Estee Adoram: The Gatekeeper of Funny

1. 0:00 – 1:02

   Who's Your Favorite Comedian?

   1. TNTrevor Noah0:00

      [upbeat music] Who's your personal favorite comedian?

   2. SPSpeaker0:06

      You.

   3. TNTrevor Noah0:07

      No, don't do that.

   4. SPSpeaker0:08

      [laughs] You asked me an impossible question.

   5. DADave0:11

      You asked a question.

   6. SPSpeaker0:13

      No. But I, like... No, no. No, no. It, it's... I have people I like more than others.

   7. TNTrevor Noah0:20

      Yeah.

   8. SPSpeaker0:20

      But this is like asking a mother that has 15 children-

   9. TNTrevor Noah0:24

      Yeah

   10. SPSpeaker0:24

       ... who is your favorite?

   11. TNTrevor Noah0:25

       No. Which one would you go downstairs to watch more than the other ch- you... There's gotta be one child where you're like... And I only mean this because they, they just happen to, like, hit everything that you want from the comedy and the... Do, do you get what I'm saying?

   12. DADave0:37

       Let me break it down for Estee. Basically, Estee, think of it this way.

   13. SPSpeaker0:40

       Don't break it down for me.

   14. TNTrevor Noah0:41

       [laughs]

   15. SPSpeaker0:41

       I know exactly what he's asking.

   16. DADave0:42

       I'm, I, I'm gonna-

   17. TNTrevor Noah0:44

       I'm, I'm buying you time, Estee. I'm buying you time [laughs]

   18. SPSpeaker0:47

       [laughs] I'm trying not to answer. [upbeat music]

   19. TNTrevor Noah0:54

       This is What Now? with Trevor Noah. [upbeat music]

2. 1:02 – 12:20

   Trevor Finally Admits He Was Wrong

   1. DADave1:08

      Okay, all right.

   2. TNTrevor Noah1:09

      You're the, you're the only person I know who refuses to get a cover for your phone.

   3. SPSpeaker1:12

      Who?

   4. TNTrevor Noah1:12

      You know, I think I've made a terrible mistake.

   5. SPSpeaker1:14

      I would never do that.

   6. TNTrevor Noah1:14

      No, I'm, I'm willing-

   7. DADave1:14

      A screen protector, you get one.

   8. TNTrevor Noah1:15

      Yeah, but I'm, I, I'm willing-

   9. DADave1:16

      A cover for your phone.

   10. SPSpeaker1:17

       Yeah.

   11. TNTrevor Noah1:17

       Yeah.

   12. DADave1:18

       He refuses.

   13. TNTrevor Noah1:18

       But I'm, I'm willing to accept that I've, I've made a terrible mistake.

   14. SPSpeaker1:21

       Of not getting a cover or getting the orange phone?

   15. TNTrevor Noah1:22

       Yeah. In fact, I'm gonna say this. I, I will say this. Um, phone companies need to just start making the phone in the cover.

   16. DADave1:30

       Wait. Are you saying you don't have a phone cover?

   17. TNTrevor Noah1:32

       No, I don't.

   18. DADave1:33

       You know, in this world of-

   19. SPSpeaker1:33

       He never has

   20. DADave1:34

       ... you know, in this world of, um, [tsks] what's the word, so m- much consumerism and stuff?

   21. TNTrevor Noah1:40

       Yeah.

   22. DADave1:41

       It's, it's hard to know who's rich and who's not rich, so it's the little things.

   23. TNTrevor Noah1:45

       [laughs]

   24. DADave1:45

       Like they tell you. And then a person is like, "I don't have a phone cover." Then you're like, "This guy's balling."

   25. TNTrevor Noah1:49

       Yeah. [laughs]

   26. DADave1:49

       He doesn't have phone cover.

   27. TNTrevor Noah1:51

       Yeah.

   28. DADave1:52

       Do you know what I'm saying?

   29. TNTrevor Noah1:52

       Yes.

   30. DADave1:53

       So you don't have a phone cover? No. But what happens if you drop your phone and it cracks? Aren- isn't your life gonna be ruined? No.
3. 12:20 – 18:30

   Meet Estee Adoram

   1. EAEstee Adoram12:20

      Hi.

   2. TNTrevor Noah12:20

      How are you?

   3. SPSpeaker12:21

      Hey.

   4. TNTrevor Noah12:21

      Welcome, welcome. Please, please join us.

   5. EAEstee Adoram12:24

      Thank you.

   6. SPSpeaker12:24

      [laughs]

   7. TNTrevor Noah12:24

      Please, welcome. I'm gonna clap.

   8. SPSpeaker12:25

      Right this way. [clapping]

   9. TNTrevor Noah12:27

      I feel-

   10. SPSpeaker12:28

       You know why I'm gonna clap? Because I used to be a comedian.

   11. TNTrevor Noah12:30

       [laughs]

   12. EAEstee Adoram12:30

       [laughs]

   13. SPSpeaker12:30

       So, so I can-

   14. EAEstee Adoram12:32

       You're so nice. I wonder why

   15. SPSpeaker12:33

       ... I can appreciate. [laughs]

   16. TNTrevor Noah12:38

       [laughs]

   17. EAEstee Adoram12:38

       Jesus, my-

   18. TNTrevor Noah12:38

       You recognized the clap

   19. EAEstee Adoram12:39

       ... my radar just went off. [laughs]

   20. TNTrevor Noah12:42

       [laughs] You recognized the...

   21. SPSpeaker12:43

       Oh, man.

   22. TNTrevor Noah12:45

       [laughs]

   23. SPSpeaker12:45

       Oh, wow. [laughs]

   24. EAEstee Adoram12:48

       You get to recognize it right away.

   25. TNTrevor Noah12:50

       Do, do you have that though? Like, you, y- you, you, did you ever see those stories of people, um, you know, they'd talk about, like, when they were famous and they'd go to restaurants-

   26. EAEstee Adoram13:02

       Mm-hmm

   27. TNTrevor Noah13:02

       ... or they'd go to certain... No, no, no. It was food critics would talk about this. Yes. They would say once they became famous as food critics-

   28. SPSpeaker13:08

       Their gig was over

   29. TNTrevor Noah13:08

       ... they would go to a restaurant, and just by chance people would co- would come in with like, "Oh, uh, Mr., you know, Mr. Smith, uh, compliments of the chef, Mr. Smith," and, "Ah, Mr. Smith, we noticed you walked in." But then they said, like, as a food critic, the hardest thing to do was actually get the real experience in a restaurant because everyone knew that your view of the restaurant could determine whether or not that restaurant succeeds.

   30. SPSpeaker13:32

       Mm-hmm.
4. 18:30 – 21:40

   How Trevor Met Estee

   1. TNTrevor Noah18:30

      "Uh, she sits at the table." They're like, "Yeah, how do you know her?" I was like, "What do you mean, how do I know her? She sat at the table, and one day I sat with her, and then we started talking."

   2. EUEugene18:38

      [laughs]

   3. TNTrevor Noah18:39

      And he's like, "Oh, but you guys seem to have a good time." I was like, "Yeah, the same way with every other comedian." And they're like, "No, she's not a comedian." I was like, "Oh, cool. She just hangs out here." They're like, "No. Estee decides whether or not you can be a comedian."

   4. EUEugene18:54

      [laughs]

   5. TNTrevor Noah18:54

      I was like, "What, what does that even mean?"

   6. EUEugene18:56

      That's exactly what-

   7. TNTrevor Noah18:56

      And then by the time I found out, it was, it was late, but I was like, "This woman sitting here with us is genuinely..." That's why I say you are like a fairy godmother and the godfather-

   8. EUEugene19:04

      At the same time

   9. TNTrevor Noah19:05

      ... of c- of comedy es- in, like, the New York world. It's a weird role to have.

   10. EUEugene19:11

       But I don't think it's a role that you can be given.

   11. TNTrevor Noah19:13

       How did you even get it?

   12. EUEugene19:14

       Exactly.

   13. TNTrevor Noah19:14

       I don't know. How did you get into this?

   14. EUEugene19:15

       No one said, "Estee, here you go," all right? You know?

   15. TNTrevor Noah19:17

       How, how, how many, how many years-

   16. EAEstee Adoram19:18

       No, it, it, it, it develops. Um-

   17. TNTrevor Noah19:20

       How many years have you been doing it now?

   18. EAEstee Adoram19:24

       Hold on.

   19. TNTrevor Noah19:24

       [laughs]

   20. EAEstee Adoram19:25

       Can you hold on?

   21. TNTrevor Noah19:26

       I'm ready. I'm ready.

   22. EAEstee Adoram19:27

       44 years.

   23. TNTrevor Noah19:28

       No ways.

   24. EAEstee Adoram19:29

       Yeah. Who keeps track?

   25. TNTrevor Noah19:31

       Since 1981.

   26. EAEstee Adoram19:33

       Uh, I started in 1982. I first came-

   27. TNTrevor Noah19:40

       Wait, at the Comedy Cellar or-

   28. EAEstee Adoram19:41

       At the Comedy Cellar.

   29. TNTrevor Noah19:43

       Jeez. Okay.

   30. EAEstee Adoram19:44

       And I started part-time as a host at the door downstairs because I just had a, a newborn, and all the book about baby said the first three years you have to be with them.
5. 21:40 – 25:10

   What Makes Someone a Great Comedian?

   1. EAEstee Adoram21:40

      be good at it, you need, it's a higher, uh, level of intelligence than most. It's courage, brave, 'cause you're exposed. You're naked on that stage.

   2. TNTrevor Noah21:54

      Yeah, yeah.

   3. EAEstee Adoram21:55

      You're naked, and you never know if there is a yahoo in the crowd that'll yell out something. And you have to be fast enough on your feet-

   4. EUEugene22:04

      Hmm

   5. EAEstee Adoram22:04

      ... to respond and respond correctly and to your benefit. So not everybody can do that. Most people can't. It takes, if you think of, of people that are very successful in comedy, you will see that there is a thread of this characteristic. You have it. All the big guys really have it.

   6. EUEugene22:33

      Hmm.

   7. EAEstee Adoram22:33

      You don't become famous and big and successful for a long period of time.

   8. EUEugene22:39

      Mm-hmm.

   9. TNTrevor Noah22:40

      Long period.

   10. EAEstee Adoram22:41

       That's, that's the key.

   11. TNTrevor Noah22:42

       Yeah. Eugene and I talk about this all the time.

   12. EAEstee Adoram22:44

       It's not a fla- you know, flash in the-

   13. TNTrevor Noah22:46

       Yeah

   14. EAEstee Adoram22:47

       ... consistently. And then there are some people that use comedy and that stage as a stepping stone-

   15. TNTrevor Noah22:55

       Yeah

   16. EAEstee Adoram22:55

       ... to this, as opposed-

   17. TNTrevor Noah22:57

       Yes

   18. EAEstee Adoram22:58

       ... of true, real, honest-to-goodness comedian.

   19. TNTrevor Noah23:03

       Hmm.

   20. EAEstee Adoram23:03

       And today, when I look back, the ones that are really true comedians, you, Chappelle, Chris Rock, they're all famous people. Ray Romano, they still come. They still do stand-up. They still create. They still write.

   21. EUEugene23:23

       They still perform.

   22. EAEstee Adoram23:24

       As opposed to others-

   23. EUEugene23:25

       Hmm

   24. EAEstee Adoram23:26

       ... that got the TV show or a movie-

   25. TNTrevor Noah23:29

       And then they're out

   26. EAEstee Adoram23:30

       ... that's it.

   27. TNTrevor Noah23:30

       Yeah.

   28. EUEugene23:31

       Stepping stone.

   29. TNTrevor Noah23:31

       They're out.

   30. EAEstee Adoram23:31

       So that's a difference between A and B. And to be an A comedian, no matter what level, takes something that the others are lacking. They don't have it.
6. 25:10 – 31:20

   How Estee Spots Future Comedy Legends

   1. TNTrevor Noah25:10

      I don't understand how you... [sighs] How are you able to see good comedy beyond the laughs? And what I mean by that is, a- and I say this with due respect to anyone who may be offended, any idiot can go, "Ah, that's funny," because people are laughing. I've seen Estee put on lineups where there's a comedian who's not necessarily getting a laugh in that show.

   2. EAEstee Adoram25:35

      Hmm.

   3. TNTrevor Noah25:36

      But then a few years or a few months later, they've gone to become one of the biggest com-... They just blow up, and then everyone at the Cellar goes, "Oh yeah, we always knew them." But I go, "Yeah, but Estee, how did you see beyond where the audience saw them at that time to see that they were going to be an amazing comedian?" I don't understand where you get that from.

   4. EAEstee Adoram25:52

      You've got that.

   5. TNTrevor Noah25:53

      No, not like Estee.

   6. EAEstee Adoram25:54

      Okay, I'll tell you a little bit about it, but you-

   7. TNTrevor Noah25:55

      Not, not like, not like Estee, though. Honestly. Uh, honestly.

   8. EAEstee Adoram25:57

      I, thank you. [laughs]

   9. TNTrevor Noah25:59

      Hmm.

   10. EAEstee Adoram25:59

       Um, I don't, I don't wanna name-drop, but there is somebody-

   11. TNTrevor Noah26:02

       Drop names

   12. EAEstee Adoram26:03

       ... that told me. Hmm.

   13. TNTrevor Noah26:04

       [laughs] Dave Kibuka?

   14. EAEstee Adoram26:05

       [laughs] Judd Apatow told me that, okay? He says, "You are booking good shows because you have good taste." And it's the good taste and be able to see beyond the obvious.

   15. TNTrevor Noah26:24

       Mm-hmm.

   16. EAEstee Adoram26:26

       If you get on stage... When I saw the, Trevor Noah the first time on stage, I saw the seed that is Trevor Noah now.

   17. TNTrevor Noah26:38

       Hmm.

   18. EAEstee Adoram26:39

       Although you were already polished when I saw you compared to some of the new comics I see now, but you can see the seed. You can see the root-

   19. TNTrevor Noah26:50

       Mm-hmm

   20. EAEstee Adoram26:51

       ... of the essence of who you are and how you project it. The bottom line is it's a comedy show. People get babysitters and travel and put themselves out to come and have a good time and laugh.

   21. TNTrevor Noah27:07

       Yeah. That's the bottom line.

   22. EAEstee Adoram27:09

       That's the bottom line, and my responsibility is to build a show that will give it, give them that entertainment. The thing is, you mix it up. You said I put X, Y, and Z on the show-

   23. TNTrevor Noah27:26

       Right

   24. EAEstee Adoram27:27

       ... um, to create an essence, to create the feeling that not boring. They're all different from each other. I cannot... I can book five people that are very much alike. It's gonna be boring. By the fifth people, uh, fifth person-

   25. TNTrevor Noah27:46

       Yeah

   26. EAEstee Adoram27:46

       ... you already heard it all.

   27. TNTrevor Noah27:47

       Yeah.

   28. EAEstee Adoram27:48

       You gotta interject something different, something new. Um, the, the beginnings, I met Chappelle, he was 18 years old, and another comic came to me at 3:00 AM. We used to be open really that late, and there was, like f- maybe 10, 15 people in the room at, at, at, at that time. And, um, he said to me, "You see this guy? I saw him in DC. He's really funny." He was sitting in the booth in the Olive Tree eating, and I went over, introduced myself, and I said, "Can you go up and do a few minutes for me?" And he says, "Yeah," and he went out and destroyed. Destroyed.

   29. TNTrevor Noah28:35

       This is Dave Chappelle at 18.

   30. EAEstee Adoram28:38

       18. And so I kept saying 19. He corrected me-
7. 31:20 – 39:20

   From Poland to the Comedy Cellar

   1. DADave31:20

      Estee, you can't say-

   2. EAEstee Adoram31:21

      He is so good.

   3. DADave31:22

      Yes, I believe you, but you judge me every time-

   4. EAEstee Adoram31:25

      [laughs]

   5. DADave31:25

      ... as if you don't work in, like, the m- the factory.

   6. EUEugene31:27

      I judge you all the time.

   7. DADave31:28

      Yes.

   8. EUEugene31:29

      I don't work at the factory of funny.

   9. DADave31:30

      Yes, but at least you judge me for things that are judgeable.

   10. EUEugene31:33

       [laughs]

   11. DADave31:33

       Estee will, Estee will just randomly put up a comedian, and she'll be like, "Do you know Peter Wongrick?" And you're like, "Who's that?"

   12. EUEugene31:39

       [laughs]

   13. DADave31:39

       "How can you not know Peter Wongrick?"

   14. EAEstee Adoram31:41

       Because you are in this, in this life. You are in this-

   15. DADave31:45

       Estee, you know every comedian.

   16. EUEugene31:48

       You are basically hang up the phone on Estee at 3:00 AM.

   17. DADave31:50

       I am, because you know every comedian.

   18. EUEugene31:52

       You're like, "Okay."

   19. DADave31:53

       Oh, wait. Okay, so no, no, I, I need to go back. G- I'm gonna try to figure this out. I ne- I need to go back. So, so 1982, you've got the newborn. So take, take us back an-

   20. EAEstee Adoram32:03

       No, he was born in, in '79.

   21. DADave32:05

       Oh, '79.

   22. EAEstee Adoram32:06

       So the three years.

   23. DADave32:07

       Okay.

   24. EAEstee Adoram32:07

       Remember I told you?

   25. DADave32:07

       Okay, so that was the three years.

   26. EAEstee Adoram32:09

       I had to-

   27. EUEugene32:09

       It was the countdown.

   28. DADave32:09

       All right. Okay, okay.

   29. EAEstee Adoram32:10

       [laughs] The countdown.

   30. EUEugene32:10

       When the countdown ended, Estee got the job.
8. 39:20 – 43:00

   The Biggest Mistake New Comedians Make

   1. EAEstee Adoram39:20

      of luck.

   2. TNTrevor Noah39:20

      Yeah, that's what I mean.

   3. EAEstee Adoram39:21

      Yeah. It's, it's luck. Um, with me, it's a little bit m- it's not luck but be- because people wanna work at the Comedy Cellar.

   4. TNTrevor Noah39:31

      Yeah.

   5. EAEstee Adoram39:32

      They make themself available.

   6. TNTrevor Noah39:35

      Mm-hmm.

   7. EAEstee Adoram39:36

      Uh, whether it's through other comics-

   8. TNTrevor Noah39:39

      Right

   9. EAEstee Adoram39:39

      ... who recommend it-

   10. TNTrevor Noah39:40

       Yeah

   11. EAEstee Adoram39:41

       ... or managers or, or, you know, YouTube. I don't know.

   12. TNTrevor Noah39:47

       Right.

   13. EAEstee Adoram39:48

       And so I get to, to watch a lot, and many said it once. Many had warned my boss. And this, I think, is a key. If you walk into a comedy club in a different country that you don't speak the language-

   14. TNTrevor Noah40:08

       Yeah

   15. EAEstee Adoram40:10

       ... and you see the reaction of the crowd, you can tell if the comic is good or not.

   16. TNTrevor Noah40:14

       Mm-hmm.

   17. EAEstee Adoram40:16

       And a lot of comics that struggle and don't do, don't do well lack the ability to listen to the feedback.

   18. TNTrevor Noah40:28

       Hmm.

   19. EAEstee Adoram40:31

       To the laughter. Yeah, a joke can bomb. Yes, you can have a bad set. But on a consistent level, if you don't learn to listen for your feedback, you'll never become a better comic or grow or flourish. And I think this is the biggest mistake the beginning comic do.

   20. TNTrevor Noah40:56

       Yeah.

   21. EAEstee Adoram40:58

       Because they, they wanna support each other, right?

   22. TNTrevor Noah41:01

       Yeah.

   23. EAEstee Adoram41:01

       Say, "Oh, that was a great set," whatever. And I can look at the face. I say, "Mm, it wasn't." Or they say, "Oh, the crowd is tired," or they drunk, or ... [laughs] No.

   24. TNTrevor Noah41:12

       You've heard it all. Yeah.

   25. EAEstee Adoram41:13

       No. Listen.

   26. TNTrevor Noah41:14

       Like, I've heard it all.

   27. EAEstee Adoram41:15

       Yeah, she's heard every excuse.

   28. TNTrevor Noah41:16

       They're too drunk. They're too tired.

   29. EAEstee Adoram41:17

       Yeah. Exactly.

   30. TNTrevor Noah41:18

       Do they even speak English?
9. 43:00 – 47:00

   Why the Comedy Cellar Never Lost Its Magic

   1. TNTrevor Noah43:00

      yeah, but that's what I mean, is like-

   2. EAEstee Adoram43:00

      Yeah

   3. TNTrevor Noah43:00

      ... I think to myself, you know, one of the things I've noticed over the years in, in comedy in particular is comedy clubs have come, and they've gone, and at some point, what happens is a comedy club starts to become more famous than many of the comedians in it.

   4. EUEugene43:16

      Right.

   5. TNTrevor Noah43:17

      And in that period, the institution doesn't listen anymore, and they don't listen to the comedians. They don't listen to the audience. They don't-

   6. EUEugene43:25

      Becomes a corporation almost

   7. TNTrevor Noah43:26

      ... yeah, it becomes a corporation-

   8. EAEstee Adoram43:27

      No, no, uh-uh

   9. TNTrevor Noah43:27

      ... and you see this thing falling, and you see it-

   10. EAEstee Adoram43:29

       No, the Comedy, not the Comedy Cellar.

   11. TNTrevor Noah43:30

       Yeah, but w- but-

   12. EAEstee Adoram43:31

       I, I, I, and that's, uh, I have to give 100% credit to Noam, the owner now.

   13. TNTrevor Noah43:37

       Yeah.

   14. EAEstee Adoram43:39

       He is very involved on that part of it. Um, customer sat- satisfi- and it's not about the dollar amount. It never was.

   15. TNTrevor Noah43:51

       Mm-hmm.

   16. EAEstee Adoram43:52

       Never was, not Manny and not Noam. But to make the club successful-

   17. TNTrevor Noah43:58

       Yeah

   18. EAEstee Adoram43:58

       ... the customer has to be happy.

   19. TNTrevor Noah44:01

       Yeah.

   20. EAEstee Adoram44:02

       They have to be happy with the show-

   21. TNTrevor Noah44:04

       Mm-hmm

   22. EAEstee Adoram44:04

       ... with the food-

   23. EUEugene44:05

       The treatment

   24. EAEstee Adoram44:06

       ... with the service.

   25. TNTrevor Noah44:07

       Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

   26. EAEstee Adoram44:08

       All of it, and if it's not, it's had to be paid. It is, that's why Comedy Cellar, [knocks] knock wood, is successful. We're opening another room. You know that, right?

   27. TNTrevor Noah44:22

       Yeah. The, the, it's gonna be like upstairs.

   28. EAEstee Adoram44:23

       It's, it's gorgeous.

   29. TNTrevor Noah44:24

       I heard it's like a gorgeous little theater-type thing.

   30. EAEstee Adoram44:25

       Yes.
10. 47:00 – 56:00

    Treating Superstars Like Everyone Else

    1. TNTrevor Noah47:00

       And Sam Morril now, you know, when now people start texting you, that's how I always feel it, random people, "Have you heard of Sam Morril?" And you're like, "I've known Sam for years, and he's been funny for years."

    2. EAEstee Adoram47:09

       Yeah.

    3. TNTrevor Noah47:10

       "But I'm happy that many of you are discovering him now."

    4. EAEstee Adoram47:12

       Yeah.

    5. TNTrevor Noah47:13

       But when Sam was at the Comedy Cellar, he was doing Sam, and he was building Sam at that time. The audience enjoyed him, but they didn't know that he was gonna be a star.

    6. EAEstee Adoram47:25

       Yeah.

    7. TNTrevor Noah47:26

       And y- maybe this is what it is, Estee. I'll tell you what it is, actually. You, you found this balance, and I, I'd love to know, like, where it came from. Stars at the Comedy Cellar are treated like comedians, and comedians are treated like stars.

    8. EAEstee Adoram47:41

       100%, and, uh, uh, that's e- absolutely true. Absolutely true. If a star comes in, I'm gonna try to make you as comfortable-

    9. TNTrevor Noah47:53

       Mm

    10. EAEstee Adoram47:54

        ... as possible-

    11. TNTrevor Noah47:56

        And as normal

    12. EAEstee Adoram47:57

        ... that you are one of us.

    13. TNTrevor Noah47:58

        Yeah.

    14. EUEugene47:58

        Yeah.

    15. TNTrevor Noah47:58

        As normal as possible.

    16. EAEstee Adoram48:00

        Exactly. I remember years and years ago, Seinfeld was doing the comic, the, the movie. He was-

    17. TNTrevor Noah48:07

        Oh, yes

    18. EAEstee Adoram48:07

        ... shooting it at the Cellar-

    19. TNTrevor Noah48:09

        Yes, yes, yes. Comedian, yes, yes

    20. EAEstee Adoram48:09

        ... almos- almost every night. And people would come to the table while he was eating or whatever, and they were bothering him. And I remember Manny always posted somebody by a table, say, if somebody c- came over to the table, to stop them.

    21. TNTrevor Noah48:26

        Right.

    22. EAEstee Adoram48:26

        Let him be.

    23. TNTrevor Noah48:27

        Yeah.

    24. EAEstee Adoram48:28

        And there was a day that he asked Seinfeld, "Tell me, what, what can we do to make you, you know, uh, comfortable-

    25. TNTrevor Noah48:38

        Feel comfortable

    26. EAEstee Adoram48:38

        ... here or whatever?"

    27. TNTrevor Noah48:39

        Yeah.

    28. EAEstee Adoram48:39

        He said, "Don't worry about it. I can handle it. I ... Don't worry about it. Don't, you don't need to post anybody." He wanted to be a guy, and if he wanted ... [laughs] I remember somebody asked for a picture. He says, "Okay." He stood, and the guy put his arm around him. He goes, "Not that close."

    29. TNTrevor Noah48:59

        [laughs]

    30. EAEstee Adoram48:59

        You know, very silent, right? [laughs] But he just was ... He was working.
11. 56:00 – 1:07:00

    Why Some Comedians Never Get Better

    1. EAEstee Adoram56:00

       I auditioned somebody two weeks ago. Like a few, happened a couple times. I know how nervous they are.

    2. TNTrevor Noah56:09

       Mm.

    3. EAEstee Adoram56:09

       I know that I shake their hand, that their palm is sweaty, or they shake. I auditioned somebody and I said, "Look, five minutes, I can't really tell."

    4. TNTrevor Noah56:20

       Mm-hmm.

    5. EAEstee Adoram56:21

       I, I, I don't pass people. You know the word passing somebody? I don't do that.

    6. TNTrevor Noah56:25

       Oh, you don't do that, okay.

    7. EAEstee Adoram56:26

       I don't. I tell, and I tell them, "I don't, unless I fall in love with you on the spot-

    8. TNTrevor Noah56:33

       Good to go

    9. EAEstee Adoram56:33

       ... you're in."

    10. TNTrevor Noah56:34

        Yeah.

    11. EAEstee Adoram56:36

        Yeah. But I don't pass, because in the five minutes, I can see what I'm dealing with. What, the personality, how you command the stage, the material. For five minutes, what did you choose to do?

    12. TNTrevor Noah56:48

        Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

    13. EAEstee Adoram56:50

        Don't come with some vulgarity or bathroom thing in the-

    14. TNTrevor Noah56:53

        [laughs]

    15. EAEstee Adoram56:53

        ... five minutes you got. Uh-uh, not gonna work, you know? So, so to see what they chose, how they, you know, stay... And then I said, "I'm gonna give s- some spots, and let's see how it goes."

    16. TNTrevor Noah57:06

        Oh, that's beautiful.

    17. EAEstee Adoram57:08

        And then, "Maybe if I don't do it now, let's have another audition in six months. Maybe let's try again."

    18. TNTrevor Noah57:16

        Right.

    19. EAEstee Adoram57:18

        So I told that person, "I'll give you a few spots, and we'll see how it goes." And they just went like this and burst out crying.

    20. TNTrevor Noah57:27

        Oh, no.

    21. EAEstee Adoram57:28

        I've never seen anything. I felt so bad. I hugged the person, and the whole body was shaking like this.

    22. TNTrevor Noah57:34

        Oh, wow.

    23. EAEstee Adoram57:35

        And, and that, this kind of a situation reminds me what it takes for them to audition.

    24. TNTrevor Noah57:43

        Hmm.

    25. EAEstee Adoram57:44

        What they have to go, the-

    26. TNTrevor Noah57:46

        Yeah

    27. EAEstee Adoram57:48

        ... the stepping, the step, the, the step that they have to do and u- under the pressure.

    28. TNTrevor Noah57:55

        Mm-hmm.

    29. EAEstee Adoram57:57

        And that's very humbling.

    30. TNTrevor Noah57:59

        Huh.
12. 1:07:00 – 1:17:00

    Politics, Comedy & The Soapbox Problem

    1. EAEstee Adoram1:07:00

       the jokes and what-

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:07:01

       Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah

    3. EAEstee Adoram1:07:01

       ... I need to be aware of what the, the audience says about us.

    4. TNTrevor Noah1:07:07

       Hm.

    5. DADave1:07:08

       The customer is your crowd.

    6. EAEstee Adoram1:07:08

       How they v- how they view us.

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:07:10

       Right.

    8. DADave1:07:10

       Mm-hmm.

    9. EAEstee Adoram1:07:11

       You know, I don't want to be highbrow. There is room for pa- po- politics, but not a soapbox. There's a difference

    10. TNTrevor Noah1:07:20

        Yeah, yeah, yeah

    11. EAEstee Adoram1:07:20

        If you cannot make funny your opinions, have your opinions. This is, there's n- no censorship whatsoever.

    12. TNTrevor Noah1:07:29

        Mm-hmm.

    13. EAEstee Adoram1:07:29

        I'm not gonna tell you, "I don't want you talking about that."

    14. TNTrevor Noah1:07:32

        Yeah, yeah.

    15. EAEstee Adoram1:07:33

        No.

    16. TNTrevor Noah1:07:33

        You've never said that.

    17. EAEstee Adoram1:07:33

        No, I wouldn't. Why would I? As long as you keep it with the realm of comedy.

    18. TNTrevor Noah1:07:39

        Uh-huh.

    19. DADave1:07:39

        Yeah.

    20. EAEstee Adoram1:07:40

        If you get on a soapbox, what's the park in London that they get on the soapbox?

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:07:44

        Oh, yeah, there's that famous one-

    22. EAEstee Adoram1:07:46

        Yeah

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:07:46

        ... where you just go and you literally, they do that.

    24. EAEstee Adoram1:07:47

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:07:47

        You just go stand, and then you shout your opinions-

    26. DADave1:07:49

        Yeah

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:07:50

        ... in a square.

    28. EAEstee Adoram1:07:50

        Uh, uh, we used to have the, a speakeasy in the village in the s- from the '60s yet, where people come, and you just laid out.

    29. TNTrevor Noah1:08:00

        But that's not comedy.

    30. EAEstee Adoram1:08:01

        But that's not comedy.
13. 1:17:00 – 1:22:00

    The Secret Behind Great Stand-Up

    1. DADave1:17:00

       that it's, like, physically impossible for somebody not to find it funny. You know, comedians have that kind of ... Each ... It's like having your hit song.

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:17:07

       Yes.

    3. DADave1:17:08

       A comedian has. They'll be like, "This song, everybody loves this song of mine." Do you find that, um, depending on, let's say, how many hit songs the comedian has, those ... that gives them room to say whatever they want? Because if, if I have three-

    4. EAEstee Adoram1:17:27

       100%-

    5. DADave1:17:27

       Yeah

    6. EAEstee Adoram1:17:28

       ... correct.

    7. DADave1:17:28

       Yes.

    8. EAEstee Adoram1:17:29

       100%. Those people get more leeway.

    9. DADave1:17:34

       Yes.

    10. TNTrevor Noah1:17:35

        But that's because they've earned more leeway, I would argue.

    11. EAEstee Adoram1:17:36

        Exactly.

    12. TNTrevor Noah1:17:38

        'Cause I-

    13. EAEstee Adoram1:17:38

        Exactly

    14. TNTrevor Noah1:17:38

        ... 'cause I, I think ... This is what I think it is, to your point. I almost feel like it is, it is, um ... It's about creating a fair transaction with an audience, right? And I think this is any human interaction. For you to assume that a room of strangers should just listen to your pontifications or-

    15. EAEstee Adoram1:18:00

        Oh, my God

    16. DADave1:18:01

        ... care.

    17. EAEstee Adoram1:18:01

        Estee, I love you-

    18. TNTrevor Noah1:18:02

        Like, but why?

    19. EAEstee Adoram1:18:02

        ... forever. That's why you are Trevor Noah. This is exactly the problem.

    20. TNTrevor Noah1:18:06

        Do you get what I'm saying? I'm like, what, but why?

    21. EAEstee Adoram1:18:08

        That ... He hit it-

    22. TNTrevor Noah1:18:09

        Mm

    23. EAEstee Adoram1:18:10

        ... the nail on the head. That's what it is. This is the key to unlock-

    24. TNTrevor Noah1:18:21

        Mm

    25. EAEstee Adoram1:18:22

        ... the, the comedy-

    26. TNTrevor Noah1:18:25

        Secret door

    27. EAEstee Adoram1:18:26

        ... sensibility.

    28. TNTrevor Noah1:18:27

        Yeah.

    29. DADave1:18:27

        Mm-hmm.

    30. EAEstee Adoram1:18:30

        That's gotta be it. It is feeling ... A lot of comics cannot do it. They're not capable of doing it.
14. 1:22:00 – 1:31:00

    Running Comedy Without Censorship

    1. TNTrevor Noah1:22:00

       Comedy Cellar I can speak to as a perfect example, no two comedians have the same views on the lineup. You, you may overlap-

    2. EAEstee Adoram1:22:07

       Mm-hmm

    3. TNTrevor Noah1:22:07

       ... but you can have completely different views.

    4. EAEstee Adoram1:22:08

       Yeah.

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:22:08

       Some comedians have your views, but the way they do their comedy will make you think they don't have your views. Those are some of my favorites, you know what I mean?

    6. EAEstee Adoram1:22:14

       Attell.

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:22:15

       Yeah, exactly.

    8. EAEstee Adoram1:22:16

       [laughs]

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:22:16

       But, but-

    10. EAEstee Adoram1:22:16

        Oh my God, he is-

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:22:17

        I love David Attell. Yeah, but when you're watching the comedian, you go like, "I, I don't even know, I don't know what this person believes, but they're phenomenal." Yeah.

    12. EAEstee Adoram1:22:24

        Yeah.

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:22:24

        I, I would love to know like how you've, how you've fostered a space where comedians can continue to come and still have their comedy alongside comedians who don't share the same comedy, but then not create like an atmosphere of animosity.

    14. EAEstee Adoram1:22:38

        Well, the, as I said, no censorship. You, you wanna talk about whatever you wanna talk, you are okay with this, as long as you make it funny.

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:22:52

        Mm-hmm. But have you ever had issues where the comedians themselves are like, "I don't want that comedian telling those jokes"?

    16. EAEstee Adoram1:22:58

        Not really. There's some comedians that either resent or don't love others.

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:23:04

        Yeah. I mean, that's comedy. That's every industry.

    18. EAEstee Adoram1:23:06

        They, yeah, they don't respect.

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:23:09

        Office politics. Mm.

    20. EAEstee Adoram1:23:09

        And, and you get this under the nose [laughs] , you know?

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:23:15

        I like how Es- he did it perfectly. Yeah, well done.

    22. EAEstee Adoram1:23:18

        Yeah.

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:23:18

        He's going, "Oh, I'm giving you the smearing." [laughs]

    24. EAEstee Adoram1:23:20

        Um, and, and I would say, "Why?" And sometimes they tell me, sometimes they don't.

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:23:26

        Yeah.

    26. EAEstee Adoram1:23:27

        They're, they're afraid that I'll say something or, you know. But yeah, so between the co- comics, it sometimes happens, and usually the A- comics would do that.

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:23:46

        Oh, interesting.

    28. EAEstee Adoram1:23:49

        They, yeah, the comment, "Oh, he's a hack." What is a hack? Tell me what a hack is.

    29. TNTrevor Noah1:23:57

        That's interesting.

    30. EAEstee Adoram1:23:58

        You know what I mean? And-
15. 1:31:00 – 1:39:00

    Jon Stewart, Chris Rock & The Late-Night Years

    1. EUEugene1:31:00

       ... that does sound like a comedy club.

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:31:01

       [laughs]

    3. EAEstee Adoram1:31:02

       It wasn't a comedy club. It was a Mexican restaurant.

    4. EUEugene1:31:05

       I thought it was there. I thought, again, you were there with the Robert Stigwood. I was like, "Ah, no." [laughs]

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:31:10

       [laughs]

    6. EAEstee Adoram1:31:10

       No. Panchitos was a, a, a Mexican restaurant there.

    7. EUEugene1:31:13

       Right.

    8. EAEstee Adoram1:31:13

       And, um, he started coming by. I loved him from day one.

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:31:19

       Yeah.

    10. EAEstee Adoram1:31:20

        Day one. And I-

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:31:21

        What did you love about him?

    12. EAEstee Adoram1:31:23

        I just liked his humor, his performance, his material. He was just as funny as hell.

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:31:29

        Yeah.

    14. EAEstee Adoram1:31:30

        And I started booking him at, uh... There was some, was it Chappelle? And then the, I think it was the, um, Mark Twain Awards that he said, um, "I wasn't really good, but Estee kept booking me."

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:31:47

        Yes. Yes, it was actually, yes.

    16. EAEstee Adoram1:31:48

        It was Mark Twain, right?

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:31:49

        Yeah, yeah. I think it was the Mark Twain Prize.

    18. EAEstee Adoram1:31:51

        Yeah. I kept booking him because I b- I just bel- I don't know. I believed in him. He was funny. He was, he was great. I loved him from day one.

    19. EUEugene1:32:01

        Hmm.

    20. TNTrevor Noah1:32:02

        But that's what I mean. You see, that's a, that's an example of-

    21. EAEstee Adoram1:32:04

        But there were some that took time. Attell, [laughs] Attell took a minute.

    22. TNTrevor Noah1:32:08

        For you?

    23. EAEstee Adoram1:32:09

        Not for me.

    24. TNTrevor Noah1:32:10

        For the audience.

    25. EAEstee Adoram1:32:11

        For the audience to, to find him.

    26. TNTrevor Noah1:32:12

        [laughs]

    27. EAEstee Adoram1:32:13

        He always went on last, which he still does, and, oh, people were just, the exit is there. [laughs]

    28. EUEugene1:32:23

        Going to Panchitos. [laughs]

    29. EAEstee Adoram1:32:25

        Going to Panchitos. It, it was... Some people took a minute.

    30. TNTrevor Noah1:32:30

        Yeah.
16. 1:39:00 – 1:44:00

    Is Crowd Work Helping or Hurting Comedy?

    1. DADave1:39:00

       are-

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:39:00

       Crowd work

    3. DADave1:39:00

       You know, Trev, the one-

    4. EAEstee Adoram1:39:01

       I don't mind. I, I like crowd, uh, crowd work-

    5. DADave1:39:05

       Crowd work. They're like the new-

    6. EAEstee Adoram1:39:05

       ... but it's not a- an audience p- When you're an MC and you do crowd work, you sort of bring them in-

    7. EUEugene1:39:18

       Yes

    8. EAEstee Adoram1:39:18

       ... into the space, into the state of mind.

    9. EUEugene1:39:22

       Yes. You corral them.

    10. EAEstee Adoram1:39:23

        Yes. I-

    11. EUEugene1:39:24

        Into the

    12. EAEstee Adoram1:39:24

        When MC gets on and he start doing bits, what is that all about? That, that's wrong. I want the MC to do a crowd work and warm them up where they, where they are, um, a recept- the reception-

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:39:44

        Yeah, they're receptive to-

    14. EAEstee Adoram1:39:44

        Of the... Yeah

    15. EUEugene1:39:45

        You want them to host the room

    16. EAEstee Adoram1:39:47

        ... is be- Yeah

    17. EUEugene1:39:47

        Yes

    18. EAEstee Adoram1:39:47

        So I, I am very pro.

    19. DADave1:39:50

        Oh.

    20. EAEstee Adoram1:39:51

        I know that a lot of people, uh, especially online-

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:39:55

        Yeah

    22. EAEstee Adoram1:39:56

        ... uh, the crowd work and all of that, you know, it, it, there is a little, a Mendoza Line for that, you know? It, it's, it, it's sometimes too much and not enough substance. But sometimes with crowd work, your bit comes out of it.

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:40:19

        That's true.

    24. EUEugene1:40:20

        Yeah.

    25. EAEstee Adoram1:40:22

        It comes-

    26. EUEugene1:40:23

        Yeah, you can find the funny there

    27. EAEstee Adoram1:40:25

        Well, yeah.

    28. EUEugene1:40:26

        Mm-hmm.

    29. EAEstee Adoram1:40:27

        And, and, and, uh, you'll be surprised how entertaining some of the people in the audience can be.

    30. TNTrevor Noah1:40:32

        [laughs]
17. 1:44:00 – 1:56:00

    The Next Generation of Comedy Stars

    1. TNTrevor Noah1:44:00

       Estee. I'm buying you time. [laughs]

    2. EAEstee Adoram1:44:02

       [laughs] I'm trying not to answer. Don't help me.

    3. TNTrevor Noah1:44:04

       Which child would you take up to three years, and which one would you leave at three months?

    4. EAEstee Adoram1:44:09

       [laughs]

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:44:10

       Did I buy you enough time?

    6. EAEstee Adoram1:44:13

       That's a interesting way of putting it. [laughs]

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:44:18

       [laughs]

    8. EAEstee Adoram1:44:19

       Who-

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:44:19

       Okay, I won't, I won't-

    10. EAEstee Adoram1:44:19

        Who do you, who do you wanna abort? No. [laughs]

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:44:22

        No, no. I won't put you, no, I won't put you on the spot. No, but I will ask-

    12. EAEstee Adoram1:44:24

        You heard me, right?

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:44:26

        [laughs]

    14. EAEstee Adoram1:44:27

        [laughs] I took, I took it further.

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:44:28

        She lives in a comedy club. Okay, then no, then, then, then I ... Okay. I'll ask you this then-

    16. EAEstee Adoram1:44:32

        Yeah

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:44:33

        ... in, instead of, instead of making it that. Let's, let's go the other way, 'cause I think it'll be great for all of us.

    18. EAEstee Adoram1:44:38

        Yes.

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:44:38

        I mean us here and the people listening. Give me, give me a few names of comedians that we should be watching now that, you know, maybe we're not. Just, y- you know, name a few where you go, like, "This person's really getting ... This person's-"

    20. EAEstee Adoram1:44:47

        Er- Aaron Chen.

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:44:49

        Okay, Aaron Chen from Australia?

    22. EAEstee Adoram1:44:50

        Okay. He is ... Yes, he is a Chinese guy from Australia.

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:44:54

        Okay, cool.

    24. EAEstee Adoram1:44:55

        He has a show over there that, uh, it's a small show that's now on Netflix, that's making a lot of waves. He is ... I c- it's very difficult to, um, describe him.

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:45:07

        Okay.

    26. EAEstee Adoram1:45:07

        But he is somebody I would say, if you get a chance, watch him.

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:45:11

        Okay, great.

    28. EAEstee Adoram1:45:11

        He's very quiet. He's very sarcastic. He is wonderful.

    29. TNTrevor Noah1:45:19

        Mm.

    30. EAEstee Adoram1:45:20

        One ... Absolutely wonderful.

Episode duration: 1:56:02