VIDEO: Katie Couric Chats with Samantha Bee on FULL FRONTAL, Women in Comedy & Ted Cruz

By: Apr. 18, 2016
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.




Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric sat down with comedian, writer, producer and THE DAILY SHOW alumSamantha Bee to talk about her hilarious new late night talk show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Couric and Bee discussed her time as Daily Show correspondent, the experience of working on Full Frontal, Ted Cruz, and the importance of having a woman host in the late night comedy scene. Watch the interview below!

Growing up with a Wiccan mother - "Doesn't everybody have a mom who's a white witch. My mom's great. She's been a Wiccan since I was a little kid. She was respectful of my deep love of Jesus. He was so handsome and stoic. I thought we would marry."

Her favorite memory from her time as a correspondent for THE DAILY SHOW - "It was really fun. Really rewarding. You know, it was such a very well oiled machine. And long-standing relationships were made there. I especially loved, and hated, but mostly loved being at the conventions. I couldn't believe that I could just walk in and you put a camera in someone's face and everyone talks to you."

Not being approached to host THE DAILY SHOW - "I am very Zen about it. So when Jon announced that he was leaving we're like, "Oh please pick up The Detour. Come on TBS." and then they did, and then they swooped in with the offer to do my own show and I immediately jumped on it. So it all worked out for me."

Her new show, FULL FRONTAL WITH SAMANTHA BEE - "I love it so much. I mean it's such hard work. It's the hardest I've ever worked. I love my staff. I love the whole experience. I'm learning. I'm collaborating. I think we're doing the show that we want to do."

Which candidate has provided the best comedy red meat - "We are obsessed with Ted Cruz. If I'm feeling down all I have to do is watch Ted Cruz in The Crucible and my spirits lift. He didn't know that that performance would resonate through the ages in that way and bring joy to so many people. So many tens of people in my office. You know, the whole election season has been...it is such a carnival atmosphere."

Being a women and the only female late-night host - "I think before we aired, before we launched the show, we got asked the question so many times. We kept saying, "Oh, our show's gonna be different...not just because it's being hosted by a woman, but because it's being hosted by a different human being. It's being hosted by me and I have a different point of view.

Advice to women who want to go into comedy -"My advice is that you should write for yourself. If no one is giving you parts you write one from yourself and you perform it and see if the world likes it."

Credit: Yahoo News/Katie Couric



Videos