4:00

my life. But it was

4:02

a situation where you know my

4:05

grandparents took on a lot

4:07

of the fiduciary responsibility for

4:09

me fiduciary and wow. And

4:14

you know it's it

4:17

was it was it was a great time.

4:19

I'm I'm not I'm not mad at my

4:21

situation. I'm appreciative my grandparents had the opportunity

4:23

to put me in parochial school

4:25

and let me grow up well with

4:27

the family environment and now

4:29

I'm here being off time. Now

4:32

now when you talk about

4:34

your grandparents and we

4:36

talk about just humor where did

4:38

the humor come from who's responsible

4:40

for the funny G. You

4:43

know I'm really blessed because I think all

4:45

sides of my family are funny my father

4:48

side the family's funny. My

4:50

mother side the family. I just remember my grandparents

4:52

it was a lot of you know

4:55

what we call the dozens right you had to

4:57

hold your own you know and

4:59

for anybody to listen to you you had to have

5:02

something funny to say. So it

5:04

was a lot of practice, you know we were snapping

5:06

on everybody even my own who got special needs she

5:08

was catching it. I'm saying yes,

5:11

you know, I'm hearing aids off a lot

5:13

of the conversations because we was roast. But

5:15

you know that's how you got down you held your own

5:18

and that's what my comedy is like you know, I

5:20

may not say something that you like all the time.

5:23

But I'm a say something you need. You

5:25

know I saw you perform in New York, I

5:27

was at the cellar when you

5:30

went up and I was I quickly

5:33

like you know like when you hear an

5:35

East Coast accent. For me

5:37

is something is just something different about it

5:39

right like it's it's such

5:41

a commanding tone that

5:43

demands attention on stage

5:46

and your stage presence

5:48

persona. I remember

5:51

it stuck out so well simply because

5:53

it was like you've been here and

5:55

look as if you've been here for

5:57

a long time. I'm a poison polished.

8:00

on any of this. So I'm like, because I'm not

8:02

past here. What are you talking about? He's like, well,

8:04

you're past. Now, Yamanika, for the listeners, because they may

8:06

not understand, what does getting past mean? Like you said,

8:08

you weren't past yet at the seller. What does that

8:10

actually mean? That means that I get to go on

8:12

stage as a paid regular. I get

8:15

to put my availability in for spots

8:18

and I get to come

8:20

in and just do my thing. And that's what

8:22

a lot of comedians need a place that they

8:24

get to call home. So by

8:26

the time I got the green light to come into the

8:28

seller is because people was

8:31

asking for me. Not because I say,

8:33

hey, can I do five minutes? And I'm not

8:35

saying that to disrespect Essie again or no,

8:37

because they've been very grateful, gracious

8:39

to me. But I've been

8:41

in a lot of positions where

8:43

I've had to put my foot in my up

8:46

people's ass. And

8:49

that's what off topics is. It's like, yeah, we can

8:51

all do a bunch of cute shit. But

8:53

at the end of the day, life ain't always cute.

8:55

You get to go back to being cute after we

8:57

tell the truth. Well,

9:01

I mean, listen, you're in a

9:03

business that is

9:05

a forward active business,

9:09

right? If you don't have

9:11

the ability to activate and

9:15

energize for self, then you're going to

9:17

find yourself in a place of waiting

9:20

nine times out of 10. You know what I

9:22

mean? And this is a business where you can

9:24

pretty much sit by a phone and hope that

9:26

someone calls you to do the thing that you

9:28

said you love to do. You have to make

9:30

them call you. And to the point that you

9:32

just made, it's like you said

9:35

putting your foot in people's ass. I'll

9:37

say the cleaner side of it, which is

9:40

like being a little aggressive and just saying,

9:42

look, I'm talented. And I just want

9:44

an opportunity for my talent to be seen properly. You

9:46

know what I mean? And if I got to come

9:48

here. You see how many words you just use now.

9:50

That's why I just say put the foot in the ass.

9:52

Yeah. Yeah. No, you yours. I want to

9:55

make this very clear. Yours is going to

9:57

get a faster response. You're

10:00

gonna get a faster response, right? I'm

10:03

not gonna get that response

10:06

that fast. I'm gonna

10:08

get, this is gonna be a nice conversation. They're

10:10

gonna call me back. Somebody's gonna call

10:12

me back. I definitely don't be getting the callbacks.

10:14

Somebody's gonna call me back. Somebody's gonna come talk

10:16

to you right there. They're gonna go, okay, what's

10:18

the problem? What is the,

10:21

what are we doing wrong? You know what

10:23

the fuck you doing wrong? Yeah, that's who

10:25

you are. Yeah, that's who you are. Now,

10:27

you talked about the school for performing arts.

10:30

I just wanna back up to that because that's such a dope transition, right?

10:33

Going out to LA and then taking up theater,

10:35

studying theater, and then finding comedy. And like you

10:37

said, you got bit by the bug. Where was

10:40

the place at that you got bit? Where was

10:42

your first stage? My

10:44

first, I had to audition to get into

10:46

the stand-up comedy class that they offered at

10:49

LoxA, LA County High School for the Arts, my

10:51

senior year. And my first

10:53

comedy teacher, Norman Coleman,

10:55

he rests in peace. I

10:58

was one of his top acting students. I mean, so

11:00

I didn't understand, you know, this comedy thing wasn't

11:02

gonna be, you know, a big

11:04

deal. So I just expected

11:06

to go in there and blow everybody away.

11:09

Okay. And I didn't, you know? I

11:12

told that, my mother used to tell

11:14

me this story about this family that died in the car

11:16

crash because of a monkey. And

11:18

I decided to- What? Wait,

11:22

you can't just- So,

11:24

okay, you know how these monkeys be.

11:27

So I went

11:29

to tell this bit, right? So it's, first of

11:31

all, it's a layered bit, it's long. And

11:33

then the monkey got a lot of parts. And

11:36

so it bombed, right? And

11:38

I had an attitude about it.

11:40

And I remember, my mother used

11:42

to also buy me all these different, remember the

11:45

jumpsuits? You'd have one in a different color.

11:47

You'd have a grape jumpsuit or orange

11:49

jumpsuit. So I had a

11:51

red jumpsuit on and I

11:53

had them pineapple waves. Right?

11:56

If some of these girls might call them cramps, but

11:59

the pineapple wave- And

16:00

was there a battle for you between the

16:02

world of theater and comedy of just what

16:04

was going to get all of your energy?

16:06

Or was there a duality between them in

16:08

the beginning? Well let me

16:10

start off by saying this. I

16:13

remember watching a documentary, something on

16:15

you, such a beautiful story.

16:18

I don't know, maybe you're my boss

16:20

now, I shouldn't be telling you. I

16:22

don't fuck this up, don't fuck this up. That's

16:25

what I'm saying, I'm trying not to. But it was- No,

16:27

well you're not gonna fuck, there's no way that you can

16:30

fuck this up. You said one thing, here you say something

16:32

else. What do you mean, you're fine? Okay, thank you. Well

16:34

that's what they said. You see what I'm saying? Yes, you're

16:36

fine. Last time somebody said we was fine, Donald Trump was

16:38

president for four years. So now,

16:42

okay, so I saw something, I said,

16:44

wow, everything in your life, God

16:48

had ordained. You understand? Every

16:51

step you took was God ordained. I said, oh wow,

16:53

it was this, it was that. And

16:55

so for me, it really was because I

16:57

feel like God did a lot of this

16:59

with the comedy. Once

17:03

I gave it up to God, I had

17:06

no more involvement in what I was doing or not doing.

17:08

I went into theater and

17:10

studying theater because I wanted to have

17:13

a voice, right? And

17:15

that's why this show is also so

17:17

important, being a black woman and understanding

17:19

that sometimes that limits the amount of

17:21

times people want to hear you, right?

17:24

Or think you're too loud because they don't want to hear you the

17:26

first day in place. And then

17:28

realize that I was putting myself into a

17:30

situation where I was going to even be

17:32

more marginalized through theater. I

17:35

remember my senior year we did Shakespeare

17:38

at the Dance as a collaboration

17:40

of different Shakespeare pieces. And

17:42

every character has a through line

17:44

through each of these plays

17:47

that are coming together. And then I

17:49

realized that my through

17:51

line was in every scene

17:54

I was the maid,

17:56

the bed wind, your sleigh.

17:59

I was always there. I was playing all these sort of like... And

18:02

then I was like, this is crazy because I want to

18:04

be a legitimate actress. I want to be able to be

18:06

considered for the lead. I want to be... And then in

18:08

comedy, I don't have to do any of that. Yeah.

18:11

Because once you get beyond the audience and

18:14

whatever their perception is of you, you get

18:16

to determine who you are through growth. And

18:18

this is who I'm representing. And I am

18:20

the star of this thing, because this is

18:22

my life, but also it connects with you

18:24

in some kind of way. So in a

18:26

way that they will never let me relate

18:28

to humanity as an actress, I

18:32

can relate to humanity as a comedian. That's

18:35

strong. That's strong. And

18:38

I mean, to have that realization, I mean, first of

18:40

all, that's tough. I mean, just

18:43

to like, in

18:45

real time, see yourself be pigeon-holed

18:49

in a space where it's like, this

18:52

is about the craft, this is about

18:54

learning and executing and just getting good.

18:56

And even in this space, I'm being

18:58

confined to a, you know, to

19:01

a section or

19:03

a tier where that's not why I'm here. I'm

19:05

here to progress and do more and just try

19:09

my best to become the amazing

19:11

actress that I know that I'm capable of being. But

19:14

in comedy, okay, everything happens for a reason. Like you say,

19:16

some things are destined, some things are ordained, right?

19:20

You fall in love with it. It is

19:22

now what you are doing and have

19:25

done for 20 plus years. Yes?

19:28

Yes, yes. You said 25, correct? Yeah.

19:32

That's strong. That's strong.

19:35

And it's, you

19:38

know, you grow in this business

19:41

and then there's a level of different

19:43

like aspects of you that come

19:46

out evolve. And I had to

19:48

shed a lot of like the, you

19:51

know, suburban Christian girl was raised to

19:53

be and stop trying to

19:55

be certain things for people to understand.

19:58

I remember I was going through a whole stint.

20:00

where it was like, my grandma

20:02

was like, well, don't forget, you have to let people

20:04

know that you're smart and that you have

20:06

an education because they're going to think you're

20:08

just stupid and you get

20:10

up and you ain't got this on, big girl,

20:12

how they think about big girl, make sure

20:14

you change your panties at least

20:16

twice a day. And you know what I'm

20:19

saying? Because if you get hit by a car, when you go

20:21

outside and your panties got messed up, they're

20:23

going to be like, look at her grandmother, didn't tell her how

20:25

to wash them and be the panties. So

20:27

she would tell me things like that.

20:29

And then I think she would change

20:31

your drawers twice a day. Well, you

20:33

know you got to change where your big girls got

20:36

to change their panties a couple of times. They

20:38

got to change their panties. I never knew that. Yeah.

20:40

I never knew that. OK. I understand. And some of

20:42

these skinny girls' choirs kept, they need to change their

20:44

panties too. Don't get comfortable because you're skinny. She's

20:47

talking about you're going to put some loomie

20:49

on. Loomie's not for you. You need to

20:52

get some deodorant, soap, scrub, loomie

20:54

for them white women and whatever little light scent

20:56

they got going on because they always got Juniper

20:58

in their panties and shit. But if you a

21:01

black woman, you got that 4C hair

21:03

down there, you got to really get

21:05

going with some bad, just soak just a

21:07

little bit. There ain't nothing wrong with soaking. You

21:10

say it's got to marinate. Yeah,

21:13

you got to marinate. But

21:15

baste it in a nice, like, I'm 45

21:17

now. I'll marinate

21:19

it. But it ain't overcooked.

21:22

You just make sure you change the juice out. Every now and

21:25

then you just take, you know how you scoop

21:27

the juice in, you put the old juice and

21:29

new juice in a little seasoning? Yeah, baste it

21:31

with a little something. And if you got

21:33

a real problem, it's time for you to go straight

21:35

to the doctor. You're not supposed to be down there

21:37

smelling like a hunter. You see what I'm saying? Or

21:40

go get your Amazon got vaginal suppositories for

21:43

about 20 bucks and get a pack

21:45

of 20. And get,

21:47

you know, all you need is a week just to clean

21:49

your vagina out. Oh,

21:51

God. What was I talking about? I mean,

21:53

listen, if this is what all the topic

21:56

is, I'm in. If this is

21:58

what it is. That's what it is. I'm

22:00

in. I got ADHD. This is exactly

22:02

what it is. I'm in. If this

22:04

is the world of what off topic

22:07

will present, I am in. And

22:09

by the way, these are the things that should be on topic.

22:12

So as you're talking about it, it's on

22:14

topic. We were talking about you. We were

22:16

talking about 25 years of comedy. And

22:19

we were just talking about you being in the game

22:22

that long. Now I want to say, of course, comedy

22:24

opens up other doors. And it's crazy how it works.

22:26

Right now, of course, you do have your show, which

22:28

is going to start on June 4th. It's called Off

22:30

Topic. And

22:33

we're excited about that. But

22:35

life goes full circle. So at

22:37

some point, you are going to

22:40

get back and have

22:43

these acting opportunities like you've had. I

22:45

went down a list of shows that you've been in

22:48

and that you've done, that you worked on, acted in,

22:50

wrote, et cetera. But

22:52

it's like, is the bug still there

22:54

for the higher side of acting for

22:57

you? Are you in love with the comedy and

22:59

just the comedy? Or is there a want for

23:01

more in that stage, in that space? Well,

23:04

I'll say this. Number one,

23:06

not one role on my

23:08

acting resume did anybody want me

23:11

for that role. Not one. Not

23:13

one. I mean, Flatbush,

23:16

I did that as a pilot. I

23:19

just came in like a stone cold.

23:22

I had to make a baby blanket and

23:24

I didn't stop knitting while I did the

23:26

scene. It

23:28

was just insane. And then they were like, oh, this is great.

23:30

And then I came in with that, even with Life

23:32

and Beth. I thought I had it. I didn't have it.

23:35

And then I had it. I didn't have it. Nothing

23:38

I don't go for anything. I just be

23:40

like, God, just go, whatever. I'm

23:43

enjoying life. That was crazy. I'm

23:46

enjoying not even the hustle when I was

23:48

doing open mics and two drink minimums.

23:51

I'm enjoying all of it. Wherever it leads me,

23:53

it leads me. I still get to act.

23:57

I still get to act. Because when you go on

23:59

stage, you... are giving a sort of extroverted

24:02

version of yourself, of all

24:04

the things that you don't

24:06

say, all of these thoughts, the

24:09

vulnerability, or at least I do,

24:11

I don't shy away from things.

24:13

Whatever goes into my head and I want

24:15

to say it, I say it, and I think

24:17

sometimes that's why people think things with

24:20

me are crass or hard. It

24:23

really isn't. It

24:25

is as with love

24:27

and compassion that I

24:30

can give these things that I think we need

24:32

to talk about, but also if I can

24:34

give it to you in a theatrical way or in

24:37

a way that is palatable for you

24:39

or fun for you and I, then

24:41

even more better. Because I'm not here to

24:43

be a politician. I'm not, unfortunately, my grandmother

24:46

wanted me to be a minister. I'm not

24:48

here to be a minister like that. I'm

24:51

here to be a minister like this. More

24:53

Gold Lines with Kevin Hart after

24:56

this. For those who

24:58

embrace the impossible, the Defender 110 is up

25:00

for the adventure. This iconic vehicle has been

25:02

redefined with a modern design that lets you

25:05

go further and do more. The

25:07

exterior is reimagined with compelling

25:09

proportions and precise detailing, complemented

25:12

by an interior built with integrity.

25:14

The Defender capability is legendary. Whether

25:16

you're facing off-road challenges or harsh

25:18

weather conditions, its durability has been

25:20

tested to the extreme. Powerful

25:23

innovations like the intuitive driver display

25:25

and award-winning infotainment system keep you

25:28

connected. Innovative camera technologies

25:30

deliver unobstructed views and effortless

25:32

maneuvering. And robust cargo capacity

25:34

means more room for your gear. Ready

25:37

for a wide range of adventures, the Defender

25:39

family features the two-door Defender 90,

25:42

the Defender 110, and the Defender 130, which

25:44

seats up to eight. To drive

25:46

the Defender is to explore with greater confidence.

25:48

Push what's possible with a vehicle made to

25:51

go further. The Defender 110. Learn

25:54

more at landroverusa.com/Defender.

26:03

Now back to gold mines with

26:05

host Kevin Hart. I

26:09

like the clear understanding that you have for yourself. That's

26:12

what I really like. I like like you're

26:14

so you're just very

26:16

much aware of who

26:18

and what you are and

26:20

where you are in

26:24

this particular time. Like

26:26

you're very much present and it's

26:28

clear. It's because I'm 45.

26:30

Kevin, I don't mean to

26:32

cut you off because I still need to work here. The

26:35

reality is I started

26:37

stand up as 16 and

26:40

from that time I stayed

26:43

on the bench. Do you understand

26:45

that? How many

26:47

people, listen, I thank

26:49

God every day that I got a phone

26:51

call from you, I told my mom not to call me no more

26:53

because she ain't on the level. You understand? But

26:56

when I go through my phone

26:58

and I look at my phone list,

27:01

the amount of big name

27:03

comics and people in the business and

27:05

executives that are in my phone, I am

27:08

blessed. But I have not

27:10

had opportunities to move and

27:12

I go, why God, I'm

27:14

funny. Why not me? And

27:17

you have to get through all of that to get

27:19

to this place where it's like, you know,

27:21

all that time I'm wasting going now, why not me?

27:23

I could just be enjoying that time and

27:25

I'm respected by my peers in

27:27

comedy. That's what I appreciate

27:30

more. When people say, oh, you're a comics

27:32

comic. Yeah, I like being a comic that

27:34

when I know comics don't even like to

27:36

watch each other, people put their

27:38

shit down to come and vibe with me. You

27:41

understand? And so I have already

27:44

done something that's so great in my life and let

27:46

me reflect on that. Now, does

27:48

that pay the bills all the time? No. You

27:52

see? But we got to find joy

27:54

where we can. And this is about

27:56

as positive as I am because again, you

27:58

know, Kevin, I know you get up Okay.

30:00

I'm really, like, when I like

30:02

people, and I have a very small friend

30:05

base, but the

30:08

friends that are my friends, I'm like,

30:10

can we spend time together? Come over,

30:12

let's watch a movie. Oh, I

30:14

made you something to eat. Let's go for a

30:16

walk. And so, and a lot of those scenarios

30:19

with my friends, we never kind of get

30:21

to the point where it has to be

30:23

like, listen, girl, you need to, because we're

30:25

already talking so much and

30:27

going through the process of life. I think I had

30:29

to also learn not to be a toxic

30:32

friend and receive toxic friends.

30:34

I've had- What does

30:36

that mean? Define that for me.

30:38

I've had relationships that,

30:41

friendships that felt like toxic

30:43

relationships. And it would

30:45

be with someone who may also be codependent.

30:50

We're trading

30:52

off, you know, your

30:55

demon is this, my demon is that. And

30:57

then we kind of cohabitating

31:00

to hold each other's demons,

31:02

but it doesn't really work because we don't really

31:04

like each other. You know what I mean? We

31:06

just in trauma together. So,

31:08

you know, I've had relationships like that that I

31:10

had to, you know, to shake off. But

31:13

I love being a friend. I love when people

31:15

want to be my friend, but I know now

31:17

as I'm older, not everybody can be my friend

31:19

and I can't be everybody's friend. Okay.

31:22

Okay. I mean, I think that makes sense. That comes with growth,

31:25

right? You have to cut the access off to

31:27

you. Cause

31:29

if everybody occupies as much as they

31:31

possibly can, you find yourself overwhelmed and

31:34

at a point where it's just too much. I'm

31:37

a firm believer in that. I'm a firm, firm

31:39

believer in that. What kind of friend are you Kevin? I'm

31:42

an amazing friend. Of

31:45

course you're an amazing friend. Well, you like

31:47

the supporter? Are you like the needy

31:50

friend? I am very much a

31:53

supporting friend. And

31:56

I feel like my

31:59

circle is very small. I

44:00

read it, you were like, this is what I want. I

44:03

mean, I definitely wanted to be Bette

44:05

Midler. Like, definitely.

44:07

Cause I liked the fact that she

44:09

was able to be funny and sing

44:11

and do all these levels from the

44:14

stage. And, you

44:17

know, I always wanted to incorporate that

44:19

somehow. Sing, dance, acting, all of that.

44:23

Carol Burnett, you know, I

44:25

grew up watching, you know,

44:28

Carol Burnett and, you

44:30

know, seeing all the careers that she

44:32

sort of spawned from mama's family and

44:34

all these things. And then,

44:36

you know, it's, listen,

44:40

my grandmother knew I wanted to be in

44:42

the business somehow. And she would, you know,

44:44

we'd watch Dolomite, even though we weren't

44:46

supposed to, you know, cause she was like, well, you trying to

44:48

do the little acting and stuff, you need to watch this. And

44:51

so I, you know, inappropriately

44:55

know Dolomite and there was

44:57

a swag there that

44:59

I think got confused

45:01

with the pimp of it

45:04

all and the raunchiness of it all.

45:06

Because way underneath all of

45:08

that was a substance of

45:11

how a hustler moves.

45:15

So I bring, I bring a, I try to bring a

45:17

little bit of that swag in and

45:19

all my skills from like, you know,

45:21

theater, you know,

45:23

Delores, you know, there's so many

45:25

people that, you know, I could

45:29

say added to like just watching

45:31

them and watching how they moved

45:33

and, you know, yeah,

45:36

I have a lot of respect for the generation, my

45:39

grandparents' generation actually of talent.

45:43

I love it. I love it. Now,

45:45

before we go, the world needs to

45:47

know from you why

45:49

watching off topic should be a

45:51

priority. Why it should be a

45:53

choice that they should not hesitate

45:55

to make and why your

45:58

show is separate from. other shows. You

46:01

got the wheel. Thank you. Let

46:03

me tell the monkey to get in the passenger seat

46:05

so I can drive. I uh

46:12

you would be remissed if you didn't come

46:15

to off-topic. Here's

46:17

the thing we can talk about a thousand things that

46:20

are happening in news. Everybody gonna talk about it the

46:22

same way. I'm gonna find something

46:24

you didn't think about and then we gonna

46:26

talk about that and we're gonna get to

46:28

the nitty-gritty. I'm not here to I want

46:30

you to love the show. I want you to feel like

46:32

a safe space but I'm here to tell you the real

46:34

deal. We're pulling back all the layers like

46:37

an onion. An onion.

46:39

I want you to be stanky and

46:41

onion-y when you leave off-topic

46:43

and go oh let

46:45

me go get me a vaginal suppository and a

46:47

bath. Remember

46:51

when you have four C here and you're under way

46:53

you need to bathe

46:57

once a day and

46:59

change your panties out. Top

47:01

of the morning and top of the night. Tell

47:04

them who you are. You gotta give the rabbit

47:06

up. You gotta go. You gotta put your name

47:08

in there too. You can't just give them. Well

47:10

if you know another Yamanika please tell me okay

47:13

because I need to sue the bitch because what you do

47:15

with my name all right but

47:17

it is Yamanika. Yamanika Saunders.

47:19

Don't don't let

47:21

the shit fool you. I am as

47:24

sweet as it can get but these words coming

47:26

out of my mouth are not gonna wait for

47:28

nobody so you better come catch

47:30

them okay every Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday

47:32

is gonna be the hottest time you've

47:34

ever had. You want to turn it

47:36

down in your offices cuz I'm

47:38

gonna get you fired. Well

47:41

does it get better than that people?

47:43

You heard it from the sources mouth

47:45

Yamanika. Off topic it's

47:47

going down June 4th. We will

47:49

be hitting you hard and I

47:52

cannot wait. One of

47:54

the amazing conversation this was because of the

47:56

amazing person I got to talk to. It's

47:58

nothing better than talking. It makes me laugh.

48:01

I hope that it makes you laugh. More importantly,

48:03

I hope that you got some gold. Because that's

48:05

what we do here. We drop gems. Not for

48:07

me, but for you. This is Gold Minds.

48:10

God damn it. I'll see you next

48:12

time. It just gets better. Engineered

48:30

by Danny Sellers.