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Comedian Sam Jay Talks HBO Max Show 'PAUSE with Sam Jay' & Working with Dave Chappelle
Jun 26, 2022
Sam Jay stopped by Sway In the Morning to talk about the new show 'Pause with Sam Jay' on HBO Max.
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Comedian Sam Jay Talks HBO Max Show 'PAUSE with Sam Jay' & Backlash From Working with Dave Chappelle
https://youtu.be/kNBkBVAtpZU
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0:01
Feel like I got to be hanging out with
0:02
Sam Jay.
0:04
Speak on it.
0:04
I just like [ __ ] that be hanging out
0:06
with my homies.
0:09
I just want to be in that vibe. I want
0:11
to be in that environment.
0:14
Man, Sam Jay has been doing it big.
0:16
Proud to have Sam Jay on this show right
0:18
now. Come on, big round of applause.
0:21
From Netflix specials,
0:25
Saturday Night Live, one of my favorite
0:27
skits.
0:29
With the black chick, pretty. She
0:30
co-authored that.
0:31
That's crazy.
0:33
One of my favorite skits ever, Jimmy
0:35
Kimmel.
0:36
She sat next to Jimmy Kimmel. He
0:39
marveled at her talents.
0:40
That's dope.
0:41
Do you go by pronouns or is I'm all
0:43
good?
0:43
Uh you good. You good. I'm I'm out here
0:46
just living free, baby.
0:47
Okay.
0:48
If I don't like it, I'll tell you.
0:49
Let me know. Season 2, HBO Max. That
0:51
means Sam Jay finally getting money.
0:53
Look at her necklace.
0:55
Okay.
0:56
The show is called Pause with Sam Jay.
0:58
Welcome her to the show, THE ONE AND
0:59
ONLY
1:00
SAM JAY!
1:02
WHAT'S UP?
1:04
WHAT'S UP? IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
1:05
PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU.
1:07
I just wanted to have you up here just
1:09
to chill.
1:10
That's what That's what I like to do.
1:11
Yeah. Do you like to chill?
1:12
I like to kick it.
1:13
When did you When did you discover you
1:15
like to kick it? As a kid?
1:16
Um I think you know, I was always kind
1:19
of like when like adults and stuff would
1:21
be having like their parties
1:23
and drinking and stuff, I always like to
1:25
try to like be in the mix. Like I was
1:27
always like that kid. Like I wanted to
1:29
listen. I'll be in the argument, listen
1:32
to what they arguing about, and then try
1:33
to bring that back to my friends. Like
1:35
my friends have no interest in these
1:36
topics, but
1:37
Yeah. Like
1:39
we should be talking about this. So I
1:40
always kind of just like being in those
1:42
type of environments where I felt like
1:44
energy and thought was happening. I was
1:47
like I always like kind of being in the
1:48
middle of stuff like that.
1:50
have like a standout memory from your
1:52
childhood of observing the adults?
1:54
My biggest standout memory is always
1:56
like hearing my uncle Jay. He would
1:58
always be like drinking and talking to
2:01
his friends about politics, but he's
2:03
like a like
2:04
He's like a real hood [ __ ] but he was
2:06
very like politically in tune.
2:08
Mhm.
2:09
So he always had like opinions about
2:10
what was going on and he would always be
2:12
like, you know, this is the same thing.
2:13
You got to think about what they did in
2:14
World War II. Them [ __ ] was like he
2:16
was just like one of them
2:17
That's kind of dude, yeah.
2:19
And it made me like very interested in
2:21
like history, politics, and all that
2:23
kind of stuff.
2:24
Yeah.
2:24
Yeah. I was looking at your trailer and
2:27
um one of the things uh and everybody by
2:30
the way got a uncle like that. What's
2:31
your uncle What's your uncle's name?
2:33
Jay.
2:34
Mine is uncle Stan. He's up on
2:36
He was actually in the war. So, you
2:38
know, when they when they went through
2:39
the war, you know, they they're very
2:40
abreast on what's going on politically.
2:43
But one of the things that stood out in
2:44
your trailer, you were
2:45
you were standing next to a a a a
2:48
Caucasian couple and you said something
2:50
about look like you guys just came from
2:52
Eyes Wide Shut. Which was a movie with
2:55
Tom Cruise.
2:56
Mhm.
2:57
Right? Who else was in that?
2:59
Nicole Kidman.
2:59
The Nicole Kidman, right?
3:01
wife.
3:01
And that lifestyle, that's just like
3:03
that behind. That's that mysterious like
3:06
elitist
3:07
lifestyle that people think is only in
3:09
the movies, but I I dare say that that
3:11
actually exist. Like those kind of
3:13
parties, right?
3:14
100%.
3:15
Have you ever been to anything like
3:16
Nah, I ain't never been to one of those
3:18
those those masky FREAKY SEX PARTIES.
3:21
I'M SURE.
3:22
I'VE BEEN to some unmasked sex parties,
3:24
but not no masked Not no masked like
3:27
tuxedo ones. It was just [ __ ] IN
3:28
JERSEYS.
3:32
OKAY, SEV. GET OUT.
3:35
JUST DUDES IN JERSEYS AND CHICKS in FUBU
3:38
dresses, but I ain't never been in no
3:39
like, you know,
3:40
masked in tuxedos and none of that.
3:43
You know that happens. Like I'm looking
3:45
at your like I see Peacock. I see um
3:48
what is it? HBO Plus. I see Netflix.
3:51
Like you got all the streaming apps. You
3:53
know what I mean? So, eventually, you're
3:54
going to be walking in rooms
3:56
Yeah, where they doing that kind of
3:57
stuff.
3:58
You ain't You ain't walked in that room
3:59
yet?
3:59
Not yet. And uh I wouldn't mind
4:02
watching.
4:03
Just to see. You watch? Like on the boy
4:05
watch. I would observe. I would observe.
4:07
Like I went to this sex club in Atlanta
4:08
before. This is where I went and seen
4:10
all the dudes in the jerseys.
4:11
Cuz I just wanted to know like what
4:13
really goes on in the sex club. So, I
4:15
went and I observed and then it then I
4:17
saw too much and I had to go.
4:19
Yep.
4:20
Yep. What do you mean yep?
4:21
Because that's what happened to me. I
4:23
got invited to one as well and I went to
4:25
be supportive of my friend, but it was
4:27
all female and I watched and it was but
4:30
it was literally too much.
4:31
Yeah, I got I got too much.
4:33
Yeah, it was too much, but I was trying
4:34
to be supportive
4:35
have a buffet? The one I went to, they
4:37
had food out, too.
4:38
Okay, there was no food.
4:39
like, that's wild.
4:40
There was no food, but more
4:41
disappointingly, there was no alcohol.
4:43
So, I sat there with a with a cranberry
4:45
juice dying.
4:47
You know what? A lot of those places
4:49
don't have alcohol because of the sex.
4:52
They don't want to confuse the two.
4:53
Oh.
4:54
You get what I'm saying? They want to
4:55
make sure everyone is situated and
4:57
they're right places and all that so
4:59
that they can't get in
5:01
So, I got excited. I would thought it
5:03
was food because I saw like, you know
5:05
those big uh big dispensers with the
5:07
spouts on them?
5:08
Uh-huh.
5:08
And so, I thought like, oh, there's
5:09
hamburgers or hot dogs or something.
5:12
That was lube.
5:12
Yes, it was lube. There was things
5:15
filled with lube.
5:17
I got I got invited to uh recently, I
5:20
got invited to go to a sex club. A a
5:22
friend of mine's invited me and I I
5:24
think I brought this up before, but it's
5:26
just not something that I I can see
5:28
myself
5:29
what's going on?
5:30
I do, but I You know, Sam Jay, I don't
5:32
think I could just hang out in sex
5:33
clubs. They're going to know it's me.
5:37
Your hat would give IT AWAY.
5:38
MY HAT WOULD GIVE IT AWAY.
5:40
OH, SWAE ABOUT THAT LIFE.
5:43
I'M WEARING I'M WEARING TWO HATS that
5:45
day.
5:45
No, I just had it was in this [ __ ]
5:47
swaying a hat with his dick out and that
5:49
I CRAZY.
5:50
GOSH.
5:51
OKAY, SWAY.
5:52
DON'T BE LAUGHING AT THAT IMAGE.
5:54
WOW, SWAY.
5:57
WHOA, SWAY.
5:58
KEEP BOTH HEADS PROTECTED.
6:00
Keep both heads
6:01
You can bring out the octagon, homie.
6:03
Well, I've retired the octagon, Sam Jay.
6:06
The octagon was just a little maneuver I
6:08
used to practice as a young swiggety.
6:10
Oh, really?
6:11
Yeah. Yeah. But, um
6:13
I want to talk about your rise.
6:17
WELL, THE NO PUN INTENDED.
6:22
THE MOVES. DID YOU LIKE, how did comedy
6:25
seem like it's something that was just
6:27
natural to you?
6:29
Uh
6:30
Nah.
6:30
I wouldn't say natural. I would say I
6:32
always wanted to do it.
6:34
Okay.
6:34
I was always like kind of like a comedy
6:37
fan and like all comedy. I'd watch
6:39
everything. Like, I'd watch Carlin and
6:40
I'd watch Robin Williams and I'd watch
6:42
Damon Wayans and
6:43
like Sarah Silverman and Wanda Sykes and
6:45
like Dominique and like, you know,
6:47
everybody of comic view. I just like
6:49
would consume comedy. And like even
6:51
comedic TV, like all the sitcoms and
6:53
stuff like that. All the way back to
6:55
like Bob Newhart and stuff. I just love
6:57
comedy.
6:58
Um and I always like thought, oh, that
7:00
would be cool. That would be a cool
7:02
thing to do, but I didn't really see a
7:04
path to do it. I didn't really
7:06
understand like how you actually become
7:08
that. I you know, especially like
7:10
growing up in the hood, I think
7:12
we don't get a lot of information on how
7:13
to do much of any.
7:15
Yeah.
7:15
You know what I'm saying? And kind of
7:17
the way it is like they sell everything
7:19
to you like you just got to get lucky.
7:21
They don't really sell it to you like,
7:22
yo, there's a path to this. Like you can
7:24
go a process.
7:25
They just like, you know, they make you
7:26
feel like you just got to be funny one
7:27
day and if someone walks by like, hey,
7:29
kid, you want to be a star? You're like,
7:31
yes. You know what I MEAN? SO, I DIDN'T
7:33
really think of it as a thing I could do
7:36
cuz I just didn't really see any way to
7:37
do it. And then at like 29 after to like
7:40
floating around life, living in Atlanta
7:42
a while, doing a bunch of like jobs I
7:44
hated, you know what I'm saying? All
7:45
types of stuff, working at Starbucks,
7:47
all types of [ __ ] And like
7:50
floating in and out of different
7:51
entertainment things and trying to
7:52
really play the background, you know
7:53
what I'm saying? Like I was managing
7:55
artists and all this stuff like
7:57
thinking, "Oh, I'm not really a front
7:58
person. I'm kind of the person that
8:00
helps the front person." But now I
8:01
realize that was just me running away
8:03
from my own light, you know what I'm
8:04
saying? Like
8:05
person.
8:05
Yeah, just running away from like fear,
8:07
really. So, about 29, I was like, "Man,
8:10
this can't be my life." I was working in
8:11
a mail room, you know what I'm saying?
8:13
Like in a basement, you know, horrible,
8:15
no lights in there, you just just
8:17
terrible. And I was like, "This can't be
8:18
the thing, you know?" And I was like,
8:20
"Man, I'mma just try it." I just told
8:22
myself like, "I'll just try it. Just
8:24
give it a year." That's what I told
8:25
myself like, "Give it a honest year.
8:27
Like don't give up if it don't work the
8:28
first time. Like put your head down for
8:30
a year and just see where you get. And
8:32
if you're further than you were,
8:35
Keep pursuing it. What what what
8:37
happened in that year that you
8:38
designated?
8:39
Man,
8:41
I I went to my first mic, I got booed.
8:43
Okay, that's that's big. That is a round
8:45
of applause. That's good.
8:46
Get it out of the way early.
8:49
Got booed in the worst way. Then
8:52
a kid was there, he told me about other
8:54
mics. I started going like that very
8:56
week. I just went. I kept going.
8:59
I started like getting laughs and then
9:01
it just got exciting, you know, like it
9:02
got addictive, you know what I'm saying?
9:04
Where like I was at work writing jokes
9:06
and I couldn't wait to get off work to
9:07
go try the joke, like that type of love
9:09
of like Ooh, as soon as I had a new
9:11
joke, I couldn't
9:12
couldn't wait to run to a mic to do it
9:14
and I was just loving it and then at
9:16
that point I was like, you know what? If
9:17
I could just figure out how to make what
9:19
I make at work doing this, I'm good. I
9:21
would I would be so happy. If I could
9:23
make like $30,000 a year doing comedy
9:26
and just pay my little bills, that would
9:27
be like the best. And I just kept
9:30
grinding with it and then stuff just
9:32
started opening up. Doors just started
9:33
opening up.
9:35
And I kept walking through them and
9:37
landed me here.
9:38
What was the biggest like the first big
9:40
door to open for you that made you go oh
9:42
snap? This is getting real.
9:45
I got into this festival in Portland
9:49
called Bridgetown Comedy Festival used
9:51
to be a really big thing and a really
9:52
big way to like get in front of
9:53
industry. So I got into this festival
9:55
called Bridgetown. It was in Portland
9:57
and all these Comedy Central people were
9:59
there and I killed. I did really well in
10:01
festival and then from that I got Comics
10:03
to Watch which is like
10:05
Comedy Central Comics Watch and they do
10:06
this big thing a big showcase in New
10:08
York for the New York Comedy Festival
10:11
and after that and agencies stuff
10:13
started talking to me and stuff. I was
10:14
like oh okay.
10:15
Yeah.
10:16
Something about to happen and very
10:17
shortly after that I got my first
10:19
half hour and I did a Comedy Central
10:21
half hour and that's when I knew like we
10:23
we in the game we we running.
10:25
Sam Jay look at Sam Jay.
10:27
Sam, what when you had that first
10:30
instance where you got on stage and you
10:31
got booed? For all of our listeners here
10:33
where it's so difficult taking that
10:34
first step forward and for the nightmare
10:37
to become the reality, what did you tell
10:40
yourself to not stop cuz a lot of people
10:42
would stop early cuz they don't have
10:43
that instant gratification?
10:45
You know what? At that point I was 29
10:47
years old doing some [ __ ] I hated. Like
10:50
life had booed me. You know what I'm
10:51
saying?
10:53
Being up there I was LIKE WHATEVER DOG.
10:57
YEAH, WHATEVER BRO. WE JUST going to
10:58
keep pushing like I had been booed by
11:00
life like 80 million times by that.
11:02
So I just really didn't give a [ __ ]
11:04
Yeah, I didn't really care at that
11:06
point. I was like bro there's nothing
11:07
you can do to destroy me.
11:09
Hey but you like that booed by life?
11:11
Absolutely.
11:12
Because you and I think it's good that
11:14
you got it out the way early. You know
11:16
what I mean? Because you learn how to
11:17
navigate through the game which brings
11:18
me to my question. I was just telling
11:20
Sway, Tracy and the citizens here Sway
11:22
in the morning this past weekend for
11:24
Father's Day in fact I saw
11:27
Earthquake, Donnell Rawlings, Freddy
11:29
Ricks like and and Bill Bellamy and I
11:32
was watching all of them like perform at
11:35
this beautiful amphitheater in Jersey,
11:37
but then I remember seeing some of them
11:39
at like bigger stages and smaller clubs.
11:42
I was nervous for for D'Nelle. We know
11:44
him personally. Do you still get nerves
11:47
like walking out on those stages and
11:49
seeing people out there and hoping that
11:51
your routine is going to work, your
11:52
timing, your joke Like how do you make
11:55
that adjustment? Cuz every crowd has to
11:57
be different for you.
11:58
Yeah, that's really where it is. Like it
12:00
depends on the crowd, right? Like now
12:02
like I go to the Comedy Cellar. I'm not
12:04
nervous at all cuz I do the Cellar all
12:05
the time and it feels like home and I
12:08
know whether this goes great or not like
12:10
people who know know I'm I'm good at
12:13
this. You know what I'm saying? So it's
12:14
like oh there's ups and downs. You're
12:15
going to try new jokes. But like when I
12:17
went out with Dave over the summer
12:19
That was a slight stunt, y'all.
12:21
No, let him let him let him tell the let
12:22
him bring
12:23
She said Dave, she meant Chappelle.
12:24
She meant Chappelle.
12:25
They're on a first name basis. She said
12:26
That's Chappelle, y'all.
12:27
She said Dave.
12:28
Dave Will Brown?
12:30
Did he hold me like Dave Wilson? Like
12:31
what what's Dave ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
12:35
WHAT I MEANT WAS CHAPPELLE.
12:36
OH, OKAY.
12:39
WE were doing like arenas, you know what
12:41
I'm saying? And it's like it's Dave. So
12:44
then I'm nervous, you know what I mean?
12:45
Then I'm like, man, I can't I can't mess
12:48
this up. I don't want to bomb.
12:49
Speak on that. Yeah.
12:50
I don't want to bomb in an arena, you
12:51
know what I mean?
12:52
That was trash. And you also like Dave's
12:55
there, D'Nelle's there. Like sometimes
12:57
Rocco show up or whatever and you don't
12:59
want to like look like you're trash in
13:01
front of like the gods. So then it's
13:03
like there's a little different level of
13:05
like pressure there, you know what I
13:07
mean? To like be funny.
13:09
So do you adjust yourself on stage or do
13:12
you go backstage and you gearing up?
13:15
Backstage. It's all mental, you know
13:16
what I'm saying? I feel like if you
13:18
bring that to the stage, you probably
13:19
are going to mess up. So it's like you
13:21
got to get that in order before you go
13:23
up there and you kind of got to go like
13:25
to yourself like at the end of the day I
13:27
do this and I'm not going to quit.
13:28
That's how I always look at it. Like I'm
13:30
never going to stop. So, it doesn't
13:32
matter if I fall because I'm always
13:34
going to it's it's forever.
13:36
And if I'm going to do it forever,
13:37
sometimes it's going to work out and
13:38
sometimes it's not. But like I'm I'm in
13:40
it. You know what I'm saying?
13:41
And you're going to get there.
13:42
I realized like Dave don't even be
13:44
listening to my sets. He don't care. He
13:45
be off doing his own thing.
13:47
That ain't true.
13:48
That ain't true.
13:48
I wouldn't go that far, Seth.
13:50
So, you like what you think he ain't
13:51
listening?
13:51
It's a reason you're there.
13:53
Yeah. It's a reason you're
13:54
It's a there.
13:55
No, Jimmy Kimmel, stop playing.
13:56
Congrats.
13:57
You're on Saturday Night Live. How did
13:58
that happen?
13:59
Man, like a lot of stuff in my career it
14:02
it sounds like like
14:04
like a humble brag, but it's really not.
14:06
It just like just happened for me. Like
14:09
stuff just kind of came together. Same
14:11
way I got Pauly. It's just like being in
14:13
the right place, keep presenting myself
14:15
as my authentic self, and then things
14:17
just kind of came. So, I did Just for
14:19
Laughs, which is another big comedy
14:21
festival. It's the biggest comedy
14:22
festival in the world. It happens in
14:23
Montreal. And there was some SNL scouts
14:25
there, and they saw me, and they were
14:27
like, "Hey, we would like her her
14:28
audition." And I hadn't even think about
14:30
SNL. I didn't think I was like a SNL
14:32
person. You know what I mean? Like I'm
14:33
very blue. I'm raw. I'm hood. I was
14:36
like, "I just don't see myself in this
14:37
world at all. I don't do sketch. You
14:40
know what I mean?" But once the
14:41
opportunity came, it was like maybe
14:43
that's something I should be doing. Like
14:45
it kind of entered the thought in my
14:46
head. And then I auditioned, and they
14:48
liked my audition. They flew me out to
14:50
New York to audition for Lorne.
14:52
And
14:53
auditioned for Lorne, and then they
14:55
called me, and they were like, "Hey, uh
14:57
we know you auditioned to be cast, but
14:59
would you mind uh coming to be a writer
15:01
and let's see how that works, and then
15:02
maybe we can transition you to uh cast
15:04
at some point?" And at first our
15:06
feelings were a little hurt. Like,
15:08
"Damn, what y'all trying to say?" You
15:09
know what I mean? But also I was like,
15:10
"Let's be realistic. You didn't even
15:12
think you could fit in this world at
15:13
all. You've never done sketch in your
15:15
life. So, it's not crazy for them to say
15:17
this to you." You know what I mean? Like
15:19
be like a reasonable person.
15:21
And then it was kind of like I don't
15:23
know the opportunity just came at the
15:24
time it needed to come. It just felt
15:26
right. I was going through a lot of
15:27
things personally. Me and my ex-wife had
15:29
split up and like I was living like with
15:31
nothing. She took everything. All I had
15:33
was like a futon and I was just in LA on
15:35
a futon and my fiance had came to like
15:37
hold me down and just like be with me as
15:39
a friend. We've been friends we've known
15:41
each other for like 13 years.
15:42
Beautiful.
15:43
And she came like
15:43
Ya ya.
15:44
Ya ya.
15:45
Okay.
15:45
Ya ya ya ya YA YA YA YA.
15:47
YA YA WRITER.
15:48
YO, THAT'S what ya'll got to do.
15:50
Do.
15:50
And we was just thuggin it and then when
15:52
the SNL call came it was like fake cuz
15:54
they was like, "Yo, can you be in New
15:55
York in like 3 days?" And I was like,
15:57
"Actually, yes, cuz I have nothing. Like
15:58
I have nothing to move. I have nothing.
16:00
You know what I'm saying? Like And I was
16:02
like, "Man, the opportunity to learn
16:04
something I don't know how to do which
16:06
is right and right for TV and do it in
16:09
the best school possible. Like SNL's
16:11
like the Harvard of this and I'm going
16:13
to get paid and I get to be in New York
16:15
and do like comedy in New York which is
16:17
like the highest level of comedy for
16:19
Absolutely.
16:20
Absolutely.
16:20
So it's like this just seems like the
16:21
right the right move at the right time
16:24
and so I came.
16:24
Yo, do you mind um sharing a little bit
16:27
of the process cuz now you mentioning
16:29
auditioning here for Lorne Michaels.
16:31
She's referring to. She's on a first
16:32
name basis with everybody.
16:34
We didn't know what Lorne it was, ya ya.
16:36
It could have
16:37
Yeah, Lorne Michaels.
16:38
could have been Lauryn Hill. We don't
16:39
know. It could have been Lauryn Hill. It
16:40
could have been Lauryn Hill, you know.
16:41
Uh so it doing this for Lorne Michaels
16:43
and walking into that audition, what was
16:45
that process like?
16:47
Well, you know, it was like with all
16:48
these different auditions and stuff I
16:50
started to learn to just
16:52
make it as much
16:54
normal for me as I can make it cuz it's
16:57
not set up in a way like
16:59
in my opinion for you to succeed. It's
17:01
always so [ __ ] crazy.
17:03
Yeah.
17:03
Mhm. Mhm.
17:04
So it's like, "Damn, I got to get up. I
17:06
got to do stand-up in the middle of the
17:07
day which is not when I do stand-up. I
17:09
got to do it in this little studio cuz
17:11
you're in a H, right? You're in the main
17:13
studio. You're on the home stage and
17:16
then it's just like a table and it's
17:18
Lauren and just the producers and nobody
17:20
else in the room and they just watching.
17:22
Are they
17:22
laugh. They don't talk. They don't do
17:24
nothing. They just like stare at you.
17:25
You know what I'm saying?
17:26
They don't give you direction or
17:27
Nothing. They just You get up. You do
17:29
your 8 minutes or whatever. I think it's
17:31
less than 8, like maybe 5. And then
17:33
that's it.
17:33
They don't applaud?
17:34
Nothing. Wow. But you look at them.
17:36
Are you supposed to act like there's mad
17:38
people?
17:38
Like you just go. So, when I got there
17:42
it was like crazy energy. You know what
17:44
I'm saying? Like everybody's kind of
17:46
locked off in these rooms that I later
17:47
learned are the dressing rooms and
17:50
everybody the energy feels
17:51
nerve-racking.
17:52
Yeah.
17:53
You know what I'm saying? Like everybody
17:54
feels
17:54
It's a big deal.
17:55
It's a big deal.
17:56
change your life.
17:57
Yeah. For sure. I'm not knocking them,
17:58
but it's like that's not how I perform
18:00
at my best.
18:01
Yeah.
18:01
So, I looked around at that and I was
18:03
like, I got to get out of here. This is
18:04
crazy.
18:05
So, I tapped the intern or or an
18:07
assistant or somebody. I don't remember
18:09
who it was exactly and I was like, "Hey,
18:10
I'mma go downstairs. Could you just like
18:12
text me like maybe 5 minutes before and
18:15
I'll just come up cuz this is like" And
18:17
then you're just locked off in a room by
18:18
yourself. It's weird.
18:19
So, I went downstairs and I went to the
18:21
bar in 30 Rock
18:22
Mhm.
18:22
and I I ordered a drink and then there
18:24
was these older black women sitting at
18:25
the bar and they start talking to me and
18:28
ask me what I was doing here and I told
18:29
them I was auditioning and then they
18:31
were like, "Oh, baby, you're going to
18:32
get it and good luck." And we were
18:33
drinking together and laughing together
18:35
and then I just went up and I just went
18:37
on stage and I just went and it felt
18:39
like just being at a comedy club. You
18:41
know what I'm saying? Cuz I kind
18:42
pulled myself out of the the crazy. Um
18:45
and then I could see like Lauren was
18:47
chuckling. He don't really ever laugh,
18:49
but even if you get a chuckle, you're
18:50
like, "Whoa, I did something." And I got
18:53
up feeling like
18:54
Like you did well.
18:55
what I was supposed to do. You know what
18:56
I'm saying?
18:57
round of applause.
18:57
those angels along the way. Two women at
18:59
a bar. Those black women Those were your
19:01
angels.
19:01
My angels.
19:02
Cuz you needed that that release a
19:04
little bit of that
19:05
love, too. And I needed that. Like it
19:07
was like, "You're good. You're great.
19:08
And don't worry about it." It was like
19:10
good vibes.
19:11
You know what I notice? In throughout
19:13
this entire journey that you've had, you
19:15
never mentioned social media. And we're
19:17
like not used to hearing that right now.
19:19
a social media person. I know.
19:21
Yeah.
19:22
It's a um
19:24
Yeah, I'm just not that. And I didn't
19:26
want to try to like make myself that. I
19:28
remember very early on like my mans, you
19:29
know, when I was first
19:31
in the hood let's do my thing. He was
19:33
like, "Yo, you got to start making the
19:34
videos." And I was like, "Ah, I'm just
19:35
not." That just doesn't feel like me and
19:38
I didn't want to ever like force it.
19:40
Yeah.
19:40
So, I just didn't do it. And even now
19:42
sometimes my manager is like, "You have
19:43
to do more of it." And I'm like, "Ah,
19:45
yeah."
19:45
But I think that's such an important
19:46
note. Like that's refreshing because for
19:48
a lot of folks it feels obligatory and
19:50
then they go on there and then you can
19:52
become like someone else, but there's
19:53
always multiple routes to success. And
19:56
you could do it the traditional way and
19:57
it'll work still.
19:58
Yes, you definitely could do it the
20:00
traditional way and it'll work still.
20:01
And also, I mean it's like
20:03
you just got to do what works for you.
20:06
You know what I'm saying? Like I'm just
20:07
a big believer in like follow your [ __ ]
20:10
Mhm.
20:10
And don't ride anyone else's wave. You
20:12
know what I'm saying? And it's just not
20:13
my way, but I don't knock people who do
20:14
it.
20:15
Yeah, right.
20:15
But it just wasn't my wave and it it
20:17
didn't feel like a suit that fit me. So,
20:19
I was like, "Bro, I don't want to put
20:21
this on." And then it's also like
20:23
[ __ ] be in a rush on dogs. And
20:25
so, you know what I mean? Like it seems
20:27
like the fast way. So, I had a lot of
20:29
friends who went that way and was kind
20:30
of dissing me like, "You're over here
20:33
like you're doing these shows for kind
20:34
of hardly no money and I'm over here
20:37
getting money now cuz I got this
20:38
following." And if you just your
20:40
following you can get to the bread, but
20:41
it's like you can't really chase the
20:43
bread. You know what I'm saying? You got
20:44
to kind of chase the dream and then let
20:47
the bread come come
20:48
And you got a whole different type of
20:50
experience.
20:50
Yep. I like that. Repeat that. You can't
20:53
really chase the bread.
20:54
to chase the dream and then the bread
20:56
will come to you. And it's like now the
20:57
career I want I have. I didn't because I
21:01
feel like that way too you could set
21:02
yourself up and you're always chasing
21:03
bread. Now you're hustling your dream.
21:06
You're chasing $2,000 all over the
21:08
country when it's like I really wanted
21:10
to be a creator. You know what I'm
21:12
saying? And I wanted the ability to make
21:14
the things I wanted to make the way I
21:16
wanted to make them. And now I feel like
21:18
I have that. You know what I'm saying? I
21:20
Sam Jay.
21:20
Very inspiring, Sam.
21:22
Let me Let me ask you this, being with
21:23
Dave cuz can
21:25
Am I allowed to say Dave too or do I got
21:27
to say Chappelle?
21:28
You should say Dave. He know you bust
21:30
way.
21:31
Okay. Okay. My bad. My bad.
21:33
He took a lot of backlash from the
21:35
LGBTQ+
21:37
community and you're from the community.
21:39
Did you take any backlash?
21:41
Uh yeah, for sure. There was There was
21:43
definitely people who, you know, DM'd me
21:45
or go on my comments and blast me for
21:48
being friends with Dave or be like, "How
21:50
could you talk to him?" And "How could
21:53
you be around somebody like that?" And
21:54
all of that. But I don't know. I feel
21:56
like that's just indicative of the times
21:58
we're in and like kind of also why I
22:00
created Pause the way I did. I just feel
22:02
like people are just so
22:04
like lines in the sand and and so like
22:07
like dug in and there's no like speaking
22:10
across the the lines and there's no like
22:13
you could be friends with someone and
22:14
not agree with every part of what
22:16
they're saying or doing and that's okay.
22:19
You know what I mean? Like intention I
22:21
think matters. Is someone truly out here
22:23
being hateful or do they just think in a
22:26
way you don't necessarily agree with?
22:28
And like that's fine and that's how
22:30
dialogue happens and that's how progress
22:32
happens. So I kind of just ignore that
22:35
stuff. And also I just don't I'm not a
22:36
person that bends to the mob cuz it cuz
22:39
once you bend over for the mob, you bent
22:41
over forever. You know what I mean?
22:42
Come on. I love Say that again. That's
22:44
another one. That's a Sam Jay quotable.
22:46
Say that again.
22:47
Once you bend over
22:48
Once you bend over for the mob, you bent
22:50
over forever. But it's real. You know
22:51
what I mean? Like if they feel like they
22:53
could get into your life and tell you
22:54
who your friends could be and now you
22:56
making public statements excommunicating
22:58
people and all this madness, now they
23:00
control you. You know what I'm saying?
23:01
What What's going to stop the two years
23:03
from now BEING LIKE, "YOUR FIANCE." I'M
23:05
LIKE, "NOW I GOT TO BREAK UP WITH MY
23:06
Y'ALL GOT TO break up with Y'ALL MY
23:07
[ __ ]
23:09
WHY IS Y'ALL GOD DAMN GANGSTER? RIGHT
23:12
THERE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN? THAT'S YOUR
23:13
QUEEN.
23:14
THAT'S CRAZY. LIKE
23:15
I CAN'T say that. Can I say that?
23:17
We're two women. We're two women. You
23:19
know how much she calls me [ __ ] all
23:20
day? [ __ ] get this.
23:21
but I can't put y'all Y'all dating. You
23:23
mean in a show fiance. I couldn't call
23:25
my fiance [ __ ]
23:26
Everybody got their own privileges.
23:27
That's the language? Okay. All right.
23:29
[ __ ]
23:31
Don't try it, Swag.
23:32
going to try it. I was
23:34
Hey, you got to do what works for you,
23:35
baby.
23:36
Okay. Y'all Y'all you my homie. I ain't
23:38
going to do it. I ain't going to do it.
23:43
I couldn't do that.
23:44
Sam Jay my homie.
23:45
Talk about PAUSE. PAUSE is a very unique
23:49
Mhm.
23:50
prod- I call it a project.
23:52
Mhm.
23:53
Cuz that's That's fair. That's fair.
23:55
That's fair. Okay, PAUSE is a very
23:58
unique project. I love what you're doing
24:00
with it.
24:00
That's fair. Um
24:02
I just wanted to make something
24:03
different, dog.
24:04
Yeah.
24:05
You know what I mean? I just I was
24:06
looking at late night just opportunity
24:08
Well, the opportunity came through
24:09
Prentice.
24:10
The producer.
24:11
A situation over at HBO and he wanted to
24:14
do a late night show and he wanted He
24:16
didn't really have a face for it. And my
24:18
agent and his manager were really cool.
24:20
And his agent liked me as like was into
24:22
my comedy and was like, "Maybe Sam's the
24:24
right person." And he didn't really know
24:26
too much about me, but he knew a little
24:27
bit about me.
24:28
And then he saw my special and he was
24:30
like, "I want to meet with her." And we
24:31
met a few times and we just vibed. And
24:34
then he was like, "Yo, I want to do this
24:35
with you." And then like I had a little
24:36
bit of a relationship with HBO, too, and
24:38
they were like, "Yo, we like Sam." You
24:39
know what I mean? And I think that's a
24:40
testament to you keep working and you
24:41
keep tapping different people. Then when
24:43
it all comes together, it's like you're
24:45
not a unknown unknown. People kind of
24:47
know about you. So that helped. You know
24:48
what I mean? And then Prentice kind of
24:50
just gave me the freedom to to make the
24:52
show I wanted to make. And I just wanted
24:54
to make a show that was doing what I
24:57
wasn't seeing, which was like honest
24:59
conversation. I just wasn't seeing that.
25:01
I was seeing a lot of again, like
25:04
division and nothing in the middle where
25:06
most of this stuff lies and just nothing
25:08
was touch touching the gray of it, you
25:10
know what I mean? And also I wanted to
25:12
see a show that like represented the
25:15
people that I talk to and their opinions
25:18
and their thoughts. I just feel like a
25:20
lot of times
25:21
in late night, especially politically
25:23
driven late night shows, they always get
25:25
these like talking heads and authorities
25:26
and the same heads and authorities and
25:29
then they're always talking like about
25:31
[ __ ] and this is what's going on with
25:34
jail [ __ ] and this is what's going on
25:35
with but they just never talk to the
25:37
people that are actually going through
25:39
it and ask them
25:40
what's going on with them. So I just
25:42
also wanted to do that. That's why
25:44
there's not any celebrities really on
25:46
the show like that and I don't interview
25:47
celebrities cuz I was like I just I
25:49
don't know, there's enough of that. I
25:50
don't really care if you like pizza or
25:52
nothing like that. Like
25:54
I just wanted to
25:54
kind of like pizza though.
25:56
Shut up, slave.
25:57
I wanted to get into something else, you
25:59
know?
25:59
Yeah. Yeah.
26:00
And um
26:02
break format.
26:03
Break format. You do that really well.
26:05
Um and I think um
26:07
uh I want to commend you on that because
26:09
you created something that's really
26:10
interesting uh to me. The questions you
26:13
ask don't seem preconceived or
26:16
pretentious,
26:17
you know, and the response that you get.
26:19
Sam Jay, I rock with you. I don't know
26:21
if you feel my fanish right here. I've
26:22
been fanning on you.
26:24
I appreciate that.
26:26
And you came in with great energy.
26:27
You came in with awesome energy.
26:29
I'm happy for you.
26:31
you, man. I appreciate that.
26:32
You tell a great story. Your journey is
26:35
admirable and I and I think a lot of
26:37
folks will be able to learn even in this
26:39
conversation.
26:40
Absolutely.
26:41
Right? Some of the gems you're dropping.
26:42
You know, you're looking at OGs right
26:44
here. So whenever
26:45
we get it we get excited and stimulated,
26:47
you know, it's like yeah, you know, we
26:49
flocking to you like Carol Ann from
26:51
Portland Guys.
26:51
crazy honor. It's is like a crazy honor.
26:53
No, for real. I mean like I would I was
26:55
born in '82. I
26:56
I GREW UP ON
26:58
SO YEAH, I GREW UP ON THIS. YOU KNOW
26:59
WHAT I'M
27:01
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
27:03
IT'S LIKE IT'S LIKE IT'S LIKE A BIG
27:05
HONOR. LIKE, oh my god, I'm between Sway
27:07
and Heather B.
27:09
No, that's that's the first ever reality
27:12
TV star in history right here. Yeah.
27:14
World World New York.
27:14
There it is.
27:15
She was the first star of the first
27:17
season of Real World.
27:18
and the first like cuz I'm a big reality
27:21
TV head.
27:23
Uh the first
27:25
it was like, here's a REAL BLACK PERSON.
27:30
CUZ WE ALL KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A
27:32
REAL BLACK PERSON. THIS IS
27:33
I TOLD I TELL SWAY AND TRACY ALL THE
27:35
TIME, I said, I
27:37
I accused my parents of raising me too
27:39
black. Like I I'm super black. I didn't
27:41
know who like Journey and Bono and I
27:44
didn't know we didn't grow up in a I
27:45
kind of felt what you said about being
27:48
home and those house parties and spades
27:50
and Newports and Salems and Kools and
27:53
like
27:53
brown liquor
27:54
and brown liquor for real and like good
27:56
times
27:57
and cigarette liquor.
27:58
and the Jeff like I grew up like that in
27:59
a two-parent household but it was fun
28:01
and it was hood and it was great. So I
28:04
didn't know who like Bon Jovi and all
28:06
that [ __ ] was. So I got the challenge.
28:08
because it was like your energy was
28:09
authentic and real the whole time and it
28:11
was like, oh here's a real black person
28:13
but you were open to the experience but
28:15
you were also like, we not going to be
28:16
doing disrespectful stuff.
28:18
And it was like, fair.
28:21
That's what's up.
28:22
Absolutely. Thank you. That's pretty
28:23
accurate.
28:24
Well, you were first of your kind, too.
28:26
Yes.
28:26
I appreciate it.
28:27
Sam Jay and uh we appreciate you. Much
28:29
more success.
28:30
Thank you.
28:30
Right. And then people, y'all want to
28:32
watch Pause is on uh season 2 with Sam
28:34
Jay on HBO Max. What's next for you?
28:37
Uh
28:38
You writing a movie. I see you writing a
28:40
movie. You writing something.
28:41
I'm working on some stuff.
28:42
Okay. All right.
28:43
Maybe another series.
28:45
Um
28:46
you know, another special, hopefully
28:48
soon.
28:48
Okay. Have her be acting too. She just
28:50
did a movie with uh
28:52
with B Boy Blues.
28:53
Yeah, I sure did. Yes.
28:54
Yeah, it's on BET Plus.
28:55
Was it fun?
28:56
It was super fun. But I always try to
28:58
have fun no matter what I'm doing. Even
29:00
if it's work, I just try to like you
29:02
said, you get yourself together
29:03
backstage and just go have fun even if
29:05
it's serious as hell. I'm just going to
29:07
go have fun.
29:07
You got to or you'll be in your head the
29:09
whole time.
29:10
time, Sam.
29:11
Like freaking yourself out.
29:12
Mhm.
29:13
I'll see you so write her in a part
29:14
though. Sam, that's all I'm saying.
29:16
you.
29:16
Okay, there it is right there.
29:20
Give Tracy some money too, all right?
29:21
All right, we got we got uh Carolyn
29:24
Carolyn.
29:26
Carolyn.
29:26
Carolyn, I know. Carolyn, how you doing
29:28
Carolyn?
29:29
That's the homie.
29:29
My bad Carolyn. Carolyn from New
29:31
Orleans.
29:32
New Orleans.
29:33
Anyway you can't Anyway you can't say
29:35
[ __ ] I don't care what how many checks
29:37
you write. You just don't say [ __ ]
29:38
Don't say [ __ ] right Carolyn? You
29:40
notice I didn't say it. I almost said it
29:41
though. It's empowering when you say it
29:43
though. It's something liberating about
29:45
that word.
29:46
And I'm from Oakland.
29:48
I got a nice I got a nice I can say it
29:50
in a nice way too. I can I got a nice,
29:52
you know, B word.
29:54
You you get your you get your you get
29:56
your Draymond and you and want to just
29:57
say [ __ ] them. You can't say [ __ ] You
29:59
I can say [ __ ] them.
30:01
You can say [ __ ] them.
30:02
[ __ ] them. Okay.
30:03
[ __ ] them.
30:04
I got to do my [ __ ] them is pretty good.
30:05
Okay.
30:06
That was solid.
30:08
I say I want to commend you because all
30:10
the nuggets like they said you dropped.
30:12
I mean it was a whole not even a tad
30:14
though. A Sam Jay talk. Because
30:17
everybody that needs to know not to bend
30:19
over especially to the mob of social
30:22
media, but that you reminded people that
30:24
you were up and ready to go. You put in
30:26
the work doing what you love after you
30:29
did a bunch of other [ __ ] to get you
30:31
prepped. But then also you let people
30:35
know you can't have a bunch of baggage.
30:37
You can't have a bunch of baby mamas.
30:38
You can't have a bunch of baby daddies.
30:40
You can't have a bunch of [ __ ]
30:42
because when it's time to roll, you were
30:44
ready to just up and roll and say [ __ ]
30:46
it. I ain't even got to sell a bunch of
30:47
[ __ ] I already did that [ __ ] They she
30:49
took that [ __ ] but she still my [ __ ]
30:52
Carleen after you said you broke that
30:54
down, man.
30:56
Wait, hold up. The whole time we've been
30:57
doing this interview the headphone
30:59
volume was down?
31:00
Yeah, but I could hear y'all.
31:01
Oh, okay.
31:02
I couldn't hear when she started
31:04
talking. It was low.
31:04
I didn't hear Carleen. That's funny,
31:06
right? Carleen Carleen start cracking
31:07
up. Yo, you know what? Make sure you
31:09
follow Sam, okay? Sam, how can people
31:11
follow you?
31:12
I will. And I'm glad that it will always
31:14
be a surprise when I see her cuz she's
31:16
not putting a bunch of [ __ ] on social
31:18
media. So, it's going to be refreshing
31:20
when I see her.
31:21
Yes.
31:22
All right.
31:22
That's what I love.
31:23
What's your What's your social? She
31:24
don't She don't use it a lot. Yeah, she
31:26
doesn't use it a lot. What is it? Sam
31:28
That's what I love. Sam J comic on um
31:30
Instagram and Twitter.
31:31
at Sam J comic
31:32
Look how simple Look how simple it is.
31:34
Look how simple it is.
31:35
Y'all know I'm a fan.
31:37
It's simple. She said it's simple. You
31:38
know I like that.
31:39
Yeah. Okay. Carleen, thank you. Carleen,
31:41
you a citizen. Carleen, how you doing? I
31:43
love you. You're all right with me,
31:44
Carleen.
31:45
Sam J, hey, we got to come see you.
31:48
A lot of times we do comedy shows
31:50
ourselves with broadcast live. Like we
31:52
like to do like old school radio
31:54
broadcast.
31:55
From Carolina.
31:55
From Carolina. I'd love to invite you if
31:58
you're free.
31:58
Oh, yeah, of course.
31:59
Okay.
32:00
man. I'm I'm in the city for sure.
32:02
Okay. Okay. Cool.
32:02
do it.
32:03
Okay. When I said if you're free, she
32:05
cringed like, damn, I'm unavailable.
32:07
Nah, nah, nah.
32:10
I DO BE BUSY. I DO BE BUSY. BUT
32:12
I KNOW. YEAH.
32:12
But nah, I'm down. For sure I'm down.
32:14
Well, Sam J, thank you for joining us
32:16
this morning.
32:17
Yeah. Yes. Great combo.
32:18
Absolute pleasure.
32:19
This sounds so much better.
32:25
Sam, the whole time
32:26
like, oh, y'all I'm on the radio. She's
32:28
like, I'm on the radio. Y'all
32:31
Yeah, I'm just saying you can get
32:32
applause now. You don't even get ANY OF
32:34
THAT NONE OF THAT [ __ ] THANKS, MAN.
32:35
NO STOP IT.
32:36
WE
32:37
YOU. KIND OF SOUND effects going on.
32:39
When you When you said you knew Dave, we
32:41
had to
32:42
That's why
32:44
Hit her Hit her Hit her with IT AGAIN.
32:45
OW.
32:47
I WATCHED HER SAY YOU KNOW DAVE. You
32:48
know what I'm with her?
32:49
When I was on
32:51
THERE YOU GO.
32:54
ALL RIGHT.
32:55
YOU MISSED THE WHOLE SHOW.
32:56
YEAH, WELL.
32:58
YOU WATCH YOURSELF BACK.
32:59
NOW I GOT to come back.
33:00
Absolutely. Sam Jay, man, give her a big
33:01
round of applause. Big things coming.
33:04
Make sure y'all watch Pause HBO Plus.
33:06
Yeah.
33:07
HBO Max.
33:08
Max.
33:09
HBO Max and HBO. Sway been playing me,
33:10
but let me say that. HBO Max and HBO.
33:13
Regular HBO every Friday after Bill
33:16
Maher at 11:00.
33:18
It's different. You know why? Because
33:19
I've been drilling like Paramount Plus
33:21
in your head and BET Plus. That's why.
33:22
I'm sorry, Sway.
33:23
It's she's on HBO.
33:25
Yeah. HBO. 11:00 Friday after Bill
33:28
Maher.
33:28
Get it.
33:29
Different. That mean they care. Your
33:30
show was a driver.
33:32
Get it.
33:33
See, I know how it works. You know, I've
33:34
been working
33:34
He didn't tell no jokes.
33:36
Yeah. You right after Bill Maher. They
33:37
need you to clean his [ __ ] up.
33:40
I ain't say that.
33:42
Sway did.
33:45
They need you come in after balance
33:47
Bill. Now, Bill's the homie, but they
33:49
need you to, you know, to balance. They
33:50
New energy. New
33:51
New energy. Yeah. Huh? I I ain't mad at
33:53
it. Sam Jay, Sway the Morning Show 4-5.
33:56
We coming right back with our
33:57
salutations. Sam Jay, thank you for
33:59
coming through.
33:59
Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep.
34:00
You got anybody you want to shout out?
34:01
Uh my beautiful queen, Yaya.
34:05
Hey.
34:06
Yaya.
#Arts & Entertainment