Hey, what's going on, everybody? I'm Trevor Noah,
and this is The Daily Social Distancing Show.
Today is Thursday, March 18,
and I am so excited, because that means this weekend
is the first day of spring, and...
it's the Persian New Year!
Nowruz!
Which is the best New Year ever,
because part of the celebration is that you have to jump
over a fire, which is so epic.
This is gonna be my second year celebrating.
Last year we did it for the first time,
but there was a slight misunderstanding--
we thought we jump into the fire, not over the fire,
and, like, long story short, rest in peace, Barry.
Nowruz, baby! We're back!
Anyway, coming up on tonight's show,
we fill out our pandemic bracket,
Biden and Putin are gonna throw down after school,
and did you know coronavirus is also affecting other countries?
Plus, Arsenio Hall is our guest.
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 big news
from the world of comic books.
I mean, comic books are the reason I'm so excited
about this spider bite.
Ooh! Burns so strong.
One of the biggest superheroes in the world right now
is Captain America.
And now, after 80 years in the business,
he's got a whole new vibe.
Marvel will introduce a gay Captain America.
Marvel released images of Aaron Fisher yesterday,
touting him as the first openly queer character
in Captain America's 80-year history.
This is maybe my favorite most upsetting story of the day.
I have mixed emotions about this,
because it's just, the country's going bananas.
He is a gay Captain America, complete with a nose ring,
tats-- when he takes off his skull cap there,
he's got, like, a mohawk thing.
He's not very muscular.
What would really be pushing the boundaries
is if maybe they had a conservative superhero
or a Trump-supporting superhero.
Okay, okay, first of all,
there already have been plenty of conservative superheroes.
Right? They don't say it, but you can tell.
Like, there's no way that billionaire Bruce Wayne
supports taxing the rich.
And Hawkeye, I mean, the guy lives on a farm in Iowa
and has a Proud Boys haircut. Come on.
Wanda Maximoff? She wanted nothing more
than to build a wall and take the country back to the 1950s.
You don't need to say it.
There's probably a reason
that there hasn't been a Trump-supporting superhero.
I mean, how helpful would that guy be in a crisis?
Dr. Doom is threatening to kill half a million Americans.
What do we do?
(like Trump): So what?
That's basically the same as the flu.
I say we ignore him, and it'll all go away magically.
Personally, I think it's great to see more LGBTQ representation
in comics.
Although, to be honest,
I kind of thought Captain America already was gay.
I mean, he's always telling women,
"Oh, no, I can't date you.
I have a girlfriend who lives in the 1940s.
Still, though, I'm sure just judging by the reactions,
there's gonna be a certain type of guy
who's gonna feel really awkward
being saved by an openly gay superhero.
Grab my hand before you fall off of this cliff!
Oh! Okay. But no homo.
And speaking of people who are uncomfortable
with gay superheroes, I love that news anchor
complaining that the new Captain America isn't muscular enough.
A little strange.
I mean, I don't want to see gay dudes in my comics,
but if they're gonna be there, I should at least be turned on
just a little, you know what I mean?
But let's move on from superheroes
to the world's biggest real-life supervillain,
Vladimir Putin.
A newly declassified intelligence report
has confirmed that Putin personally directed
Russian meddling in the 2020 presidential election.
And President Joseph Robitussin Biden
isn't happy about it.
In our World lead, a threat from President Biden
to Russian leader Vladimir Putin
on interfering in the 2020 election.
He will pay a price. I... We had a long talk, he and I.
So you know Vladimir Putin. Do you think he's a killer?
Mm-hmm. I do.
So what price must he pay?
The price he's gonna pay, well, you'll see shortly.
NEWSMAN: President Putin himself has been asked
about his response to Joe Biden's kind of affirmation
that he thinks that President Putin's a killer.
TRANSLATOR: I wish him good health, and I'm not joking.
I mean it. But when we judge people or other nations,
we look into a mirror-- we see ourselves there.
When I was a child and we had arguments in the courtyard,
we were saying, "It takes one to know one."
And it's not just a children's saying.
The meaning is very deep.
Putin is right.
Children's sayings still have a lot of important wisdom
for us as adults.
That's why I still get my yearly boosters
for my cooties shot.
Whew! I mean, if a girl ever touches me, I'm all set.
But it is funny that Putin has to clarify that he's not joking
when he wishes Biden good health.
Because, let's face it, the man has killed so many people.
Everyone always just assumes that that's what he means.
I wouldn't be shocked if this causes
a ton of problems for him.
(Russian accent): President Putin,
your cousin is here-- what would you like me to do?
Oh. Please, take care of him, Boris.
Understood, sir.
No, no, no. Boris, Boris, I mean show him a good time.
Ah. I know what you mean.
No, no. I mean, like, you know,
take him to concert or something.
Ah, yes.
Performance in the sky.
Right away, sir.
No, no, I'm saying, like, mayb...
Oh, you know what? Just kill him.
This is taking too much of my time.
But clearly, people, this exchange is the beginning
of a much more confrontational relationship
between America and Russia.
And that's gonna be tricky,
because on the one hand, Joe Biden is probably right
to call out Vladimir Putin's aggression.
But on the other hand, I'm pretty sure that Vladimir Putin
has all of my passwords.
So I think he's doing a great job.
Now, while Biden is fending off Putin,
he's also dealing with a crisis closer to home,
at the Mexican border.
Because even though Biden ended
some of Trump's cruel immigration policies,
and is trying to return children
who Trump separated from their families,
that has not been enough to end the suffering.
President Biden urging migrants
not to make the journey to the U.S.,
as the White House works to get a handle on the surge
at the southern border.
Nearly 4,300 unaccompanied children
were in Border Patrol custody as of Sunday afternoon,
according to data obtained by NBC News.
The new figures are a record high.
Nearly 3,000 of those children have been in custody
over the 72-hour legal limit.
In an interview with ABC News, the president pushing back
on criticism migrants are crossing in such large numbers
because he has reversed
several Trump-era immigration policies.
The idea that Joe Biden said come,
because I heard the other day that they're coming
because they know I'm a nice guy.
Well, here's the deal: they're not.
INTERVIEWER: Do you have to say quite clearly,
-"Don't come"? -Yes. I can say quite clearly, "Don't come."
Don't leave your town or city or community.
Hmm. Okay, that's worth a shot, I guess.
But the phrase "Don't come"
isn't going to prevent immigration
any more than it prevented pregnancy on Bridgerton.
Because Biden is still being way more welcoming
than people are used to.
I mean, "Don't come" is basically an engraved invitation
compared to, "You shithole country,
rapists, need to pay for our wall."
But that's right, border crossings are surging right now.
And the part that's causing the most concern
is what to do with the unaccompanied children.
Because under Trump, they would just be sent back
to terrible migrant camps in Mexico.
Biden, on the other hand, wants to send them
through the asylum process in the U.S.
But the problem is, the system is too overwhelmed
to do it quickly, so the kids are languishing
in detainment camps here.
And please, let's not forget to have empathy for these migrants.
Because who can blame parents
for wanting to give their children a better life?
I mean, there are just so many more opportunities
for them in America.
I mean, think about it, Blue Ivy just won a Grammy.
Who wouldn't want that for their child?
And let's move on now to our main story,
the coronavirus vaccine,
aka the thing you're pretty sure your friend lied to get.
Although the vaccine rollout has been going fairly well
in the United States, that has not been true
everywhere else in the world.
But why?
Well, let's find out, in another episode
of Keeping Up with Corona, International Edition.
? ?
Let's begin with the situation in Europe,
the Baskin-Robbins of white people.
The Continent never really got the pandemic under control,
and now it's struggling with vaccinations.
While 22% of Americans have gotten at least one shot,
in most countries in Europe,
that number is only eight percent.
Honestly, it's been surprising to see Europe struggle so much.
I mean, this is Europe, the most sophisticated place on Earth.
They have Denmark!
They should be crushing this.
But they're not.
And now a controversy over one of their vaccines
is only making things worse.
NEWSWOMAN: Over in Europe, they are not facing good news.
The continent is facing a third wave
of the COVID pandemic as at least five countries
have suspended using the AstraZeneca vaccine.
More than a dozen countries
have halted the use of the vaccine,
including Germany, France and Italy,
as a precautionary measure,
but regulators here insist there is no link
between the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
and a higher incidence of blood clots.
AstraZeneca says a review of 17 million people
here in the U.K. and in Europe who received the vaccine
found less than 40 developed blood clots.
In their words, even lower
than you'd expect to find in the general population.
NEWSMAN: Just 37 cases in 17 million vaccinations,
leaving many wondering, "Why stop the entire program?"
Okay, look, I understand being safe.
I totally understand being safe. But, at the same time,
these blood clots are affecting
0.0002% of people.
So, you might as well be worried
that lightning is gonna strike the metal of the needle
as you're getting the vaccine.
And it's crazy that France, of all the countries,
is stopping the vaccine because of health side effects.
I mean, their national fruit is the cigarette.
So, a lot of people do think that Europe is overreacting.
And I'll be honest.
I think I know what the problem is.
It's because European scientists
are explaining the side effects
in a normal tone of voice.
You see, if you want side effects
to sound less scary, you got to list them super fast
while a fungus dances on our toes.
It's also important to remember
that not all side effects are the same.
Right? There are side effects that are more dangerous
than the disease that they're fighting.
Those are the worst.
And then there are side effects that are serious
but are worth the risk.
And then, I mean,
then there are side effects that are just funny.
You know, like-like diarrhea and boners that won't go away.
So, doctors have to keep that in mind.
But let's move on to Africa,
the world's biggest country.
Because while Europe's vaccines
are sitting unused in the back of the fridge,
many poorer countries have been waiting a long time
to get any vaccines at all.
We are experiencing, Ayman,
a massively uneven vaccine rollout
across the world.
Only one of the top 40 countries in the world,
uh, for vaccine rollout is in Africa.
NEWSMAN: Touching down in Nairobi,
COVID-19 vaccinations arrive in Kenya
for the very first time.
Kenya received its initial shipment
of just over one million doses
as part of the COVAX program,
an initiative backed by the World Health Organization
aimed at reducing vaccine inequality.
In addition to Ghana and Kenya,
Rwanda, Senegal and the Ivory Coast
are among countries to recently receive
low-cost or free vaccines through COVAX.
But it comes after a long wait,
far behind wealthier nations that can pay full price.
It took us 83 days from the first jab in the U.K.
to the first jab in Africa.
Goddamn, 83 days?
That's like two viewings of the Snyder Cut.
Look, the world needs to do a better job
of getting vaccines to developing nations,
because don't forget,
if you let coronavirus fester in one place for long enough,
it's gonna mutate,
and it's gonna come back even stronger where you live.
It happens all the time.
When Ebola first got to Africa,
it was just a stubbed toe.
And what's especially frustrating about this
is that there are so many people in places like America
who can get the vaccine, and they just don't want it.
I feel like what they should do is make an exchange program
where Africans get to swap countries with anti-vaxxers.
Vax Swap,
only on Paramount+.
Now, while it's true that right now,
there aren't enough vaccine doses
to go around to every country,
there actually is a solution to that.
Give pharmaceutical companies in developing nations
the vaccine recipes and let them make their own.
But so far, countries that have those recipes
are going full-on Oprah meme.
The United States
and other wealthy members of the World Trade Organization
have blocked a proposal to waive
intellectual property rights related to COVID vaccines.
South Africa and India had pushed the proposal
as part of an attempt to increase
the availability of vaccines in poorer countries.
NEWSMAN: Both the United States and the European Union
want to uphold patents on the basis
that they encourage companies to invest
in research and innovation.
NEWSMAN 2: This drugmaker just a few hours
from the Bangladesh capital
produces a lot of different vaccines.
But the one it can't yet produce
is the most in demand for COVID-19.
The manufacturer says it has plenty of spare capacity,
and it could produce between 600 million to 800 million
coronavirus vaccines a year if it got a license.
Wait, hold up.
The entire planet
could get millions more vaccine doses a year
if they just waive the patent on the vaccines,
but the U.S. and the European Union don't want to?
So, you're gonna tell me that Africa is expected
to share our Vibranium,
but we can't get their vaccines?
Oh, that's real fair.
Now, look, I do understand
where drug companies are coming from on this.
I mean, if Nani Indira wants a vaccine,
then Nani Indira can design and distribute her own vaccine.
It's called personal responsibility.
And people are saying, "This is a global pandemic.
Doesn't Nani's life matter more than the share price of Pfizer?"
All right, fine. Let's compromise, then.
Pfizer should just give Nani some stock options.
That way, everyone who's left alive
makes money.
But it turns out not every country in Africa
is desperate to get the vaccine.
In fact, the country of Tanzania
hasn't even been trying to get it,
mostly because President John Magufuli
claimed that COVID-19 isn't even real.
Although, he might be changing his mind now.
The president of Tanzania,
John Magufuli, has died.
He was a prominent COVID-19 skeptic
and had not been seen in public since the end of February.
(speaking foreign language)
(translated): In all this government,
no one wears a mask, including me.
It proves that there is no coronavirus
and God loves this nation.
NEWSMAN: President Magufuli was more than a coronavirus skeptic.
His government stopped sharing data
with the World Health Organization last year
and declared Tanzania COVID-free through divine intervention.
He displayed a disregard for health advice,
focusing on prayer and local remedies
while also claiming the vaccines were dangerous.
There were sources within Tanzania
that he was very sick with COVID-19.
That, of course, is not confirmed,
but given all the circumstances at play
and the secrecy with which the government,
uh, did its business,
many people are skeptical that, in fact,
it was only a heart condition that led to his death.
What have I been telling you guys from the beginning?
The biggest risk factor of corona
is disrespecting corona.
Anytime somebody says,
"This virus is no big deal,"
corona's like, "Okay.
Okay. It's gonna be like that, huh? Okay."
Then two weeks later, it's fisting your lungs.
"Who's the host now, huh? Huh?
This real enough for you? Huh? Huh?"
And, look, I know it's easy to shit on the African country
with the strongman leader who doesn't believe in science,
but please, don't forget, America also had
a COVID-denying president who got COVID.
The only difference is America had the elite medical teams
with experimental drugs to keep its dumb president alive.
So, that's what's happening with the vaccine rollout
across the globe.
And even though things are going well in the United States,
Americans unfortunately do need to pay attention
to the world.
Because you see, as long as the virus is still out there,
it can always come back here.
Because no country is an island.
Well, except for Iceland.
And the U.K.
And all the Caribbean countries, I guess.
Sorry. Other than the...
But you know what I mean. No country is an island.
All right, when we come back... Madagascar.
Madagascar's also a... And Tonga.
Brunei. Is that a country? Brunei.
Brunei, maybe, as well.
Sorry. All right, when we come back, we've got...
Oh, Australia. Mm, a continent or an i...
Is it an island? When does...
When we come back,
we've got an exciting new tournament bracket
that you are gonna want to fill out,
and Arsenio Hall joins us on the show,
so don't go away. Is Mauritius one of them?
Welcome back to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
We are now in the month of March.
Again.
Or still?
Either way, it's hard to keep track.
And since it's March,
it's time once again to fill out your bracket.
And, no, I'm not talking about college basketball brackets.
I'm talking about your Daily Show Bracket of Bullshit:
Pandemic Edition.
Because I know most of last year was terrible,
but some of it was just annoying and dumb.
So we've put together a tournament
to choose which trivial annoyance
bugged you the most.
And here to break it all down
is Michael Kosta and Roy Wood Jr.
? ?
What's going on, everybody?
-I'm Roy Wood Jr. -And I'm Michael Kosta.
Man, oh, man, Roy,
did this pandemic year come with some annoying-ass bullshit.
It sure did, Kosta.
My blood is boiling just thinking
about all the irritating coronavirus poppycock.
"Poppycock"?
Yeah, man, my kid's in the other room.
He doesn't have headphones.
I can't be dropping S-bombs all over the place.
Suit yourself, (bleep)head.
Let's jump into the bracket. This year,
our 64 biggest annoyances are divided into four regions:
at home, safety,
social, and news and entertainment.
I got to begin with "at home,"
because that's where we've got some of the stuff
that annoyed me the most,
like being forced to cook.
Dude, I'm so sick of cooking.
I never wanted to know the difference
between a chef's knife and a paring knife.
You're still using knives, Roy?
I gave up on utensils back in November.
Now I eat steak with my bare hands
like it's a breakfast bar. I don't give a shit.
Respect. Respect.
Here's a contender I'm really sick of,
taking walks.
Don't get me started on walks.
All I do is walk. Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.
At this point, my shoes are more worn out
than Obama after his second term.
I've walked around the same block so many times,
my neighbors called the cops on me.
And I'm white.
Another hopeful in the bracket that pisses me off,
quarantinis.
Even the word itself is annoying.
Makes me want to slap my own mouth.
Okay, Roy, but isn't this just people trying
to make their drinking seem cute?
Putting "-tini" at the end of a word
doesn't make you any less of an alcoholic.
"Oh, what's this? Oh, it's my lunch break-tini.
Oh, and this? It's my parent-teacher conference-tini."
Call it what it is,
drinking alone in front of your laptop.
Roy, and there's nothing wrong with that, man.
Our next pain-in-the-butt category,
pandemic safety.
You can't talk about safety without talking about masks.
They're saving lives but they're still annoying as hell.
And what's the most annoying thing about them?
Well, you've got maskne,
you got the tight ear loops,
and-- as I like to call them-- the under-the-nose bros.
WOOD: Hell yeah! Mask under the nose is bringing the heat.
What's with these people? You got to cover the mouth
and the nostril, same as if you're trying
to smother somebody with a pillow.
I've been watching a lot of murder documentaries.
Oh. Okay, well, that gets us into our next category,
news and entertainment.
Lots to be annoyed with here,
but I think that movies getting delayed could go all the way.
-(grunts) -Bro, you may be right.
I spent years waiting for a Black James Bond.
Now I'll just settle for any Bond I can get.
Give me Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan.
Hell, I'll take Seth Rogen.
That's interesting. They could call it Live and Get High.
Yeah, I was thinking High Another Day.
That works, too. But here's something else
that's P.O.'d a lot of people this last year,
having to root for big pharma.
(groans)
That one stings, man.
Big pharma's supposed to be the bad guy.
Now everybody's treating Johnson & Johnson
like it's Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson.
You know, sure, we love them now.
But as soon as I get my vaccine,
I'm gonna be going right back to hating them again.
Until I need my booster.
After that, they can go (bleep) themselves.
You know what I think is gonna be hard to beat though?
-Say it with me, Kosta. -Okay.
BOTH: Kim Kardashian's 40th birthday party.
KOSTA: That was some bullshit.
Kim invited all her friends and family to a private island
and rubbed it in all of our dumb, double-masked faces.
Yeah, her 40th birthday was bigger than mine,
and mine was before the pandemic.
You had a 40th birthday party?
(stammering)
I'm sorry, brother. It-- We got a bad...
(mimicking cutting out)
-...connection. -Yeah. I'll say.
Speaking of connecting, let's hit up
our fourth and final category,
everything social.
An MVP coming in hot,
FaceTiming with your parents.
My mom still doesn't have the hang of it.
I've seen so much of her forehead,
I could do an ice sculpture of it blindfolded.
Just be glad she's in the frame at all.
I just spent two hours talking to my mom's ceiling fan.
(mimicking whirring sounds)
I think a key player in this category
is gonna be "thriving friends."
Y'all know who these people are.
All those annoying people posting about how great
-they're doing. -Yeah, I don't need to see
a 20-minute video of you mastering the crow pose
or of your juice cleanse journey.
At this point, I know so much about my Cousin Dave's colon,
I could be his proctologist.
And it's not a real pandemic bracket
if Zoom didn't get in the game.
KOSTA: We got funny Zoom backgrounds,
Zoom parties, Zoom time limits.
Who are you to limit my time, Zoom?
What's next, I only get 40 minutes in the bathroom, too?
I hate, hate, hate that time limit.
I could go off on this all day.
I mean, for one reason, this is...
Oh. Uh, looks like I forgot to upgrade to the business version.
My bad, guys.
Anyway, the Daily Show Bracket of Bullshit: Pandemic Edition
is live right now. So go to DailyShowBracket.com
and start voting and find out if everyone else
was as annoyed by the same things as you were.
When we come back, the man himself, Arsenio Hall,
will be joining me on the show.
You don't want to miss it.
Welcome back to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
Earlier today, I spoke with legendary comedian
and actor Arsenio Hall.
We talked about what it was like
being the first Black late-night talk show host in America
and making the sequel to Coming to America.
Soon, Nexdorian warriors will assassinate me.
And I have a child on the other side of the world.
Take heart in your grief.
You are king now.
Be as your father.
Bark orders at me.
Throw things at me.
It will make you happy.
Prepare the royal jet.
We are going back to America.
Oh, hell no, Your Majesty.
Arsenio Hall.
Welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
(chuckles) Thank you, man. I-I watch you.
So it's kind of-- I'm trying to be cool.
-It's kind of exciting. I'm trying to be cool. -Oh, please.
Oh, please. Oh, please. What are you talking about?
I love what you're doing, Trevor.
You're-you're smart. You're funny.
By the way, the Grammys.
I watched the Grammys twice, bro.
Thank you, man.
First of all, congratulations.
Coming 2 America.
Uh, the biggest movie in America right now.
Amazon says it was so successful
they thought that their servers were breaking.
That is how successful the movie has been.
You came back, the cast came back,
new additions came back, but, I mean,
I know what I was looking forward to
was seeing that magical combo again,
Eddie and Arsenio.
Looking forward to seeing the preacher.
I was looking forward to seeing--
The new character. I loved-- I loved, uh...
I loved that little new character that you had there.
-That was... -The Baba.
Yeah. That was pretty amazing.
I was just like, "Is that Arsenio?"
I was...
(stammers) You...
My man.
Congratulations.
Yeah, it was-- it was a lot of fun.
And-and I love having a movie that I'm in
compared to Kim Kardashian's ass, you know?
I mean, 'cause that's the last time I saw something get broken
online, you know.
That's the last time the Internet got broken.
Yes, yes. And we got close to Kim's ass.
We got close. We didn't break it, but we got close.
My friend, it's-it's been such a success,
and-and you can see why.
I want to talk to you about the journey that you've been on,
you know, yourself and Eddie,
the-the journey of Coming to America.
I mean, this is-- Y-You know,
now it seems like an obvious concept because it's been done.
But Coming 2 America was one of the craziest ideas for a movie,
and the way you guys executed it was double cra--
No one was just playing all of the characters during that time.
When you were thinking of this together,
when you and Eddie were talking about it,
did you... did you think it would work,
or was it one of those, where you're like,
"Let's-let's do this crazy thing and just have fun"?
Well, you know, initially, when Eddie brought me the concept
and was reading a pad-- you don't see that any more.
But he's reading off a yellow legal pad.
And it's just a fish-out-of-water movie
about two guys who come to America.
And Eddie was going through some personal stuff then,
where he said, "You know, I meet women,
and they know I'm Eddie Murphy, and they know I got paper."
We didn't use the term "paper" back then.
"But I sometimes worry that they don't accept me for me.
"...horrible situations where I know
they're not accepting me for who I am."
-Right. Right. -"I wish I could go someplace,
and people not know who I was."
And that was where that movie started.
And everybody loves Eddie's characters,
and wanted him to play characters.
-Right. -"And you guys will be some of the people you meet
when you come to America."
That set it off and took it to another place.
The first time I watched Coming to America,
I remember the credits playing at the end,
and then they started putting up all the people.
And I expected the Eddie thing. I genuinely did.
'Cause I was like, "Oh, yeah, I thought
that was Eddie. I thought that..."
No joke, every time that there were...
a character was you, I was like, "No!
No! How? No!"
-You-you have an a ability... -But at some point did you say,
"He's even that bitch in the red dress"?
-Did you say that? -(laughter)
You-you have the ability to transform completely.
Eddie was supposed
-to do that witch doctor, shaman character, Baba. -Right.
And he found out-- he looked at the models-- and he found out
it was a six-and-a-half-hour makeup job.
And he was like...
He didn't tell me at first. He said, "Bro, you know what?
I think you'd be better for the witch doctor."
And I'm like, "Wait. He just..." He said...
He gave me all that bullshit you just gave.
"Yeah, you-you... There's something about you
"and the prosthetics.
"When you go under, man, you go deep into it, and
you know, I think this one's for you."
And I found out is, he didn't want to do it. (laughs)
I love it, man. You-you...
The two of you have had an interesting connection
your entire lives, and I love how your connection came
from the fact that back when were you doing comedy,
there were so few Black comedians who were on the scene.
And-and why I'm so interested in that is because of what I do.
Arsenio Hall is literally part of the reason
that I sit here today.
I remember watching your show on TV in South Africa,
and all of a sudden, there was just, like, an influx
of Black people on a late night TV show.
And it wasn't just successful.
It was the biggest show at the time.
You were breaking every possible barrier,
giving people opportunities that never had gotten opportunities.
I mean, you know, Mariah Carey's debut
on television-- Arsenio Hall.
Usher Raymond-- Arsenio Hall.
You know, just, I mean, the-the list is-is endless.
I mean, you had everybody on, from Michael Jackson to Prince.
You know, you-you had Magic Johnson on.
After he had revealed his HIV status,
he came on Arsenio Hall.
That time and that legacy is so interesting
to me for two reasons.
One-- because you broke what existed,
but also, because you started a journey
that then it seems like Hollywood just stopped doing
after you stopped doing the show.
You were... you were bringing women on board
as executive producers.
You were bringing Black people on as writers
who never got opportunities.
You made an inclusive staff.
what do you think happened that that just didn't carry on
after you left, in every other show that got made?
Well... Wow.
Like, I don't know if I'm aware of that...
totally, but, um, that's... that's nice to hear.
And-and maybe we got too comfortable.
Because sometimes,
when things aren't right, you fight for things, you battle.
I remember asking for an intern program
when I first got my gig.
I did that. When I tried to raid the writers rooms
of the other shows, there were no Black writers.
-Right. -That's the first thing I noticed.
And I'm so proud. My first intern was John Singleton,
who went on to win an Oscar.
You know, and-and a lot of wonderful writers
and interns came through there.
So I fought a lot because I felt we didn't have what we needed.
I remember watching some of the other shows,
and you could wait a month and not see a Black person.
You know, when I was growing up in Cleveland,
you know, you would spread the word around and say,
"Hey, I hear Al Green gonna be on The Tonight Show next month."
You know? It was a big thing, you know.
So I wanted to, uh, bring more faces,
and like you said, more women.
My whole staff-- the important ones--
were all females, you know.
-Right. -I shouldn't say that.
I'll get in trouble for that.
But... but, uh... but basically,
I saw a need, and I tried to fill those needs.
I think once we get comfortable, we stop pushing.
And also, keep in mind,
-the pie has been spread in a different way now. -Right.
We're in a situation now where, between the Internet,
and I mean, everything from SoundCloud to Instagram,
you don't have to come one or two places anymore,
-to show the world what you do. -Right, right, right.
You-you achieved a lot of these things when you were so young.
You were young, Eddie was young.
Do you sometimes, like, regret the fact
that you were that young when it was happening,
or-or... or did you feel that you guys had level heads,
even though you were that young?
'Cause most people wouldn't survive being that famous
in their early 20s.
Yeah, I had a great time.
And I think everything happens for a reason.
I believe strongly in God's plan.
Uh, if I had that schedule now...
Like, Trevor, just sitting here
looking at your dimples tires me out.
-(laughs) -You know?
So back in the day, I had all the energy
and the enthusiasm and the dream.
And now, I love being the old head
who sits and talks about it,
and looks for my next gig here and there.
Right. What-what is up next for Arsenio Hall?
Because I mean, I feel like you could do anything.
The-the acting bug bit me, man.
You know, I've been out doing standup
and doing a lot of things,
but I hadn't acted in a while.
And, um, that's where I'm headed next.
I want to act more, so, uh, when you do your life story,
let me play your Cousin Squiggy.
-(laughs) -Or whatever his name is.
(laughter)
Oh, man. I feel like you could...
After-after seeing you play the characters you played,
I genuinely believe you could play any...
I'll-I'll cast you as my uncle.
We put a few prosthetics in there,
and-and I think you got the gig.
Arsenio, man, I could talk to you forever.
And, uh, I congratulate you, man.
Thank you for everything you've done.
Not just in the movies,
but behind the scenes in the industry.
Thank you for being a mentor, thank you for being a friend.
You know, thank you for putting everybody on,
'cause that's what you did.
You put everybody on, which you didn't have to do.
I appreciate you. Look after yourself.
And, uh, we'll see you in the next movie, my friend.
God bless you, Trevor. Talk to you soon.
Thank you so much, my dude.
Don't forget. Coming 2 America is available now
on Amazon Prime Video.
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 change their lives using technology.
And change all of our lives, as well, for the better.
If you can help out, go to the link below
and donate whatever you can.
Until tomorrow, stay safe out there,
wear a mask, and remember,
as the great children's philosopher once said,
"Would you like a hurt donut?"
Ha, ha! Hurts. Don't it?
Now here it is-- Your Moment of Zen.
Does anybody in this restaurant think
-it's a good idea to take the vaccine? -No.
Raise your hand if you think it's a good idea.
Anyone here-- it's a good idea to take the vaccine?
Raise your hand if you think it's a good idea.
Not one person here who thinks it's a good idea?
What do you think about the vaccine?
-Are you gonna take the vaccine? -No, sir.
-Tell me why. -Well, I don't trust the government,
and I don't trust Biden.
I just.. I'm just not. I'm not gonna take it.
Are you going to take the vaccine?
-I have taken it. -And what made you decide to take it?
My wife.