No One Tells You to Be a Comedian with Josh Johnson

The thing that ends up happening with comedy is that almost no one asked you to start, you know? So it's like... It wasn't your family around the table? They weren't. They didn't sit me down and they were like, this is the only hope. You know what I mean? Like, it's not like playing basketball. Like, basketball is something where it's like, your family might sit you down and be like, listen, listen. You're tall. All right? You're coordinated. And we are in a bad situation. All right? I can't pay the car note. You're going to have to start dunking. All right? And you got to take it seriously, okay? Pass your classes if it means you get to dunk for the scouts, all right? Because we need this money, right? And it's like with comedy, it's not like that at all. This episode is brought to you by Theraflu. Hey, Mr. Blazer. Hey, how are you? You like this blazer? Yeah, yeah. Now, is that new, your blazer? This blazer has not been worn until today. So does that mean you've had it and you're just now wearing it? I've had it. Or is it a new, brand new purchase? It's brand new, but it's not like I bought it last week. Got it. I should say Kelly bought it last week. Yeah, yeah, we know. We know you have nothing to do with how you dress. This is a, you know why I like this? Because it goes well with jeans. Yeah, no, it's a good sort of casual Friday look. Yeah. This shirt was a gift from one of Austin's teammates' mom. Oh, that's so nice. Who works for a clothes designer, and she put together this shirt for me. Oh, my goodness. And it has become one of my favorite shirts. I have worn this before, but not on the show. How long have you had your swag? I've had this shirt. I've only got one piece of swag. I've had this shirt since the summer, and I've been waiting to break it out on an episode. So when are we getting IMO swag, team, on a broader note? We can't. It is unauthorized. That's unauthorized swag. Let's authorize it because I like it. Yeah. I mean, where's our marketing department? Why have we not yet? You know, we should be giving guest swag. We could be wearing swag around. Hats. There should be hats. Sweats or hoodies. Where are our hats? And our hoodies. Well, we've got mugs. Well, you know, you can't take a mug on the train. You know? We could have water bottles. Okay. All right. Okay. Well, you've started something. I have. I have. And maybe we'll get you one of these. It's looking sharp. It's looking sharp. Well, let us not delay because we've got a guest who is fitting us in in between his comedy tour. He's on tour and stopped here to be with us at IMO. And had some travel. Well, we'll find out. Had some travel issues and he's still here. He's still here on time. We're talking about Joss Johnson. Yes, Joss Johnson, who is a... He's blown up. He's just blown up a young comedian who is a fixture in the Robinson household. One of the few viewing things that you let your teenagers watch. That I let my teenagers watch after hours. Wow, Josh, you made the Robinson watch list. That's a biggie. But to Malia Obama's credit, she said that it's really important for the boys to develop a sense of humor. So when there is good cultural comedic content on TV, we let them watch it. And this is past their bedtime, you know, because they're still school age. All right, Josh, this is a big thumbs up to you. Yeah, well, Josh Johnson is an Emmy-nominated writer and stand-up comedian, actor, and NAACP award winner with over 8.7 million followers across his social media. We got to try to catch up. Man. And he's a kid. No, he's not a kid, but he's young. To us old people, he's a baby. He's currently a rotating host and correspondent on The Daily Show, which the Robinsons watch religiously, where he was previously a writer for seven years. As a stand-up comedian, Johnson headlines theaters, clubs, colleges, and festivals around the world. And you can catch him every Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern when he releases a new video on his YouTube channel. So without any further ado, let's welcome Josh Johnson. Hot off the plane. Thanks for making time. Oh, my goodness. Welcome, welcome. So what was the trip? What was the dilemma? Tell us about getting here. I, first of all, I accidentally, because I was nervous, I said, great to have me. And I meant to say, thanks for having me. I'm already doing wonderful. Wow, really on fire here. So I was on my flight and then I fell asleep because I thought it would be safe to. It was an early flight. And so, yeah, we left at like six something. And then I wake up and the flight attendant is saying how we have to divert. There's a lot of fog. We were supposed to fly into Burbank. And it's, it was, they made a bunch of announcements. I was kind of in and out of it because I was very, very tired. And so I first woke up to them being like, actually, we're all clear. Which is, to wake up and hear actually we're all clear makes me wonder what I missed when I was asleep. Yeah. So they're like, actually, we're all clear. Okay. We're going to be landing in Burbank. And then I was like, oh, I must be dreaming this because Burbank is the plan. And then I fall back asleep and then they're like, actually, they're saying we misunderstood. There's no visibility, which is, I guess, the opposite of all clear. And then they were like, we're going to be diverting to Ontario. I fall asleep again. And they didn't make the distinction that Ontario wasn't Canada. See, that wasn't just me. Yeah, I wake up and I'm actually waking up now and I'm like, is this Canada? And because it was Southwest and you can just sit wherever, there wasn't anyone in my row. So I didn't have anybody to talk to to ask. And I didn't want to just yell, is this Canada? Right. And so then I really like tried to hold it together because I knew I had to be somewhere very soon after I landed. And so even as we're touching down, you know, the flight attendant comes on and she's trying to keep it light and make jokes and everything about like, I know this isn't our intended destination. and it's like when they have a nervous laugh, do you know what I mean? Like there are just some people who, we're all human, but there are some people that should never be nervous in front of you. At all. Like if you are off calm, you can freak out as much as you want, but like the fact that it was on for everyone and she's like, it would be like if your doctor was squeamish like drawing blood and you're like, oh, if you, you know? And so then I'm sitting there and then she's like, I know this isn't our intended destination, but we're going to try to help you out. And we're going to get somebody on the flight immediately to see if we're going to deplane. And in my head, I'm like, oh, can they not deplane? Then you're a hostage. You know what I mean? Yeah, when they don't let you get off. That's crazy. That's ridiculous, right? I've never heard of that. I've never heard of them being like, we're not where we plan to be, but you also can't leave. And so then they open the jet bridge and someone comes on and this person is like, I guess, the representative gate agent in Ontario. And then she's like, you can deplane if you choose to. We don't know when we'll have visibility to get into Burbank, but this will be on you because it is weather. Right. It's just like y'all know that now that it's weather. It's like, are you going to pay for all of this? Only in America is someone like, I'm glad y'all are safe, but like money wise. Y'all aren't covered And so then I get off the plane And I Uber Basically over here Which takes like a little over an hour Some hour and change and everything And then we made it Which is fine But then when I made it I was like having a little breakfast And it was right when I was like having that breakfast That the plane did land So I would have I would have been getting here now if I had stayed on the plane. Okay. Because some people stayed. Yeah. Because they were like, I can't afford to get off. I can't afford to get off or just like, I only need to be in... Yeah. Yeah. I have the day. Or you had a checked bag and your bag is held hostage because if you get off, they're not taking your bag off for you. That's not on them either. Yeah. I didn't even think about that. That has happened to me. Because you don't have a bag. It is also, yeah, I rarely check a bag. I try and never check a bag. You're of that generation. Yeah, I'm just. You're just like, I'm just wearing everything. Yeah, I don't mind at all. I don't look broke. I don't mind going somewhere. Yeah, I'm normally that way, but because I have to come here now and do this and keep my wardrobe up with my sister. He has a wardrobe. I have to check a bag now. Wow. Yeah, it's a bummer. But I have some advice for you. What? It would help if you wore the same thing every day. Josh. And hey, why can't I do that? Not up in here. Well, you could, but I would talk about you like a dog. That would be the beginning. It's like, oh, it's the gray hoodie again. I did not factor that in with my advice. Josh, in getting to know you through the research and preparing for this, because I only know you from TV, right? But I saw how much, how prolific you are and how hard you work. My dad would say, you're like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. And I used to love that metaphor because you can picture a one-legged man actually. A lot of hops. Where does that come from? in such a young stage in your development? I mean, I guess some of it is that I talk a lot. I do talk a lot and that will... That helps. Yeah, that helps a lot. But also, I think I've had this opportunity to really exercise and do everything that I love around stand-up and the fact that sort of sky's the limit and there's no amount, there's never going to be a point in YouTube where they're like, oh, you've uploaded too much. And so, you know, it gives you that room to stretch and to try to test yourself as far as what you want your practice to look like. And everything that you do is sort of like practice for the practice, you know? So I want to be better. And I want to, in my own way, since it's art, you're never really going to be able to, you're never going to be able to call it explicitly. It's not like sports where there's a clear winner and there's a clear number one. But I know that I want to be the best writer and the best storyteller and everything. And I think that some of it is trying to get there as efficiently as possible. And one of the ways to do that is to create a catalog instead of just looking back on nine or ten specials that are really intentional and really thought out. It's like making an entire catalog that you can look back on and that be your proof to yourself that you were in your own way the sort of best to do it. Like comedy is so niche for specific tastes that like one best is never going to exist. But if you were the best version of yourself, then you can look back on that catalog and be really happy with everything that you created. And so I think that's the main thing, you know. It's the only thing that I really know how to do that can help because I'm not, I'm too squeamish to be a doctor. decor, gifts, and so much more from many of your favorite stores like Safeway, Albertsons, Michaels, Target, and PetSmart, as well as local favorites exclusive to your area. 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And that is extremely important in the Robinson household when we make our shakes. Download the app or order now at ship.com. That's S-H-I-P-T dot com. This episode of IMO is brought to you by Indeed. You know, I've been thinking a lot about careers lately, especially in a job market like this. One thing I've learned is that you really have to think outside the box when it comes to your path. Nothing about my own journey has been linear. I've made pivots, followed my curiosities, leaned into the strengths and skills I had at the time. And somehow, all of that kept opening doors I never would have pictured for myself. And honestly, being willing to evolve made my whole career feel more dynamic and rewarding. The roles I ended up loving weren't always the ones I initially imagined. They were the ones that aligned with who I was becoming. But let's be real. The process of finding those roles, it can feel like a second job. 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The future of job searching is here and it's called Indeed CareerScout. Try it today in the Indeed app. Subject to credit approval, Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City Branch. Terms and more at apple.co slash benefits. You are so intentional about your craft, about your life in ways that you don't often see in the business. You know, just thinking about the way you described thinking about the experience and, you know, just in the tour, you're looking at the seating. You have a notion of how you want people to experience you. You know, your approach to thinking about sharing your craft being story sharing, storytelling. Where does that come from? That, you know, that intentionality. Intention just comes from knowing that your sort of focus is the thing that is mostly being robbed of us right now. Like, you know, you have whether it's screen time or it's just like, you know, the fact that Apple tells you is both helpful and hurtful. That they tell you your screen time. That's crazy. Look at yourself. That's insane. Like if they, I don't know. it deeply uncomfortable Imagine if a drug dealer came to your house and was like this is how much you love it This is how much you love drugs You can stop I bet you won't stop. Because it's like week to week, it only fluctuates by like a little bit. And so to keep telling me, it's like, man, you love drugs. Don't you love drugs? Say you love drugs. I mean, you don't have to. The graph says you love drugs. You can't get enough drugs, can you? And it's like, I'm just sitting there like, what was I even doing? I don't know. I have no idea what you were doing, but you were all drunk. Well, when did you, how did you get your start in comedy? I mean, what was your path, your trajectory? Yeah. I mean, you're sitting in your room, doom scrolling, and then it's like, oh, this is funny. Yeah, the thing that ends up happening with comedy is that almost no one asked you to start, you know? So it's like. It wasn't your family around the table? They weren't. They didn't sit me down and they were like, this is the only hope. You know what I mean? It's not like playing basketball. Basketball is something where it's like, your family might sit you down and be like, listen, listen, you're tall, all right? You're coordinated, and we are in a bad situation, all right? I can't pay the car note. You're going to have to start dunking, all right? And you got to take it seriously, okay? Pass your classes if it means you get to dunk for the scouts, all right? Because we need this money, right? And it's like with comedy, it's not like that at all. In fact, for me, I think the start was just I always enjoyed comedy. I always really loved comedy. And I wanted to do it, but I didn't really realize it could be a job. It was just something that I watched people and I was like, that's so funny. And I would tell my mom jokes or stories that I saw on TV. How old were you when you remember doing this? Since you can remember? I had to be like eight when I was watching. That's fantastic. little clips and stuff like that. And it was back when a TV special was a huge deal, right? So then the only time you could watch it, there was no on-demand for it. And so I would just be watching something on Comedy Central. Sometimes I'd watch it with my mom and everything. And so I've always had that deep love for it. And then I moved to Chicago from Louisiana after college to start doing comedy. And so I was doing open mics at night and then I was working during the day. And sometimes I would like work so early in the morning that the mic was like, I'm not going to sleep. Like I'm going to have to go to the mic, then get up. Then get up and do your life. Yeah. And then got to a better situation, got like a different job and got the most ideal schedule you could ask for as like a working comic. I got a shift that was from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. And from there, I started getting past it more clubs because it was a lot like a dam breaking. Like anything that you do, especially with like artistic pursuits, there is a sort of snowball effect. And then someone takes a chance on you, it makes someone else more likely to take a chance on you and everything. And so that interest sort of begets more interest and stuff. And so I got past it pretty much all the clubs in Chicago. and that's when I decided to move to New York because I sort of hit a ceiling and everything. And so I moved with some friends and then we were going out together, once again, like doing mics, trying to get on shows and everything. Were you in college? Did you go to college? I did. I went to college in Louisiana. You did this. So you moved after college to Chicago. Got it, yeah. And you majored in light directing? It was, yeah, like light design. Light design. For theater, like dance. And did you major in that because you thought that might be a way to get in? Or did you really think, I'm going to be a light designer? No, I didn't think it was a way to get in at all. I really didn't know what I was doing. Light design is one of those things. It's so specific. The question is really, what were you thinking? Yeah. What were you thinking? Because that's specific. It is. Okay. So at the time, when I was doing it, I was like, maybe I could get a job doing this because I was decent. I was like, I had what I would call like a little bit of vision for how to light something in a way that was interesting. And I did enjoy it. But mostly, it was because it felt like something I was drawn to at the time. As soon as I graduated, I was like, I've wasted a ton of money. Like, you know what I mean? I wouldn't give away or trade that experience. I just know, if they would give you the bill up front, you would be like, all right, then maybe not. Do you know what I mean? And so that is something that genuinely did happen. Like I graduated and I moved to Chicago to start doing comedy. But also Chicago was one of those secondary markets where you could join a union or get into that sort of like off-Broadway style of design. because there is so much happening in the way of like offbeat production in Chicago. You know, I just had a decision to make. Like, am I going to commit to lighting fully and try to like make a name for myself here? Because both things require the same things. They both happen at night and there's no guarantee of any future work. And so I just chose comedy because I enjoyed it more. What were you like as a little boy? I mean, what were you like in school? Were you always this talkative? Were you always talking about something? Was there a shy stage to you? What's your autobiography going to say about you at eight? Probably annoying. Like I could see it. You know what I mean? Like I think I was quiet for periods of time. Like I think that whenever I went to, like let's say I started a new school, super quiet, super off to myself and everything. And then you make like two or three friends and then you start to open up and try to meet more people, make more efforts and everything. I think college was the only time that I really out of the gate tried to make as many friends as possible and meet as many people as possible and have conversations with people and everything. Like that was sort of the coming out of the shell part. But as a kid, yeah, I was very quiet. And like even now, I'm not necessarily super extroverted. Like I try my best to be really open whenever I'm talking to a new person or something like that. And it's a nice thing that helps me open up the fact that people will walk up and say hi and just like start a conversation because they recognize me from somewhere. But yeah, I've always been like introverted enough that it was almost insulting how surprised people were that I did comedy. That's like, it was like, because there will be people who you meet and you'll tell them you do comedy and they've known you for a while. Like co-workers back in Chicago would be like, really? But like, because you don't seem funny at all. I never heard you talk. Yeah. What do you even, is it like a mime act or something? Like, what do you do? And I'm like, no, I just go up and tell stories. Really? About your life? All right. I mean, if you say so. Seems out of character. You know? And so I don't think I've ever really given the impression of like, that guy does comedy, you know? Was there anybody else in your household that was funny? or your parents? Or were you the one? Because you're an only child, right? So you just, who are you talking to at home? Is it talking to yourself? Is your mother saying, please come sit down. I was talking my mom's ear off. Like that, like, she's a saint. I was really, wow, it was a lot. And so I think that really my grandma was the funniest out of everybody. Like she could do great impressions She was also funny in the way that she would get mad Because sometimes she would get mad about something And it would make you realize you should be mad too Right, well give me an example Like she, there was one time We went to this restaurant together like as a family And she just saw the prices And the soup, there was a soup that was And you got Go back This is like 96, 97 Okay And there was a soup That was like $25 or something like that And she was like $25 For hot water Right And it's like Oh yeah I guess it is I guess Yeah Yeah I guess No one should Wow They really just dipped All this food In hot water And then said That'll be 25 that would be what a Jackson and a Lincoln like that's crazy that is just wet and they were like we did it it's wet food with a little salt in it here's your dog food for $25 but only she's mad at it everyone else at the table just skipped it she was like what they must be out of their mind it's hard to believe that the food is good when they're charging a price like this because clearly they're crazy in the kitchen to think that they make their wet food expensive. I don't know if I trust a kitchen that's willing to send this stuff out for $25. Yeah. So grandma was funny. Grandma was very funny. My dad was like unintentionally funny. Like he would, you know, whatever. He would like say a thing the wrong way or like make a mistake or something like that. It just, it was a very like dad way of doing things, you know, where it's like, it felt like, to a certain degree, like a classic sitcom dad in moments, you know? Like what? Yeah. Like, I'm trying to think of a good example. I had a loose tooth, right? So I was, once again, real little. And my tooth was loose. And my dad just like sort of sprung into action. I told him my tooth was loose because I also didn't know what that meant. So I think this was my first loose tooth. So you were little. And so I went up to my dad and I was like, this is... It's coming out. Clearly I'm dying, right? Like this is coming apart. And so my dad's like, no, don't worry. I got, I got. He grabs some string and he ties one side of the string to my tooth, one side of the string to the doorknob, but didn't like tell me what the plan was. Oh, dad. He was like, just stand right here. So the old fashioned doorknob taking your tooth out. Fully. He must have seen this on TV. So then he slammed the door, but he put too much string in my mouth. So he didn't measure anything. So we both just watched the door slam. There was too much slack. And it wasn't until the door slammed that I was like, what did you just try to do to me? I put it together. Like in the second the door slammed, I was like, oh. Oh, we're yanking this out of my head. So it would be stuff like that where I'm like, that's great. Well, that's just regular dad stuff. 100%. You just saw the complete humor in it. Yeah, yeah. It's just like, my dad's kind of crazy. But you couldn't even eyeball it? You couldn't. You didn't. Even if you don't know what four feet looks like or two feet, it's like we know distance. Yeah, yeah. The fact that there was so much slack when you tied it to a doorknob means it wasn't going to pull anything. He had good intentions, though. Yeah, 100%. Also, wow. That was like the first time I was like, oh, this is like a dude. This is like a guy. My parents are flawed. My dad's flawed. Loving can do so many things. Sure, but also, can't measure anything. That blew my mind. I can't tell you how much it changed my view. No, no, because with your parents, especially when you're little, there is like both an invincibility and like an omniscience that you just bestow on them because they're the first person you ask questions. That's right. And they usually know. And you went to him for help with the tooth. Because your questions are usually dumb. So then it's easy to answer the question. They have it all. They know so much. And then they finally don't know and you're like, well, uh-oh. We played a summer tournament about two hours away. And as I think back, I wish we had considered staying in an Airbnb home instead of staying at a hotel. We would have had an opportunity to eat together, watch film together, as well as control the curfew of a bunch of 13-year-old boys. I also think that it would have given our parents a break from their children. As you can imagine, coming together as a team outside of the game is as important as what you do on the court. And having the ability to hang out together at an Airbnb would have given us that extra opportunity to bond. And if you're thinking about the big tournaments that come into your town, now is a great time to think about hosting fellow fans and players during the season. This episode of IMO is brought to you by Theraflu. Theraflu, makers of fast-acting cold and flu relief, believes everyone deserves the right to rest and recover when they're sick, no matter where they live or how much money they make. When I was coaching, if I got sick, I found it hard to choose between taking time for myself to rest and heal and showing up for my family and my team. Luckily, I had the ability to take paid sick time when I really needed it. But not every American has that option. In 2021, Theraflu launched the Rest and Recover Fund, and they've committed more than $1 million to provide microgrants to families and individuals, helping offset the cost of taking a sick day for those that don't have coverage. Everyone should be able to prioritize their health without risking their ability to put food on the table. That's why Theraflu is committed to keep fighting, because rest and recovery is a right, not a privilege. Learn more or help someone apply for the fund at theraflu.com slash right to recover. When do you get your break? You know, what is that period in your career development where you thought, where your mother thought, it's okay if you don't have another job? I think, okay. All in all, I don't know how long ago it really was. It was last week. Because, yeah, because basically even when I got hired at Tonight Show, you know, because entertainment jobs for the most part to your family either seem like the most money in the world or nothing or they just don't know, you know. Like I have friends who are really successful in writing and their parents are still like, well, we wish you would have been a doctor sort of thing, right? And so I got hired at Tonight Show. And I think it was some of my mom even in my head a little bit. Because I still did not quit the job at the grocery store right away. I was like, I might be able to do one day on the weekend just in case. Because you never know, what if I get in the building and then Jimmy's like, actually. So you don't want to take your apron off and fold it up and turn it in. You don't want to give the speech early. You know, that'd be terrible And so I think my mom really got comfortable when I think it was like when I got hired at Daily Show Daily Show, and not even the first year of Daily Show Because I think for her, I would imagine One job at a show was like another job at a show But I think once I had been there a little while And she saw that it was really stable and steady and that I was doing other things on top of it and I was taking care of myself and everything, then that's when she was like, oh, okay. Like, I think she was always, you know, she was definitely always supportive. It was more just that mom thing of like, I want you to be all right. I don't want you to do anything rash or like dumb or put all your eggs in one basket or something like that. But yeah, I think it was really a couple of years into Daily Show. Yeah, yeah. What did you, what was your takeaway from Daily, that whole process? Was that new to you being on a team? What was it? It was mostly just different. You know, I had been on a show now before, but it's such a collaborative process. And it's such a great group of people. Like they took me in really, really open and really helpful as I was trying to learn how best to craft things for the show. And so I think that that was the biggest change. Because when I was at Tonight Show, I was on monologue. And so you're just writing jokes all day, pitching jokes all day and everything. And at Daily Show, it became much more collaborative. And you were part of a team effort that was all coming together to make two really great acts of television. I was learning more about how to think about television and how to think about what I see in my head that I need to put on the paper to communicate with the person that I won't be in the room with later to make sure that this thing comes together and have more of a holistic mindset for how a show is made rather than just pitching my one joke. and then it being like life or death if it gets on or not You know like you just see how you fit into a piece of the puzzle there And the people that are there like you know the people who have always supported me and been very, like, nurturing and even how I get to a story or how I tell a joke or something like that. What do you mean? So I think that there are some times when you have a political story, especially a story that no one knows anything about, right? So we're going to talk about today what's happening in the Congo. And then as an American audience, you're not necessarily up on what's happening in the Congo. So we have to tell you everything that's happening as quickly as possible and then bring you up to speed so that we can get to the thing that happened that might be funny or is really important or interesting, right? And so I think that there's a a way that I try to approach a story angle by angle that I think, at least when I look back at it, they were very, once again, nurturing in helping me craft that to be something for the show. So it wasn't just a long aside. It was like how we were going to tell some of the story, like a piece of the story. And so that really opened my mind towards, even in my own stand-up, how to talk about something that people had no frame of reference for and how to make a take and an approach more universal. And so I think that that was like integral towards everything that I've been doing. Yeah, I just like the way you think because it is true. It's like you're trying to do a lot in a monologue and then in that little piece of a joke, you've got to set the stage. You know, to even think about that as a craft. See, we just think you're just funny. But I appreciate it. I think you're really funny. But I also, to your point, think you're educating people along the way. And it is, I just think about my kids, they learn something from your comedy. And people can learn from your comedy. Does that come from having parents who are educators? Or is that intentional? Or are you just, this is funny to me, I got to tell the story. I think it's a little bit of both. I think that to me, I look at the way, like I said before, the way my grandma would tell a story and how it was very important to her that you knew exactly how the cashier sounded when she said this to her. And then it was also very important. Like there were aspects of the story that were important to her that if you were just telling it straight up, you would leave out because it wasn't the most direct way there. And then also, you know, my mom was a special ed teacher for years and then she became a librarian. And so, you know, she would pick me up and after school and then take me to the library with her a lot of days. and that's how I got like such a love and interest for things that are like really obscure because you're just in the library in general. And unless somebody checks out the book you were reading yesterday that you decided not to check out, you have that, but you also have all these options, right? And then my dad was like a paraprofessional that worked with kids with special needs and everything in the classroom and stuff. And so I think all those things coming together gave me, I would say, like a love and interest for people, but also an approach to like storytelling and hopefully thinking that was unique from my experiences and everything. And so I think the people learning something along the way is sometimes incidental from how best I feel like I should cover the thing so that you understand how funny this thing is, if that makes sense. In addition to being young, I'm sure you've often been the only Black man of color in some of these writing rooms, or maybe I'm making assumptions. I have before. Yeah, so when I joined Daily Show, that's like the most diverse room I had ever been in and everything. But a lot of other entertainment spaces and things that I've done, I was the only Black person. And it is funny because people talk about DEI and some of these initiatives and everything. And the thing that's always funny to me about the outrage is that y'all already have the number. So there's a hundred positions and we said there's going to be like eight to 10 that are, you know, not white or not like a male, whatever, right? Then now you have people attacking in all these forms, DEI and the eight people, right? And they're attacking the eight people for something that they also, they think that if those eight people weren't in the way, they would get in. But the people at the top are like, well, you are never going to get in either. And so they keep you focused on these eight slots, whether you are on the outside or whether you feel like you should be inside. There's these eight slots. Never mind that guy, right? The guy that said, all right, no more as a white guy, no more white guys. His son gets in. His son gets in very easily. And it's not one of the eight. You know what I mean? And so I'm not saying there's enough nepotism to fill 92 slots. I'm just saying that there's a lot of unjust, unfair ends that people have that don't get questioned because we all kept fighting over these eight slots. Because the belief is that, by some people, the belief is that if it wasn't for these eight people, I would have gotten in. Which is also a little insane because there were people before they ever had eight slots, right? When it was just like 100 white slots. there was like the 101st white guy who couldn't get in. So it's like, you might not be able to beat other white people. And they probably won't let you because they will keep changing the rules to keep being at the top. My first realization of that came when I went to Princeton, right? Because I got, you know, applied, but my counselor said, I don't know if you're Princeton material, even though my brother was there, even though I was a top student. It was like, so it set up this notion that this place is something really special, right? And so I got in and I go and I'm thinking, you know, you go in with the insecurity that I only got here because I was one of the eight. But then I looked around and I saw all kinds of affirmative action that never got discussed, you know, being the kid of an alum, being an athlete, being a, you know, and you realize that why are we only drilling down on these eight black kids that got in, just like you said, when all these other kids got in all kinds of ways that could be considered affirmative action. Josh, you alluded to this a little bit when we were talking about YouTube in the beginning, but on your tour, you're about fostering community. Can you talk about that and what that means and how you do it? Oh, yeah. I mean, I look at it as there are a couple ways, depending on the country you're in, probably depends on your approach to it. I think in the U.S., we have made a deep, deep mistake in thinking that all the things that you're supposed to get from community can be optimized and sold to you in a form that's somehow better than just the natural way. So you look at people in other countries that live in villages that don't have that much in ways of means, and they still seem to have everything that a person could need to get by. And not everything as in they aren't without struggle or that they don't need help or aid or anything, but just in the bluntest of terms, I'm not trying to be glib here, but they didn't just all die. How did that happen if they don't have the same resources or if their yearly salary amounts to $200 a year to us or maybe even lower, right? And that thing happened because rather than outsourcing every action that would come from a family or a community, they just do it for each other, right? And I think that there is a reminder that we need sometimes that everything that you could want is like in the other people around you, you know? And so I would hope that the community that I'm doing my best to build and the people that come to the show and meet each other and make friends at the show and everything, it's like that becomes the person that you talk to or that becomes like a friend that you get coffee with. There are so many things that are important to your life. Like I am genuinely a big believer in therapy and everything like that. But I also think that sometimes, we're talking very specific situations, there are some people who are going to a therapist in the way that they could have the option, if it was available to them, to just talk to a friend. And so not saying that there aren't times and places where therapy is deeply important, but for the most part, there are people that you talk to about certain things. There's things you go to your mom with or your dad with or your therapist with or a friend with. And I think a lot of it is getting zeroed in on who can I pay to make sure I have this experience. But I then think also the levels of access that you think you have versus what you actually have. And so I look at a lot of community that hasn't been fostered yet, the way that I look at that kid who's like tall and could dunk, but no one's told him to dunk yet. They're like, you're almost there. You're almost at the rim. Just reach up high. Just a little jump. Just a small jump, you know? And so what we do is in every city, we do our best to partner with a local outreach in that city. So then that way the people coming to the show can see something that's already happening because it is difficult to set up that sort of mutual aid and general community around fixing a problem all by yourself. And that's what a lot of people think is happening. But there are pantries, there are shelters, there are all these different places that are all around you that you may just not know about because they don't have the best social media presence or they aren't being hyped up enough by people who aren't directly involved in the organization. and it might be a small team that can only do so much and they're trying to do the work. And so we partner with these groups. They come to the show and then that way people coming to the show can see something that's happening in their community already that they could either be a part of through volunteering or they can donate to. And all of it becomes like actionable change, even if it's something that you do once. Maybe you bring a backpack because we've partnered with this organization in Portland for school supplies and now a kid has that backpack. So it's something that will, at least is the hope, have a lasting impression through this small effort. You're already coming to the show, you know? How do you think about success for yourself? I mean, I heard in our briefing that, which is something that was very impressive, is that you're kind of building a life where there's a point at which you're satisfied, you know? Because we are, it feels like we are a culture where people are never satisfied. satisfied. It's never enough, right? More is more, more is better. What's your philosophy, especially as you ascend, right? Because yeah, it'd be great to be in arenas, but if you don't get to be, if that's the only measure of your success as a human, wow, what if you never get there? Sure, sure. How do you think about it? I think about every form of sort of like earthy or material success. The same way I think about like a meal. You have a really good meal. Yeah. This is like the best meal you've ever had. You get such a good meal. And then you can eat so much that you make yourself sick. And then you could throw up. And then you might keep eating. And then you now you're making yourself sick just to eat more just because it's good. But I think that knowing when you're full is like a function of the body. It's a function of life. And so knowing that the things that I wanted to have happen since I started doing comedy are happening now. I'm able to take care of myself, my mom, my aunt, my girlfriend, and my friends. Like I'm able to build creatively with people that inspire me and that I want to see do really well. And I think that in all of its forms, you know, I think career trajectories are a lot like parabolas. And so to assume that there's just going to be an upward slope for the rest of your life isn't just unrealistic. It just it breeds a sort of like dissatisfaction and unhappiness over time. And so I think that knowing that if these are all of my sort of like pillars and they're all being upheld all the time, then that is success. There are things that I want to do as far as like sustainable systems that I'm a long ways away from being able to achieve. I would need more money and I would need the right partnerships and I would need... You mean environmentally when you say sustainable systems? environmentally and just community-wise. Like I think that it is great. And one thing I'm learning is once again, like the practice is practice for the practice, you know? And so one of the things that we're doing with Flowers where we partner with these organizations, it is an in and out thing. We get to be with them for a day and hopefully help boost them as much as possible, bring as much awareness as possible. But I would like to be able to identify and build systems to where long after I'm gone, this thing that I left behind is still going. Maybe it is creating a farm that directs all of its crops or most of its crops right to a pantry and then having maybe that pantry sell one item and then that one item is the money that goes back to the farm for the next crop. Just things that start to close the loop. Real success is real systems. And so in that way, I feel like I'm just getting started. And I really hope, God willing, that I build up enough to be able to see through to some of those things and closing some of those loops. Because it takes what feels like an insurmountable effort by so many people. And so I just want to keep getting bigger and building better from there. Josh, this is a perfect time to shift to our listener question because it has something to do with this. But before we do that, I'd love to hear about, I've heard that you've got a couple of new hobbies. One of which I would love to get into, but I can never fit into these go-karts. Really? Okay. The go-karting that you're doing when you're on tour. Yeah. My kids can fit in. My wife can fit in. But I mean, you know, I got the legs of a seven footer, so I never can get into them. So please let me live vicariously through your new hobby. Yeah. What a wild problem to have. Do you know how many people wish they were tall? That's wild to be like, I don't have a little body like you. And so I've never been there. No, I'm with you. I know it was unintentional, but when people with height ask you little questions, It's a lot like people being like, oh, I got all this money. I can't close my wallet. You ever have that problem? You ever can't close your wallet? It's just tough because it's got so much cash in there, so many cards. And I got the metal cards, too. So, what a shame. What a shame. I set my own self up for that. No, no, it's fine. It's basically, I like go-karting because I'm not a good driver. It's how I've practiced driving. I still haven't practiced enough to get in a real car. But I love it. Do you think the go-karting is close to real driving? You think it's getting you ready? Not at all. Not at all. Like not, ooh, that would be terrible to get on the road with that sort of belief. And then tell people, it's like, I did K1 racing in Miami, so I'm ready. I'm absolutely ready. And they're like, well, this is a vehicle that could kill someone. So I don't think you are ready. Oh, man. Yeah. So I've been doing go-karts with everybody when we get the opportunity. And then the rest of the time, I've been trying to get better at Rubik's Cubes. Why did you pick Rubik's Cubes? You're just like, I'm going to master this. Master is a strong word. So I'm actually very slow. So I can solve it, but I'm not like a speed cuber. You know, the people can do it in life. Yeah, yeah. And those are also children. So I give myself some slack. That's my 13-year-old, yeah. Yeah, I give a... Oh, it's so... Okay, I brought a cube with me. So your son's going to judge me because I'm going to be so slow. But basically, I look at it as I hadn learned something in a long time And this felt like something that there was an infinite amount to learn about You know, I, I like Rubik's cubes a lot. And I like the fact that I am, it's going to sound silly, but I feel like I'm relearning learning. And so something like the cube, you know, I was learning how it worked and I was learning some of the things are tricks that get around having to learn it, right? So there are some things that you do out of repetition because it'll just be faster than learning why something's moving where it's moving. But then when you really understand it, you have now dedicated enough time and you've put enough effort into whatever that is, the next thing you want to learn and the next thing you want to learn. So it's like a fun hobby in a way to relearn. So how fast are you? I'm terrible. I'm terrible. I am slow, which means I will never solve it. But to me, that's slow. I don't even want to tell you how fast this time. Can you solve it in a session? Oh, I can solve it now. Like you could solve it now. Yes, yes, I can solve it now. So I consider that really fast. Well, this is what I'll do actually. So I won't even try to be fast. I'm going to tell you why I love the cube while I try to solve the cube. And then that way, would you like to scramble it? Okay. Here, you scramble it. All right. And so scramble it as much as you want. No matter how much you scramble it, I'll be the same amount of slow. So don't feel any pressure. I feel so much pressure. But you're scrambling it. Well, okay. All right. So one of the things that I really love about Rubik's Cubes is all of the combinations. there's a lot of chaos in whenever you look at a cube there's a lot that goes into the colors and the sides I was reading about it because I've been interested for a long time and I had never really tried to solve it before and so when I started I was just reading about all the different combinations and apparently there are across the cube 43 quintillion combinations that the cube can be in, right? That is more in seconds. That's more time than we have in a lifetime. Like if we all started counting, everyone in this room, we started counting together over the course of our entire lives, we wouldn't hit that number. As best as I understand it. You know what I mean? Maybe if you got some extra years, you'd be fine. But we... I didn't even know a trillion was a number. I know, I missed that on the... Yeah. In the math class. I stopped school too soon. But the other thing that I learned about that blew my mind is that there is a number. When they were researching, they called it God's number. And it is the number of moves, the shortest number of moves it would take to solve the cube. And they found that it was 20. So in all of these 43 quintillion combinations, there are 20 moves away is as far as you are from having this scramble solved, this scramble that feels infinite in its chaos. And it all gets brought back together in like such a simple number, such a simple amount. and it also just feels like a little bit of a metaphor for life that these kids do it. Like little kids do it who just see it as simply as it is and it's only us that really complicated to the point of, well, I guess I'll never figure it out. Look at all the possibilities. And I think that a child's more likely to look at the 20, but I like how... See how smooth he did. I like how you ended that up. Oh, thank you. You just laid it down. Yeah. Well, you're brilliant. One day, one day I'll be fast. One day, the next time I see y'all, maybe I'll impress your son. Because I didn't even want to save my time because then my time feels good to me because it's short to me. But then you see someone do it in like six seconds. And you're like, how did your little hands get, how do you move that fast? That was actually fast, Josh. That's what I'm saying. That was less than three minutes it took you to do. Oh, don't say that out loud. But you're talking and you're explaining. So you can do it faster. So you can do it faster. Well, let's get to the listener question. Digressed here. But we have a listener question from Caroline in Waco, Texas. Hi, my name is Caroline and I'm 15 years old. I was wondering if y'all had any ideas on how I could make a difference in my community. Places I've tried to volunteer at won't take people my age. and I keep getting turned away from different organizations because a parent has to go with me. My parents work and are not able to volunteer with me for hours on end, even though they would like to. I have a desire to help my community, but I'm running out of ideas. Do y'all have any? Thank you so much. Love your podcast. See, this sounds right up your alley. You travel in the country. Sure, sure. I mean, I think that one of the things that can happen whenever there isn't a position already created. There isn't a position already in place for someone, especially because of how young you are, you need a parent with you or something like that. The next thing to do is sort of create that position for yourself. There are ways of creating a position out of a need that still doesn't fall into the place of like, I need my parents to take me and I have to be there. And that is something that the online world has given us of being someone who even just maybe they do the outreach portion of answering questions. Maybe they have a sit down with somebody who is an organization leader and then that person may just not have the time to answer everybody's questions. And so maybe they take over the email list and they email out, hey, we're doing this event on this day. There are lots of ways like that. I think that the thing that you learn, at least from my experiences in entertainment, is that when there is not a place for you, you have to create one for yourself. And so it will be a lot of trial and error. But the efforts that you put forward now, especially starting so young, become the things that you know will or won't work in your future efforts. And so I think that making that thing for yourself is perfect practice for filling the gaps and solving the problems that the adults haven't figured out yet, you know? Because an adult, like you would think, I mean, I'm not coming down on any of these organizations, but you would hope that every organization, no matter who you are or how old you are, like has something of like, you can do this. and the fact that they haven't done that means that they are either running ragged to the point of just being too busy to think about that sort of thing or they haven't grown enough yet to have a position for everybody that wants to get involved and so that is also part of what it means to bring about a new position and fulfill it yourself that will, yeah, it just helps them exponentially because it's something they weren't thinking of. Mm-hmm. And where did our listener, what was her name? Waco. Caroline from Waco. She's in Waco. Texas. And some of that is, you know, smaller communities, fewer opportunities. You know, that could be a challenge because she's 15, living in a relatively small city, but not a tiny city. Um, so the, I just, I would want to make sure that she is checking some boxes, uh, that are maybe aren't obvious. I mean, nowadays, most schools, most public schools have high schools have community service requirements, opportunities. I'd want to make sure that she actually has, has checked in her surroundings. Have you really gone to school and talked to your teachers, your principals, because maybe she's a freshman, maybe it's her first year. If she's 15, maybe she's in, maybe she's, no, 15, she should be in high school, right? I would be surprised that there weren't some opportunities for high school students. I mean, community service is almost like a requirement these days of getting into college. I mean, that's sort of the other box you're checking off that's assuming that you're going to college. But as a result, a lot of high schools are creating community service opportunities. So I would want her to make sure that she's not overlooking places to go right in her orbit, her high school, local churches, things like that, that are already organized. So the other thing I would say is, you know, I wouldn't want a 15-year-old to get discouraged at this age about how deeply they can help. Because sometimes that makes it feel overwhelming and you feel defeated about it. I would just give words of encouragement of, you know, there are so many ways to serve that are not organizationally driven that matter. All right, Caroline. She's got some good options here. First, we've got from Josh, create your own position to fill a gap. I like that, right? If you can, that's a good one. And then we've got check in with your school, check in with your churches, check in with social organizations that are right there that are set up to have kids be volunteers. but most of all, don't get discouraged. I think that's the biggest thing that both of you are saying is that just keep trying. Well, hopefully that's a good start for Caroline, little miss 15-year-old. Josh, it's great to have you here. I mean- Oh, thank you. Thanks for having me. Yeah, your brain is an amazing, it's an amazing thing that you've got in your head. Thank you. I appreciate you. It's so nice to meet y'all, like in person as well. But before we go, I wanted to just know just some hot takes, your takes on some things that are happening in the world. I mean, how are you, what's got you, you know, feeling away? and there's, look, I'm watching the news just like you. I'm living it. I'm just curious to know what's brewing in there as you look at the world. There's Diddy out there these days. We talked about DEI. We talked about, you know, we've got a president that, you know, is, yeah, I'll leave it at that. Way to go high. Way to go high. I stopped. Okay. There are a lot of things swirling around. One, I don't think that the Diddy Doc is over. I think there's going to be more episodes. Do you think 50 is working on them? Or are these going to come from other producers? I think 50 is quietly plotted. I think if you see the success of this one and you're 50, you know that another one would go off. Yeah. Because all we really did was cover some stuff that hasn't been as talked about. There's plenty of the other stuff that we knew about, and they didn't get everybody. So there's plenty of people who spoke on Diddy in the past that weren't in the document. So there's still more subject. That was a crazy—I mean, I've talked about this already, but the documentary was so thorough, they didn't even really need reenactment. They did not. Do you know what I mean? normally, we weren't there for a Civil War. So in Civil War, they got the red act, and they're like, oh, you got me, right? But then this one, they were like, no, I was there. He did it to me. Like, that's insane. That was terrifying. So I do think there will be more episodes coming. I am... I won't necessarily say that I have any real designs on what's going to happen in 2026 midterms wise. But I do know, and I've had conversations with friends about this, that like more so than any sort of like blue wave, I think that people genuinely, as corny as it may sound, they need like a new wave. Like I think you see the success of Zoran. You see the success of people who have won these special elections and small races and everything. And you see that what they were running on was something that wasn't just I'm not Trump. And so, yeah. Do you think that our democracy is broken? I mean, a lot of people like they, you know, this was part of this election, you know, change. It wasn't just change. It's like, let's tear it up. You know, government is so broken that we should just tear it all to the ground and start from scratch. I mean, I think, I do think as it functions now in the way that we have let corporations and tech become so like quilted in to everything that goes into politics, that part of it does feel broken. I think that there were a lot of laws, there were a lot of things in place for a reason. And I think reducing those regulations and lowering those barriers and making it so much... making it so easy to confuse the conversation is part of why we're at where we're at. Even when you watch the news, like even when you watch, when you go to another country and watch the news, they just say what happened. They don't really have personalities like we do. They're like, all right, the bus hit another bus and two buses have been hit. And then they're done talking. And then they might cut to commercial they go to another story, something like that. It's only here where you have the person looking at the camera, telling you how to feel about the buses and telling you like what it means for one bus to crash into another bus and telling you why that is the failing of democracy, that these two buses can crash into each other. And so you're like, at a certain point, you're like, what does this even have to do with? And so I think that there are aspects of how we function as government and how our democracy works that are broken, which have led to the disillusionment of the people. But I don't think that it's anything that we can't come back from. I think that there just need to be more, you know, this is like, probably not the most charitable way to put it, but there just need to be more spines all around. I think that there's a lot of like, Dems consistently fail to capitalize on some of the just pure, pure L's that Republicans take. And that's what I mean about like a new wave. I think that at a certain point, you need to either make room for or start nurturing the people who actually see the vision in a different way. Like these institutions are, they are fragile and they exist in so much as we are willing to protect them. And so if the people that are supposed to be standing guard aren't willing to do that, then it's a lot like speeding. It's like, you're not supposed to do it, but I guess if you don't get caught, it's fine, you know? Well, the beauty of who you are and how you're showing up in the world is that you're doing comedy with spine and with information. And we're at a stage in life where you kind of have to get fool people into eating their vegetables. Sure, sure, sure. I mean, and you're doing that at so many different levels. Finding a way to tell the story in a way where you're teaching and making people laugh at the same time, but also making points that get a whole generation and a whole sort of constituency of people thinking about issues that they can just put away too easily. and for that you know I mean we're just you know excited about the comic the entertainer that you're becoming thank you because now's the time that we need people talking with with a great spine about these issues and you're you're making it happen oh thank you that means a lot to me yeah thank you so much thank you for watching because you you post stuff up and then you're you're like you watch yeah That's wild. You know, like I think that it's been a real blessing of even the tour is getting to meet the people who watch and see what those things mean to them and everything. So, yeah, I can't thank everyone and God enough for everything that is happening. And I just feel incredibly blessed. I'm having so much fun. I hope everybody else is having fun along the way, too. We are. I think that's the case. So we want to congratulate you. Wish you the best of luck on the rest of your tour and whatever is coming next, which is going to be a lot after this. Thank you. So thank you, Josh Johnson. All right, Josh. Thanks, man. you