NARRATOR: From New York City, the only city in America,
it's the show that invented news.
This is The Daily Show with your host, DL Hughley.
[theme music]
Hey, what's going on everybody.
How are you?
Welcome to The Daily Show.
I am-- I love you right back.
I love you like a rock.
And that's hard, dammit.
I'm DL Hughley, and this is the very first
day of Black History Month.
[audience cheering]
White people never quite know what to do.
Oops.
I'm sorry it's not longer.
This is crazy.
I think it's cold out there.
It should be illegal to be this cold on the first day
of Black History Month.
I don't even think Black History Month is in February
because it's the shortest.
I think it's because it's the coldest.
That's why.
Ain't no way in hell they gonna march in February.
I know that.
You can have voters rights in May.
That's-- all right, we have a lot to talk about.
So we're going to get to the headlines.
[music playing]
In big news today, a very, very famous quarterback--
a legendary quarterback, Tom Brady,
said that he is retiring for good.
[laughter and applause]
He should have a sandwich, though, because he's
retiring for good again.
This dude retires more than Cher.
I'm like-- but, of course, he's still breaking records.
Not only is he the oldest quarterback in the NFL,
now he's going to be the youngest retiree in Florida.
I can't wait to see Tom Brady riding around on a golf
cart in the Villages.
It's going to be hilarious.
And here's some very good news for fans of casual sex.
Colleges around the country are starting
to install vending machines that sell the Plan B
emergency contraception pill.
[applause]
I mean, I don't think you should rely on a vending
machine for your Plan B. I mean, by the time
you find those couple of quarters,
the baby is going to be born.
[laughs] Dad.
Dad, why do you call me Doritos?
Because that's what dropped out instead of the pill.
[laughter]
Now go find your brother, Cool Ranch, and get the car.
And then some other news.
Of course, the Memorial service for Tyre Nichols
was held today.
There were a lot of things that were
interesting about the funeral, but there was something
that was slightly different.
MALE REPORTER: An emotional farewell
in Memphis, Tennessee.
That's where hundreds of people gathered this afternoon
for the funeral service for Tyre
Nichols, who was remembered as a loving brother, son,
and father.
FEMALE REPORTER: And this was also
a call for justice with Vice President Harris
and the Reverend Al Sharpton pledging
to get policing reform passed.
That is right.
It is the very first time in history
that a president or vice president that have
attended the funeral of a Black person
that was slain by the police.
So not even Obama.
He didn't go either.
So he sang a lot of--
Amazing Grace a lot of times, but not by people
that were killed--
Black people that were killed by the police.
But Kamala went, and I'm very proud.
I'm happy she showed up in Black mode not in cop
mode because--
I mean, she was a district attorney.
And that could have been a sting operation.
You know, they tell you you got a free TV,
but you're just behind in child support,
so you go to jail for-- never mind.
I'm--
[laughter]
I would have liked to see Mike Pence go to a Black funeral.
That would have been funny as hell.
Jahim, is it?
I'm sorry about your loss.
Where's my wallet?
Oh, those are classified documents.
I'm sorry. That's not that.
[laughter and applause]
But, seriously, there is a good reason to have
a Black vice president.
If you're not going to do anything about police reform,
at least you can have somebody that goes to those funerals.
But here is a crime story that is captivating the nation.
Somebody is [bleep] with animals.
Now to some good news overnight about two monkeys
that went missing from the Dallas Zoo.
They have been found, but police
are still looking for the person
who apparently took them.
MALE REPORTER: This morning, mystery at the Dallas Zoo.
Two missing emperor tamarin monkeys
found in the closet of an abandoned home
the latest in a string of suspicious incidents.
Dallas police telling ABC News they received a tip directing
them to the monkey's location.
Authorities say they're also trying to determine
if several incidents at the zoo last month,
including an escaped leopard and a suspicious death
of an endangered vulture, are connected in any way.
And it's that unknown keeping zoo officials cautious.
Those monkeys look like Civil War reenactors, don't they?
I mean--
[laughter]
Who snitched on the monkeys?
I don't understand that.
They look like Civil War reenactors.
Dear Clarabell, the war drags on.
[laughter]
My fondest wishes until the day we meet again.
But they actually found the monkeys
because somebody next door heard a suspicious noise
and called the cops.
So even monkeys got Karens.
It's crazy.
And they found these monkeys very fast.
They found them faster than they find most people.
So if I ever go missing, don't tell them I'm me.
Tell them I'm a panda.
I'm not-- here is my question.
How is the zoo going to accuse anyone
else of stealing a monkey?
Where the hell did you get the monkey from?
[laughter and applause]
For more on this kidnapping, we turn to Michael Costa, who is
at the Dallas Zoo right now.
Hey, Mike.
[applause]
Michael, why the hell are you dressed like that?
Well, because I'm a professional, DL.
I wanted to see who's been stealing the animals,
so I went undercover as a monkey
and I infiltrated the zoo.
I spent $20,000 on this disguise.
You wasted your money.
That disguise is shitty.
I can't believe the zookeepers, they haven't noticed you.
Well, I don't know if you've been paying attention
to this story, but the zookeepers here aren't exactly
the best and the brightest.
They asked me if I was a monkey and I said yes,
and that was good enough for them.
[laughter]
All right, so how is the undercover operation going?
Not great.
I've been here a week, but I haven't seen any kidnappers.
Even worse, one of the monkeys has
been trying to mate with me.
I've been going along with it to keep my cover,
but now it's getting pretty serious.
I mean, she wants me to groom her back.
And that's a big commitment in the monkey kingdom.
Now I'm flattered, but I want to keep my options open.
There's a lot of hot monkeys in here.
Hey, Michael, why don't you get the hell out of here?
Just tell the zoo guards who you
are, and they're going to-- and that you want to leave.
I can't, DL.
I'm a professional journalist.
And I won't rest until I figure out who the kidnapper is.
Plus, I want to stay for lunch.
We're getting grapes today. So--
[monkey screeching]
What?
OK.
Sorry, DL, I got to go.
Lucy's getting jealous.
So-- he's just a friend.
I'm allowed to have friends.
[monkey screeching]
Baby, come on.
Don't be like that.
I mean, this is-- what are you going to--
All right, best of luck in your new relationship,
Michael Costa.
Michael Costa, everybody.
When we come back, I am going to find out
how you are celebrating Black History Month.
You don't want to go away.
[applause]
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
I was telling you that this is the very first
day of Black History Month.
So I thought I'd hit the streets
to ask Black and white people how they were celebrating.
As we enter yet another Black History Month,
we thought it was important to connect with people
and to find out what their idea of Black History was.
And nothing says Black history like Hollywood Boulevard.
Actually, it's the closest that the crew would come to Martin
Luther King Boulevard, so--
[music playing]
How are you?
I'm doing good.
It's Black History Month.
Absolutely.
What excites you the most about it?
I think it's an opportunity we can celebrate ourselves,
our contributions as a people.
Like, it makes me feel good.
I love Black History Month.
What do you love about it?
Our kids are getting more educated.
Not in Florida, though.
Well, I don't know about Florida.
Nobody does.
What do you know about Black history?
I'm a tourist, so I don't know much,
but I respect everyone.
I like white, Black, Brown.
Everyone I love.
I know, but they already had their turn.
It's our turn now.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
- Celebration. - A celebration.
Are there any Black people you'd like to celebrate?
Martin Lawrence.
Martin-- out of all the Black people in the world.
I mean, I love--
Black History Month.
Yes.
You excited?
It'll be my first.
It's your first Black History Month?
- Yeah. - How long have you been Black?
[laughs] But we don't do it in South Africa.
Oh, you don't do it in South Africa?
What's the blackest thing you've ever done?
I think when we have guests over
and I don't want to share our food,
we just all go hungry until they leave.
What's the blackest thing you've ever done?
- Eat chitlins. - Oh, man.
I put a cereal in a Glad bag so I
can keep it from the roaches.
Because if the roach ate it first,
I damn sure ain't going to eat it.
That's so Black I'm embarrassed.
Every time I go to a new city,
I like to go to the grocery store.
- Right. - I'll stop.
I'll get some watermelon and some chicken.
And I'll see if they'll say something
to me at the register.
Has anybody ever?
Don't go to Mississippi.
Have you ever been denied a loan?
No, I haven't.
No?
That's probably the whitest thing you've ever done.
What is the whitest thing you've ever done?
Went surfing.
You didn't-- shut up.
And how did that work out?
Oh, not very good.
What is the whitest thing you've ever done?
Improv.
Pay my taxes.
Mayonnaise.
Can you name any of the members of the Wu-tang Clan?
No, I can't.
Do you know any other words, to the Black national anthem?
That's messed up, but I don't.
Do you know any of the words to the Black national anthem?
I know to stand up.
Even if you don't know the words.
I don't know the words.
You gonna be respectful.
Can you name in any member of the Wu-Tang Clan?
No.
Have you ever been late somewhere?
Heck no.
I'm very punctual.
That's pretty white.
I know.
Do you think Kanye should be forgiven?
I think yeah.
He just-- he needs help.
OK.
Do any of the members of the Wu-Tang Clan?
No. I don't know.
That's messed up.
You gonna to take my card from me right now.
Give it here. Give it here.
Do you know any of the words to the Black national anthem?
No.
Do you know any of the members of the Wu-Tang Clan?
- I do. - Who?
Ghostface Killah, Raekwon.
You got GZA, RZA.
My [bleep]. My [bleep].
That's it.
What is the blackest thing you've ever done?
I went to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle.
Yeah.
What is the blackest thing you've ever done?
Oh, damn.
That's pretty Black right there.
Yeah.
Do you follow anybody on Black Twitter?
I don't have a Black Twitter.
Smoke weed.
I was in a hip-hop group in high school.
No, you weren't.
I was.
What was your name in the group?
Big and Tasty.
Give me something.
Look at me, look at me, look at me.
Bread chasing like a bakery.
Like, I don't know.
I like that.
What is the blackest thing you've ever done?
That's a racist question.
Of course.
Of course it is.
[laughs] What is the blackest thing you've ever done?
Talking to you.
[laughs]
[applause]
All right, stay tuned because when we come back,
Domonique Foxworth will be joining me on the show.
You don't want to miss that.
[applause]
[cheering]
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is a former NFL
player and the president of the NFL Players Association.
He is now a writer and a commentator.
Please welcome Domonique Foxworth.
[applause]
[cheering]
[music playing]
Happy, Happy Black History Month.
Oh, Happy Black History month to you, too.
I appreciate all the white people celebrating.
They don't know who I am, but they clap for me anyway.
Oh, no.
They both think we're in the NFL.
You know what's interesting, it is
Black History Month, and the first day Tom Brady
announces his retirement.
Oh, gosh, yeah, I mean, and on the day,
or leading up to the Super Bowl--
Right.
--first two Black quarterbacks
in the Super Bowl ever.
And we also had.
[applause]
We also had over the weekend, what
I believe to be the Blackest moment in playoff history.
I don't know if you saw Patrick Mahomes' Daddy
on the sideline, Patrick Lavon Mahomes' Daddy
on the sideline.
Oh, I loved it.
It sounded so much like my Black uncles, it was.
When you say, his middle name?
Oh, Lavon.
Then it's going to be Black.
Oh, yeah, it was the familiar din of a Black uncle.
It was it was.
It sounded like a like a leather baseball cap and--
It's the Blackest Super Bowl ever!
Oh, oh.
So good.
That's the kind of dude come over, you hide the jewelry.
Said, I'm not going on that Joe Burrow.
Sounded just like my uncle.
But it is, it's historic, two Black quarterbacks
starting for the first time.
What does that mean to you?
You're a former player, what does that mean to you?
I mean, I think it represents,
I hate the word progress, but it does kind
of represent some progress.
I mean, there's lots of other things in the NFL
and in the world, frankly, that we need to work towards.
But one thing that we've had to finally accept,
is Black quarterbacks are perfect leaders,
perfect quarterbacks, and--
The problem was that they didn't think
they had the intelligence.
[applause]
I think it's one, about the intelligence.
And the leadership.
And also, and the leadership, and it's also
about y'all, like frankly.
It's about what the quarterback represents on the football
team is something that white people and America in general
were never comfortable with seeing
a Black person represent that.
So it's been great to see.
Not only have so many successful Black quarterbacks,
and we saw even some quarterbacks
that are Black that aren't good,
which is showing progress too.
We could be just as shitty as you guys.
I mean, that is progress.
But the most like exciting thing about it,
is the future of the league, the best
quarterback that I think any of us
have ever seen is Patrick Mahomes.
I think, I've never seen anybody be
able to do the things he does.
Now, you got to, of course, you got
to be great over a long period of time,
because there are people who started out that way.
I thought what Cam Newton was doing was remarkable.
And then you see what happens.
It's interesting, because we talk about football,
and there's a marked difference between the way
players in the NFL are treated and the way players in the NBA
are treated.
And I think primarily, it is the ownership.
I think that the ownership in the NFL
has a decidedly different view of their commodity
than the NBA does.
Like, you would never see an NFL, NBA owner
talk to a major star like NFL.
If somebody talked to LeBron James
like they talk to some of these stars, it would be over.
Yeah, I mean, LeBron James has a disproportionate amount
of power.
But like, singling out the NFL and trust me,
I'm not going to be up here defending the NFL,
but the NFL exists in our society.
And frankly, NFL is no different
than any other workplace.
Absolutely, right.
And so like the hierarchy that exists in the NFL,
it's like it's going to be Blacker at the bottom,
or minorities at the bottom.
And you go up higher and higher and there's less risk,
there's less danger, there's less injury,
there's less pain, but there's more money,
there's more success, there's more protection.
And that's like, that's true in the NFL.
And frankly, that's true in the NBA.
That's true-- - Everywhere.
Everywhere that's y'all work, it's true.
It's true in this building.
Sorry, they may not have me back.
- Not in this building. - Yeah, yeah, OK.
Not today.
Yeah, not today.
It's interesting, because we watched,
when I watch what happened to Hamlin on the field,
I was personally like, like, because I watch football
a very long time, and I'm sure you've seen a lot of injuries.
I don't know that I've ever seen anything like that.
Yeah.
And the way that the players reacted, it was hurtful.
I mean, obviously, you were sad that somebody
was suffering there, but it was such a beautiful human moment.
Because the NFL got to be human.
Yeah.
Like the coaches, were like, we ain't playing this game.
And the owners are like, yes, you are.
Exactly.
So you got to see men that just were empathic
and just men who were crying and praying.
And not because they won or they
lost, because they were praying for somebody who was in need.
I played for, I played a long time.
I was in a game where a player got paralyzed on the field
and he was taken off.
We waited five minutes, warmed up, and played again.
All right.
I played in a preseason game where a player died
in the locker room afterwards.
Like, I've been around some ugly parts of football.
But to your point, I've never seen anything like--
What do you think was different about that?
That particular play, his heart stopped on the field.
I mean, but we've seen people pass out,
we've seen people have, but there was something different
about that that made, because I didn't think
it was all that bad at first.
Right, none of us did.
Hell, I passed out during COVID, so.
But there was the way, because I think that people are used
to certain types of injuries or seeing
certain types of things, but that scared everybody.
Yeah, the reaction from the players
really like scared all of us.
And I think this all goes back to the original conversation
that we were having about like American culture
and the hierarchy that exists is, you show up
at those games as a player, and you
know that there is no limit to the risk that you're taking.
- Right. - Awful things can happen.
Why would you do it, though?
Well, you do it because you grow up,
so when you were a kid and you want to play football,
you decide before you're like of clear mind.
And then you show a propensity for it.
And people just keep pushing you along,
keep pushing you along.
And nothing's wrong with that.
And frankly, when I came up, we were unaware of the CTE stuff.
That came out while I was in the league.
Would that have changed your mind?
I like to think it would, but I doubt that it would.
And to be honest with you, I don't begrudge
any of the players now for participating
in a game knowing the risks that it takes.
The thing that frustrates me, is
there is a cap on the amount of money
they can make, on the amount of like health care
they can receive.
The league negotiates for a cap on that.
But on the other side, the owners,
the coaches, the general managers, there's no cap on--
But that's up to the players really,
because there's a sense that if NFL players didn't play,
that shit would be rugby.
Right, yeah.
And I think the goal is to make you pretend
like you don't have a choice or believe
you don't have a choice.
You go to some of the finest institutions of higher
learning on the face of the Earth, you went to Harvard,
you're a very bright man.
But to make you believe that you're beholden to a thing
because in your mind, it's the biggest game in town.
So, I agree, and I understand.
So to be clear, I went to Harvard Business School.
I'm a Terp through and through, first of all.
But the first--
He's down playing Harvard.
Yeah, man.
I know somebody went to the New School.
Let me tell you--
[cheering]
I would say that, quality call back.
Harvard is no New School, let me tell you that.
Quality callback.
Now, I would say that I get your point.
And I'm sorry to sound like a broken record,
but like we all exist in this society.
And I think the players as a whole, solidarity is power.
Absolutely.
If they stop playing, you can get what you want.
And all of us can get the things that we
want if we band together.
But the challenging thing about negotiating with the owners,
it's the same thing that we all face,
is trying to change a system that's entrenched.
The people who are already in power in that situation.
So if you are to strike if you're a player, if you're
a group of players to get what you want,
that's essentially a war of attrition.
The Commanders, the Washington Football Team, it's reported
going to sell for $8 billion.
Right.
How do players win a war of attrition against them?
And then you compound that by the fact
that we get pressure from everywhere.
Sure.
No one comes down, so rarely, I
think it's changing some now, but so rarely
do fans come down on the owners when there's an issue.
Not at all.
They mad at the players all the time.
Because that's the face, or they can't even see the face,
because they have a helmet on.
I think you guys have a tremendous amount of pressure
on you externally, because if you are an athlete,
people aspire to be.
And there's a amount of external pressure
that society from a civic perspective,
from a cultural perspective, from activism perspective.
And it's really important, because the only time
generally they see Black people would be running,
jumping, singing or dancing. - Yeah.
It really is.
It's the only time we have everybody's rapt attention.
And so how do you balance the fact
that you are a professional, you have commitments,
you have to, you're obligated to,
but you still have a commitment to making
things better for a community?
And so it's unfair, but that's life.
It's unfair that responsibility falls on Black players,
because it doesn't fall on white players.
Like, no one has this expectation of white players
to do the same thing.
But as Black players, they all know that that expectation
falls on them.
But I think Howard Bryant wrote a great book
called The Heritage, about the history
of activism and athletes.
And it's changed.
The position of the players and activism has changed.
And I think that it's incumbent on us
as spectators and people who care about it, to understand
that athletes aren't activists anymore
as much as they are like flashlights.
Right.
There are not entrenched in the fight
in the way that say Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was,
which is fine.
So when they get an opportunity and they
say, look over at Tyre Nichols, then it's our job to jump in.
Because we can't expect them to commit themselves
to being the best in the world, and then
also commit themselves to be on top
of the latest reading and the latest
like social justice strategy.
But it's really self-preservation.
Virtually every skill set that got you on that field will get
you, what makes you a hero on Sunday,
will make you a target on Monday.
If you're big, you're fast, you're strong,
and you're Black on Sunday, that's an attribute.
On the streets of this country, it is a detriment.
So it is self-preservation.
There's one, there's only one standard I have.
Do what you can to the best of your ability.
Do what you can for as long as you can for all that you can.
And I think that one thing I will say about you,
even if I got a chance to meet you,
I love how erudite you are.
I love how nuanced are.
Because most things aren't just black and white.
And I love how you don't just depend on your physicality.
You have never just depended on that.
But I hated how you played, you said, I went to, I'm a Terp!
Nobody would ever put Maryland above Harvard on any resume!
I would.
But it ain't no New school.
You've seen that there's a pretty broad continuum
of experience between the way the NFL was then
and it is now.
Are you more heartened or more disappointed
by the direction it's going?
Yeah, um, I think that's a tough question.
I think I am-- that's
Why I'm here, baby, come on now.
Yeah.
I think that it's not about the NFL.
And I'm guilty of this as much as anybody else,
is we think of the NFL as a single entity, which
like yeah, it's an institution, but the NFL
is made up of a bunch of different things.
And the most important entity in the NFL is the players.
And so that like gives me optimism, because I've never
been more impressed, more excited, more invigorated
by not only the talent, but the perspective and the engagement
of these players.
We talked about Patrick Mahomes and how he's the best
quarterback in football right now, and on a trajectory to be
one of the best of all time.
He spoke out.
He was one of the first faces in that video
about Colin Kaepernick.
And I know that Colin Kaepernick is not
back in the league, but the idea
that a Black quarterback who can obviously avoid
this conversation if he wants to, like that opportunity
is presented to him time and time again and he does not.
And that's an example to everyone else.
And players like Lamar Jackson, who
are willing to be outspoken and fight for players,
Like all of these players in the league.
And it's not just the Black players,
it's the white players also.
Like the league is in so much better
place because of the players.
And if only the players like really
understood it and appreciated it.
There's a vested interest in making
sure you don't realize it.
Everything you have, you have because somebody
that look like you sacrificed.
That's why you have it.
You want to lead the union?
I don't even pay my dues.
What would the, you're older now, you have a family,
you've been married, you've lived in various places,
you've seen the world.
What would the adult you tell the rookie
you, the wide-eyed youth, the wide-eyed kid
that walking freely, what would you tell you?
Have as much fun as you can.
Oh, no, that's a different conversation,
that's an off-camera conversation, my bad, my bad.
That's for when the cameras go off.
No, I think the most important
thing is to get as many different experiences
as possible.
And we are so focused and we're celebrating.
I did a bunch of ESPN stuff today
celebrating Tom Brady's career, and his career
deserves to be celebrated. - Absolutely.
It was great.
And part of the reason why it was so great,
was because it appeared to me that nothing
else was more important than football to him.
And that's fine, if you can be Tom Brady.
Not everybody can be Tom Brady.
And I know that having all these other experiences,
the tough thing about being a player in professional sports,
is your skills aren't applicable anywhere else.
No.
So if you don't hit that home run,
and this goes back to like the challenge for being a player
versus in the ownership class.
If you are a player and you play three to four years, then
the league minimum goes up and you're out
of the league and your experience, I mean,
sets you up to be a bouncer.
Like you are in a tough situation.
Right.
So like one of the things that I did, and I would
encourage all the players to do,
is get involved in the Union as much as possible.
Like, that helped open my mind to how
many other opportunities there were out there in the world.
Get involved in community things, obviously.
And also, like when you have time,
one of the things that we negotiated
was for a longer offseason.
Sure.
Use that off season to go do something else.
It'll make you a better football player,
it'll make you a better person, it'll make you
a better husband and father.
I just, I dig talking to you, but I'll tell you this.
I want you to understand this.
[applause]
I truly want you to understand this.
Most of the men who were on that football field
go to the finest institutions of higher
learning in the world.
It is not their physical attributes, it is their minds.
And when you understand that your mind is the most valuable
piece of real estate on the face of the Earth, they
can't beat you, they can't.
It is not your body.
Your body will fail you way before your mind does.
You are here not because of your physical,
you may think that because you hurt yourself you're here.
But your mind was ready.
And these, maybe I'm just, I got a GED, so who am I to say,
but if you go to college, drop by a class
every once in a while, you know what I'm saying?
It ain't got to be the New School, but it can be.
Domonique, Domonique Foxworth.
Be sure to check out his new podcast,
The Domonique Foxworth Show.
OK, we got to take a quick break
and we will be right back after this.
[applause]
Well, that is our show for evening.
But before we go, please consider supporting the Boris
Lawrence Henson Foundation, their nonprofit
that improves the mental health services
for Black communities.
Now if you want to support them in their work,
please donate to the link below.
Now here is your moment of zen.
The Empire State Building lit up in the Eagles colors.
What were you guys thinking?
I don't know why we're celebrating
Philadelphia in New York.
Go buy a building in Philly.
Light that up.
If the Red Sox win the World Series,
are we going to do Red Sox colors?
That's insane.
I was mind blown.
It was [imitates explosion]
MTV.