Hey, what's going on, everybody? I'm Trevor Noah,
and this is The Daily Social Distancing Show.
Today is March 17,
which means it's Saint Patrick's Day.
Yes. It's the day Irish people say,
"Kiss me, I'm Irish"
and people respond, "No, you're not,
Governor Cuomo. Stop that!"
And please remember we're still in a pandemic.
So, if you're gonna celebrate, do it safely
by puking on a stranger from at least six feet away.
Anyway, on tonight's show,
how to escape a Zoom meeting,
the gritty origin story of the filibuster,
and we're gonna talk about what happened in Atlanta.
So, let's do this, people.
Welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
? ?
ANNOUNCER: From Trevor's couch in New York City
to your couch somewhere in the world, this is
The Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah.
Let's kick things off with the Bible.
It's God's spicy, tell-all memoir.
And now, thanks to an amazing archaeological find,
we're learning more about some of the Bible's early drafts.
An amazing discovery now. In Israel,
ancient fragments of biblical text
dating back almost 2,000 years were just found.
NEWSMAN: An unprecedented survey of nearly 50 miles
of cliffside desert caves near the Dead Sea
led archaeologists to the so-called Cave of Horror
and the roughly 80 new pieces of biblical text.
NEWSMAN 2: It's called the Cave of Horror,
and it's easy to see why
given the only way for archaeologists to access it
is by rappelling down the side of a sheer cliff.
The scroll fragments are small,
some miniscule,
but big enough to still draw wisdom from
says Dr. Oren Ableman,
who reads one of the uncovered passages.
Uh, "These are the things you are to do.
"Speak the truth to one another,
"render true and perfect justice in your gates
and do not contrive evil against one another."
"Speak the truth
and do not contrive evil against one another."
Wow. That's really beautiful.
Though, I-I will admit,
I don't know if it was worth, you know,
rappelling down a sheer cliff into a Cave of Horrors for.
Like, if I'm going down into a cave,
I want to find a treasure chest or the secret to eternal life,
not a piece of paper that says "Don't lie."
I already knew that!
I mean, Barney taught me that. Come on.
But still, man, it's so amazing
how much wisdom there is from that era.
You know?
It actually makes me wonder
how future generations are gonna see us.
Because I don't think we're gonna be as profound to them.
We have no lessons to teach them.
"We have found a tweet from the ancients.
"It says, 'Boys be acting all tough,
"but then they want to snuggle after they bust.'
Let us build our society around this."
You know, what's also cool
is that they found something deep and meaningful.
You know, because a lot of random Bible verses
are pretty complicated.
If you find the wrong one,
it doesn't, like, actually mean anything on its own.
You know? "Abraham begat Isaac"
or "The length of the wall was 50 cubits"
or "Thou shalt not commit adultery.'
What does that even mean?
Moving on to technology news.
By now, we're all familiar with Zoom.
Very familiar with Zoom.
It's the only piece of new technology
that actually makes you prefer a phone call.
Because as useful as this app has been,
it's also been... Um, how should I put this?
Uh, a living nightmare? Yeah?
Which is why a lot of people
will be looking forward to this update.
A Brooklyn-based web developer has created a new tool
for people sick of sitting on Zoom calls.
He calls it the Zoom Escaper.
He says it allows you
to "make your presence unbearable to others
by sabotaging your audio stream."
The Escaper not only mimics technical issues
like delayed audio or echoes.
It can also recreate annoying background sounds
like crying babies and barking dogs.
That's right. There's a new version of Zoom
that has technical issues
and annoying background noise built in.
I mean, which I thought was just Zoom,
but still, this is a great idea.
An app that makes crying baby sounds
so that you can leave a meeting.
And, I mean, that's good news for all of us.
Except for any new parents out there,
because now you guys had a baby for nothing.
(laughs)
So, look, I think this new feature's
gonna be pretty popular.
I mean, it's definitely a better way
to get kicked off Zoom than how Jeffrey Toobin did it.
And it's much more believable
than my old tactic.
Oh, no, everybody.
I'm sinking in quicksand.
Ah, the quicksand.
Ah, see you guys Thursday.
(mumbling)
But let's move on now to our main story:
the filibuster.
And before you say,
"Oh, that is some boring Senate rule.
What the (bleep) does that have to do with me, Trevor?"
First of all, please do not curse on my show.
There's no need to be crude.
And secondly, it actually has to do
with pretty much everything right now.
Like, think of all the big issues
that President Biden wants to tackle.
Voter suppression, protecting unions,
immigration reform,
finding out who snitched on his dog Major.
Right now, Senate Republicans can block Joe Biden
from doing any of that stuff.
Which is why now Biden is saying
he wants to shake things up.
For the first time in his presidency,
President Biden is making the case
for not eliminating but reforming
the Senate, uh, legislative filibuster.
You've been reluctant to do away with the filibuster.
Aren't you gonna have to choose
between preserving the filibuster
-and advancing your agenda? -BIDEN: Yes.
But here's the choice.
I don't think you have to eliminate the filibuster.
You have to do it what it used to be
when I first got to the Senate back in the old days.
With a filibuster, you had to stand up and command the floor.
And you had to keep talking on.
So, you got to work for the filibuster.
So, you're for that reform.
You're for bringing back the talking filibuster.
I am. That's what it was supposed to be.
It almost is getting to the point where there's...
You know, democracy's having a hard time functioning.
That's right. Biden doesn't want to stop the filibuster entirely.
He just wants to slow it down.
Kind of like how they try and slow drivers down
with those little speed bumps that they installed
around my neighborhood's elementary school.
At least, I think those are speed bumps.
And this may seem like a small change,
but making things just a little more annoying
could actually make a big difference.
I mean, think about it. We buy stuff online
because we can get it in one click.
But when you actually have to go down to the store,
then all of a sudden, you're like,
"Man, where... Ah, I have to find my keys.
"You know what? I don't need that heart medicine.
I'll be fine."
But the question is how did the filibuster
become the legislation buster that it is today?
Well, let's find out in another episode
of If You Don't Know, Now You Know.
? ?
Let's start with the simplest explanation of the filibuster.
It's basically a loophole in the Senate rules
for blocking legislation because even though
you only need 51 votes to pass a bill,
you need 60 votes to stop the debate
over voting on that bill in the first place.
Which means as long as the minority party
can keep "debating,"
then the bill is basically dead.
And if you're wondering, "Why on earth
would the founding fathers put that in the Constitution?"
Well, they didn't.
The filibuster began as a historical accident.
It's not some great tradition in the Senate
that's protected by the Constitution.
It happened in 1805
after Aaron Burr suggested a rules change.
NEWSMAN: Aaron Burr, as vice president in the early 1800s,
was going over these rules of the Senate,
and he made a critical mistake.
He thought, "We don't really need a way
"to stop a debate, do we?
"I mean, there's just a few of us.
"Like, we will debate until we're done,
"till everyone's had their say.
How slow could the Senate really be?"
NEWSMAN 2: Nobody knew it at the time.
It'd be three more decades before the first filibuster
was actually mounted, but that was the moment
the Senate created the filibuster.
That's right. The filibuster
isn't in the Constitution.
It's just a rule that was made up
by that guy who shot Lin-Manuel Miranda.
And it didn't seen start out as a way to block legislation.
It was a way for the Senate to keep debate open,
not to debate for so long
that nobody could ever actually vote on a bill.
So, its original purpose is completely different
from what people decided to use it for later on.
It's insane.
It's sort of like how Facebook was invented
as a way to see which of your classmates were hot
and then years later became a way
to organize a lynch mob for Mike Pence.
Who, by the way, is hot.
And you might wonder why senators back then
would want to risk having an endless debate.
But don't forget, guys, in the 1800s,
there wasn't anything better to do.
I mean, it was either listen to Thaddeus talk about a bill
or take a bumpy carriage ride back to your plantation,
where a bunch of Black people
wanted to discuss their terms of employment.
You're probably gonna want to hear what Thaddeus has to say.
Either way, eventually, senators realized
that they could block legislation by debating forever.
And that could get pretty ridiculous,
because there was no rule on what counted as a debate.
So senators came up with all kinds of random ways
to fill that time, which led to moments like this.
NEWSMAN: Louisiana Democrat Huey Long
filibustered several bills.
In arguing against a bill,
he recited recipes for salad dressing
and discussed at length the best way to fry oysters.
His most famous filibuster was on June 12, 1935.
He was able to speak without stop
for 15 hours and 30 minutes.
Running out of things to say about the bill,
he offered to give advice on any subject someone requested.
Yep. In 1935,
this white dude rambled on about nothing
for over 15 hours,
and, somehow,
he gets zero credit for inventing the podcast.
So unfair.
But the Senate is crazy, man.
This guy got on the floor and talked for 15 hours
about oysters and salad dressing.
I mean, they should make it a rule
that you at least have to try to connect your speech
to the bill that you're supposed to be debating.
"I guarantee this salad dressing is delicious,
"but you know what doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth?
Letting women wear pants."
But, still, I'm not gonna lie,
it's impressive that he could talk for that long.
That shit is hard. I can't even think of 20 seconds
of stuff to talk about to a coworker in an elevator.
-(Muzak playing) -So, going to floor nine, huh?
(chuckles)
Yeah. How's this weather we're having?
So much weather.
(exhales)
I think I-I'm just gonna get out here.
(grunts)
-(thud) -I will say though, it makes sense
that senators are so good at filibustering,
because most of them are grandparents.
Don't forget that.
Visit your granddad
and see if he doesn't take three hours
to tell you a story that happened in 20 minutes.
"You're filibustering, Grandpa!"
But it wasn't until the late 1950s
that the filibuster started to become more common.
And what cause was so inspiring to senators at that time
that they just had to stand up and speak for hours?
Being racist.
NEWSMAN: For a few decades,
the filibuster was used but pretty sparingly.
Then the Senate starts to consider
civil rights legislation,
and Southern senators really hate this.
But they don't have the votes to actually defeat the bills,
so they start using the filibuster.
NEWSMAN 2: It became a tool that Southern senators used
to prevent the federal government
from intervening in racial segregation.
NEWSMAN 3: Perhaps the most famous one
was when South Carolina's Strom Thurmond
took the floor against the 1957 Civil Rights Act.
NEWSWOMAN: Thurmond notoriously read the phone book,
clocking in at more than 24 hours,
to try to block a 1957 civil rights bill.
How did you last 24 hours?
You never left the Senate floor.
I had gone down to the Senate bath
for three or four days beforehand
-and dried out my body. -In the sauna?
Yeah, so I wouldn't be tempted to go to the bathroom.
(both chuckle)
And so... and-and so I was able to do that.
(chuckles) Oh, Strom,
you are too much. (laughs)
And when I think about all those Black people
who suffered because of you.
(laughing)
(scream-laughing)
Yo, for real, man--
how gross was that story?
This guy dried out his body
to help him filibuster?
You know someone is committed to racism
when they're willing to jerky themselves for it.
And it really is amazing what humans can accomplish
when confronted with their worst fears.
Just as a mother will be able to lift a car
off of the ground to save her child,
a racist senator will suddenly be able
to speak for days at a time
only if it will stop a Black person from using his bathroom.
I mean, the filibuster was used
to block Black people so many times,
I'm surprised they never use it at nightclubs.
"Uh, uh-oh. A Black guy.
"Hey, before I let you in,
"have I ever told you about my salad dressing?
"Two tablespoons of lemon juice,
"a pinch of rosemary.
"And what you want to try and do is make sure the--
Okay, he's gone. All right."
Now, eventually, the Senate decided
that all of these talkathons
were slowing things down too much.
So, in 1975,
they made what they thought was a small adjustment to the rules.
Instead of having to speak,
a senator could just announce that they planned to speak.
And unless there were 60 votes to prevent them,
the filibuster would be considered successful.
And that actually worked for a while,
until two things happened:
America elected a Black president
and a Senate minority leader
who was willing to do anything to stop him.
NEWSMAN: The practice became an art form for Republicans
under Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
During the Obama years, McConnell impeded nominees
and legislation left and right--
he has the nickname "the Grim Reaper" for a reason.
NEWSMAN 2: Today, it's being used in a different way.
It's being used to, effectively, kill a measure, a bill,
a proposal that the minority really doesn't like.
NEWSMAN 3: In fact, there have been more filibusters
during Obama's time in office
than in the '50s, '60s, and '70s combined.
Over the entire history of the Senate,
before President Obama,
just 68 judicial and executive branch nominees were blocked
and required cloture, which ends a filibuster
and forces an up or down vote.
By contrast, 79 of President Obama's nominees
required cloture from 2009 to 2013 alone.
NEWSMAN 4: Republicans used the filibuster
against virtually every controversial bill
and nomination and some that weren't controversial at all.
Mitch McConnell has the devious distinction
of being the only sitting senator
that filibustered his own bill.
Goddamn.
Mitch McConnell loves to filibuster so much,
he filibustered his own bill.
And he had to get four ribs removed to be able to do it.
The man is sick.
But, yes, once Obama became president,
McConnell began filibustering everything.
Obama wanted to appoint a judge,
McConnell blocked it.
Obama wanted to pass a bill,
McConnell stopped him.
Obama wanted to watch something on Netflix,
McConnell hid the remote in his neck folds.
"Mah, I haven't seen it anywhere.
Mah, maybe you should read a book. Mah."
And once McConnell decided to block Obama's entire agenda,
that became the new precedent.
You know? When Democrats got the chance,
they blocked President Trump's agenda just as hard,
to the point where now practically every piece
of legislation in the Senate needs 60 votes to pass.
And that's why there's a movement
to get rid of the filibuster entirely.
Because it's not healthy for a democracy
if the losers can always block the winners
from passing their agenda.
Now, the Democrats don't have the votes right now
to kill the filibuster completely.
But based on Joe Biden's interview,
it seems like they may be willing
to make it more annoying again,
which won't stop filibusters from happening,
but at least we'll finally get to find out
what Mitch McConnell uses in his salad dressing.
"Eh, so what you want is the tears of poor people,
"mah, and then you want to grind it up
with oppression. Mah."
So, that's the filibuster.
And if you don't know, now you know.
All right, when we come back,
the multitalented Cynthia Erivo
will talk to me about portraying the Queen of Soul,
and we'll be chatting about what happened in Atlanta.
So stick around.
Welcome back to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
There's something else in the news
that we unfortunately have to talk about:
last night's horrific mass shooting in Georgia.
NEWSWOMAN: This morning, police are investigating
a string of deadly shootings
at three massage parlors in and around Atlanta.
In all, eight people were killed.
Officials say six of them are believed to be Asian women.
Police have arrested one suspect,
21-year-old Robert Aaron Long.
Officials are not releasing a motive,
but the shootings come at a time of increased hate crimes
targeting Asian Americans across the country.
In a statement, the group Stop AAPI Hate calls it
an unspeakable tragedy, writing,
"This latest attack will only exacerbate
"the fear and pain that the Asian American community
continues to endure."
It's worth noting, we-we talked about the motivation there
for a moment, um, that the suspect said
that it was not racially motivated,
that perhaps it had to do with some sexual addiction
and he was trying to take out, uh,
what he thought was the cause of that.
He does claim that it was not racially motivated.
He apparently has an issue,
uh, what he considers a-a sex addiction,
and sees these locations as something
that allows him to... to, um... to go to these places,
and... and it's a temptation that he wanted to eliminate.
He-He understood, um, the gravity of it.
And he was pretty much fed up,
and had been kind of at the end of his rope,
and, um... and yesterday was a really bad day for him.
And this is what he did.
This is truly horrifying.
Eight people dead, six of them Asian women.
And soon, we'll learn all about them and who they were in life,
but all we know right now is that they are dead,
and a 21-year-old white man with a gun killed them.
And...
what's been... sad about the story is
not just the loss of life, but all of the auxiliary things
that have been happening around the story.
You know? Like one of the first things
that's been the most frustrating for me
is seeing the shooter say,
"Oh, it wasn't racism, it was sex addiction."
First of all, (bleep) you, man.
You killed six Asian people.
Specifically, you went there.
If there's anyone who's racist, it's a mother(bleep)
Who kills six Asian women.
Your murders speaks louder than your words.
Six Asian women were killed.
And you know, in a way, what makes it even more painful is
that we saw it coming.
We see these things happening.
People have been warning.
People in the Asian community have been tweeting.
They've been saying, "Please, help us.
"We're getting punched in the streets.
"We're getting slurs literally written on our doors.
"We're getting people coming up to us just saying,
"'Thanks for... thanks for COVID.
Thanks for spoiling the world.'"
We've seen this happening.
And while we're fighting for it,
there are many people who have been like,
"Oh, stop being so woke and so dramatic.
"Kung flu. Come on. Ha, ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha.
Ha, ha, ha. It's just a joke."
Yeah, yeah, it's a joke that has come
at one of the most tense times in human history.
You knew that something like this could happen.
If you just apply your mind,
you know that it's going to happen.
This guy didn't go and kill these women by mistake.
It wasn't a... It's like, he-he knew what he was doing.
And it's so frustrating
to see this keep happening in America over and over again.
America sees things coming.
It knows something is going to happen,
but it does nothing to stop it.
But then it's all, all, all in, on saying,
"Oh, so tragic, oh, so...
Who could have predicted this tragedy?"
Anyone who was looking at it could.
Why are people so invested
in solving the symptoms instead of the cause?
America does this time and time again.
A country that wants to fight the symptoms
and not the underlying conditions
that cause those symptoms to take effect.
Racism, misogyny, gun violence, mental illness, and honestly,
this incident might have been all of those things combined,
because it doesn't have to be one thing on its own.
America has a rich tapestry of mass shooting motivations.
But whatever you do, please don't tell me
that this thing had nothing to do with race.
Even if the shooter says that.
He thinks it had to do with his sex addiction.
You can't disconnect this violence
from the racial stereotypes that people attach to Asian women.
This guy blamed a specific race of people for his problems,
and then murdered them because of it.
If that's not racism, then the word has no meaning.
And as if the violence, as if the-the trauma isn't enough,
the-the part that breaks my brain--
and I think so many people get affected by this as well,
because it feels like you're crazy when you're watching it--
is where you see the police officer come out,
and almost trying to humanize the shooter
more than the people who got shot.
"He was at the end of his rope.
It-it was a bad day for him."
For him?
Yo, yesterday was a bad day for him?
No, yesterday was a bad day
for all the people who lost their lives.
"It's a bad day for..."
It's-it's always interesting
who police try and find the humanity in.
Like, I can guarantee you,
if a black person or brown person went
on a mass killing spree in a white neighborhood,
not a (bleep) would a police officer go on TV and say,
"well, he was kind of at the end of his rope,
and-and this is what they did."
They barely have patience for black protesters
who are not killing anybody.
And the frustrating thing is, that it did not have to happen.
It does not have to happen.
From the top to the bottom, the politicians
who are gonna cry now and say, "Oh, we're so sorry,"
yeah, but when it's happening.
When politicians are out there saying, "Kung Flu,"
and all of this, what are we doing then?
We can all do something to try and fight against this.
We can't stop every evil person. Please, I'm not saying that.
Oh, somebody's gonna be like,
"Oh, there's always gonna be evil."
Yeah, but you know what we can try and do
is create an environment
where we're not letting specific people be targeted
because of the color of their skin.
In this instance, find an anti-hate organization.
Try and work with them.
Reach out to people who need support.
Donate your money, donate your time, whatever you can,
but do something.
And most importantly,
let's try to (bleep) pay attention
so that it doesn't happen again.
Because the truth is, we could see this coming.
We'll be right back.
Welcome back to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
Earlier today, I spoke with Tony, Emmy
and Grammy-winning actor and singer Cynthia Erivo.
We talked about what it was like portraying Aretha Franklin
in her upcoming anthology series
and how she's been keeping busy during this pandemic.
? They don't know that I would leave you if I could ?
? I guess I'm uptight ?
? And I'm stuck like glue ?
? 'Cause I ain't never ?
? I ain't never ?
? I ain't never, no, no ?
? Loved a man ?
? The way that I ?
? I love you... ?
Cynthia Erivo, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
Thank you. (laughs)
Um, of all the human beings I encounter in my life,
you are one who I am not eager to see again,
because every time I see you,
you've achieved yet another thing.
And so it puts the pressure on me
to have a thing to talk about.
Like, before this interview, I was like,
maybe I should have a child just so that when I talk to you,
I go, "Oh, Cynthia what's happened
since the last time we spoke?"
And then you go, "Well, Trevor, I won a Grammy."
And then I go, "Well, I have a child."
But I have... I have nothing of the sort.
So, um, congratulations on...
You have an Emmy, you have a Grammy, you have a Tony.
You are one short of being the youngest EGOT winner ever.
Do you ever take a moment
to look at your own life, and just go, "Wow"?
I've been... I've been doing that
over this time that we've had.
Like, stopping and making sure
that I, like, embrace what's happening in the moment.
'Cause I've not been very good at that previously,
but because things... because things happened so fast.
Um, and I've sort of...
Sometimes it's kind of, "What on earth and how did I get here,
"and when did this happen, and was I awake for it all,
and did I miss something?"
That's how it feels a lot of the time, yeah.
I remember watching you in The Color Purple.
And I remember the whole time it was almost distracting,
'cause I was like, "Who is this human being?"
And everyone has said that about your singing,
about your performances, about how much you put into it.
We see you when you're on screen, we see you...
I mean, now, you're playing
Aretha Franklin in the new Nat Geo series Genius.
And I mean again, you embody this person.
You embody her songs, you embody her work.
Do you think that Aretha being such a big influence
in your life is a big reason
that you play her the way that you do?
I think so. Yeah, for sure.
I think that she's so singular.
There was so... there was something
so very individual about her.
And that sounds so... plain to say,
but-but there aren't very many people
who you are like, "That's her."
-There's no one else like her. -Ah, yes.
When you hear her voice, "Must be her."
You... There's something she'll do.
The way she'll-she'll take a breath
before she sings the next note.
That's an Aretha thing.
And then, when we were learning music,
more and more as I learned, um, songs,
the thing that she would always do is just whenever...
Whenever she was performing live,
she would just sing whatever she felt like singing,
-however she felt like singing. -Wow.
There's melody, and then there's how Aretha sings it.
-That's what happened. -Wow.
What I was learning when I was learning all her music is that.
The... this is how Aretha sings it.
You know, you hear, uh, "Border Song,"
which is originally by Elton John, and you think,
well, Aretha doesn't sing like that.
And when Aretha sings it, it's a completely different song.
-Yes. Yes. -It's the power she has.
It's the idea that she has this really wonderful ability
to... to communicate a feeling and an emotion
through a song, and she... it's like speaking to people.
It's like a language that she speaks,
and that's something that, for me,
has really influenced how I perform, what I...
what I sing when I choose to sing,
-how I sing... -Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Because it really is about, first and foremost,
communication, Trevor, you know?
And-and... just...
you know, she was also afraid of being imperfect when she sang.
-Right. -There were times she'd fall off a riff,
and it wasn't... but it still was
the perfect thing to have done in that moment, you know?
See, that just... And I've been listening to her
for such a long time that I have...
like it's imprinted on my... like, in my head.
It... Yeah.
(audio breaks up)
I feel it.
I'd love to know, when you're singing Aretha,
because you-you... you're one of those people
where you have that talent where I know what you sound like
when you sing, but then you can sing like other people
when they sing, and so, I mean, that for me is,
like, an insane talent.
I mean, singing was already, like, the hardest thing to do.
But then you can sing like another good person can sing.
'Cause I can sing like my uncle can sing,
but that's not an achievement.
You can sing like Aretha Franklin can sing.
I'd love to know, like, in a technical sense,
-Yeah. -what are you doing when you're doing that?
Like, how hard is it to sing like another singer,
and are you trying to completely mimic Aretha,
or are you trying to bring something that is different
to Aretha singing in that moment?
Like, I'd love to know what you're trying to do
when you are portraying Aretha
and when you're singing the songs,
-'cause you are singing them. -Yeah, so, um,
I have an amazing vocal coach with me.
Her name's Antea Birchette. Antea Joy Birchette.
And we would sit and listen to each song,
about an hour, an hour or two, and just break it down...
-(sings quietly) -Wow!
Um, so that you would hear all of the choices she was making.
Um, I'll pick a song.
Uh, when we would do... Okay, I'll pick "Border Song,"
'cause it's an easy one.
Um...
The-the basic, uh, melody is...
? Holy Moses, I have been deceived ?
? I've seen the spectre, he has been here, too. ?
She does... ? Holy Moses ?
? I have been removed ?
? I've seen the spectre ?
? He has been here, too ?
? Distant cousin from down the line ?
? Brand of people who ain't my kind ?
? Holy Moses ?
? I have been removed. ?
It's-it's, uh... it's the space...
So you're just gonna carry on
talking like you didn't do that right now?
You're just gonna, like, you're just gonna go from that,
and then you're gonna start a sentence
as if you didn't just do that right now.
(laughs)
You know, I used to read books as a kid
about, like, how sailors would crash into the rocks
listening to sirens, and I was like,
"These people were really not focused in life."
I understand it when I listen to you sing.
And I genuinely mean that.
You-you play her as a complete human being,
because that's what Aretha was.
You know, we know Aretha as a singer.
We know her as a performer.
What we learn over time is, so many of these performers
were dealing with so many demons.
You know, whether it be domestic abuse,
whether it be a relationship with her father
where she was constantly trying to escape.
You are on a path that many of these superstars
have been on before.
I would love to know, as Cynthia,
how do you maintain, like, your mental health?
Like, how do you keep yourself healthy and, like,
not bogged down by all the pressures
that your success sort of creates?
I mean, you have a children's book.
You know, you have... you have this series.
You have movies. You have an album that's coming out.
You are in that vein, even though you're portraying them.
A) Do you ever worry about how so many of these great artists
get burdened by this world and then leave us too soon?
And B) What do you do as Cynthia to just give yourself
an opportunity to not worry about it and enjoy it?
Yeah, I-I...
I think I've spent so long watching some of our great be...
(sighs) running away from things that have hurt them,
not really having the dialogue, not really having the language
to express what they're feeling,
and also, in that community, we don't talk about getting help,
-having therapy enough. -Right.
And I'm lucky that I'm part of a time
that is starting to really discuss what it looks like
for someone like me to reach out and get...
and go and get some help.
So I do have therapy. I do.
Um, and it's wonderful.
Because it means I can...
when I can't process something myself,
I'm able to go and speak to someone
-Right. Yeah. -and talk it out and figure something out.
And at the same time, I also...
I can sometimes be really hard on myself,
very hard on myself.
If something doesn't quite go right,
or, uh, I'm like, "Oh, I should have done that instead,"
or if I feel like-- not everyone is going to like
the things that you do, and so you're always on a path
-to try and please everyone with what you do. -Right.
There is a part of me that is starting to learn
that you cannot do that, it's impossible,
and if you did, you would be very boring.
So it's okay to not please everyone,
as long as when you... on your...
on your path to creating something,
the thing that you're searching for is truth,
and the thing that... is honesty.
And your honesty and your truth might not be someone else's,
it might not be in alignment
with what someone else believes is true.
But if comes from a place of, um,
kindness and love, you're... you're okay.
And I think there's a knowledge in...
that I have to, well, I've told myself,
that, uh, when good things happen, I'm deserving.
You know? Sometimes we talk ourselves out of the good things
that-that come our way, and we make excuses
to, "Well, you know, I don't really deserve this,
"and I'm not as good as that person,
maybe it should have gone to..."
Well, no, it came to you, so thank the universe,
thank God, thank whatever you believe in
for the things that come your way,
and wish abundance on yourself and-and everyone else.
It might actually... (audio breaks up)
And deserving, you are indeed.
-Thank you. -Uh, I hope to keep having conversations with you
over the years.
You keep stacking up the awards, and I'll stack up children,
just to keep up with you.
I'm gonna call my children Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Emmy,
Just to be like, "Ah, yes, these are my EGOTS.
You've got trophies."
Cynthia Erivo, thank you so much for joining me on the show,
and congratulations on all of your success.
Thank you.
Genius: Aretha will premiere March 21 on National Geographic.
All right, we're gonna take a quick break,
but we'll be right back after this.
Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go,
it is Women's History Month, so please consider supporting
Black Girls Code, an organization dedicated
to leveling the playing field for girls of color in STEM.
By supporting Black Girls Code,
you're helping empower young girls to use technology
to change their lives, and all of our lives,
for the better.
If you can help out, then go to the link below
and please donate whatever you can.
Until tomorrow, stay safe out there,
wear a mask, and remember,
if you hear a big explosion coming from somebody's Zoom,
that shit is fake-- they're probably fine.
Now, here it is, Your Moment of Zen.
-Top of the mornin' to you. -Top of the mornin' to ya!
(Irish accent): We've got more weather,
and then after that, some news.
Top of the mornin' to ya!
Top of the mornin' to ya.
Just a wee bit there, laddie.
(Irish accent): Blizzard conditions back through...
(Irish accent): Why won't he shut up?
-Top of the mornin' to ya. -Oh.
-I didn't know you spoke Irish. -I speak leprechaun.
Thank you very much, Ashley O'Sutton.
And we'll be seeing you at 11:00.
Join in with the Irish dance we got going with ya.
This afternoon, some clouds around.
Now, what about the commute this mornin'.