like, oh, this is actually gonna be a lot easier for me.

• 7:41Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, it just made it, you're like, oh, and the piece is kinda, that's kinda how it is when we, when my sister and I laugh about it now because like I, there were no real signs outside of her having a million crushes on only men.

• 7:53Speaker 02

  Right.

• 7:54Drew Afualo?

  Um, there were like-

• 7:55Speaker 02

  So sad, that's the gayest thing you can do.

• 7:58Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, right.

• 7:59Speaker 02

  We need to inform middle school girls. Don't have too many crushes.

• 8:03Drew Afualo?

  Otherwise-

• 8:03Speaker 02

  I'm gonna start calling you a lesbian, so-

• 8:06Drew Afualo?

  That's the real gay agenda. What I would laugh about then now when I look back is that my sister really, really loved the movie Lemonade Mouth. And objectively speaking, that movie is terrible.

• 8:16Speaker 02

  That movie is like, is Demi Lovato in it?

• 8:19Drew Afualo?

  No, Haley Keoko's in it.

• 8:24Drew Afualo?

  So, you know, um, and, and I remember, cause like, she doesn't really like musicals and there's a lot of music in that movie. The movie itself objectively is terrible, like the storyline makes no sense. But Haley Keoko was new on the scene.

• 8:36Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 8:37Drew Afualo?

  And I remember she wanted to watch it so often and at one point I genuinely remember looking at her and going, why do you like this movie so much?

• 8:44Speaker 02

  Do you have something you wanna tell me?

• 8:46Drew Afualo?

  And I, and I truly, I, I had no concept of that. Like I was literally just like, what is it with you and this? And then she was, she literally was like, I don't know, I just think it's good. That's what she would always tell me. And I'm like, you're a liar.

• 8:57Speaker 02

  You're like three words, I'm a lesbian, say it.

• 9:02Drew Afualo?

  I have like that interrogation lighting on her. Do you have something you want to say to me? That's why I, looking back, it's hilarious.

• 9:08Speaker 02

  So Lemonade Mouth?

• 9:10Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 9:10Speaker 02

  It's a movie with Haley Keoghan?

• 9:12Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, she's like a main character.

• 9:13Speaker 02

  I always wondered, and that's Disney.

• 9:15Drew Afualo?

  Yes.

• 9:15Speaker 02

  I always wondered how, where she came about.

• 9:17Drew Afualo?

  Like onto the scene?

• 9:19Speaker 02

  Yeah, I knew she was Disney, but I didn't know it was a movie.

• 9:22Drew Afualo?

  It was like that movie and then she became like, I think she was a side character in like Wizards of Waverly Place. Which like, her character in that, gay.

• 9:30Speaker 02

  Okay, I actually read something. First time for everything. I read something that said that apparently the creator, and I can't, I can't tell you where I read this at all. And frankly, yeah, it could have been a TikTok. But apparently the creator of Wizards of Waverly Place wanted Selena and Haley to like, date in the show.

• 9:50Drew Afualo?

  Right, okay, I did see that TikTok also, about that.

• 9:54Speaker 02

  Alright, fuck you.

• 9:57Speaker 02

  It was a scientific article I read.

• 9:59Drew Afualo?

  I think it was the Washington Post that wrote this. No, I, I actually did see that too. And I, and it would make a lot of sense. So that's the only thing I remember her from is from Lemonade Mouth and then she did that. And then I'm sure she did other things too, but now she does music, obviously. But looking back, makes a lot of sense.

• 10:15Speaker 02

  Yeah, it's a pretty, I mean, to go immediately from liking boys to Haley Keoghan, I think it's pretty.

• 10:21Drew Afualo?

  It's pretty hard left.

• 10:22Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah.

• 10:22Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and then it's like all, it's all the pieces fall to like, in place when I look at it in that lens, I'm like, yeah, that does make sense. But then I think that's why I thought, maybe that might be the case for me because I never had crushes, but it wasn't because I didn't find men attractive. It's just like, they genuinely enraged me.

• 10:40Speaker 02

  Well, for sure.

• 10:41Drew Afualo?

  And even now, and like recently, I was talking to my, I was actually talking to my fiance about this first. And then I was telling my sister about it, but I was like, sometimes when, when men like specifically, a very specific kind of like cis straight man.

• 10:53Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 10:53Drew Afualo?

  When they want to be sexy, like they want to be perceived as sexy, it incites a rage in me. That is borderline tangible, like, and I'm, I'm so serious, I feel like a bad person.

• 11:08Drew Afualo?

  I sometimes, I'm, I'm so serious, I brought it up in therapy because I was like, sometimes I think something's wrong with me.

• 11:14Speaker 02

  But that's why Nick Jonas was an easy crush to have because he never tried to be sexy, he just had diabetes.

• 11:19Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 11:22Drew Afualo?

  And you know what? That's all I needed.

• 11:24Speaker 02

  And that was his like sexy quirk?

• 11:28Drew Afualo?

  It's hysterical.

• 11:31Speaker 02

  That's crazy.

• 11:33Drew Afualo?

  That's true. There you go. Not trying too hard.

• 11:35Speaker 02

  No, exactly.

• 11:35Drew Afualo?

  You don't need that much attention.

• 11:36Speaker 02

  No, just get a diagnosis.

• 11:40Speaker 02

  Okay, how old were you when your sister came out to you?

• 11:43Drew Afualo?

  I initially, I've talked about it and this is like kind of a bummer, but I wasn't as receptive as I wished I was. But not because I thought it was gross. It's just like, I couldn't believe she didn't tell me. Because when she did tell me, she was like fully in a relationship with someone already. And every week she was at college, I was like, are you dating anyone? Are you talking to anyone? Like constantly, I was asking her and she's always like, nope, nope, nope. And then she was living this whole other life.

• 12:06Speaker 02

  Yeah, you have to do that sometimes.

• 12:08Drew Afualo?

  Right. And I'm glad she did. And I joke, we joke about it now because like I got into the same school she went to. She went to UVO, the University of Oregon. And I got into that school too. And my mom was like, oh, you guys could go to the same school. And I was like, ah, I think I want to go to a different school. And like, we both kind of were like, we should go to separate colleges so we can like grow and all that. And she tells me when I was like entertaining it, she was like, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Cause she's living a double life.

• 12:34Speaker 02

  She's like, I need to be a secret lesbian and this is not going to be the plan.

• 12:38Drew Afualo?

  She's being Hannah Montana. So I'm like, so when she did come out to me, initially I didn't handle it the way I wish I did.

• 12:43Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 12:44Drew Afualo?

  But then obviously I was like, I am a dumbass. I don't care. Like, I don't care at all. Um, I'm happy for you. I'm happy you're happy. And so after that, it was fine. Like, we were totally fine after that. It's funny too, cause like even like the way like my dad found out, like my dad was like, I don't care. Just do good in school.

• 13:02Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 13:02Drew Afualo?

  I don't care about that.

• 13:03Speaker 02

  Right?

• 13:04Drew Afualo?

  Do good in school.

• 13:04Speaker 02

  See, then that's actually beautiful. That is all that matters.

• 13:08Drew Afualo?

  Right. At the end of the day.

• 13:10Speaker 02

  See, I did poorly in school. So.

• 13:14Drew Afualo?

  Damn, you're looking at a double whammy then.

• 13:15Speaker 02

  So actually, fuck. Should I call my dad?

• 13:19Drew Afualo?

  I do. I do want to ask you, like, what were, did you always want to be in comedy and entertainment? Did you always want to do that? Or did you kind of find it along the way?

• 13:28Speaker 02

  I went into college.

• 13:31Speaker 02

  So just like a little backstory, like I really always had bad grades, like always. And going into college, like my senior year, I had this college advisor. Who was like, getting into schools is gonna be really hard for you. So we're kind of looking at like, you know, no offense, but like University of Arizona. He was like, that's a place where like, you can go.

• 13:53Drew Afualo?

  He's like, you're a wildcat.

• 13:57Speaker 02

  But he was like, but this is so random. My best friend, you really remind me of him. And he went to this school.

• 14:04Drew Afualo?

  Of him?

• 14:05Speaker 02

  Yes, he went to this school, Skidmore College. And you will be like the dumbest person there, but you should apply and just see.

• 14:13Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 14:13Speaker 02

  And so I applied, early decision, which is like a binding admission, which is basically like, if you're like really fingers crossed, that's what you would do.

• 14:21Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 14:22Speaker 02

  And I ended up getting in there.

• 14:24Drew Afualo?

  Damn.

• 14:24Speaker 02

  And going to that school. And they had a comedy program there.

• 14:28Drew Afualo?

  Oh, nice.

• 14:29Speaker 02

  So it happened really seamlessly, but I went into college thinking I was actually gonna be a neuroscience major. I failed out of neuroscience about seven weeks into the class.

• 14:41Drew Afualo?

  Neuroscience, bad grades?

• 14:42Speaker 02

  I, well, so the class was graded on two exams. Or no, three exams. The first exam, I got a thirty-four percent. So the teacher like sat me down and was like, so you have to get like at least an eighty on the next test. And I was like, no problem. And I was like sobbing to him, being like, I don't know what went wrong, like, I really like come to this class every day. And he was like, well, what's your study routine? And I was like.

• 15:09Drew Afualo?

  You said, you're trying to change the subject and that's.

• 15:11Speaker 02

  Yeah, I was like, I've thought of doing note cards. And he was like, well, like, have you just like read the textbook? And I was like, I haven't bought the textbook. So I was kind of fucked there. And then the second exam.

• 15:23Drew Afualo?

  Were you thinking, maybe you're like, maybe I'm like Good Will Hunting? And I just like.

• 15:29Speaker 02

  That's a little bit, well, to be fair, I do have, I do have a brother who is kind of like freak genius. And so I was kind of like, that's gonna hit me, end me day now.

• 15:39Drew Afualo?

  I love the the undying confidence of like, well, obviously, brain surgeon.

• 15:45Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 15:45Drew Afualo?

  Like, I need to study thorough pathways.

• 15:48Speaker 02

  I mean, it's just so insanely dumb. Like, that that major is so hard. You're literally becoming, yeah, it just was really cuckoo. Anyways, got a fifty percent on the second exam, so automatically had to withdraw.

• 16:02Drew Afualo?

  Damn.

• 16:02Speaker 02

  And then I I just I ended up majoring in psychology, but of course, I've done nothing with that. But.

• 16:08Drew Afualo?

  And of course, that's helped me none. I'm honestly one of the few, like, dickheads on the internet that I think my degrees kind of play a role a little bit.

• 16:16Speaker 02

  Okay, what were they?

• 16:17Drew Afualo?

  I was journalism and communications.

• 16:18Speaker 02

  That is true, though.

• 16:19Drew Afualo?

  I'm a liberal arts girl to my core, you know what I'm saying? Like, I was like, math, science, fuck that shit.

• 16:24Speaker 02

  Right, right, right.

• 16:25Drew Afualo?

  And I remember when I was in college, like, when I first met with my advisor, like, my freshman year. I'm a Virgo to my fucking core. Like, I'm so neurotic, it's insane. I was literally, I never ditched a class until I was a senior.

• 16:36Speaker 02

  Oh, my god.

• 16:37Drew Afualo?

  And it was the end of my senior year, and it was purely because I just didn't have to go if I didn't want to.

• 16:42Speaker 02

  Whoa.

• 16:42Drew Afualo?

  And then my sister was like, I've been ditching the entire time. And I go, what the fuck? I've been following the goddamn rules, and you've been doing that. Granted, I was getting fucked up when I was underage. Do as I say, not as I do. But like, I was super into school. I just loved.

• 16:57Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 16:58Drew Afualo?

  I loved.

• 16:59Speaker 02

  See, I think I liked the idea of school, but to me, it wasn't that I was ditching classes. I was too hungover to go to class.

• 17:06Drew Afualo?

  So medically incapable.

• 17:08Speaker 02

  No, completely, exactly.

• 17:10Drew Afualo?

  Did you do theater or anything in college?

• 17:11Speaker 02

  No, I just did comedy. So it's really weird, this school, unbeknownst to me, like, I didn't go to the college for it, but there's like a huge comedy program there.

• 17:20Drew Afualo?

  That's cool.

• 17:21Speaker 02

  So I was in like an improv and sketch group, and then.

• 17:23Drew Afualo?

  And how was that?

• 17:25Speaker 02

  Amazing. I'm just being honest. We can, like, shit on improv groups all we want. It was some of the most fun times of my life.

• 17:34Drew Afualo?

  It's funny, because when Sabrina Brier was on and we talked about it, she said.

• 17:38Speaker 02

  Oh, I saw some clips of her talking about improv.

• 17:40Drew Afualo?

  We talk about improv, because she was the president of her improv group in college, and she told me, and she goes, I go, I'm glad how you you made sure to tell me you were the president. She goes, you know what's funny is, like, I joked about it with Caleb, and we laughed, and we were like, oh, that's so embarrassing, but I am really proud of you guys.

• 17:57Speaker 02

  That's exactly what it is.

• 17:58Drew Afualo?

  Of your time serving.

• 17:59Speaker 02

  I think that actually made me me.

• 18:03Speaker 02

  I don't know who I would be without yes-anding some of my closest friends.

• 18:08Drew Afualo?

  I know, I'm like, I I'm going to take acting classes and stuff this year. Because I'm gonna try to like, but I did do theater classes like in high school and I did them in college because those were just like fun ones for me. But I love doing it. Like I had so much fun doing it. And I, there was a section of my theater class in college that we did, which was all improv. So we did like a whole unit on improv. And like, you know, they, you pick a character and like, that's the character you are. And I remember we picked one and like my best character was a drunk bitch. Like I was like a really drunk girl. And I, and it killed every time. And I remember every time I did it, every time I got a laugh, I'd be like, fucking got him.

• 18:50Drew Afualo?

  I'm walking in my purpose.

• 18:52Speaker 02

  There's also something cute about like that age when you're doing stuff. Because it's like, I actually found like an old sketch that I wrote in college. And I like could not fi- for the life of me, figure out where the jokes were. I was like reading through this like, maybe that part would have gone a laugh. Like I have no clue. But I know when I performed it, it fucking slayed.

• 19:15Drew Afualo?

  I'm like, I, I murdered that shit.

• 19:17Speaker 02

  What the fuck?

• 19:18Drew Afualo?

  And I did, um, like in the theater class too, we did like a unit on like more serious stuff like plays and all that. Um, and my final for that class was doing a monologue, like a dramatic monologue. And it had to be at least like two minutes long or something like that. And so you had to block it and all that shit. And then we performed it on the stage in front of our class at the end of the semester. And I did the monologue from Fences.

• 19:42Speaker 02

  What's that?

• 19:43Drew Afualo?

  Viola Davis and Denzel Washington. It's like when she's like, well, I've been standing with you. Like that one. I did that intense ass scene. Like it didn't have to be that. Like it could have been anything like.

• 19:53Speaker 02

  They're like, you could do a monologue from Pitch Perfect. Fences it is.

• 19:58Drew Afualo?

  I'm thinking fences. I'm thinking fences. That's what's calling to me. But I had a blast. I loved doing it. When did you start doing stand up? Did you start doing it while you were in college or after?

• 20:06Speaker 02

  Um, after, so after college, moved to Chicago, which is where I met Caleb. And I did pro- I did stand up like three times for the, before the pandemic.

• 20:16Drew Afualo?

  Okay.

• 20:17Speaker 02

  So after the pandemic, I had this like huge platform.

• 20:21Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 20:21Speaker 02

  And was, could like sell out a show and I was like, cool. This is my fourth fucking time doing stand up. No one else knows that.

• 20:29Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 20:30Speaker 02

  Um, but I think the first stand up show I did was with Caleb.

• 20:33Drew Afualo?

  Oh, nice.

• 20:34Speaker 02

  And I don't do.

• 20:35Drew Afualo?

  Mine too.

• 20:36Speaker 02

  Really?

• 20:37Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, but I've only done one.

• 20:38Speaker 02

  Wait, you've done it now?

• 20:39Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, but only one and it was a five. So like.

• 20:42Speaker 02

  As in five minutes?

• 20:43Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 20:43Speaker 02

  What's wrong with that?

• 20:44Drew Afualo?

  It's just the babyest five. Like it's.

• 20:46Speaker 02

  Yeah, but who cares?

• 20:47Drew Afualo?

  And he didn't tell me till I got there that Chris Fleming was the other opener and I was like, well, thank God I went first. Obviously I'd go first, but thank God Chris Fleming is like.

• 20:57Speaker 02

  Unbelievably funny.

• 20:58Drew Afualo?

  If I could, I would like slice open the top of his head and just look inside.

• 21:02Speaker 02

  I know. Chris Fleming randomly went to my college as well.

• 21:06Drew Afualo?

  See.

• 21:06Speaker 02

  We were not there at the same time, but.

• 21:08Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, obviously because he's a hundred, but.

• 21:10Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, because he's a hundred and I'm four and a half years old. Super mature. My body is specifically very mature for my age, but.

• 21:18Drew Afualo?

  Well, he and I are built the same, but he's way older than me. Uh, no, I know. That's crazy. I didn't know he went to your. That would make sense. That makes a lot of sense in my head.

• 21:26Speaker 02

  Mm-hmm. Yeah. You didn't know that he went to my college and do that research before? You didn't look up all the alumni from my college?

• 21:32Drew Afualo?

  I didn't know they were churning out greats like that at your school. I need to look into Skidmore a little bit more. So when you first started doing it, then how did it go? When you first started doing your stand up?

• 21:41Speaker 02

  Okay. I have a video from the first time I did stand up and there's laughter, but mostly I hear five of my friends in the audience. Like they're laughing in a way, uh, that's basically going.

• 21:54Speaker 02

  Like they're like.

• 21:58Speaker 02

  And I'm like, oh.

• 21:59Drew Afualo?

  And you're saying, and you're literally like, you're like, I know for a fact that's my, that's my.

• 22:03Speaker 02

  They were doing me a favor there, but it was fine. I've always been like semi funny. Like I don't think, I think if I.

• 22:14Drew Afualo?

  Start crying a little bit. I've always been a little bit funny, but.

• 22:19Speaker 02

  I think um if I ever really bomb on stage, it's because I'm like not feeling well. Or not feeling like confident going on to stage.

• 22:27Drew Afualo?

  That's honestly tea.

• 22:28Speaker 02

  That's all it is.

• 22:29Drew Afualo?

  I think that's tea cuz I I I've ran from stand up for a while because I'm. I have told I've told my team this because my manager's like, please, please, please, please.

• 22:39Speaker 02

  Yeah, of course.

• 22:40Drew Afualo?

  Um but like I feel like first of all, it's an art form and I love it. I love stand up so much. So that's why I'm like, well, I'm not like that.

• 22:47Speaker 02

  Right.

• 22:47Drew Afualo?

  And if I'm not the best, I'm not doing it. That's like how I feel. I'm like, I'm not even gonna try if I'm not the best. Um but I feel like it is purely a confidence thing cuz I've always known I'm funny. I was like, I know I'm funny, but like. That doesn't always translate and I don't want to be one of those guys that like they make comedy videos on YouTube and then they start doing stand up and it's like it's fucking horrible.

• 23:08Speaker 02

  Yeah, but you already can't be one of those guys because no offense in case you don't know, you're not a straight white guy. So.

• 23:15Drew Afualo?

  What?

• 23:16Speaker 02

  Already you're gonna be fine. Like anytime I think like, oh, this could come off obnoxious. I'm like, yeah, but I'm not. I'm not just another like dude who's trying to do comedy.

• 23:26Drew Afualo?

  That's true. Yeah, they're like blind confidence.

• 23:29Speaker 02

  That's why I think that white, straight guys have the hardest time in the comedy scene.

• 23:33Drew Afualo?

  Right, that's true. They're so underrepresented. That's why they don't have enough people in media to look at and idolize.

• 23:39Speaker 02

  Not at all, not at all.

• 23:41Drew Afualo?

  This is my favorite question to ask, like, stand up, people who do stand up that are not straight white guys. But like, have you ever gotten advice from a audience member? Like after a set?

• 23:53Speaker 02

  Um.

• 23:55Drew Afualo?

  I always like to ask women especially because sometimes when they do they do lineups or cards with other dudes and they're all like older. Even if she goes and kills, they'll be like, have a couple notes for you.

• 24:06Speaker 02

  Oh, my god.

• 24:07Drew Afualo?

  Which is crazy, but maybe it's because you're doing better shows.

• 24:10Speaker 02

  No, I think it's because I perform in like a queer scene.

• 24:13Drew Afualo?

  That's what I mean, like it's.

• 24:15Speaker 02

  So, yeah, yeah, exactly.

• 24:16Drew Afualo?

  The environment is completely different.

• 24:17Speaker 02

  Like, I really feel like when I'm on a lineup. There's maybe one straight person on the show.

• 24:24Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 24:25Speaker 02

  And I've kind of made that happen for myself.

• 24:27Drew Afualo?

  I love that. That's beautiful.

• 24:28Speaker 02

  There's plenty of amazing shows that happen in Manhattan, but I really don't do them.

• 24:33Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 24:33Speaker 02

  Because I'm like in Brooklyn, I know my people and that's gonna be fun.

• 24:36Drew Afualo?

  That's so true and very, I think. It helps a lot with the experience, I think, when you're trying to like get your feet wet.

• 24:43Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 24:44Drew Afualo?

  Cause you're performing in spaces that want you there, but also like that understands your humor.

• 24:48Speaker 02

  Well, that's the thing is like, I sure, maybe it would be good experience for me to like go do a show in Manhattan for like exclusively straight people. But that's not really who I'm aiming to get after anyway.

• 24:58Drew Afualo?

  That's what I mean. Yeah. So it's when it will, and it's like, we have different POVs, different lives and that's. It's funny you say that because when I did Caleb's, um, I explicitly told him I didn't want to advertise that I was gonna be there because I was like, I, I don't want it to be my fans. Not that I don't think there will be any people who don't like me there, but like, I want to find out for real if I'm funny.

• 25:17Speaker 02

  Okay, love that.

• 25:18Drew Afualo?

  And I was like, so I'd rather like, kind of cold plunge it than be like, fill the seats with people who actually love me and they'll laugh at anything I say. I really want to know if I'm funny. And he was like, I admire that about you. That's great. And so I did it in front of his fans, which there's a lot of crossover, but not too. And so I think it did pretty well. It didn't, it didn't go poorly.

• 25:37Speaker 02

  Fuck, yeah.

• 25:37Drew Afualo?

  Yeah. So I was like, so it went pretty well and I was exciting. I was gonna do another show like later, later on, like much, much later. But then as I got closer to it, I started thinking like, I don't think the crossover of audience is gonna mesh well. Because a lot of my jokes are about white people.

• 25:54Speaker 02

  Uh huh.

• 25:55Drew Afualo?

  And like, if I'm performing to an exclusively cis straight white room, it's not gonna hit the same. Even if the jokes are well-written, they may not react the same.

• 26:03Speaker 02

  Yeah, but that is gonna be a problem of the audience and not your problem.

• 26:08Drew Afualo?

  That's true.

• 26:08Speaker 02

  Because I know people who do like a lot of jokes that are fucking like perfect jokes.

• 26:14Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 26:14Speaker 02

  About the white people in the audience being stupid.

• 26:17Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 26:18Speaker 02

  And it, I've seen it like, there's this one comedian who I know who I've done, been on lineups with her before.

• 26:23Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 26:23Speaker 02

  And she, she's done it in front of audiences that have like laughed so much.

• 26:26Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 26:27Speaker 02

  And then in front of audience who like honestly get stiff.

• 26:29Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 26:30Speaker 02

  And it's like. You guys chill the fuck out.

• 26:34Drew Afualo?

  Like it's a comedy show, like we're meant to laugh.

• 26:36Speaker 02

  And we're not like gonna leave here and be like, alright, like everybody, like there's no like, nothing's happening after the show. You can go back to your regular life.

• 26:45Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, it's like it's escape like for a second. And also they're not, they're not jokes that are punching down in any way.

• 26:51Speaker 02

  Right.

• 26:51Drew Afualo?

  Which is crazy because in the same audience that doesn't react well to a joke like that, would laugh really hard at a racist joke or a homophobic joke.

• 26:58Speaker 02

  Oh, of course.

• 26:59Drew Afualo?

  And I was like, well, you guys are gonna chuckle at that, but you're not gonna laugh at mine? Alright.

• 27:03Speaker 02

  I know.

• 27:03Drew Afualo?

  Whatever.

• 27:04Speaker 02

  Okay, one thing that I thought of about your question earlier, um, my aunt who is about eighty-five, she told me, she was like, so Grace, I watched your videos and none of them make me laugh.

• 27:20Speaker 02

  And it's just got me thinking, the lesbian stuff is fine, but I'm wondering, when are you gonna start making comedy for people above seventy?

• 27:31Drew Afualo?

  And you know what? Clock your teeth.

• 27:32Speaker 02

  She said that so as if, as if I've been having meetings with my team, like, I don't know if this is landing for seventy and above.

• 27:40Drew Afualo?

  Did we, did we ask AARP?

• 27:43Speaker 02

  I'm like, babe, you can barely turn on Netflix. I'm not, you're just not the demographic I'm going for.

• 27:50Drew Afualo?

  Hey, noted. Thank you. Appreciate it. I appreciate it. Thank you. When are you gonna start making? Her going lesbian stuff?

• 27:58Speaker 02

  It's just also just me doing like fully like age, um, age discrimination jokes.

• 28:05Speaker 02

  How's your wheelchair?

• 28:09Drew Afualo?

  Bullying old people. I make old people jokes a lot, like especially when I'm like, uh, with older comics, like if we're doing something, like I did something with, that involved older comics and it was, I made a few old people jokes and I, honest to God, I felt like they were a little like, offended to which I'm, and I'll tell you who they are after.

• 28:29Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 28:30Drew Afualo?

  They're like old heads in the comedy circle, like they've been around for a long ass time. And I was like, I made one joke.

• 28:36Speaker 02

  Right.

• 28:36Drew Afualo?

  About you guys being fucking old. And all of a sudden I lost the room.

• 28:40Speaker 02

  What the fuck?

• 28:41Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and it felt weird because they're all like for real stand-ups. I'm just a dickhead on the internet. So it's like, okay.

• 28:47Speaker 02

  I hate, don't do that to yourself though.

• 28:49Drew Afualo?

  I know. That's true.

• 28:49Speaker 02

  Because to me. There are so many stand ups who are like really bitter.

• 28:54Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 28:55Speaker 02

  And even though I feel like I do stand up a good amount, I still feel like there are stand ups who see me and are like, you're just a fucking internet personality. And I'm kind of like, you're fucking jealous. You are fucking jealous that I have been able to figure out another section of comedy that you literally can't do because even though you have five hundred thousand followers, your videos gets three hundred likes. So I'm sorry.

• 29:22Drew Afualo?

  That that never ending debate of that is is upsetting to me because I'm like, first of all, you're a comic that started utilizing the internet. That's a very different thing from being like a sketch comedy creator. Like, those are two very different things to me.

• 29:35Speaker 02

  Right.

• 29:35Drew Afualo?

  Like I once saw someone write something because they always associate me, Caleb and Brittany. Like they're always like, oh, the funniest, whatever. I love these episodes. And which is fine. I get it. But someone said like, oh, I love that the internet like has created people like Drew, Caleb and Brittany. And I said, don't you let Caleb see that comment. He's gonna be pissed.

• 29:59Drew Afualo?

  I was born on the internet. Yes, that is true. Does that mean I I wasn't funny till I got on there? No, but like, obviously me and Brittany started differently than Caleb. But I was like, don't you let him see that comment. He's gonna hate that.

• 30:10Speaker 02

  Well, but you started by, because you were, you'd been posting and then some stuff of yours blew up, right?

• 30:16Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, just roasting dudes.

• 30:17Speaker 02

  Well, how does Caleb tell you his career started?

• 30:22Drew Afualo?

  I like, I'm like him in the comedy scene.

• 30:26Drew Afualo?

  Because he hates the internet. Uh, like he hates.

• 30:29Drew Afualo?

  The internet. So that's why, and I.

• 30:30Speaker 02

  I love it. And I always encourage more people to follow me.

• 30:34Drew Afualo?

  Speaking of, I know, same. That's why, and I, and I agree with you too on that point because it feels like, um, that happens to me sometimes when I go in to like do TV things or anything that's not internet based. Um, it's always like, so you're like on TikTok. And I'm like, yeah, that is, yeah, that is how I grew up. Yeah, I always so, because I'm not ashamed of it. But I'm also like, you're using that to look down on me and that's weird. Like, you're just mad because we're in the same room.

• 30:59Speaker 02

  I got recognized on the subway like a year ago.

• 31:01Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 31:02Speaker 02

  By someone across the subway car. So approximately forty people in between us goes, you're on TikTok. And I was like.

• 31:12Speaker 02

  I need to get in the middle of, I need to go under the train. I need to die right here.

• 31:16Drew Afualo?

  Actually, this is my stop right here.

• 31:17Speaker 02

  This is horrible.

• 31:18Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, it's, yeah, it's pretty bad.

• 31:20Speaker 02

  It real, and just for forty strangers to know, then look at me and go, that person is on TikTok? Oh, it killed me, it killed me.

• 31:30Drew Afualo?

  I, one time I was somewhere in this, uh, I forget where the fuck I was. And people were coming up to me, like, uh, like two or three people came up to me and said they love my stuff and they wanted to take a picture with me and I was like, yeah, sure. And I said hi to them. There was this older dude next to me. And then like these three people leave and then he goes, what are you fucking famous or something?

• 31:50Speaker 02

  He's like, I'll take a picture too, why in the fuck not?

• 31:52Drew Afualo?

  And I've had that too. I've had that too. I've had men be like, I don't know who the fuck this is. And then take a picture with me and I'm like, you don't need that.

• 32:00Speaker 02

  No.

• 32:01Drew Afualo?

  And when he said that to me, I go, no, not really.

• 32:04Speaker 02

  Oh, my god.

• 32:05Drew Afualo?

  There's nothing, like, especially older people, like, explaining it to them is,

• 32:09Speaker 02

  I know.

• 32:10Drew Afualo?

  is truly, I once in an interview got asked, like, how do you explain to, like, grandparents what you do for a living? And then I go, typically that conversation goes, um, I just make fun of dudes on the internet. And then they go, they pay to do that? And then I go, yep. And then that's where it ends.

• 32:25Speaker 02

  Yep, they pay me.

• 32:27Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and yep. And that's it. I was like, they have no further questions after that. There's nothing else really to talk about after that.

• 32:34Speaker 02

  I saw a video of my muse, Shawn Mendes, where this guy comes up to him and, a big, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, señorita.

• 32:45Drew Afualo?

  All of those things.

• 32:46Speaker 02

  What's another song?

• 32:47Drew Afualo?

  Stitches.

• 32:49Speaker 02

  I was about to say Havana and I'm like, that's actually Camila Cabello.

• 32:52Drew Afualo?

  His ex-girlfriend, ain't you?

• 32:54Speaker 02

  What the fuck is wrong with me today?

• 32:57Speaker 02

  Take my mic. A video of him and this guy comes up to him and is like, can I get a picture? And he literally is like, who am I? And the guy was like, um, um, and he was like, do you know who I am? Or you just think I'm a famous person, so you want to take a photo with me?

• 33:12Drew Afualo?

  Damn.

• 33:13Speaker 02

  And the, I know.

• 33:14Drew Afualo?

  Damn, okay, Shawn Mendes.

• 33:15Speaker 02

  But that, I thought that was awesome.

• 33:16Drew Afualo?

  That is so awesome. I love that.

• 33:18Speaker 02

  Right?

• 33:19Drew Afualo?

  I think that's great. I can't even tell you, there was, I did a, a thing, um, with, Dylan Mulvaney, I I like did a little book signing thing with her. I I moderated it for her at the Grove this past weekend. And so like at the end of the day when I was leaving, this this woman came up and she was like, I fucking love you. I fucking love you, dude.

• 33:38Speaker 02

  To you or to Dawn?

• 33:39Drew Afualo?

  To me.

• 33:39Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 33:39Drew Afualo?

  That's exactly how she said it. And then she walked away. And I said, thank you. And she walked away. And then when we walked away, my fiance goes, that lady was in Barnes and Noble. And I was like, oh, was she at the little talk thing? And he was like, no, she walked by. And I remember because I I was standing, he was like standing in the back. And she walked by and she was like, oh, my God, I fucking love that girl. She's on TikTok. Again, she has not said my name once, so I know she doesn't know it. And then so she's like, and then she goes, oh, my God, I fucking love her. And then someone goes, who? She goes, the girl at the mic, like I in the black jacket? Oh, my God, she's so funny. And my fiance, she she doesn't see him. And so he she says that. And then she goes, God, she's like way better looking in person.

• 34:21Speaker 02

  Oh, my God.

• 34:23Drew Afualo?

  And then my fiance told me that. And then she came up to me later and told me, I fucking love you. And then he tells me that whole story. And I'm like, nice. And I go, and you know what's funny is that was the third time I heard that that day.

• 34:34Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 34:34Drew Afualo?

  Right. So I was like, mm, right, right, right, right, right. Love that. Thanks, guys. Appreciate you. I don't know if you ever get things like that from the internet, like they.

• 34:42Speaker 02

  Yeah, of course.

• 34:42Drew Afualo?

  People who just they say, it's almost like all rational thought leaves.

• 34:47Speaker 02

  I think like maybe ten plus times, someone has said to me, oh, I love you. What's your name again?

• 34:58Speaker 02

  It's like really like, and I'm like, Grace. They're like, yes, are you sure? Grace, yes, I think I love you.

• 35:07Drew Afualo?

  If you're the girl I'm thinking of, sometimes they'll be like, oh, my God, wait, I know you. Wait, hold on, I know you. Wait. And they're just make they make me stand there and wait while they try to jog their own memory.

• 35:18Speaker 02

  Okay, which unfortunately I've done that to someone before.

• 35:22Drew Afualo?

  Was it Shawn Mendes?

• 35:23Speaker 02

  I know. I know him through and through.

• 35:29Speaker 02

  Gosh, yeah, we fuck.

• 35:33Speaker 02

  I knew it. I fucking knew it. I was at like, I was at Amber Ruffin's show. Okay, okay. And I was backstage. She like invited me. I'm backstage with like four other people. And I see this one girl in there and I'm, she walks in and I'm like, oh my God, hey. And she's like, hey. And I'm like.

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• 36:31Speaker 02

  We've worked together. And she's like, I don't know if we have. I'm like, no, we have for sure. You look so familiar. I'm positive we've worked together. Find out two days later, it's Lori Hernandez. Wait, is that her name? Yeah, Lori Hernandez, who's an Olympian. Gymnast. Yeah, I was gonna say, I know this. She's my mutual. We've worked together. I was like, yeah, for sure. I said, are you an actor? She goes, yeah, I am. I'm like, yes.

• 36:59Speaker 02

  Also, at that point, I'd been on like three TV shows, like all just like one day shoots. Me being like, we've worked together in my illustrious career. Check my SAG card, why don't you? We have to have worked together. It's so embarrassing. But, I mean, like, actually could not have been sweeter about it. She was like, yeah, you're probably right. We probably have worked together.

• 37:23Drew Afualo?

  Her being really nice about it.

• 37:24Speaker 02

  Too sweet.

• 37:25Drew Afualo?

  I'm sure this has happened to you too. I'm really, really bad with like knowing, I, I know the like most famous people in the world. Obviously I, I have a general understanding. Anything past that, I, I have no knowledge. I don't know why it doesn't imprint. So like any character that, anyone that's not like an Ariana Grande or a Beyonce.

• 37:43Speaker 02

  Sure.

• 37:43Drew Afualo?

  I, it's gonna take me a while to like think of the name.

• 37:46Speaker 02

  Okay, gotcha.

• 37:47Drew Afualo?

  And so like, we joke, cause my sister knows and remembers everyone. So like, when I take her with me to stuff, I rely on her to tell me who is who and where they're from. And like, I went to the Elton John after party, like after the Oscars.

• 38:01Speaker 02

  Oh my god.

• 38:01Drew Afualo?

  Which is like, that's a dangerous place for me to be when I'm fucked up and I don't remember anything.

• 38:06Speaker 02

  Yep, yep, yep.

• 38:07Drew Afualo?

  And there were many people coming up to me and being like, oh my god, I'm such a huge fan. I'm such a huge fan. And then I'd be like, oh my god, thank you. Like, once I was talking to this girl, I was talking to this woman, she's so nice. And she was like, oh, you've made, literally have made me so much more confident and like standing up for myself. And I was like, that's so sweet. And she goes, and like, you know, like, hating men? And then I go, period. And then she goes, well, like, not hating them. Like, I know, like, they're not all that. I go, I, and I'm, because I'm fucked up, I'm like, girl, I ain't here, fuck them. And then she like, she giggled and then we laughed about it. And then when she walked away, Deezy was like, do you know who that is?

• 38:41Speaker 02

  No.

• 38:42Drew Afualo?

  Still don't remember her name, but she is an actress. She's in The Handmaid's Tale.

• 38:45Speaker 02

  I didn't watch Handmaid's Tale, but it's not Natasha Lyonne?

• 38:47Drew Afualo?

  No.

• 38:48Speaker 02

  It's not.

• 38:49Drew Afualo?

  She's the one with the robot eye.

• 38:51Speaker 02

  It's not Uzo Aduba?

• 38:52Drew Afualo?

  No, I would know her.

• 38:54Speaker 02

  I love you like, like Meryl Streep coming up to you and being like, I love you. And you're like, move out of the fucking way. You're not Ariana Grande.

• 39:01Drew Afualo?

  Thanks, I guess. To be like, don't recognize. Because sometimes I'm like, I don't know who that is. I don't know who that is.

• 39:08Speaker 02

  I think that's fair. Because, okay, I went to the Emmys this year. And when you're there, like, kind of no one looks famous.

• 39:15Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, cause everyone's famous.

• 39:16Speaker 02

  Everyone is famous. And it's almost like, why the hell is like Elle Fanning in line for popcorn? You know?

• 39:24Drew Afualo?

  Yo, when I went to the Grammys, and I went to the Grammys carpet, they had like a little like, it looked like a cue for a Disneyland ride, to go on the carpet and take photos. I'm not kidding. And then I saw Gracie Abrams standing in there. And I laughed. I'm laughing. Why is she waiting in line?

• 39:39Speaker 02

  No, I know, Martin Short and Steve Martin were in line for people in front of like me and my cast.

• 39:45Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 39:45Speaker 02

  And we were like, this is fucked up. Like, we need to get them a chair.

• 39:52Speaker 02

  They should be in a golf cart.

• 39:54Drew Afualo?

  You know, I was like making all, I was like, I really do believe that it's crazy to look down on internet people if they just so happen to get in the door. Especially because when you're marginalized, like it's so much harder to get into entertainment.

• 40:04Speaker 02

  Of course.

• 40:04Drew Afualo?

  And that's why a lot of us have utilized the internet.

• 40:06Speaker 02

  Right.

• 40:06Drew Afualo?

  Which is a beautiful thing. That being said, when I was at the Elton John after party and I saw all those people in there and a lot of them were coming up and talking to me. I started thinking to myself, yeah, I'd be a little mad at me too.

• 40:19Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, you know what? I, you know what? I get it. I empathize a little bit because I got in here because I tell men to go fuck themselves and or to suck my wiener. And now I'm in the room too, and I'm laughing.

• 40:29Speaker 02

  But you had to, like, you have to have a come up story, right? Just truly a nepo baby.

• 40:35Drew Afualo?

  Right, exactly.

• 40:36Speaker 02

  But it's like, ah.

• 40:37Drew Afualo?

  The transition to me doesn't bother me because I'm always like, I think they work hand in hand and

• 40:41Speaker 02

  Right.

• 40:42Drew Afualo?

  It's inevitable to fight it, like the, it's marketing at the end of the day, but.

• 40:45Speaker 02

  No, people do love to be like, why the fuck are, um, you know, influencers doing red carpet events? And it's kind of like, well, they're there, you aren't.

• 40:55Speaker 02

  It was really that simple.

• 40:56Drew Afualo?

  I know. One girl said that to me on one of my carpet videos and I was like, well, what do you care? I'm not taking your seat.

• 41:01Speaker 02

  Right.

• 41:03Drew Afualo?

  What do you care?

• 41:04Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 41:04Drew Afualo?

  And also.

• 41:05Speaker 02

  You really would just be taking like, I don't know, someone from the news's seat.

• 41:11Drew Afualo?

  I know.

• 41:11Speaker 02

  Who actually, who does, who would do that job otherwise?

• 41:14Drew Afualo?

  And that's what makes me laugh because I'm like, you guys don't check credentials on anyone unless you recognize them from the internet. You're never, if it's a person you don't recognize and they work for a media outlet, you're never like, did, do you have a journalism degree?

• 41:26Speaker 02

  Right.

• 41:27Drew Afualo?

  You never do that shit. You only do it because you recognize me and that's different. And I do have one. And I tell people too, I'm like, they invite us because we draw a crowd, like we draw attention and obviously you're an actor. So like, there's that too. I'm like, you guys, it, the, the view of it is so skewed sometimes of like influencers there. That being said, I do understand why, how some influencers act. I get why you don't like them.

• 41:49Speaker 02

  Right.

• 41:49Drew Afualo?

  And I was like, I think it's fair to say though, that there are bad apples in every bunch, not just influencers.

• 41:54Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 41:55Drew Afualo?

  That's not an influencer specific problem. It's just easier to pick at them because they're more accessible than a celebrity. Which is why I'm always like, true talent, like, I was like, if you guys only knew, like when they invite us to shit like that. I don't walk when Ariana Grande walks. I walk at 12 noon.

• 42:12Speaker 02

  Right.

• 42:13Drew Afualo?

  And then I sit in the sun.

• 42:14Speaker 02

  You're there for like fucking 10 hours.

• 42:16Drew Afualo?

  I'm there for nine and a half hours. She just got here and I don't go to the show. I'm not kidding. I do carpet and I fucking leave. I like, I literally walk home.

• 42:27Speaker 02

  Yeah, you spend three grand of your own money on like random things for the day. You're like, this is a loss for me.

• 42:35Drew Afualo?

  I'm in the red for sure, but that's not the point. And that's what makes me laugh because I'm like, I, especially when I did, what carpet was it? The Grammys. I had to walk what could only be described as fucking the trek up Mount Everest. I had to walk two miles in a corset bitch. I was walking and I had like a tote bag and a bunch of, a bunch of my other shit and I'm vaping the whole way.

• 43:00Drew Afualo?

  While I'm going there.

• 43:00Speaker 02

  You're like, surely this will make it easier to breathe.

• 43:05Drew Afualo?

  It's my oxygen.

• 43:05Speaker 02

  Tighten my corset and give me another fucking vase.

• 43:10Drew Afualo?

  And I was like, that's literally what I'm doing as I'm, as I'm getting there. And then they're like, can't believe you get to stand there too. Trust me when I say it's not nearly as fun.

• 43:19Speaker 02

  You, you, you weren't standing. The corset was keeping you up.

• 43:23Drew Afualo?

  I know, girl. I felt like Elizabeth Swan in that shit. It was so bad.

• 43:26Speaker 02

  Wait, so you've been to the Grammys? What other award shows?

• 43:30Drew Afualo?

  I've been to Golden Globes, Grammys, SAG Awards.

• 43:36Speaker 02

  I know this. I know this. Golden Globes is what, what again?

• 43:40Drew Afualo?

  That's like, that's TV and film, I think.

• 43:42Speaker 02

  Okay, gotcha.

• 43:43Drew Afualo?

  Me asking, like, I don't know. And I don't really.

• 43:46Speaker 02

  Okay, is the Grammys the most fun?

• 43:48Drew Afualo?

  Honestly, I had the most fun at SAG, the SAG Awards.

• 43:51Speaker 02

  Oh, that makes sense. That looked really fucking fun.

• 43:53Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that one was a lot more fun.

• 43:55Speaker 02

  That's the most recent one that you went to?

• 43:56Drew Afualo?

  No, the Oscars is the most recent one I went to.

• 43:58Speaker 02

  Okay, but the SAG Awards were this year's?

• 44:00Drew Afualo?

  Yes.

• 44:00Speaker 02

  Okay, oh.

• 44:01Drew Afualo?

  So the Grammys are cool too. The Grammys are fun too, but like, SAG I feel like is different because my theory is because they vote for each other. It's like less pressure, so they're, they're having more fun. Like they're more relaxed. It's not like being controlled by the Academy or anything. So it's like, it's almost like they're, that's like their fun one. Like, and it's also the second to last one. So they're like, it's like the last lap on a marathon.

• 44:24Speaker 02

  God.

• 44:25Drew Afualo?

  Poop in the pants, bloody nipples. They're like, just get it over with. Just finish. I just want to finish. So I feel like SAG was the most fun because they were the most relaxed and it. Gave me a better energy.

• 44:35Speaker 02

  Right.

• 44:36Drew Afualo?

  But like Globes was stressful as fuck and I feel like, cause that's the first one.

• 44:40Speaker 02

  Yeah, and it's TV and film. It's double the things.

• 44:46Speaker 02

  It's simply mathematically double the thing.

• 44:49Drew Afualo?

  Have you ever had like a weird or embarrassing carpet experience?

• 44:53Speaker 02

  I wouldn't really say this was weird or embarrassing, but um, fuck, am I really gonna forget her name?

• 45:02Speaker 02

  Okay, cut the silence for me.

• 45:06Drew Afualo?

  Was she in something?

• 45:07Speaker 02

  Or keep the silence.

• 45:10Speaker 02

  Okay, not Jamie Lee Curtis.

• 45:18Speaker 02

  But.

• 45:18Drew Afualo?

  You're like identical to me.

• 45:20Speaker 02

  Similar, who's a similar?

• 45:22Drew Afualo?

  Like old woman? Old woman?

• 45:25Speaker 02

  Yes, and short hair perhaps? Jane Lynch!

• 45:27Drew Afualo?

  Jane Lynch!

• 45:30Drew Afualo?

  Thank you, video village.

• 45:31Speaker 02

  You meant to say Sue Sylvester.

• 45:33Drew Afualo?

  Right, exactly.

• 45:34Speaker 02

  Thank you so much, whoever that was.

• 45:36Drew Afualo?

  Is that Laura?

• 45:37Speaker 02

  Looking up into the clouds like it was God. Thank you, angels!

• 45:41Drew Afualo?

  And who says God isn't real?

• 45:42Speaker 02

  Exactly. Okay, I am on The Daily Show and.

• 45:47Drew Afualo?

  I saw that, that's fucking awesome, by the way.

• 45:49Speaker 02

  It is very cool.

• 45:50Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 45:51Speaker 02

  And we got an Emmy for the show this year.

• 45:53Drew Afualo?

  So exciting.

• 45:54Speaker 02

  So, do I personally own an Emmy? No, I don't. But.

• 45:57Drew Afualo?

  What did I tell you about?

• 45:58Speaker 02

  But I'm on a show that does. Anyways, I gotta go on stage and then you leave stage, um, I give a really long speech, longer than Adrian Brody's. Um, it was about seven and a half minutes.

• 46:13Speaker 02

  I gotta say nothing.

• 46:14Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 46:14Speaker 02

  You leave stage and then there's all this like press backstage that you have to like sort through like little, you know, penguins. And um, and then you finally finish it, it takes like forty-five minutes.

• 46:27Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 46:27Speaker 02

  And I literally was like the dumbass who was like, we're missing the show!

• 46:33Speaker 02

  Like, they're like, oh, come over here, Vogue wants to say hi to Jon Stewart and I'm like, ah!

• 46:40Speaker 02

  Like.

• 46:40Drew Afualo?

  Oh geez.

• 46:41Speaker 02

  I'm like, they're about to announce another thing! Anyway, um, we're leaving and um, finally about to go back on stage and Jane Lynch looks right at me and goes, "Congratulations." I said nothing back. I literally was like.

• 47:00Speaker 03

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• 47:25Speaker 04

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• 47:30Speaker 00

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• 48:03Drew Afualo?

  Hey, that's sick, though.

• 48:04Speaker 02

  And just kept walking. I was like, this is fucked up. That was the coolest thing that I...

• 48:10Drew Afualo?

  That's fucking awesome, though.

• 48:11Speaker 02

  I wish I could've just gone, "Jane! God, babe, I love you, look good."

• 48:17Speaker 02

  But nothing came out of my mouth.

• 48:19Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 48:19Speaker 02

  I just fully me-to myself. I'm like, "Whoa, Jane!"

• 48:25Speaker 02

  I had nothing... I couldn't even say, "Thank you."

• 48:29Drew Afualo?

  Right. Words escaped you at that moment.

• 48:31Speaker 02

  Because now I have to wonder to myself, does Jane Lynch know who I am?

• 48:35Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that haunts me.

• 48:36Speaker 02

  Or was she saying thank you to every... or congrats to everyone?

• 48:39Drew Afualo?

  If I were you, I would tell people she was thanking you personally for enhancing the experience of The Daily Show.

• 48:45Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 48:45Drew Afualo?

  That's what I would do if I were you.

• 48:46Speaker 02

  I think so.

• 48:47Drew Afualo?

  I'd take full credit for it.

• 48:48Speaker 02

  I think so.

• 48:49Drew Afualo?

  And who's gonna correct you? Jane Lynch, please?

• 48:51Speaker 02

  I don't know.

• 48:51Drew Afualo?

  Well, then, maybe she should come hang out with you, and then she can correct you.

• 48:53Speaker 02

  I think so.

• 48:54Drew Afualo?

  I think that's what she should do.

• 48:55Speaker 02

  She comes on this podcast next week, she's like, "No fucking clue who Grace Conover is."

• 49:00Drew Afualo?

  And I don't appreciate her...

• 49:00Speaker 02

  What she said was disgusting, by the way.

• 49:03Drew Afualo?

  Slanderous and libel.

• 49:07Drew Afualo?

  It's funny cuz I like thinking about that I when I was at the Grammys.

• 49:11Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 49:12Drew Afualo?

  This woman who I have met. Uh, about three or four times. And the only reason I I hold.

• 49:20Speaker 02

  I'm already, I already know where this is going.

• 49:23Drew Afualo?

  Personally, I I can't hold that against you because I can forget, right?

• 49:27Speaker 02

  Sure.

• 49:28Drew Afualo?

  Like, the reason why it I do kind of hold it against her is because we were represented by the same PR company for like two years. So we saw each other often and met frequently and shared a publicist. So like, I know who she was and she obviously, she's like a reality person.

• 49:45Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 49:46Drew Afualo?

  And um, I'm like, okay, whatever. I have no like ill will towards her. I saw her at this Grammy's carpet. And like, again, she's seen me at other events, has never said anything to me. I'm not, no skin off my nose, that's fine.

• 49:58Speaker 02

  Mm hmm.

• 49:58Drew Afualo?

  Right. But then she she made it a point to come up to me and be like, oh, my god, how are you? Doesn't say my name cuz I know she doesn't know it, but I'm sure she's like, she's registering my face to some extent. And I go, I'm great. How are you? I said, congrats on everything cuz I and I can't say what it was cuz she was just recently on a show. But like, I was like, congrats on that, like, whatever. She's like, thank you so much. Congrats on your movie. I'm not in a movie and I haven't been in a movie.

• 50:28Drew Afualo?

  So like, she goes, and she says that to the point where like, cuz she's saying it across. So it's like, other people are looking and then I I'm like, what am I gonna do? So then I just go, thank you. And she goes, god, I'm so happy for you, all your success. The movie, congrats. And she walks away.

• 50:44Speaker 02

  Oh, my god.

• 50:45Drew Afualo?

  I'm not in a movie. I haven't been in one.

• 50:47Speaker 02

  That is fucking awesome.

• 50:50Drew Afualo?

  Okay, she recognizes me from the few, the many times we've met, uh, but doesn't know my name. That's fine.

• 50:55Speaker 02

  She's telling people, she's like, that girl's in Dune.

• 50:58Drew Afualo?

  And she thinks I'm Timothee Chalamet.

• 51:00Speaker 02

  That girl's in Dune. It's amazing what she did for the road.

• 51:03Drew Afualo?

  She, that girl's in Dune. She wears the little thing for.

• 51:06Speaker 02

  She, she actually is like the monster in it. So you can't see her face. You can hear her voice if you listen to it. Her laugh is in it.

• 51:14Drew Afualo?

  She's like, she's in Conclave.

• 51:18Drew Afualo?

  Dude, that's where I'm like, when she said it, she kept saying movie, movie this. And then I was like, oh, she has no clue who the fuck I am. Okay.

• 51:26Speaker 02

  Damn.

• 51:26Drew Afualo?

  And I quite possibly, unless you think I'm The Rock, I don't know who you could confuse me with. It's like, I don't look like.

• 51:32Speaker 02

  She thought you were The Rock.

• 51:33Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that's, and that, I would laugh.

• 51:36Drew Afualo?

  You'd get a giggle out of me, honestly.

• 51:38Speaker 02

  Damn.

• 51:39Drew Afualo?

  I'd love to know how your experience on The Daily Show has been, though.

• 51:41Speaker 02

  It's been fabulous.

• 51:42Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 51:43Speaker 02

  I mean, it is very cool because I was living in New York City. Craving stability financially. And it happened. So the show is, is like so cool. I frankly had not watched it. And when I auditioned, I did not think I was gonna get hired. I was like, this is good, um, experience, like audition experience. And then like I had a meeting with the executive producer. She was like, cool. So we'll send you kind of what, what your calendar is gonna look like. And I like called my team and was like, I got the job. And they were like, oh, no, no, no, we'll double check. I was like, no, no, no, I got the job.

• 52:19Drew Afualo?

  Them not believing you even?

• 52:20Speaker 02

  Yeah, they didn't believe me.

• 52:21Drew Afualo?

  Let's cross check it first before we get excited.

• 52:23Speaker 02

  Sure, sure, sure. Just fucking chill. You're still on the block. They can hear you.

• 52:28Drew Afualo?

  That's so cool, though.

• 52:29Speaker 02

  It's really cool.

• 52:30Drew Afualo?

  Has the writing for that changed? Like, is the experience different than writing for standup or writing for yourself?

• 52:36Speaker 02

  For sure. Well, the show has a writer's room.

• 52:38Drew Afualo?

  Oh, okay, that's good.

• 52:39Speaker 02

  So, um, there's like, I want to say like 20 writers and they write almost everything. If I'm doing like a man on the street segment, then it's pretty much improvised.

• 52:49Drew Afualo?

  Okay, cool.

• 52:50Speaker 02

  But, um, yeah, like on the show, the writers write it and I can like do some punch ups and stuff like that.

• 52:55Drew Afualo?

  Oh, nice.

• 52:56Speaker 02

  But, yeah, I mean, my other stuff is, it is funny, like going from basically being on TikTok and like Instagram reels and I'm like, not to really like, you know, sound like I think I'm amazing. But I'm like, you know, we are ultimately like writing, directing and acting in our own things.

• 53:15Drew Afualo?

  It's true. That's, I, I had never thought about that until Caleb painted it to that way.

• 53:19Speaker 02

  Fully is.

• 53:20Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 53:21Speaker 02

  Like, you know, there's certain videos that, you know, sometimes there will be a video where, you know, it's like one or two takes.

• 53:27Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 53:28Speaker 02

  But I have videos where I've done like an unbelievable amount of takes.

• 53:32Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 53:33Speaker 02

  With like the smallest changes each time. And I'm like, oh damn, I'm a fucked up director.

• 53:39Drew Afualo?

  Man, they would hate me if I was directing.

• 53:41Speaker 02

  Nightmare.

• 53:43Drew Afualo?

  That's so, uh, that's really cool too, especially because how is the experience filming it? Like filming after midnight, or after midnight, I said, that was on my brain. Filming The Daily Show, um, when you're like in studio, like how is that experience? Cause when I did studio television like that, it was completely different than anything I've ever done, which is kind of interesting.

• 54:00Speaker 02

  Well, yeah, it's super different than like being on set for like a scripted show because it is like, I'm reading off a teleprompter.

• 54:08Drew Afualo?

  Okay.

• 54:10Speaker 02

  I think I'm allowed to say that. I think I'm allowed to say that. Yeah, I'm reading off the teleprompter, all late night TV is.

• 54:16Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 54:16Speaker 02

  And, um, it's like one take.

• 54:19Drew Afualo?

  Mm-hmm.

• 54:19Speaker 02

  So you don't have the like freedom to be like, oh, I fucked that up. Can I try that again?

• 54:25Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 54:26Speaker 02

  Or really for any notes, it's just kind of like, you gotta go with what you talked about in rehearsal and then just try and do it the same. And if you fuck up, well, you fuck up.

• 54:38Drew Afualo?

  Really? I didn't know they, they do, they don't do takes again or anything like that.

• 54:42Speaker 02

  Only time I've ever re-filmed anything was because someone in the audience's phone was going off.

• 54:46Drew Afualo?

  Oh damn, okay.

• 54:47Speaker 02

  And it was really actually horrible to watch. It was this really old couple and the, oh, I hated it. The man's phone was going off and he had about fifteen pockets on his body. Like he was opening every fucking pocket, like no phone, I don't know where it is. It took him like ninety seconds to get it and his wife just darts through him the whole time. And I think it's possible they're divorced.

• 55:17Drew Afualo?

  Wouldn't be surprised.

• 55:17Speaker 02

  I bet they'd been together for fucking fifty-five years and I think they're divorced. That was really hard to see.

• 55:24Drew Afualo?

  Cause that one experience on the set of The Daily Show.

• 55:26Speaker 02

  No, and then like, yeah, the producers were like, we gotta do it again, obviously, you know, we didn't even get to get through it because of the phone. And I was like, someone wanna check in on them though?

• 55:35Drew Afualo?

  Are they okay?

• 55:38Drew Afualo?

  What's been, uh, like, have you ever said a joke like that was pre-written or whatever? And it got like no laugh at all? And then you kind of tweaked it, improvised it, anything like that? Or do you kind of just make peace with it?

• 55:49Speaker 02

  The show is so, um, like, it's been on for so many years, like decades. So I feel like it really is like a very specific process. There's not like a whole lot I can like switch up last minute. And not that I really think I'd get in trouble. Um, I'm just not a risk taker.

• 56:07Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I feel you.

• 56:08Speaker 02

  I don't even, I don't drive above the speed limit. I'm not like.

• 56:11Drew Afualo?

  Especially with productions like that too. Like you just might be a team player in a lot of ways. I was just curious if it's ever been a hard sell, a joke in the live studio audience.

• 56:19Speaker 02

  I mean, for sure, there have been jokes where we're like, oh, that's gonna do great. And we do it and not a single laugh. But to be fair, our audience is like almost entirely tourists.

• 56:29Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, huh.

• 56:30Speaker 02

  It's like.

• 56:30Drew Afualo?

  It's like the same people that go watch the Tonight Show or anything.

• 56:33Speaker 02

  I mean, it's on 52nd Street in Manhattan. It's like, we are ultimately a few blocks away from Times Square.

• 56:41Drew Afualo?

  That's true. That is true. And you know what? I will say is what I did after midnight recently as like a panelist person.

• 56:48Speaker 02

  That's Taylor Tomlinson's show, cool.

• 56:50Drew Afualo?

  And so the experience was really fun. Like we, I had a blast doing it and it was like, it's like mostly improv. Or no, it's mostly written, but you do it beforehand and then you do it with a writer or whatever. Um, but I did make a joke like, cause there was a bit where we were talking about, um, dogs. Like, and we were saying if they, we thought they were good or bad and why? And we just naturally started like appealing as if we were their lawyers. And so like one of them, I was like, this is a cop dog. Case closed, guilty. Fuck cops, right? Like, that's the joke, right? I got like maybe a couple laughs. And then I think to myself, and this was early on in the show, this was probably like 20 minutes in. And when I made that joke, I go, oh, big cop lovers in this audience?

• 57:35Drew Afualo?

  And everyone started laughing and I go, oh, after midnight backs the blue. My fucking bad. And they cut that joke, but it was funny.

• 57:43Speaker 02

  Wait, that's so good though.

• 57:45Drew Afualo?

  I know. And I was like, and I, I kind of like saved it at the end, but I was like, what are you guys fucking cop lovers?

• 57:49Speaker 02

  Also hilarious that they cut that. Did they cut the whole thing or they cut just the part where you got more laughs?

• 57:55Drew Afualo?

  Where I got more laughs.

• 57:56Speaker 02

  Oh, fuck.

• 57:58Drew Afualo?

  So it looked like it really fell flat.

• 58:00Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 58:00Drew Afualo?

  But I'm here to tell you.

• 58:01Speaker 02

  You're like watching with family, friends. You're like, just wait for it. I'm really gonna get the audience on my side this time. Cut to the, cut to the commercial.

• 58:11Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 58:11Speaker 02

  Wendy's, what the fuck?

• 58:14Drew Afualo?

  Well, maybe this is a different cut. Maybe they're sending me another edit.

• 58:19Drew Afualo?

  So I would love to know, who are your comedy like idols? Like, who are people that you really looked up to in that world?

• 58:25Speaker 02

  Um, Chelsea Peretti has my favorite stand-up special.

• 58:29Drew Afualo?

  Oh, love.

• 58:30Speaker 02

  I feel like as a stand-up, people like ask like, what's, you know, what specials do you watch? And I'm like, well, I think I've seen five. But, you know, I really just can't watch men.

• 58:41Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 58:41Speaker 02

  And I'm not saying that from like, it's like, not even that I've tried. It's like, I'm just like, I'm not interested.

• 58:49Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 58:49Speaker 02

  I'm really not. Yeah.

• 58:51Drew Afualo?

  I'm good with that.

• 58:52Speaker 02

  Um, but, you know, of course, like Broad City was huge for me.

• 58:56Drew Afualo?

  Love. Love Alana.

• 58:58Speaker 02

  And then really like, when I was living in Chicago, like I had so many like idols who like now feel like peers and friends to me.

• 59:06Drew Afualo?

  Love.

• 59:06Speaker 02

  So like, you know, Sidney Washington, I think is one of the funniest people in the world. Pat Regan and Catherine Cohen, I've always been obsessed with.

• 59:13Drew Afualo?

  Love.

• 59:14Speaker 02

  Marie Foster is the funniest person. So.

• 59:17Drew Afualo?

  Period.

• 59:18Speaker 02

  I said one guy, he's gay. So.

• 59:20Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, doesn't count.

• 59:21Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 59:23Drew Afualo?

  So, different.

• 59:24Speaker 02

  It's super different. Gay guys and straight guys are actually so completely different.

• 59:29Drew Afualo?

  I don't know if anyone knows that. Why aren't more people talking about this?

• 59:32Speaker 02

  I don't know. I don't know.

• 59:35Drew Afualo?

  Is there anything that you're looking like would be a dream of yours in terms of like achieving or doing or being a part of? In the terms of entertainment, whether it's a movie, show, anything?

• 59:47Speaker 02

  Yeah, all of the above.

• 59:50Drew Afualo?

  Dreams.

• 59:50Speaker 02

  I'm like, I I mean, I really just wanna act like.

• 59:54Drew Afualo?

  Me too.

• 59:54Speaker 02

  That's just always been my dream. And.

• 59:57Drew Afualo?

  What's like a dream show you'd love to be in? Even if it's not the exact show, but like the framework of one.

• 1:00:02Speaker 02

  Hmm, I'm not even that big of a of a viewer of it. But like something like Always Sunny, that's like been on for so fucking long.

• 1:00:10Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 1:00:10Speaker 02

  They have it down to a T and they can just, oh, like Workaholics was my favorite show growing up.

• 1:00:16Drew Afualo?

  I loved Workaholics. The episode of them when they take Molly and go to the baby shower.

• 1:00:21Speaker 02

  It's unbelievable.

• 1:00:23Drew Afualo?

  But I was laughing, sorry, it brought me to tears.

• 1:00:24Speaker 02

  It's unbelievable. And like, were you a stoner when you were watching it?

• 1:00:28Drew Afualo?

  No, actually, no.

• 1:00:29Speaker 02

  Oh, really?

• 1:00:29Drew Afualo?

  Not at the time, no.

• 1:00:30Speaker 02

  That's probably rare.

• 1:00:31Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I think so. Asking me now, yeah.

• 1:00:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:00:36Drew Afualo?

  Asking me then, no.

• 1:00:37Speaker 02

  I was like, just so in love with Blake Anderson, I couldn't even fucking think straight. I really was like, woof, my god, I loved his long, long hair.

• 1:00:47Drew Afualo?

  Long hair, yeah.

• 1:00:49Speaker 02

  Anyway, um, the day he followed me on Instagram, I actually was like,

• 1:00:55Speaker 02

  I think I should be straight.

• 1:00:57Drew Afualo?

  This might make me rethink.

• 1:00:58Speaker 02

  I think it's worth a shot. Um, yeah, I just wanna be in like silly goofy shit and, you know, eventually, I'd actually like to make um, media about lesbians.

• 1:01:13Drew Afualo?

  That's really sweet.

• 1:01:14Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:01:14Drew Afualo?

  I love that.

• 1:01:15Speaker 02

  I think that they're, you know, lesbians are so fucking weird that that, and I don't know much about them yet, but once I do my research, I think that I could make some show about them.

• 1:01:25Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, do some more research about their culture.

• 1:01:28Speaker 02

  Definitely. Definitely. I'll have to read some books, cuz there's nothing, there's frankly, really not much media about them yet.

• 1:01:35Drew Afualo?

  Not enough, to be honest.

• 1:01:36Speaker 02

  No, not at all.

• 1:01:38Drew Afualo?

  Not enough at all.

• 1:01:38Speaker 02

  No.

• 1:01:38Drew Afualo?

  When I was on After Midnight, I, there was like, they showed this clip of Luca, what's his name?

• 1:01:43Speaker 02

  Guadalupe.

• 1:01:44Drew Afualo?

  Guadalupe.

• 1:01:45Speaker 02

  Guadalupe.

• 1:01:45Drew Afualo?

  Right, right. And he was saying, all the best movies in the world are gay.

• 1:01:48Speaker 02

  Uh huh.

• 1:01:49Drew Afualo?

  And I was like, okay, T, coming from him, T. And then we had to say a movie that we thought was super gay that like, nobody talks about.

• 1:01:55Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:01:56Drew Afualo?

  Mine was Fight Club.

• 1:01:57Speaker 02

  Oh, you're right, though.

• 1:01:59Drew Afualo?

  Easy.

• 1:01:59Speaker 02

  You're right.

• 1:02:00Drew Afualo?

  I was like, all, a bunch of naked men keeping a secret.

• 1:02:02Speaker 02

  I know.

• 1:02:03Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I've seen that before.

• 1:02:04Speaker 02

  Well, I mean, think about how like queer like Top Gun felt when it came out recently.

• 1:02:09Drew Afualo?

  I wish I said Top Gun, honestly. I thought about that joke after.

• 1:02:11Speaker 02

  That football scene, I mean, that was the opening to the best porn I could have ever seen.

• 1:02:19Speaker 02

  I can't even imagine if they just started fucking right after that.

• 1:02:22Drew Afualo?

  And who's to say they didn't?

• 1:02:23Speaker 02

  I know.

• 1:02:24Drew Afualo?

  I haven't seen the director's cut.

• 1:02:25Speaker 02

  No, I haven't. We demand it.

• 1:02:30Drew Afualo?

  I, I literally saw, uh, I watched a Family Guy episode probably like two days ago. That is purely just about Top Gun. It's like them making fun of Top Gun. And it's so funny, but in my head, I was like, I have never watched these movies ever. But if this is really what they're about, that's insane.

• 1:02:48Speaker 02

  I know.

• 1:02:48Drew Afualo?

  What a dumbass plot.

• 1:02:50Speaker 02

  I know. Well, most movies actually have horrible plots.

• 1:02:53Drew Afualo?

  That's true, but just like, I'm, I like, I've never seen a more like, this is not for me. Kind of like, it's like, there are certain pieces of media, like you were saying about male standups, like, there are pieces of media that I don't ever need to see.

• 1:03:08Speaker 02

  Right.

• 1:03:09Drew Afualo?

  Because I've seen Who Loves It and I'm good.

• 1:03:11Speaker 02

  Right.

• 1:03:12Drew Afualo?

  That's how I feel about it.

• 1:03:12Speaker 02

  Right.

• 1:03:13Drew Afualo?

  Like, something like, like Top Gun. I'm like, I don't ever, I don't ever need to watch that.

• 1:03:18Speaker 02

  Right. And it wasn't made for you.

• 1:03:20Drew Afualo?

  No, I'm not the demographic.

• 1:03:21Speaker 02

  It reminds me of what I was saying earlier of like, why like, I don't feel like I need to do shows for straight people. Is like, well, yeah, then of course I don't need to watch straight male standups. They weren't making it for me either.

• 1:03:31Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, we all have our thing.

• 1:03:32Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:03:33Drew Afualo?

  Right? That's why I'm like, I don't, there, there are like huge movies, like if I could think of one right now, like The Godfather. I've never seen it. I'm okay never seeing it.

• 1:03:42Speaker 02

  Right.

• 1:03:42Drew Afualo?

  That's all right.

• 1:03:43Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:03:43Drew Afualo?

  And I, and I think to myself, no, The Heat starring Melissa McCarthy.

• 1:03:49Drew Afualo?

  That's a movie that I will, I will promote till there is no more.

• 1:03:53Speaker 02

  It is really funny.

• 1:03:55Drew Afualo?

  I'm so glad you've seen it because I have come to find out that a lot of people have never seen that movie.

• 1:04:00Speaker 02

  No, it's so good.

• 1:04:01Drew Afualo?

  And like, if I were to say like a dream movie of me to, would be a buddy comedy like that.

• 1:04:06Speaker 02

  Oh God, you'd be so good.

• 1:04:07Drew Afualo?

  We should do one together.

• 1:04:08Speaker 02

  We should do one together.

• 1:04:09Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like as The Heat, part two.

• 1:04:11Speaker 02

  I'm dying to see the SZA Kiki Palmer movie.

• 1:04:14Drew Afualo?

  Oh yes, yes. One of them days. I watched it.

• 1:04:16Speaker 02

  Fuck, I want to see it so bad.

• 1:04:17Drew Afualo?

  So cool because I, I, I figured too, because have you ever seen the Friday movies?

• 1:04:21Speaker 02

  The what movies?

• 1:04:23Drew Afualo?

  The movies. Okay, so there's Friday and then there's like Friday After Next, like those movie, the movie One of Them Days is like loosely based off like Friday, cause that was two men, like starring two men. And this, and there's a whole lot of lore and history behind that movie and it's fucking so funny. But One of Them Days is kind of a similar thread line.

• 1:04:39Speaker 02

  Amazing.

• 1:04:40Drew Afualo?

  But I love a silly ass movie.

• 1:04:43Speaker 02

  I know.

• 1:04:43Drew Afualo?

  Even when I, I interviewed Quinta at the Golden Globes, I asked her like, what do you wanna see more of in TV and film? And she was like, honestly silliness, like I wanna see people being funny for the sake of being funny and not like in a way that's harmful.

• 1:04:55Speaker 02

  No.

• 1:04:56Drew Afualo?

  Or hurtful to anyone.

• 1:04:57Speaker 02

  Or also needs to be political really.

• 1:04:59Drew Afualo?

  Yeah.

• 1:04:59Speaker 02

  Kinda like, I actually think goofiness could save the world.

• 1:05:03Drew Afualo?

  That's actually a really great segue. Into our, our new segment, uh, Grace that we have today, which is sponsored by Netflix. Everyone say, thank you Netflix.

• 1:05:14Speaker 02

  Thanks Netflix.

• 1:05:16Drew Afualo?

  Thank you Netflix. Okay, so there is a new Netflix movie coming out soon called The Life List. And it's about a young woman who is sent on a quest by her late mother to complete her teenage life list. So, in the spirit of The Life List, we're gonna talk about our own kinda bucket list. I wanna know what you used to have on your bucket list that you've already checked off and what you still wanna accomplish that you haven't quite crossed out yet.

• 1:05:41Speaker 02

  Oh, hmm, okay.

• 1:05:46Speaker 02

  Netflix, you are really good with this question.

• 1:05:51Speaker 02

  Um, okay, what's on my bucket list that I need to do?

• 1:05:55Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like what's, what's, something you've crossed off already and something you want to cross off, if you've already crossed anything off.

• 1:06:02Speaker 02

  Okay, something I want to cross off is, um, I bought a fancy bed frame.

• 1:06:10Drew Afualo?

  Oh, nice. I love that.

• 1:06:13Speaker 02

  That's pretty crazy to do.

• 1:06:15Drew Afualo?

  I would say yes.

• 1:06:16Speaker 02

  No, seriously, it's really crazy to do something that cool and.

• 1:06:21Drew Afualo?

  This is the life list, you crossing it off.

• 1:06:23Speaker 02

  I mean, this was like the first time I bought a bed frame that was not like from Ikea specifically.

• 1:06:28Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 1:06:28Speaker 02

  And I was like, whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was like, oh, my god. I'm a billionaire until I spend this money and then I have back to nothing, but.

• 1:06:39Drew Afualo?

  Perfect.

• 1:06:39Speaker 02

  So that's something I've crossed off.

• 1:06:41Drew Afualo?

  Perfect.

• 1:06:41Speaker 02

  Something I need to cross off. These are both purchases, whatever. Something I need to cross off, I need to buy pans that aren't going to kill me.

• 1:06:49Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 1:06:50Speaker 02

  Do you know what I'm talking about?

• 1:06:51Drew Afualo?

  Like the, as far as like when it gets all.

• 1:06:53Speaker 02

  Like I have pans that like when I, when I have looked them up, people are like, this will give you cancer in 10 years. You know what I mean?

• 1:07:01Drew Afualo?

  Right, cuz it has lead.

• 1:07:03Speaker 02

  Mm hmm.

• 1:07:03Drew Afualo?

  Nice. Where are you getting these pans?

• 1:07:06Speaker 02

  Like amazon.com, unfortunately, or no, I should say Netflix.com.

• 1:07:12Drew Afualo?

  So, perfect. So you bought a bed frame, need to buy pans.

• 1:07:16Speaker 02

  I need to buy pans. I want, I have my eye on them. There's this brand called like Allclad, I think.

• 1:07:22Drew Afualo?

  Oh, Hexclad.

• 1:07:23Speaker 02

  Hex, no.

• 1:07:24Drew Afualo?

  I know Hexclad.

• 1:07:25Speaker 02

  But that's different.

• 1:07:26Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 1:07:27Speaker 02

  No offense.

• 1:07:30Speaker 02

  Sorry for yelling. Everyone's scared.

• 1:07:33Drew Afualo?

  That's my, that's my culture. It's not the same thing.

• 1:07:36Speaker 02

  Hexclad is different.

• 1:07:37Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, you're right.

• 1:07:39Speaker 02

  Allclad I think is different, and if I'm wrong.

• 1:07:41Drew Afualo?

  Fucking delete this episode. I hope you are wrong cuz that's so funny.

• 1:07:47Drew Afualo?

  I don't know if you are, but I hope you are.

• 1:07:49Speaker 02

  What about you, Drew?

• 1:07:50Drew Afualo?

  Oh, what's on my life list?

• 1:07:52Speaker 02

  Yes, I've been fucking dying to ask you, girl.

• 1:07:55Drew Afualo?

  That's been burning at the back of your tongue, I bet. I would say something I've already crossed off. Um, that I really wanted to do, hmm.

• 1:08:05Speaker 02

  Interview me. Sorry, interrupted. Interview me, check.

• 1:08:10Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I was at the very top, Lifeless, crossed. Um, I would say, I wanted to retire my parents.

• 1:08:17Speaker 02

  Oh.

• 1:08:18Drew Afualo?

  So I did. Love that.

• 1:08:19Speaker 02

  God damn.

• 1:08:21Drew Afualo?

  And I also-

• 1:08:22Speaker 02

  That's the coolest thing you could have ever said.

• 1:08:25Drew Afualo?

  And I also bought a bed frame, so that was also on mine.

• 1:08:27Speaker 02

  Alright, now you're like flexing.

• 1:08:31Drew Afualo?

  Something I would like to toss off, doing a buddy comedy with you.

• 1:08:34Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:08:35Drew Afualo?

  We gotta make that happen.

• 1:08:36Speaker 02

  Right.

• 1:08:36Drew Afualo?

  Now Netflix is on the hook, now they have to do it.

• 1:08:38Speaker 02

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:08:39Drew Afualo?

  Because this is sponsored by Netflix.

• 1:08:40Speaker 02

  Right. Sorry. It's the way it goes, kind of a binding contract that you guys signed that I sent over.

• 1:08:47Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, sorry about that. Get a better team.

• 1:08:50Speaker 02

  Good answers.

• 1:08:51Drew Afualo?

  I would say. And also, if you guys are interested in watching The Life List, it is starring Sophia Carson, Connie Britton, and Kyle Allen, and The Life List premieres only on Netflix, March twenty eighth. Grace and I are gonna be tuned in.

• 1:09:07Speaker 02

  Yes, we are. Love you Connie. She's my fave.

• 1:09:13Drew Afualo?

  Connie Britton?

• 1:09:14Speaker 02

  Yes!

• 1:09:14Drew Afualo?

  I love that. Were you Friday Night Lights girl?

• 1:09:17Speaker 02

  Um, Nashville.

• 1:09:18Drew Afualo?

  Oh, nice, nice, nice.

• 1:09:20Speaker 02

  Did you ever watch that show?

• 1:09:21Drew Afualo?

  No, but was Hayden Panettiere in that show for a while?

• 1:09:23Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:09:24Drew Afualo?

  Okay. I, I thought so. I thought, I recognized the name from her and Connie Britton.

• 1:09:29Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:09:29Drew Afualo?

  I once saw Family Guy joke about Connie Britton that said like, uh, the joke was literally that her hair is so perfect it looks edible. That was the only joke.

• 1:09:39Speaker 02

  That's a really good point.

• 1:09:40Drew Afualo?

  So she, she woke up and he was eating her hair.

• 1:09:42Speaker 02

  You could kinda like carve it off and place it on top of ice cream.

• 1:09:46Drew Afualo?

  Is it cake?

• 1:09:46Speaker 02

  Now, my question is, how much Family Guy are you watching? Cause it's the second time you've brought it up.

• 1:09:50Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that's not a question I think I feel comfortable answering.

• 1:09:53Speaker 02

  Totally, totally. Someone check on her.

• 1:09:57Drew Afualo?

  You know what's funny is Caleb once told me that he thinks Family Guy is one of the funniest TV comedies I've ever written, and I, in that moment, had never felt more validated in my entire fucking life.

• 1:10:08Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:10:08Drew Afualo?

  I actually just thought of something else that has nothing to do with what we're talking about, um, that I need to bring up to you because I was, I saw your blog yesterday that you posted, and it was so funny.

• 1:10:19Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 1:10:20Drew Afualo?

  But I was like, went on your page to show my fiance, cause I wanted to show him your blog. And then I felt, I saw this picture of you.

• 1:10:26Speaker 02

  Uh huh.

• 1:10:27Drew Afualo?

  Where you said it's Gagne, right?

• 1:10:29Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 1:10:29Drew Afualo?

  So you were Eric Gagne for Halloween in 2006?

• 1:10:32Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 1:10:32Drew Afualo?

  No one here is gonna know who that is.

• 1:10:34Speaker 02

  Right.

• 1:10:35Drew Afualo?

  But my fiance thought this was the funniest thing he has ever seen.

• 1:10:39Speaker 02

  No, I have never had more, um, like, I've never had more DMs and comments from straight men than the day that I posted that. Is, is your fiance also from Southern California?

• 1:10:52Drew Afualo?

  Yes.

• 1:10:52Speaker 02

  Like, is he a Dodgers fan growing up?

• 1:10:54Drew Afualo?

  No, he wasn't a Dodgers fan.

• 1:10:55Speaker 02

  But he just knows the MLB.

• 1:10:57Drew Afualo?

  He loved baseball, but he was a big baseball guy.

• 1:10:58Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:10:59Drew Afualo?

  About all sports.

• 1:11:00Speaker 02

  No, I seriously was like, oh my god, if that was straight, I would have fucking gotten laid the day I posted that.

• 1:11:07Drew Afualo?

  No, and he was saying like, he, he was telling me his whole lore, like, about Eric Gagne. First I said Eric Gagne?

• 1:11:13Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:11:14Drew Afualo?

  And then he goes, it's Gagne. And I go, my fucking bad.

• 1:11:17Speaker 02

  French Canadian, you fucking idiot.

• 1:11:19Drew Afualo?

  I know, he's looking like he's a Canadian dude, throws like a hundred miles an hour.

• 1:11:22Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:11:23Drew Afualo?

  And he was like, he was like, that's the funniest costume I've ever seen. Then I opened the comments, I see Caleb in there. And I was like, I should have fucking known.

• 1:11:30Speaker 02

  I know.

• 1:11:31Drew Afualo?

  That's like the straightest part of Caleb's brain.

• 1:11:32Speaker 02

  He's a straight guy in disguise.

• 1:11:33Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, like, I was gonna say, that's the straightest part.

• 1:11:35Speaker 02

  He's just gay, he's gay for pay, for real.

• 1:11:39Speaker 02

  He's doing it for fame and fortune.

• 1:11:41Drew Afualo?

  Right, right.

• 1:11:42Speaker 02

  And one day it's all gonna come toppling down.

• 1:11:44Drew Afualo?

  He's queer baiting.

• 1:11:45Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:11:45Drew Afualo?

  That's what he's been doing.

• 1:11:46Speaker 02

  He is queer baiting. Because he's been inside me.

• 1:11:51Speaker 02

  And he's good.

• 1:11:52Drew Afualo?

  And he didn't call.

• 1:11:53Speaker 02

  No.

• 1:11:54Drew Afualo?

  And that's, that's pissing me off. And yeah, I'm personally offended by it. I wanted to bring up the Eric Gagne thing because my fiance was like, that's the funniest costume I've ever seen.

• 1:12:02Speaker 02

  Tell him thank you, I'm, I'm really honored. There unfortunately, something like, actually negative about me is that, to me, like, gay people can compliment me left and right. The moment like a straight guy compliments me, I'm like, what?

• 1:12:16Speaker 02

  What the hell? Yeah, it must really mean something.

• 1:12:19Drew Afualo?

  He said, "Do you mind saying that again for me for the record? I just want to make sure."

• 1:12:22Speaker 02

  God, tell him I love him.

• 1:12:25Drew Afualo?

  I will, I promise I will.

• 1:12:26Speaker 02

  That's so special.

• 1:12:27Drew Afualo?

  I sent it to his brother, because his brother's a big baseball fan too, and he also thought it was the funniest thing ever. Also, you doing that at, how old were you in 2006?

• 1:12:34Speaker 02

  I'm, uh, 11.

• 1:12:37Drew Afualo?

  You doing that at 11 is crazy.

• 1:12:39Speaker 02

  I know, I mean, I'm fully in drag.

• 1:12:40Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 1:12:41Speaker 02

  I'm be- I'm a drag king.

• 1:12:42Drew Afualo?

  Absolutely. Um. You're gender bending.

• 1:12:44Speaker 02

  Yeah, my mom like painted on a goatee with like her eyeliner or something. But I saw that photo like in my parents' like, you know, online, like just the photos that we have.

• 1:12:53Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 1:12:53Speaker 02

  And, um, I, I sent it to my brother, I'm like, "Who am I in this?" And he goes, "Holy fuck, Eric Gagne, it's uncanny." He was like, "I knew immediately." And if you look at pictures of Eric Gagne, it is pretty uncanny.

• 1:13:08Drew Afualo?

  It's also so funny you say that, because when I was in 5th grade, so I was 10.

• 1:13:12Speaker 02

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:13:12Drew Afualo?

  Um, when I had to do like a, we had to do a report on someone we admired from history. That's imperative context. Um, and I picked King George III. And I was the only woman, who, the only girl who chose to be a boy.

• 1:13:28Speaker 02

  And you got to dress up?

• 1:13:29Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and I had to dress up in drag, I'm fully in drag.

• 1:13:32Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 1:13:33Drew Afualo?

  I had a wig and everything.

• 1:13:33Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:13:34Drew Afualo?

  And like, I dressed like a royal and I, my mom like stayed up with me late that night, like helped me make my costume.

• 1:13:39Speaker 02

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:13:40Drew Afualo?

  But my teacher called my mom and was like, "I feel like maybe she should pick somebody else." Like, you know, like kinda like concerned about me, because he's one of the worst British monarchs in history.

• 1:13:51Speaker 02

  Well, for sure.

• 1:13:51Drew Afualo?

  And like truly was so terrible, and I was like, "That's my fucking guy." I remember, I dress, I was so excited to wear my costume to, to school. Mind you, when I'm 10, I'm 5'4", so it's even more horrifying. And so like, I go fully in like-

• 1:14:05Speaker 02

  That's one inch shorter than me right now. That's so-

• 1:14:09Drew Afualo?

  Powdered wig.

• 1:14:10Speaker 02

  So crazy.

• 1:14:10Drew Afualo?

  All that shit, yeah, like I, I had like, my mom, I remember, had like a tiki torch from our backyard and she covered the whole thing in foil. So it looked like a scepter because I was five, four, almost taller than the tiki torch. That's weird. And I'm like holding it. And I remember the first day we came to school in the costumes. We all like, all fifth graders went in the library and then they were like, oh, if anyone wants to do their monologue now, you get extra credit. And especially if you have an accent and you do the accent. Bitch, I was first. I was like, oh, I know what the fuck I'm doing. Yeah, I sound like Dick Van Dyke. For real. And I, I literally was like, I remember when I think back on it, I'm like, I have wanted and needed attention for as long as I can remember. It has been imperative that I have it.

• 1:14:53Speaker 02

  That day was huge for you. I love that you're, I, there, my mom also went so hard on like homemade costumes for stuff. And that is like, I can't admire anything more. Like there's something about like a parent just being like, this is what you want. Your mom has headphones on, isn't even listening. What you've done for your daughter is unbelievable.

• 1:15:17Drew Afualo?

  She weren't, you weren't listening. I was telling her about King George the third and she was like, me trying to talk to your mom and your, her headphones are on.

• 1:15:23Speaker 02

  I'm like, you have raised the most beautiful daughter.

• 1:15:28Drew Afualo?

  No, there is something so beautiful about fostering that kind of creativity.

• 1:15:30Speaker 02

  And being like, my kid's gonna look so dumb. And I'm gonna make sure they look as dumb as possible.

• 1:15:39Drew Afualo?

  They're like, okay.

• 1:15:40Speaker 02

  Like, it's so cool.

• 1:15:41Drew Afualo?

  I know. And my mom was like, I mean, if she wants to do it, let her do it. It's not against the rules, right? And then she was like, no. And I, I was like, I was the only one in drag. I was a drag king that day. And I, I left on top that day. And there were many Halloweens where my mom was like, are you sure? And I was like, yeah. Like, I, like, I wanted to be, um, I was, I could have been Trinity, but I wanted to be Neo from Matrix.

• 1:16:04Speaker 02

  Oh, my God.

• 1:16:05Drew Afualo?

  And ask me, have I ever seen the Matrix? No. I just saw the costume. I thought it was sick. And then I told my mom, no, I want to be the guy. And she was like, why? And she's like, you could be the girl. And I was like, I understand that. I want to be Neo.

• 1:16:18Speaker 02

  Yeah, I could be a girl every day of my life.

• 1:16:22Speaker 02

  Let me live a little.

• 1:16:23Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, and then I went to a party and I, at that point, I was probably like eight and I went dressed as Neo uh to the party. I had like latex, everything on, the glasses, my mom slicked all my hair back like Keanu Reeves. I'm walking around the party and only the adults are like, that's fucking sick. Like, only the adults are like, are you supposed to be Neo? And I'm like, yeah, they're like, oh, that's so sick.

• 1:16:42Speaker 02

  Oh, my god. That is cool.

• 1:16:45Drew Afualo?

  It's fun, though. That's why, that's how I feel about your Eric Gagne.

• 1:16:48Speaker 02

  Do you still like dress up for Halloween and stuff? You go hard?

• 1:16:51Drew Afualo?

  Mm-hmm. I love.

• 1:16:52Speaker 02

  I lost it.

• 1:16:53Drew Afualo?

  You did. That sparkle. You lost your sparkle.

• 1:16:56Speaker 02

  Yeah, I did. I don't know where it went.

• 1:16:59Drew Afualo?

  You know, crossing something off the life list will probably bring back your sparkle.

• 1:17:04Speaker 02

  You're right.

• 1:17:06Speaker 02

  You're right. I need to buy some pots and pans.

• 1:17:10Drew Afualo?

  I do have some fun facts about you that I want to read to you really quickly. This says, in 2012, she started a petition for her school to put a microwave in the cafeteria.

• 1:17:18Speaker 02

  Yes. Oh, my god, how fun you found that.

• 1:17:21Drew Afualo?

  Grassroots, a woman of the people.

• 1:17:22Speaker 02

  Yeah, for sure. That was my first kind of like, um, when I dipped my toes into politics.

• 1:17:27Drew Afualo?

  Into activism.

• 1:17:30Speaker 02

  And, yeah, we ended up getting, I got like a hundred fifty signatures and we got a microwave.

• 1:17:36Drew Afualo?

  Why did you guys need a microwave that badly?

• 1:17:38Speaker 02

  Because all these kids were getting hot, hot food in school and my mom would not pay for it. My mom would not pay for it and so I was eating fucking cold spaghetti every day. We needed a microwave.

• 1:17:52Drew Afualo?

  You did.

• 1:17:53Speaker 02

  It's basic human rights for, something you clearly don't give a fuck about.

• 1:17:59Drew Afualo?

  You're right. Well, we did roll back DEI here, so that's probably why I don't care. That's probably why I don't give a fuck. Uh, it says, you played, you were a catcher on your high school softball team.

• 1:18:07Speaker 02

  Sure was.

• 1:18:08Drew Afualo?

  Which.

• 1:18:08Speaker 02

  Third base, too.

• 1:18:09Drew Afualo?

  That was one of my favorite clips from Caleb's podcast of yours when you said, you're on the fence, like, let's go, girls.

• 1:18:16Speaker 02

  Yeah, I was just so straight, like, boy, I hope James says yes to my proposal.

• 1:18:23Speaker 02

  So fucking gay. It's funny, there's a couple, I'm actually surprised that there aren't more comments about this. But there were like two comments that were like, actually, she couldn't have been designated hitter and catcher at the same time, which is true. And I'm like, whoa, let's get these, let's put these comments away.

• 1:18:41Drew Afualo?

  Be careful, they might, they might find out I'm lying.

• 1:18:43Speaker 02

  Like they have two likes and I'm like, whoa, they almost canceled me there.

• 1:18:47Drew Afualo?

  Phew, they almost found out.

• 1:18:49Speaker 02

  Literally.

• 1:18:51Drew Afualo?

  Uh, it also says, you once convinced Phoebe Bridgers to sing a duet of Monster by Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber with her on a college Zoom comedy show.

• 1:18:59Speaker 02

  Yeah, and that video is public and it's not gone viral.

• 1:19:05Drew Afualo?

  I wonder why that is.

• 1:19:07Speaker 02

  I repost it every kind of eleven months or so and it's not gone viral. It actually got the most likes ever by an account that has about a hundred followers. That is a curse that I have sometimes. My videos go most viral not posted by me. It's not fair.

• 1:19:26Drew Afualo?

  They're like, well, now that someone else showed it to me, it is actually pretty funny.

• 1:19:29Speaker 02

  And then the comments on that are like, who the fuck is the other girl?

• 1:19:34Drew Afualo?

  Was it hard to convince Phoebe Bridgers?

• 1:19:37Speaker 02

  No.

• 1:19:38Drew Afualo?

  No, not hard enough.

• 1:19:39Speaker 02

  It really wasn't, but I was pretty sure she was not gonna show up.

• 1:19:44Drew Afualo?

  Okay.

• 1:19:44Speaker 02

  I basically, I don't know why, I had like just, Caleb and I had just done a favor for Phoebe. Can't go into more details on that.

• 1:19:54Speaker 02

  We killed someone.

• 1:19:55Drew Afualo?

  Right, so you called in a favor.

• 1:19:56Speaker 02

  Yeah, and, um, and so I was like, it was like a couple of weeks later, I got asked to do this comedy show and I was like, you know what would make these fucking liberal arts kids like shit their pants? Is if Phoebe Bridgers comes on and sings with me.

• 1:20:08Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 1:20:08Speaker 02

  So I texted her and she was like, yeah, for sure. And then like I sent like a paragraph of what I wanted to do. I was like, so we're gonna sing Monster by Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber. You're Shawn Mendes, I'm Justin Bieber, like, and she never responded to that paragraph and I was like, oh no, I lost my shot. And then a week later, I was like, hey, just making sure, you know, if you don't want to do this, no problem at all. I think I even said, I can pay you $200.

• 1:20:36Drew Afualo?

  Phoebe Bridgers.

• 1:20:39Speaker 02

  And I knew that was stretching it for me at the time too. I was like.

• 1:20:43Drew Afualo?

  And that was pushing it for me.

• 1:20:44Speaker 02

  No takeout for six months for me.

• 1:20:48Speaker 02

  But um, yeah, she said yes, and we did it. And then after the call, I was like, thank you so much. She was like, no prob. And um.

• 1:20:55Drew Afualo?

  And how'd it go?

• 1:20:56Speaker 02

  We've not talked so much since. I'm just kidding. I see her and she's amazing.

• 1:21:00Drew Afualo?

  And how did the duet go? Did it go over well?

• 1:21:03Speaker 02

  Really good. I, I actually think I sang better.

• 1:21:08Drew Afualo?

  I was gonna say, imagine your life.

• 1:21:09Speaker 02

  I'm being deadass because I think that um Phoebe was like kind of viewing this as a joke. I wasn't.

• 1:21:17Drew Afualo?

  No, this was my time to shine.

• 1:21:18Speaker 02

  Phoebe's like holding her pug and she's like singing and I'm like, and I the monster.

• 1:21:26Drew Afualo?

  What was awful is I don't even know what song that is.

• 1:21:29Speaker 02

  It's really good. And there's a music video.

• 1:21:32Drew Afualo?

  I don't even need to watch it. I'm just gonna watch your version.

• 1:21:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, just watch. I'll send it to you.

• 1:21:36Drew Afualo?

  That's the only version.

• 1:21:36Speaker 02

  It's really good.

• 1:21:37Drew Afualo?

  That's the only version I need, to be quite honest with you. I like that you took that real. Guys, are we doing this for real or not?

• 1:21:43Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. I'm like, if you're not gonna show up, you're not gonna get that 200 bucks.

• 1:21:48Drew Afualo?

  No call, no show, no payment. That's how it works. Okay, it says you were in college improv group called Skidomedy?

• 1:21:56Speaker 02

  Unfortunately.

• 1:21:57Drew Afualo?

  Did you pick that name?

• 1:21:58Speaker 02

  No. That name had been around for generations, Drew.

• 1:22:02Drew Afualo?

  That's a legacy name?

• 1:22:03Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:22:04Drew Afualo?

  In the Chris Fleming College you, the college you and Chris Fleming went to? And then lastly, it says in third grade, she won creative writer award. And then there's a picture.

• 1:22:15Speaker 02

  Yeah, that is like, I'm scared. I have to poop or I'm about to cry.

• 1:22:23Drew Afualo?

  You look really upset.

• 1:22:24Speaker 02

  I look really upset. I have no idea. I have no idea, but that photo is so scary.

• 1:22:30Drew Afualo?

  They're holding your family hostage on the other side of the camera?

• 1:22:32Speaker 02

  Yes, that's what it is. I'm like, please, can I see them finally?

• 1:22:36Drew Afualo?

  I've given you everything you've asked.

• 1:22:37Speaker 02

  I won the award.

• 1:22:40Drew Afualo?

  Well.

• 1:22:41Speaker 02

  I don't remember that award either.

• 1:22:43Drew Afualo?

  I can't believe you didn't put this on your life list.

• 1:22:46Speaker 02

  Yeah, you're right.

• 1:22:46Drew Afualo?

  You should cross this off.

• 1:22:47Speaker 02

  I was, what year is that?

• 1:22:49Drew Afualo?

  It says in third grade.

• 1:22:51Speaker 02

  Third grade.

• 1:22:52Drew Afualo?

  And Ms. Williams.

• 1:22:52Speaker 02

  I don't know what that even means.

• 1:22:54Drew Afualo?

  Ms. Williams.

• 1:22:55Speaker 02

  Oh, she's an awesome teacher.

• 1:22:56Drew Afualo?

  Ms. Williams, she was, shout out, shout out fucking Ms. Williams.

• 1:23:00Speaker 02

  Yeah, she was cool as fuck. Plus size queen.

• 1:23:06Speaker 02

  She just actually, she was cool. I loved her.

• 1:23:11Speaker 02

  She was really curvy and very fun to hug, as am I.

• 1:23:16Speaker 02

  Is that impossible to say?

• 1:23:18Drew Afualo?

  No, no, of course not.

• 1:23:19Speaker 02

  Thank you very much.

• 1:23:22Speaker 02

  She's a white woman. I'm not like doing anything weird here.

• 1:23:26Drew Afualo?

  And then you go, and you're her, and then, or you pull it up and you're Phoebe Bridgeman.

• 1:23:31Speaker 02

  Yeah, exactly. Let Phoebe get cancelled for this.

• 1:23:35Drew Afualo?

  Okay, it's gotta wrap us up. I would love to know if you have any advice for anyone who's like looking to pursue, whether it's comedy or acting, or both at all, like, if you have any advice for them in terms of pursuing it as a, as a job.

• 1:23:51Speaker 02

  Um, I mean, like, literally just post on the internet.

• 1:23:55Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, that's.

• 1:23:55Speaker 02

  It's actually like really low stakes.

• 1:23:57Drew Afualo?

  That's true.

• 1:23:58Speaker 02

  And by the way, Caleb is the reason that I, Caleb's the reason I have a career. He really was like, he had gone viral once on Twitter and he was like, Grace, I think if you post a video, it's going viral. And we were laughing like,

• 1:24:13Speaker 02

  and then, and then I did it and it went viral and we were like, oh my god. Yeah, we were like, what's, we have too much power.

• 1:24:20Drew Afualo?

  What is this taking over me?

• 1:24:22Speaker 02

  So, um.

• 1:24:23Drew Afualo?

  That's so wonderful, though.

• 1:24:24Speaker 02

  Yeah, just post like, and just do what you think is funny.

• 1:24:28Drew Afualo?

  Right.

• 1:24:28Speaker 02

  Wouldn't hurt to have a parent in the industry.

• 1:24:31Drew Afualo?

  You need that, yeah.

• 1:24:33Speaker 02

  I would definitely recommend that, um, to people. So.

• 1:24:39Drew Afualo?

  That's it, yeah.

• 1:24:39Speaker 02

  I guess that's pretty much it.

• 1:24:42Drew Afualo?

  Well, I do wanna say on a serious note, I think you are so unbelievably funny. My sister and I have loved your videos for a while, so I'm glad we're finally meeting.

• 1:24:51Speaker 02

  Same.

• 1:24:51Drew Afualo?

  But I do think.

• 1:24:52Speaker 02

  Your sister, also crazy funny.

• 1:24:54Drew Afualo?

  Right, yeah, exactly, and gay. You guys have that in common.

• 1:24:57Speaker 02

  What the fuck? Stay out my lane.

• 1:25:00Drew Afualo?

  She's coming for your fucking gig. I feel like I, I want to say too, like, something I love about your comedy is that it's so, it doesn't hurt anyone, but it is so unbelievably funny. Like,

• 1:25:13Speaker 02

  Thank you.

• 1:25:14Drew Afualo?

  Like, that's how I feel about like EJ Marcus too. Like, the, the, the way that you're able to create something hilarious out of the silliest, most minute things is a skill and a talent. And I just want to commend you for that. And I'm so happy that you're like, finally getting a lot of the recognition that you

• 1:25:29Speaker 02

  I appreciate it.

• 1:25:30Drew Afualo?

  Yeah, I think you're so talented.

• 1:25:31Speaker 02

  Thank you so much. That's so nice.

• 1:25:34Drew Afualo?

  You know, shout out fucking Skidmore.

• 1:25:36Speaker 02

  Seriously, this podcast would probably not exist if I hadn't come to Skidmore College.

• 1:25:41Drew Afualo?

  Well, thank you so much for coming on the show. I think you're fucking hilarious.

• 1:25:44Speaker 02

  I love you. I love you.

• 1:25:46Drew Afualo?

  I love you.

• 1:25:47Speaker 02

  Oh, it's my first time saying it.

• 1:25:51Drew Afualo?

  Little chill down my spine.

• 1:25:52Speaker 02

  Thanks for having me. This fucking rocked.

• 1:25:54Drew Afualo?

  Oh, my God. I love you. I think you're amazing. And thank you all so much for tuning into this episode of the comment section show. Thank you so much to my amazing guest, Grace. Where can everybody find you?

• 1:26:04Speaker 02

  At G Cool and Schmidt.

• 1:26:05Drew Afualo?

  Period. The end. On The Daily Show.

• 1:26:09Speaker 02

  Oh, yeah, on The Daily Show. On TV, in music, whatever.

• 1:26:14Drew Afualo?

  And your dad's fucking bed.

• 1:26:16Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. You can definitely fucking buy me there.

• 1:26:20Drew Afualo?

  Well, thank you all so much for tuning into this episode. Don't forget, new episodes drop every Wednesday. You can stream the audio on all streaming platforms with the video list for free and exclusively on our favorite platform, Spotify. Thank you all so much for tuning in and I'll see you next week. Bye.

• 1:26:45Speaker 00

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