-Welcome back. -Thank you for standing for me
during Black History Month. It's amazing.
-Thank you. -You get people standing for you all time.
You are kicking ass, Phoebe Robinson.
-Congratulations on everything that you're doing. -Thank you.
Has it felt like a whirlwind for you?
I mean, I know that you-you were genuinely grinding
-for a long time as a comedian, as a writer. -Yes.
And then it felt like everything just clicked.
You went 2 Dope Queens.
2 Dope Queens went from a podcast into a TV show.
Now you're in a movie.
-Yeah. -Are you soaking it all in?
I am. It feels very exciting.
I am on Shopbop all the time getting discount sweaters.
I'm feeling really good.
I made it, you guys!
-Like, you know, I'm excited. -I don't know about that.
Your fashion has been one of the things
-people comment on most on 2 Dope Queens. -(gasps)
-Oh, thank you. -They go, like, every...
Do you plan that as, like... Do you go like,
"This is going to be the fashion for this show"?
Or is that just a by-product of your style, where it's, like...?
Yeah, I have, like, a whole glam team.
Katya Sussman, who's my stylist,
Delina does my hair, Sabrina...
Sorry, Delina does my makeup. Sabrina does my hair,
and we just, like, we want to knock it out the park.
-Right. -We look to, like, Tracee Ellis Ross and Solange
and all these amazing queens.
I just want to be on that level, you know?
This is what I've always loved about 2 Dope Queens,
is that it-it really covers everything.
It's not afraid to be funny. It's not afraid to be angry.
It's not afraid to be sad and happy and joyful and optimistic.
At the same time, it's not afraid to be black,
but it's not afraid to be not stereotypically black.
What do you enjoy most about being on the show,
and what are you excited about in this new season?
I think Jess and I, when we met, we were both kind of like,
we do improv, we sometimes...
we date white dudes-- sorry, guys--
um, and we just... we want to be ourselves,
and so we will, you know...
We love Waiting to Exhale,
but we also love, like, Harry Potter,
-so it's, like, this nice, perfect mix. -Right.
I think that's, like, a great mix.
And, so, we just have fun,
and I think people really respond to that.
-You also... You've got a standup tour coming out. -Yes.
And I love it. It's called "Sorry Harriet Tubman."
Yes. (laughs) Because I'm ignorant.
Like, I really am, like...
I'm like, "Harriet worked so hard on that railroad,
and here I come making, like, dick jokes."
So sorry, Harriet.
-I'm so sorry, girl. -You say that,
but you're one of the smartest people I know, though.
-Thank you. -I feel like that's the game
-that you play, though, right? -Yeah.
You, like, mask your smarts in the dick jokes.
Of course, because you want people to feel, like, at ease,
-and then you hit them. -Right.
You're like... (grunts)
And they're like, "Oh, whoa, knowledge!"
-So it feels good. -(laughter)
It's very interesting
how I guess men and women do it different,
'cause your technique is, "I whip out the dicks,
-and then people get calm." -Yeah.
-"And then I come with the knowledge." -Yes.
And I'm like, "No, I go with the knowledge,
-and then I whip out the dick." -Yes, you...
I feel like it's a different game that we'd be playing.
-Yes. -Very different techniques that we have.
-Um, the movies. -Yes.
-Are you enjoying that? -I am enjoy...
It's fun to kind of be on a set,
and this was the biggest movie I've ever done.
-What Men Want. Like, Taraji was awesome. -Right.
And I just was like... I kept to myself.
I, like, didn't want to break the thing.
So I was just, like, sweating out,
like, my all-natural deodorant.
I was like, "I definitely can't talk to her now 'cause I stink."
But I, like, had...
I was so excited to be a part of the movie.
Do you wish you could read men's minds?
I wish I could read my boyfriend's mind.
-'Cause... -All the time?
Not all the time, but he'll just be...
I'll be like, "What are you thinking?" He's like, "Nothing."
I'm like, "There's nothing happening in your head
-at all right now?" -Yes. Yes.
-There is nothing happening in his head. -And that's wild.
That's what you don't... Men are not lying when they say
-there's absolutely nothing happening. -How?!
I'll be, like, going along my day,
and then I'll remember, like, in eighth grade
when I tripped in front of my crush,
and that, like, ruins a good hour of my life.
Like, I'm like, "Oh, shit.
-I got to go back there." -Why are you torturing yourself?
-Uh, before I let you go, you are... -Yes.
You're gonna be going to Africa--
to Kenya, specifically--
-in the coming months. -Yes. Yes.
What is that for, and why is that so big for you?
Um, well, I teamed up with Red and One,
organizations that were cofounded by Bono--
and I am obsessed with U2. But I really have been...
And I've been, like, involved in charity for a while,
-and I really like what they do. -Right.
And so I've been really stateside,
sort talking about, like, how they raise money, how they're,
you know, trying to get all the drugs over to Africa.
So I really wanted to be on the ground
and see, like, where that money's going
so I can, like, speak about it
in a more, like, intelligent way,
-like, full way. -Right.
Um, so I'm really excited. I'm going with bunch of donors.
And I don't know what to expect, but I feel like...
-Have you been before? -I've never been, so I'm...
Never been to Kenya, or never been to Africa?
I've never been to Africa,
-so I'm really excited. -Oh, wow.
-I feel like I'm gonna cry, like, an Oprah cry. -Oh, yeah.
-You should. -Like, I'm gonna do all the things.
You must... you need to kiss the ground when you get there.
-Okay. -You need to kiss the ground,
-and then you must Wakanda to everyone that you meet. -Yeah.
-Just... That's all you do. -Yeah.
-Just everywhere you go. Just be like, "Wakanda forever." -Yeah.
And everyone's gonna be like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's-that's how we roll."
-I'm excited for you. It's gonna be fun. -Thank you so much.
Take lots of pictures and then come back
-and tell us about it when you come back. -Yes, absolutely.
This is so much fun.
2 Dope Queens airs Fridays at 11:00 on HBO.
Her standup tour, "Sorry Harriet Tubman,"
begins in March. Phoebe Robinson, everybody.