Comedian Ziwe Fumudoh: 'Elon Musk Is An African American I Respect'
By Kristin Myers on April 30, 2022 at 9:30 AM EDT
Comedian Ziwe Fumudoh was on CBS Mornings on Friday to promote her critically acclaimed late-night variety series “ZIWE.”
During her conversation with host Gayle King, the self-proclaimed “Celebrity Rights Activist” revealed that she wants Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who recently secured a deal to buy Twitter, as the next guest on her show.
Ziwe Fumudoh Admits That She Thrives On Making People Uncomfortable
King asked if she had trouble securing guests because “you seem to thrive on making people uncomfortable.”
“I do,” Ziwe admitted. “But I don’t worry about getting guests. The people that get it, get it, and those that don’t, don’t. And those guests who buy in, those are the most fun, honestly.”
When asked about the balance between uncomfortable and funny, Zime explained, “I think I find discomfort to be funny. We exist as humans in this world and god – I’m uncomfortable all the time, and so I just have to laugh at myself and I think what’s cool is about the guests is they can laugh at themselves as well.”
Ziwe Fumudoh Wants Kim Kardashian, Ellen, And Elon Musk As Guests
Her first episode is focused on critical race theory, which is a highly controversial subject. When King said that she headed to the subject “like catnip,” Ziwe replied, “I’m addicted to making people uncomfortable, I guess.”
When asked about her dream guest, Ziwe first mentioned “The Kardashians” star Kim Kardashian. She then named soon-to-be-retired Ellen DeGeneres and “The Dropout” actress Elizabeth Holmes.
“We’re trying to get her too, so good luck,” Gayle quipped.
That’s when Ziwe suddenly threw out the name of South African-born billionare, “Elon Musk,” adding, “He’s an African American that I respect.” When King burst out laughing, Ziwe asked, “What? Why are you guys laughing?”
“No reason,” King replied. When asked if she put in a request to have Musk appear on the show, Ziwe replied, “Well, I’m on his Twitter, so hopefully he sees me tweeting at him.”
Ziwe Says Her Show ‘Could Not Have Existed Ten Years Ago’
Ziwe had been using her Instagram channel to promote her skits before she was approached an offered the idea to have her own show on Showtime.
“I was really excited because this had been, like, ten years of labors finally coming to fruition in ZIWE the show,” she said, explaining that she had started writing immediately after she graduated college. “So I’ve been writing for a minute, but I’m excited to have a television show where I can ask wild questions,” she added.
“I think the show grows every year,” she explained. “Like it’s so influenced by the current climate so the show could not have existed ten years ago.”
“I’ve always had this aesthetic that was pink and hyper-feminine, so it was just about merging this vision with really great talent and really great creative [energy],” she added.
When asked about why the show is relevant now, Ziwe joked, “Well, I did this as a YouTube series and it got… ten views.” She added, “Those same clips on YouTube with 100 now have 4 million on TikTok.”
“I think that the moment in American history where we’re suddenly talking about race and the political climate has really met, like, the culture of my show,” she continued.
When asked if she might step into “The Late Late Show” now that James Corden is retiring, Ziwe replied, “Who knows? Time will tell. We’ll find out.”
Fans can check out the full segment below.
