"I rarely get asked to do [racism] p*rn."UBC—(March 13, 2025) Talented mononymous Nigerian-American late night comedian/interviewer and Black Friend author Ziwe (Fumudoh) brought her stylishly hilarious insights to the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts as part of the 2025 Phil Lind Initiative's accidentally hyper topical ongoing speaker series on the politics of What It Means to Be "American": Navigating Identity in a Changing Nation.
Ziwe was in fine form, taking time away from her beloved pet dog, the appropriately named "Celine Dion," as fellow mononymous entertainer, Canadian-Rwandan rapper and broadcaster Shad (Kabango) candidly interviewed her about a life and career as a professional satirist. Her remarks fleshed out an impressive rise to fame from a Comedy Central internship that included getting a joke on The Colbert Report to her viral Instagram live interviews before getting her own eponymous A24-produced Showtime talk show Ziwe for two criminally underseen seasons.
As a definite "young person," Ziwe identified herself as an iconic chaos agent of satire intending to evoke confessions—apparently a response to complete strangers and interview subjects often telling her random tidbits unprovoked. She considers her interviewees as fellow scene partners and reminded us that her guests come voluntarily and she does not force or "hogtie them" to appear. Furthermore, she puts a premium on originality and creating work not seen elsewhere while considering her interviews to be a form of high camp.
Sharply dressed in a dark blazer sans dress shirt (her trademark look), Ziwe explained how her bright pink Barbie-inspired candy-coated aesthetic celebrated gender and sexuality in late night to set herself apart from a space dominated by older white cis men. Much of her inspiration and cultural obsessions revolved around reality television and a love for the Real Housewives franchise while mocking its misogyny and racism as a ridiculous form of popular mainstream entertainment.
There was a magical sense of audience manipulation to Ziwe's mastery of the crowd. She frequently baited us while mocking our worship of her process and material. It was utterly delightful. She firmly exalted gathering in live public spaces, working together, and mercilessly mocked the falsehoods of supposed "cancel culture," wishing for it and its monetary benefits as a product of fake victimhood.
Ziwe was the fourth of six guest speakers in the second-year free lecture series, What It Means to Be "American," presented by the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. See what's next.
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