David Alan Grier - “The American Society of Magical Negroes” | The Daily Show

Tony Award-winning actor, comedian, and star of the new film “The American Society of Magical Negroes” David Alan Grier stops by to discuss how his latest project satirizes the “magical negro” trope in film and TV, his experience auditioning for those types of roles in Hollywood, and the enduring legacy of “In Living Color.” #DailyShow #DavidAlanGrier #comedy
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[@terica6862]

I watched In Living Color with my parents! What a time to be alive!

[@kevinmcconnell3641]

Men on men, David Allen Grier, and Damon Wayans, funny funny funny!!

[@presentfuture7563]

​@@kevinmcconnell3641 Don't forget Kim "But I ain't one to gossip, so you didn't hear it from me" Wayans. Benita Buttrell was always a hoot

[@mikkih5809]

Funny - back in the day, I saw him at a comedy club in the ATL with my parents - his stand up was great! Favorite character by him on In Living Color was” like to hear it, here it goes”🤣😂🤣💕

[@HuskyOwner-bl1jf]

It was a lot of fun back in the day Homie the Clown was awesome

[@tomb613]

I watched In Living Color with my sisters. Hilarious!!! Cutting edge comedy...

[@zein9227]

Desi is having the time of her life, it's really cute how joyous she is in the role of the co-host with Michael. They mesh together really well. It's almost like siblings.

[@angelinamclaughlin-heil]

But why is she not host alone when everyone else in the show has been?!

[@sarcophage]

She has hosted alone, several times. So has Michael. they are just mixing it up a little this week

[@Durrantula]

DAG is a comedy legend. Such stellar charisma. In living Color was quintessential 90's television at its very best! Looking forward to seeing this latest project.

[@ttacking_you]

His spot at the Apollo was legendary.

[@dshepherd107]

I miss those days. It was more raw and in-your-face humor

[@montecristo1845]

I got to meet David Alan Grier around twenty years ago at the Santa Monica Convention Center at a photography expo. The man is TALL!!! And he was very nice to talk to. (Edit: I misspelled his last name! It isn’t like it was in the video description or anything…😵)

[@AnimefortheLazyman]

Ever since Covid i really don’t hear about new movies anymore. Thank you TDS for informing about DAGs. I’ll have to go find a trailer. Why didn’t you guys show it?

[@sealyoness]

It never occurred to me to think about how tall we grow men in the US and Canada! Thanks for mentioning it. Cheers!

[@erinmac4750]

Big fan of In Living Color. Personally, I think it still works, but then I can also appreciate Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles. I can't put my finger on it, but even if some comedy is politically incorrect, it's still possible to tell if it's done to be meanspirited or with heart.

[@NigelMacDonald-mt9wn]

Agreed

[@HuskyOwner-bl1jf]

Totally agree People are overly sensitive these days and need to be able to laugh at themselves as well as others But a lot of what they did back then would drive todays cancel culture out of their minds Somewhere along the line we all became to thin skinned where every little micro-aggression has to mean war

[@NopeUghUghAbsolutelyNot]

Agreed. It's satire. Blazing saddles is iconic for it.

[@dmonee6196]

Wait. People can’t appreciate Blazing Saddles any longer? How? It’s so over the top and mocking of bigots, sexism, etc I thought it held up well - but I haven’t seen it in a while.

[@HuskyOwner-bl1jf]

@@dmonee6196 Sadly, there are those who place it into the blaxploitation category Thus, my point that to many people need to get over themselves and just enjoy the humor instead of blowing a blood vessel over every little micro-aggression Save the moral outrage over things that actually matter

[@Tonyhouse1168]

I’d love to see a sitdown with Josh Johnson and David Allen Grier

[@factsoverfiction7826]

That's a brilliant idea.

[@RankinMsP]

And Dulcé Sloan ❤

[@NewMessage]

I can't help it. I'm preoccupied with bitterness at not being able to pull off a hat like he does.

[@gregwessendorf]

I can't blame you, it's a great hat.

[@mattlawson714]

It’s important that you are able to admit that. Because you have given me the courage to do so as well. I am really jealous right now. I am so uncool that I would be offended if I wore that hat in public, and people did not start throwing their own excrement at me. I would deserve it.

[@michaeladams5332]

I got a hat that rocks. Rabbit felt from 1958.

[@briansmith2163]

Or just leave it on and wear it.

[@ZeroOskul]

You must get a hat that is exactly your fit. A hat that is too big will shift around weirdly, and a hat that is too small will always make you look like a clown. IF you have a hat that is just slightly too big, you can stuff tissue in the lining. Yes, exactly like stuffing a bra, and, exactly like stuffing a bra, it will look fantastic.

[@sealyoness]

I was remembering an independent film called 'Amazon Women On The Moon'. The premise was the movie was awful and kept breaking, so there were all these funny commercials. I knew David had a part in one, but I never realized all the parts this gentleman has played! WOW.

[@stevekimball7931]

I just bought the box set of living color and then bumped into this....Just wonderful

[@alyciatatum9878]

You should watch him as Santa in 2023's Christmas movie.

[@athanatic]

I first saw him in "Amazon Women on the Moon" as Don "No Soul" Simmons, and loved him immediately!

[@TheGollyLlama]

I have the clip of Arsenio Hall's very bad day (the skit called Mondo Condo) saved in my bookmarks for quick access when I'm having a crummy day, but David's bit with BB King for the Blacks Without Soul album is truly hilarious.

[@ttacking_you]

The Apollo clip​@@TheGollyLlama is unreal.

[@emsleywyatt3400]

Charles "Honeydew" Wilkins.

[@jonathangasana]

The legendary David Alan Grier

[@ttacking_you]

NOBODY crushed the Apollo theatre like he did.

[@Clapstick77]

Anyone else have a tough time seeing these legends get older? He will be 68 this year!

[@dshepherd107]

Yeah but he looks amazing.

[@godmaentertainment4375]

I hope you survive getting older...be brave.

[@stephenluttrell8958]

Having a tough time seeing myself get older. I’m just sorry I seem to be dragging everyone else with me.

[@laalaa99stl]

Two snaps up!

[@catherinewhite3508]

In a Z formation!!

[@chinkasuyaro8983]

@@catherinewhite3508 ...and a twist

[@Palidine4M0O]

Two snaps and AROUND THE WORLD!

[@regulush0743]

I got to meet David Alan Grier by accident like 8 years ago because he was a speaker in my University. For context I'm not American so I only knew him from 1 thing the Kenan and Kel go to Hollywood episode and when I told him that he started out laughing and told us he had a blast doing that super down to earth guy

[@TomHutchinson5]

Loved David Alan Grier since In Living Color. What a sweet moment in the father / daughter pic from the red carpet.

[@SVent1981]

One of the funniest people to ever walk the planet

[@Dennis-gr8ex]

Satirical film?! Its a crybaby story of the eternal victims

[@studio54studio]

not at all, you are FAKE NEWS

[@Blackshadow164]

@@studio54studiono he’s right……

[@chillfluencer]

To me the interviewers seem dishonest. They give off the vibe "Oh, he's Black - we have to be nice and to say some encouraging things no matter what". That's also a kind of racism.

[@swampscrapper]

Yes and if you’ve seen the trailer you might take your comment a few steps further

[@Ian_Somnia]

If you think they were being dishonestly positive about the film he was promoting, that's just talkshow guest hospitality 101. It's their job to give a positive impression of the thing their guest is promoting. They're not reviewers. Specifically in this segment they are essentially talk show hosts. If you think they were being dishonestly positive about the guest himself then I think you're reading too much into it. I didn't get the vibe that they were "being nice because he's black." They were being nice because they like him and his lifetime of work. If there was dishonest positivity it was more likely due to the fact that their job as hosts is to treat all their guests with positivity.

[@swampscrapper]

I think I may need a magical negroe because I feel uncomfortable with this whole concept; must need a magical black personality to show me how to get by in this world

[@sardonicus76]

Of course the two hosts are just pretending to be nice to him. They’re white, Hollywood liberals. That’s what they’re paid to do. It’s literally in their contracts. If any of those clapping seals in the audience saw a guy who looked like DAG walking through their lily white suburban neighborhood , you’d better believe they’d be on high alert. “Kristin…I don’t want to alarm you but I’m looking out my front window and there’s a person of color walking past your house! I think he might be lost but you should probably call the police just to be safe.”

[@Naturallystated]

I'm boomer and a big fan of Greer and In living color. Man that comedy was just what we needed at the time, right up there with Monty Python.

[@Trollophile]

The hardest I ever laughed in my life was while watching "Men on Films!" 😂

[@petebondurant58]

Liberals consider it homophobic now.

[@VcNx2525]

David Alan Greer is a living😅 legend😅

[@TheGr8one1022]

Lol no he isn't. He's a has-been, '90s hack.

[@VcNx2525]

@@TheGr8one1022 You do not know what you are talking about, why don't you read a about African-American History,? Oh, you probobly don't even read a book. Try it you may learn something. So next time you have to say anything try critical thinking.🤔 You may learn or help someone. How old were you in the nineties, were you old enough to drnk alcohol? Or were a kid, or a knucklehead teenager wanting to get laid. No matter you wouldn't realize a thing if it smacked you in your head. One more thing has been doesn't have a hypen

[@VcNx2525]

@@TheGr8one1022 Yes, he is a living legend!

[@TheGr8one1022]

@@VcNx2525 He just isn't, though. He peaked in 1992 on In Living Color, becoming a comedy act when his drama attempts failed, then was a bit part in numerous garbage '90s movies. Boomerang? Blankman? In the Army Now? McHale's Navy? Those are considered some of the worst movies ever made, to the point he was never given a main cast role again, followed by bit parts in failed show after another. He's just another dumb "oh I recognize that guy" actor.

[@settheory2219]

When he says 'I didn't get driving miss daisy' i'm like I really liked that movie...lol

[@dshepherd107]

I still love that movie

[@SpiderHam]

DAG!!!! Loved him as Santa Clause in Candy Cane Lane!

[@steveconn]

Saw David at a Q & A about a year ago at Cobbs in San Francisco. Great he got to VO the Oscars!

[@ZoeChan-s4j]

The film continues to bomb at the box office. So shameful how these talking heads don’t have enough self respect to call out the obvious racism. Cowards 🤦‍♂️

[@christophermerlot3366]

In Living Color was great. I watched it as a teen. The video special still gets me.

[@user-il9tx9di4b]

What a shame Costa’s mother said no. I am 65, watched it with my whole family and laughed and laughed and laughed. They covered everything that wasn’t being said…and they did it so well.

[@JamesOfEarth]

Loved In Living Color! Made two solid attempts at pitching a video game with the license, but IP rights were a mess and couldn’t get all parties to agree. Really wish we could have made it.

[@nicomoreno5028]

As an adult gamer, I would love to have played that game. As a young gamer, I would also have loved to play that game. I'm certain.

[@glo1168]

What even wouldn’t the gameplay premise had been??

[@SuperSpace2009]

I don't understand why they cannot do IN LIVING COLOR. MEN ON FILM WAS THE FUNNIEST. EVERYBODY STILL KNOW IT IS A COMEDY. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIS NEW MOVIE.

[@lostipod12]

I was in 10th/11th grade when "In Living Color" was on, there was nothing like it on TV. I think FOX as a national network was only 3-years old at the time? It wasn't until "Chappelle's Show" 10+ years later that we had the same level of raw, racially-charged comedy gold on TV. My son is 6, I look forward to sitting down with him and watching these old comic masters. On occasion I look up 'hip house' dj sets on KZbin to relive the magical music intros with the Fly Girls.

[@Palidine4M0O]

On the backs of legends, fox built itself a house of hate... In Living Color should be required reading, comedy is meant to do what it did, which is to expose and then heal rifts in an endless cycle through time.

[@malikshabazz2065]

the movie he is promoting is one of the biggest box office flops of all time . Nice! :-)

[@user-ej8mv5qm6n]

I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest flop of all time. The budget to make it wasn’t huge. Shazam 2, Black Adam, The Flash, The Marvels, Antman:Quantimania are examples of big budget 💩 sacks. But the movie he’s promoting is definitely a film NOBODY asked for.

[@Blackshadow164]

@@user-ej8mv5qm6nI agree

[@89thunderfoot]

The only person that can come back from a train wreck like that is him. The film was disaster. I am disappointed he signed up for it. People gotta eat though.

[@DallasTaylor]

In Living Color was our Social Media fam... Kids today just don't know ❤

[@DopeyDetector]

Oh grow up

[@Notturnoir]

He was great as the voice! He should host the Oscsrs next time

[@michaelkottler]

Key and Peele's "Magical Negroes" sketch was dope AF imho.

[@QuinnCloudz]

DAG-a-docious!!! Woooooooooo!!! I *loved* his show "Chocolate News"

[@Emmathelady]

A guy who started out on a wacky sketch comedy show and, over the years, transitioned to being a renaissance man!

[@Aupheromones]

I can tell you where In Living Color is on now. It's playing on repeat in my head, for the last 30 years. ❤

[@studio54studio]

#GetMentalHelp

[@DanielleA2023]

David & Damon were the greatest best things* about the iconic legendary IN LIVING COLOUR ❤❤ kind regards from New Zealand 🇳🇿*Desi & Michael might be THE DAILY SHOWS

[@RumblesBettr]

This is gonna bomb soooo bad

[@Blackshadow164]

It already did

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

Loved him since In Living Color! My mom was cool. She let me watch it. That and Married With Children. Back when Fox was cool

[@THE-X-Force]

_"You can do whatchu wanna do.._ _anything you want,_ _it's up to you..."_

[@user-hh8fg7gg6m]

"In living color" 😊😅 👏

[@clifton6919]

This woke 🗑 is bombing hard. Love it!

[@Blackshadow164]

Get woke go broke

[@barbern1nb]

Love some David Alan Grier So under rated ❤

[@studio54studio]

like this new mediocre movie lol

[@KingKronik42o]

We are all brothers and sisters under the same sun, one love.

[@James-iu2km]

I agree... but this new movie doesn't, according to this new movie "White people are the most dangerous animal"....

[@reginafefifofina]

3:30 the green mile - literally magical

[@Newton-Reuther]

Classic example!

[@eyeDavid]

Blankmans sidekick

[@Tonyhouse1168]

Other Guy!

[@TheMaxAwesome]

Me and all the other kids would watch In Living Color and The Simpsons in the playroom while all our parents were upstairs having bible study fellowship.

[@user-hh8fg7gg6m]

😅😅 Oh!!

[@kris-zq6wj]

Why they having him on...his movie is one of the most stupidest over woke things ever...and i am a centrist both liberal and conservative in canada

[@Blackshadow164]

They are leftists shills, and hats why.

[@joeyapur1229]

Another great talent from Detroit.

[@riquisimx]

I'm 39 years old and can remember my younger years sneaking around to watch In Living Color. Hilarious and out of this world laughs for daysss. As a matter of fact, I think I'll search for a bootleg or something right quick!

[@chloetry206]

Desi and whatshisname sitting there together like brother and sister at the dinner table

[@HanmaHeiro]

I'm seeing this movie tomorrow. I'm hoping it'll be great!

[@Viglin123]

And the result was ?

[@HanmaHeiro]

@@Viglin123 It was ok. Not much of a satire. More of a romance story with a side of societal commentary

[@Viglin123]

@@HanmaHeiro Thanks for an honest opinion, wife and l been debating seeing it, but after seeing several reviews it was going to be a hard pass. Maybe we will wait for streaming.

[@godmaentertainment4375]

The movie is a box office and critical FLOP lol "Trash" they say

[@D415h4n34]

He looks great💖 Living Legend👑

[@JohnWestIV]

Haha I used to watch In Living Color as a young one by myself and then later with some friends. Always been a fan of David Alan Grier!

[@user-fx6wd9zx8t]

As a boomer I was a huge fan of In Living Color. We needed it then and now!

[@studio54studio]

but this ain't about that lol it's about a new mediocre movie.

[@debbiedoodiedandi]

I hope Kobi Libii comes by for an interview. He's wrote and directed this movie AND he was on both Jordan Klepper shows!

[@James-iu2km]

And I'd love to hear more of his *_Racist_* views.

[@t.d108]

And your daughter looked lovely and totally classy stylin’❣️

[@thomasdeas1941]

In Living Color.

[@SteveJonesOwnsDSP]

man that theme song is epic

[@Slim4eva]

DaG an American treasure

[@SVent1981]

Check out David Allen Grier in “In the Army now “. With Paully Shore. David is so funny

[@Anon-xd3cf]

Look its the Black Neil Young... A man with a stellar career has just thrown it down the toilet in support of some woke bullsheet.

[@PapaRazaa]

There has to be a place where they came reboot In Living Color. I’d pay to watch it

[@robgelfand2414]

He gets 2 snaps!

[@blank.000]

Nice interview, but the movie is a complete trash. 31% on Rotten Tomatoes. 3.2 / 10 on IMDb.

[@petebondurant58]

The critics on Rotten Tomatoes hate it...because it's not left wing enough. The audiences hate it...because it's too left wing.

[@alconeuskhan4747]

very confusing having two hosts. i love you both. either of you could have totally handled that interview. Obviously i didnt see the whole eepisode so i probably missed the context.

[@VectorSearch]

Loving the Selfedge hipster look he’s rockin’

[@Hastur805]

What a freaking tool he turned into. Why he took this roll as a BLACK man is beyond me. This movie and message are shameful.

[@rlly_james_smh1744]

The film was gonna be DOA the moment pput understood the plot of the film

[@tommyt1971]

Grier was always my choice for funniest member of the In Living Color cast.

[@megamanx466]

In Living Color and then Mad TV were both great! *Definitely* couldn't be made today. 😅

[@kimberlybossie1023]

David is my favorite!

[@OnyxLee]

2:06, may I ask what's the word that got bleeped? So that I can have some understanding about the social taboo. Thank you.

[@swampscrapper]

We were informed we’re allowed to say negroes but not he other similar word

[@petebondurant58]

@@swampscrapper Oh...you mean that word that black people use 10,000 times a week?

[@nicomoreno5028]

He called "negroes" the "other n-word"... I feel that. It just doesn't have the right feel to it. They made it the title to the movie, though... trying not to say it is just silly. The other word that they beeped out (the "n-word") should never be used, though. That's racist and degrading. I don't believe Kosta uses that word for even a second, so Idk what that whole thing was about.

[@corbelius6]

We Love you, David!

[@Palidine4M0O]

David is a national treasure

[@chalinaclayton5136]

Thank You David for All Your Great Work. 🎉❤Why two interviewers, SMH, I'm about to watch this let me see how much explaining he's gonna have to do with these two.

[@SocialistBoomer]

I was just thinking about DAG. Love to see him again ❤❤❤

[@PrydeWater901]

It seems like since playing the cowardly lion in the reboot of The Wiz, his career has seem a renaissance.

[@howdareyou41]

DAG gave me some of my biggest laughs ever when he was a guest on Loveline

[@bradcornell6329]

He is right. I can't imagine the skit Men on Film being tolerated in today's society at all.

[@elfari100]

Too bad. PC is killing our ability to laugh at ourselves. Like many, I miss In Living Color😅

[@RJ420NL]

Desi should be the next host.

[@matthewsams1038]

I remember that dude from in living color...

[@burkevinell]

Desi and Michael are great together.

[@andrewmathewson341]

The satire was too strong for the comment section of the original trailer, lots of offended black people there.

[@swampscrapper]

Exactly. Why didn’t they just satirize the trope? That could’ve been funny .. instead this which is really offending a lot of people

[@ZolaClyde]

Two snaps up and a circle … ⭕️

[@symm286]

Blankman 2 would most definitely get "two snaps up in a *Z* formation

[@SocialistBoomer]

I’m so mad he didn’t get the part of Harpo. He would have been awesome as Harpo.

[@AccelerateYourSuccess]

2 snaps up, honey.

[@letstrythisagain5096]

Movie made 3$ 😂

[@Blackshadow164]

It flopped at the box office

[@JC-de1ik]

Wow I thought key and peele were just joking

[@TheManCone]

My wife and I were watching Atlanta, this MF trailer played me and my wife were over joyed, then played a commercial for kids cereal where the mascot and kids team up aginst the cereal police it was a skit in Atlanta. We went another week before we realizedl this was a real movie.

[@a.KniteOwl]

I mean the whole "magic sidekick" trope appears beyond just black people. most movies have a sidekick character that's just there to help out the protagonist. not that black people have never been marginalized or stereotyped. I still wanna see this movie and enjoy it and all. but I sincerely believe if most of these "magic sidekick" roles didn't go to a black person they could have easily gone to a white, mexican, italian, chinese, australian, romanian, irish, puerto rican, dominican, swedish, canadian, or basque person of decent instead.

[@EPrice-tu3of]

He has aged so well!!!

[@gabyverduzco680]

Grew up In Living Color 👌🏼 so many people would be offended now.

[@RichardServello]

I've been looking forward to this movie. LOVE DAG.

[@Blackshadow164]

It failed horribly at the box office

[@Cartman-u2u]

Two snaps up, with a twist!💖.

[@FactsAndEvidence]

Straight goat. Love this guy. David, thank you for all you’ve given us.

[@allye9865]

I am so looking fwd to seeing this movie