Tina Friml: Living in the Bonus Round | What Now? with Trevor Noah

1. 0:00 – 2:00

   Introduction

   1. TNTrevor Noah0:00

      [upbeat music] At what age do you remember, like at what part of your life and what age do you remember going, "Oh, I, I am different because I'm being told I'm different so much"?

   2. TFTina Friml0:14

      Well, I remember that, um, the, the first time I ever kind of heard, heard about this-

   3. TNTrevor Noah0:21

      Yeah

   4. TFTina Friml0:22

      ... um, I was a little kid, five years old. I, I'm in the car at night with my family, and my brother, my older brother suddenly j- just chimed in like, "Hey, mom and dad, so why is it, why does Tina talk weird?"

   5. TNTrevor Noah0:40

      [laughs]

   6. EUEugene0:41

      How old was this guy?

   7. TNTrevor Noah0:43

      [laughs]

   8. EUEugene0:43

      Did he have a seatbelt on?

   9. TFTina Friml0:44

      [laughs]

   10. EUEugene0:45

       Was the central locking-

   11. TFTina Friml0:47

       He was seven. He was like-

   12. TNTrevor Noah0:47

       [laughs]

   13. TFTina Friml0:48

       ... he was like seven, okay? Like-

   14. EUEugene0:50

       Yo, man

   15. TFTina Friml0:51

       ... i- in that kind of, in that kind of-

   16. EUEugene0:54

       [laughs]

   17. TFTina Friml0:54

       ... like, like s- like socially random way that only kids can be.

   18. TNTrevor Noah0:59

       God. God.

   19. EUEugene0:59

       That's what kills me.

   20. TNTrevor Noah0:59

       At seven, eight, yeah.

   21. EUEugene1:00

       No, you know what I love? Because you're in a car, you're a family, so it's not even like an outsider thing.

   22. TFTina Friml1:05

       Yeah.

   23. EUEugene1:06

       Uh, but the fact that he says it, not to you, by the way-

   24. TFTina Friml1:09

       [laughs]

   25. EUEugene1:09

       ... goes like you're not there. "Yo, mom and dad," like he's been holding this in for so long.

   26. TNTrevor Noah1:13

       For seven years.

   27. EUEugene1:13

       "Yo, mom and dad, yo. Yo, man, okay, I gotta ask now, bruh. Uh, w-" [laughs]

   28. TNTrevor Noah1:18

       And, and you know this guy. It's not like he just met you.

   29. EUEugene1:20

       That's what I'm saying.

   30. TNTrevor Noah1:21

       He's known you for seven years.
2. 2:00 – 7:15

   Why Tina Left New York for Boston

   1. TNTrevor Noah2:00

      with your life first. [laughs]

   2. TFTina Friml2:02

      Well, I, I actually live in Boston now. Um-

   3. TNTrevor Noah2:05

      Like you live there, live there.

   4. EUEugene2:06

      Boston.

   5. TFTina Friml2:06

      Yeah. Yeah.

   6. TNTrevor Noah2:07

      Huh.

   7. TFTina Friml2:07

      For real.

   8. TNTrevor Noah2:07

      Boston.

   9. TFTina Friml2:07

      I moved there m- I mean-

   10. TNTrevor Noah2:09

       Am I saying it right?

   11. TFTina Friml2:09

       Hey, how are ya?

   12. TNTrevor Noah2:10

       Hey, how are ya?

   13. TFTina Friml2:11

       How are ya?

   14. TNTrevor Noah2:11

       Boston.

   15. TFTina Friml2:12

       B- Bo- Wa-

   16. TNTrevor Noah2:12

       Boston.

   17. EUEugene2:13

       Boston.

   18. TFTina Friml2:15

       Bo- No, it's not-

   19. EUEugene2:16

       Boston. Boston

   20. TFTina Friml2:16

       ... it's not Boston.

   21. EUEugene2:17

       It, it-

   22. TFTina Friml2:17

       It's Bas-

   23. EUEugene2:18

       Bas-

   24. TNTrevor Noah2:19

       Bas-

   25. TFTina Friml2:19

       ... ton.

   26. EUEugene2:19

       Boston.

   27. TFTina Friml2:20

       Boston.

   28. TNTrevor Noah2:20

       Okay. Okay.

   29. TFTina Friml2:20

       Yeah.

   30. TNTrevor Noah2:20

       Great. Okay, okay, okay.
3. 7:15 – 13:45

   Kink, Nerd Culture & Alternative Communities

   1. TFTina Friml7:15

      It, it, again, sounds like a joke-

   2. TNTrevor Noah7:17

      Mm-hmm

   3. TFTina Friml7:17

      ... but 100% true that, that intellectual academic nerds, you know-

   4. TNTrevor Noah7:24

      Mm

   5. TFTina Friml7:24

      ... the, they're the ones who, they, they get do- I m- I mean, they, you know, so much of my comedy is about kink. It's about alternative underground lifestyles. A- and people are like, "Oh, why would you move away from New York?"

   6. TNTrevor Noah7:42

      You're like, "I'm e- moved into it."

   7. TFTina Friml7:44

      The, y- I really did.

   8. TNTrevor Noah7:46

      Yeah.

   9. TFTina Friml7:47

      The truth of the matter is that, that like, yeah, of course it's out here in New York, but in, in Cambridge, i- you know, the, I, I actually think there's more creativity and more, more energy towards, uh, kink spaces, alternative, goth, uh, you know, a- all the above. Um-

   10. TNTrevor Noah8:14

       Do you think it's because the environment is all about people exploring in general? Like, like, like what do you think it is?

   11. TFTina Friml8:22

       I, you know-

   12. TNTrevor Noah8:22

       Hmm. Do you get what I'm saying?

   13. TFTina Friml8:24

       Yeah. I-

   14. TNTrevor Noah8:24

       Like, if you're in a learning/experimenting-

   15. TFTina Friml8:27

       Yeah

   16. TNTrevor Noah8:27

       ... environment, why would, why would that not extend beyond your science and your math and your history and your writing into your sex life?

   17. TFTina Friml8:38

       You know, I, I, I've been thinking about this. I don't 100% know, but I have theories. Uh, what I-

   18. TNTrevor Noah8:45

       You've come to the right place.

   19. EUEugene8:46

       As do I.

   20. TFTina Friml8:46

       [laughs]

   21. TNTrevor Noah8:48

       [laughs]

   22. TFTina Friml8:50

       Well, I, I think-

   23. EUEugene8:50

       Did I tell you I'm a professor?

   24. TNTrevor Noah8:51

       [laughs]

   25. TFTina Friml8:52

       In bullshit. [laughs]

   26. EUEugene8:55

       [laughs]

   27. TFTina Friml8:55

       I was expecting to reach this topic maybe like 45 minutes in. [laughs]

   28. TNTrevor Noah8:59

       Oh, no, no, no, no. We start hot.

   29. EUEugene9:01

       We go in.

   30. TNTrevor Noah9:01

       We go straight in.
4. 13:45 – 20:00

   Anime, Fandoms & Escapism

   1. TFTina Friml13:45

      where, um, dark romance comes from. You know? Th- there's-

   2. TNTrevor Noah13:51

      What, what? Dark romance?

   3. EUEugene13:53

      Dark romance?

   4. TFTina Friml13:53

      Yeah, kind of like, um, a- [laughs]

   5. EUEugene13:55

      Sounds like a Lady Gaga album.

   6. TFTina Friml13:57

      Well, no. I mean, it could be.

   7. TNTrevor Noah13:58

      Easy.

   8. EUEugene13:58

      I thought it was just like Eugene's affairs in general. [laughs]

   9. TNTrevor Noah14:02

      [laughs]

   10. TFTina Friml14:02

       Like dark romance, like, um-

   11. EUEugene14:06

       [laughs]

   12. TNTrevor Noah14:07

       [laughs]

   13. TFTina Friml14:08

       [laughs]

   14. EUEugene14:09

       How many Bostons are there today? [laughs]

   15. TNTrevor Noah14:12

       [laughs]

   16. TFTina Friml14:12

       [laughs]

   17. EUEugene14:13

       Every second, gudu gudu.

   18. TNTrevor Noah14:15

       [laughs]

   19. TFTina Friml14:17

       [laughs]

   20. EUEugene14:17

       Gudu gudu.

   21. TFTina Friml14:17

       I feel like I'm learning so much about you-

   22. EUEugene14:20

       [laughs]

   23. TFTina Friml14:20

       ... moment, moment to moment.

   24. EUEugene14:21

       I feel the same. Like, I'm like, "Who am I?" [laughs]

   25. TNTrevor Noah14:25

       [laughs] Oh, man.

   26. TFTina Friml14:28

       You seem like my target demographic-

   27. EUEugene14:30

       I am

   28. TFTina Friml14:31

       ... for this conversation.

   29. EUEugene14:35

       [laughs]

   30. TFTina Friml14:36

       No, but, but like dark romance c- uh, kind of like, um, a fan- fan fiction.
5. 20:00 – 32:00

   Growing Up Backstage in the Theater

   1. TFTina Friml20:00

      it didn't, it did not-

   2. TNTrevor Noah20:01

      Oh, yeah. It doesn't do the actual whoosh.

   3. EUEugene20:02

      It doesn't, it didn't do the whoo-whoo-whoo?

   4. TNTrevor Noah20:03

      No, no, no, no.

   5. EUEugene20:03

      Nothing.

   6. TNTrevor Noah20:04

      It's just the me- Have you seen those? They're very beautiful.

   7. EUEugene20:06

      Yeah.

   8. TNTrevor Noah20:06

      They, they... So it's a light, it's the handle of a lightsaber.

   9. EUEugene20:08

      It's the handle.

   10. TFTina Friml20:09

       Yeah.

   11. EUEugene20:09

       So it's a threat of a lightsab- of, of a lightsaber.

   12. TNTrevor Noah20:11

       Yes.

   13. EUEugene20:12

       Yes. Like-

   14. TNTrevor Noah20:12

       But it's like-

   15. EUEugene20:12

       Like First, yeah

   16. TNTrevor Noah20:12

       ... it's like a lightsaber but then the Jedi didn't charge it last night.

   17. EUEugene20:15

       Yes. [laughs]

   18. TNTrevor Noah20:15

       I wonder if that happens sometimes. Like Luke Skywalker and all of them go out, and then they'll be like, "Hmm, time to fight we shall." And he's like, "Oh, Master Yoda."

   19. EUEugene20:24

       [laughs]

   20. TNTrevor Noah20:24

       "Hmm, did not charge, you did."

   21. EUEugene20:25

       [laughs]

   22. TNTrevor Noah20:25

       And it's like, "Ah, yeah, forgot to charge. I put it by the bedside-

   23. EUEugene20:28

       [laughs]

   24. TNTrevor Noah20:28

       ... but then I didn't, I didn't plug the thing." And they're like Darth Vader's like, "You are not my son."

   25. EUEugene20:33

       [laughs]

   26. TNTrevor Noah20:34

       "I would always charge my lightsaber." [laughs]

   27. TFTina Friml20:38

       I was like, "Oh, you made this, swing it around like-"

   28. TNTrevor Noah20:40

       'Cause we don't know. Like, do they charge-

   29. EUEugene20:41

       Does this give you a clue of what I'm into? [laughs]

   30. TNTrevor Noah20:43

       Oh, yeah. That's his-
6. 32:00 – 37:15

   Childhood, Imagination & Finding Comedy

   1. TNTrevor Noah32:00

      that world with your parents, where it's like, what ... Like, what were you like as a kid? Were you-

   2. TFTina Friml32:05

      I, I ... Y- you're right, the, the ... I, because I was in that environment, I held onto that child, like, uh, I wanted to say wonder, but no, uh, delusion.

   3. TNTrevor Noah32:21

      Oh, I like that.

   4. TFTina Friml32:22

      Um, uh, [laughs] ...

   5. TNTrevor Noah32:23

      [laughs]

   6. TFTina Friml32:24

      Childlike delusion from a lot longer than I, I thought, you know. Um, and maybe that's kind of what led to entertainment industry-

   7. TNTrevor Noah32:35

      Yeah

   8. TFTina Friml32:35

      ... was, um, y- uh ... I mean, I ... It wa- it was a double-edged sword, because I grew up thinking much more was possible in this life for me-

   9. TNTrevor Noah32:51

      Mm-hmm

   10. TFTina Friml32:52

       ... than w- than reality.

   11. TNTrevor Noah32:54

       Yeah.

   12. TFTina Friml32:54

       I, I didn't ... Uh, you know, I, I got this, um, kind of very ob- obtuse version of, uh, the world, I think.

   13. TNTrevor Noah33:04

       In- uh, wait, in what way?

   14. TFTina Friml33:06

       Well, uh, I think that mainly ... I think, uh, I thought that a lot of elements of life were much more, um, uh, dramatically poetic than they were.

   15. TNTrevor Noah33:26

       [laughs]

   16. TFTina Friml33:27

       I, um, I, in good ways and bad ways. I, I, I learned much about the world, uh, from these shows that my mom and dad would do.

   17. TNTrevor Noah33:38

       Yeah.

   18. TFTina Friml33:38

       I, I remember that one time they worked on the show Chicago, and, um, I, uh, went up to my mom asking what the word murder meant. Um, and she went on and told me that that was where a p- a person would kill another person. Um, but, but then because my head was so in line with, um, main c- main character essence and, uh, I, I got immediately ... I, I understood that, oh, we live in a world where people just go around doing that. They-

   19. TNTrevor Noah34:20

       Mm-hmm

   20. TFTina Friml34:20

       ... they kill other people for no reason.

   21. TNTrevor Noah34:23

       Right.

   22. TFTina Friml34:24

       Um, and, um, it, it was sort of [laughs] ... And here's, here's where I got weird. It was instead ... Normally I would maybe be freaked out by that or not want to leave the house, but I, I sort of, um ... It didn't scare me as much, uh, as, as I thought it would. And I, I kind of, um, went around, um, sort of embracing this ominous vibe of the world. Um-

   23. TNTrevor Noah35:03

       Hmm

   24. TFTina Friml35:03

       ... a- and, uh, well, and that is why, well, when-

   25. TNTrevor Noah35:06

       The idea that people murdered people, you, you were like, it made the world more interesting?

   26. TFTina Friml35:11

       Yeah. Yeah, it, it did. Well, be- because it just, like, it played into this, oh, there are b- there really are villains.

   27. EUEugene35:19

       Bad actors, yeah.

   28. TNTrevor Noah35:20

       Oh, okay. Okay.

   29. EUEugene35:22

       Yeah.

   30. TNTrevor Noah35:22

       It turned it into, like, a play now.
7. 37:15 – 43:00

   Living with Cerebral Palsy

   1. TFTina Friml37:15

      kind of naturally be an actor.

   2. TNTrevor Noah37:17

      Yeah.

   3. TFTina Friml37:17

      Um, but I gave up on that because I have cerebral palsy and, and the, uh, that was ... [sighs] I, I was never, I never felt different. I was just told I was different.

   4. TNTrevor Noah37:37

      Yeah.

   5. TFTina Friml37:37

      You know, I found out when-

   6. TNTrevor Noah37:39

      What, at what, at what age do you remember, like at what part of your life and what age do you remember going, "Oh, I, I am different because I'm being told I'm different so much"?

   7. TFTina Friml37:50

      Well, I remember that, um, the, the first time I ever kind of heard, heard about this-

   8. TNTrevor Noah37:57

      Yeah

   9. TFTina Friml37:58

      ... um, I was a little kid, five years old, and I'm in the car at night with my family, and my brother, my older brother suddenly just chimed in like, "Hey, Mom and Dad, so why is, why does Tina talk weird?"

   10. TNTrevor Noah38:16

       [laughs]

   11. EUEugene38:17

       How old was this guy?

   12. TNTrevor Noah38:19

       [laughs]

   13. EUEugene38:19

       Did he have his seatbelt on?

   14. TNTrevor Noah38:20

       [laughs]

   15. EUEugene38:21

       Was there central locking?

   16. TFTina Friml38:23

       Seven.

   17. TNTrevor Noah38:23

       [laughs]

   18. EUEugene38:23

       [laughs]

   19. TFTina Friml38:23

       He was like seven, okay?

   20. TNTrevor Noah38:26

       Yo, man.

   21. TFTina Friml38:27

       In, in that kind of, in that kind of-

   22. TNTrevor Noah38:29

       [laughs]

   23. TFTina Friml38:29

       ... like, like s- like socially random way that only kids can-

   24. TNTrevor Noah38:34

       Oh my God

   25. EUEugene38:34

       Yo, that's what kills me

   26. TNTrevor Noah38:36

       ... seven, eight. Yeah

   27. EUEugene38:36

       ... no, you know what I love? Because you're in a car, you're a family, so it's not even like an outsider thing.

   28. TFTina Friml38:41

       Yeah.

   29. EUEugene38:42

       Uh, but the fact that he says it, not to you, by the way-

   30. TFTina Friml38:44

       [laughs]
8. 43:00 – 46:00

   The Birth That Changed Everything

   1. TFTina Friml43:00

      didn't, I didn't alien my way out.

   2. TNTrevor Noah43:03

      [laughs]

   3. TFTina Friml43:03

      Like, I, I was in, I was still in her. I was just among other organs.

   4. TNTrevor Noah43:10

      Damn.

   5. TFTina Friml43:10

      Yeah. Like, that's a real thing that can really happen.

   6. TNTrevor Noah43:14

      Damn.

   7. EUEugene43:14

      Okay, wait. Then you-

   8. TNTrevor Noah43:14

      I didn't know that that's a concept

   9. EUEugene43:16

      ... then you ...

   10. TNTrevor Noah43:19

       And then what happens?

   11. TFTina Friml43:20

       And then, um, and [laughs] well, and then, um, because of that, I, I got deprived of oxygen. The, the-

   12. TNTrevor Noah43:28

       [gasps]

   13. TFTina Friml43:28

       ... umbilical cord, I don't know what happened, if it wrapped around my-

   14. TNTrevor Noah43:32

       On your neck, yeah

   15. TFTina Friml43:33

       ... my neck or, or, uh-

   16. TNTrevor Noah43:34

       Geez

   17. TFTina Friml43:35

       ... it got strained, but I was, um, dead for, uh, 20 minutes.

   18. EUEugene43:40

       No way.

   19. TFTina Friml43:41

       Um, and, uh, thank God, uh, well [laughs] so the doctor at the time was at home. The- my, my mom's main doctor-

   20. EUEugene43:52

       Yeah

   21. TFTina Friml43:52

       ... was at his home.

   22. TNTrevor Noah43:53

       Oh, I thought you were saying the doctor was at home. I was like, "What world are you growing up in when you're like, 'I was being born and the doctor was at home'"?

   23. TFTina Friml44:00

       No, he [laughs]

   24. TNTrevor Noah44:00

       And then they're like, "All right, maybe we should call him now."

   25. EUEugene44:02

       [laughs]

   26. TNTrevor Noah44:03

       Oh, you mean the main-

   27. TFTina Friml44:04

       No

   28. TNTrevor Noah44:04

       ... her main doctor.

   29. TFTina Friml44:05

       The main-

   30. TNTrevor Noah44:05

       Okay, okay.
9. 46:00 – 49:30

   How People See Disability

   1. TFTina Friml46:00

      than I am.

   2. TNTrevor Noah46:01

      Yeah.

   3. EUEugene46:01

      Right. It's a miracle.

   4. TFTina Friml46:02

      It, it really is. It is quite amazing that I'm, I'm here right now doing this. And yet you wish, I, I wish so much that I could have this conversation with every person that I meet on the street, but I can't.

   5. TNTrevor Noah46:19

      W- wait, what do you mean?

   6. TFTina Friml46:20

      Because, like-

   7. TNTrevor Noah46:23

      They don't wanna pay your Patreon.

   8. TFTina Friml46:24

      [laughs] No.

   9. TNTrevor Noah46:26

      [laughs]

   10. TFTina Friml46:27

       I, I put the QR code in their face.

   11. EUEugene46:30

       [laughs]

   12. TFTina Friml46:31

       No, but, but that's, that's the thing. And, and, uh, um, I know this is a universal problem, but, um, my, I'm kind of, I mean, not, not to build myself up here, but I'm walking around as a, um, a very, um, un ... Uh, what, what would the word be? Uh, uh, against all, all odds.

   13. EUEugene46:58

       Yeah.

   14. TNTrevor Noah46:58

       Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

   15. TFTina Friml46:58

       I'm walking around, um-

   16. TNTrevor Noah47:00

       Yeah, completely

   17. EUEugene47:01

       Defiant

   18. TFTina Friml47:02

       ... defiant, yes.

   19. EUEugene47:03

       Right.

   20. TFTina Friml47:03

       Um, uh, but, but the people that I meet, they, they see my disability, and it's a problem for them, you know? It's-

   21. TNTrevor Noah47:14

       Their problem

   22. TFTina Friml47:15

       ... it's, uh, it's still kind of the judgment that, that I receive. Um, and, or-

   23. TNTrevor Noah47:23

       Wait, ju- judgment, I wouldn't have thought judgment. I would've thought pity, but I wouldn't have thought judgment.

   24. TFTina Friml47:29

       You know, uh, it, it depends on how old you are. [laughs]

   25. EUEugene47:33

       And the situation.

   26. TNTrevor Noah47:34

       Wow.

   27. TFTina Friml47:34

       Yes.

   28. EUEugene47:35

       Yes.

   29. TFTina Friml47:35

       Yes. Um, uh, as a kid, it was really interesting. Uh, as a kid, it was very much pity.

   30. TNTrevor Noah47:43

       Mm-hmm.
10. 49:30 – 54:00

    Everyday Frustrations & Public Perception

    1. TNTrevor Noah49:30

       Like I've, I've realized there's a thing I have to, 'cause, because I fly a lot, I've realized there's a thing I have to do sometimes when disembarking a plane or even when boarding it, and I had to do this the other day. I had to say, "Old people are old. They're not doing anything to you."

    2. TFTina Friml49:46

       Mm.

    3. TNTrevor Noah49:46

       I literally had to say this to myself.

    4. TFTina Friml49:47

       Mm. Yeah.

    5. TNTrevor Noah49:48

       Because I was frustrated. There was an old couple in front of me just like leaving the plane, and I was behind them, and I was like, "Ugh," like in my head. I was just like, "Come on." And I, I had a feeling almost like, "Why are you doing this? Like if you're gonna be old, why not just wait in the plane while everyone else..." But then I was like, "Yo, old people are just old."

    6. TFTina Friml50:08

       Mm.

    7. TNTrevor Noah50:08

       "They're not doing anything to you."

    8. TFTina Friml50:09

       Mm.

    9. TNTrevor Noah50:10

       They're not. But I do think, I, I, I, I appreciate that you said New York. I do think, and this is just anecdotal, that it is probably more pervasive in the bigger cities because one of the things a big city does is it robs you of everything personal.

    10. TFTina Friml50:30

        Yeah.

    11. TNTrevor Noah50:30

        Right?

    12. TFTina Friml50:31

        Yeah.

    13. TNTrevor Noah50:31

        So w- we cross the road, there's 100 people, but you don't know anyone and nobody knows you, and, and when you're in a store, it's like, "Come on, come on, come on, come on, let's just do this thing. Let's..." And then there's almost like a, the, the, there's almost like a, an idea that people sometimes have where they go, "If you're in this coffee shop, that means-"

    14. TFTina Friml50:50

        You should only want.

    15. TNTrevor Noah50:50

        Yeah, but also that means you can get here. That mean w- you, the, there's like this incongruency of if you're able enough to get here, you should be able enough to speed this up or, or get out of my way or-

    16. TFTina Friml50:59

        Right

    17. TNTrevor Noah50:59

        ... do you know what I mean? There's this, there's this thing that happens in, in New York.

    18. TFTina Friml51:03

        Mm-hmm.

    19. TNTrevor Noah51:03

        And I noticed even with, um, cars that get stuck in New York, the difference in, let's say South Africa, I've seen now that I'm back home more often, is here you'll never see people pushing the car out of the way.

    20. TFTina Friml51:19

        Hmm. Mm-hmm.

    21. TNTrevor Noah51:20

        Never, never, never, never, never. It's just not a concept. A car is stuck, everyone will be there behind it.

    22. TFTina Friml51:26

        Beep, beep, beep.

    23. TNTrevor Noah51:27

        Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah. You asshole, bah, bah. Driving around it, trying to... But you will never see people get out their cars and be like, "All right, let's, let's, let's-"

    24. TFTina Friml51:34

        Yeah, and help to get it out the way

    25. TNTrevor Noah51:35

        ... "let's get this ca- car off the road."

    26. TFTina Friml51:37

        Yeah. Uh-huh.

    27. TNTrevor Noah51:37

        "We'll help you push." In South Africa, that's still a thing that you'll see.

    28. TFTina Friml51:40

        Yeah.

    29. TNTrevor Noah51:41

        You'll still see people go like, "We acknowledge that you do not wish to be stuck."

    30. TFTina Friml51:45

        Mm-hmm.
11. 54:00 – 56:30

    Babies, Dogs & Unexpected Reactions

    1. TNTrevor Noah54:00

       [laughs]

    2. TFTina Friml54:01

       [laughs]

    3. TNTrevor Noah54:02

       Oh, man.

    4. TFTina Friml54:03

       I, well, actually, ironically, babies love me. Baby, like people think that, that, that like kids are freaked out by me. No, kids love me. I, I'm like, I'm like one of them, but bigger. You know? They, they-

    5. TNTrevor Noah54:16

       Mm-hmm

    6. TFTina Friml54:16

       ... but babies, b- like baby, babies don't d- don't yet see like a difference. You know who does?

    7. TNTrevor Noah54:27

       Yeah.

    8. TFTina Friml54:27

       Dogs.

    9. TNTrevor Noah54:28

       Ha. No.

    10. TFTina Friml54:29

        Dogs.

    11. TNTrevor Noah54:30

        You're lying.

    12. TFTina Friml54:31

        D- dogs double take.

    13. TNTrevor Noah54:33

        No, you're lying.

    14. TFTina Friml54:33

        Y- yeah, they w- not, not with the voice, but with the way that I walk. They-

    15. TNTrevor Noah54:39

        No, you're lying.

    16. TFTina Friml54:40

        Yeah, 100%, small dogs in particular. I, I think they'll, they'll, I'll be coming up behind them and often like on, often in New York, especially with the small dogs-

    17. TNTrevor Noah54:53

        Yeah

    18. TFTina Friml54:54

        ... that are city dogs and maybe a little bit more like fragile. [laughs]

    19. TNTrevor Noah54:59

        [laughs] A little fragile. You're right.

    20. TFTina Friml55:02

        They, they'll, um- I- if they're coming one way and I'm coming in another, they will, they will look up a- and I-

    21. TNTrevor Noah55:14

        [laughs]

    22. TFTina Friml55:14

        ... I swear they double take, and then they swerve.

    23. TNTrevor Noah55:17

        [laughs]

    24. TFTina Friml55:17

        They swerve around me to the side, and-

    25. TNTrevor Noah55:21

        [laughs] This is the wildest thing ever

    26. TFTina Friml55:23

        ... no way. No way.

    27. TNTrevor Noah55:25

        [laughs]

    28. TFTina Friml55:25

        I swear. I swear.

    29. TNTrevor Noah55:28

        [laughs]

    30. TFTina Friml55:28

        And I'm so fast.
12. 56:30 – 1:10:30

    The Roast Joke That Changed Everything

    1. TFTina Friml56:30

       I, I was in a roast battle.

    2. TNTrevor Noah56:32

       Was it in a car? [laughs]

    3. TFTina Friml56:34

       [laughs] I was in a roast battle with a friend of mine-

    4. TNTrevor Noah56:40

       Ah

    5. TFTina Friml56:40

       ... wi- with another comedian, and who is ironically now, like, one of my best friends. Um, and he said something like, "Oh, Tina is, uh, you know, just a, an incredible person. Is there anything she cannot do other than walk in a straight line?" And like, it got a laugh, and the comics laughed, and I la- you know, I, I-

    6. TNTrevor Noah57:04

       Yeah, it's a, it's a roast

    7. TFTina Friml57:05

       ... yeah, like, I, but I was caught off guard because-

    8. TNTrevor Noah57:09

       Mm-hmm

    9. TFTina Friml57:09

       ... in my head I thought like, "Well, that's not, like, that, that is uncharacteristic of him to use this, like, random, um, uh, like, um, d- d- something not even about me." Like, like, because I-

    10. TNTrevor Noah57:27

        Yeah. No ways you didn't think that... So we have a friend.

    11. TFTina Friml57:31

        Yeah.

    12. TNTrevor Noah57:31

        He's been on the podcast. His name is Joseph Opio.

    13. TFTina Friml57:33

        Mm-hmm.

    14. TNTrevor Noah57:34

        He's from Uganda. He's got a pretty thick accent. And he, we, we've talked about this his whole life because he's, he's the most articulate person I know. His vocabulary surpasses everyone that I've ever met, right? But he genuinely-

    15. TFTina Friml57:51

        [laughs]

    16. TNTrevor Noah57:52

        ... thought for, like, his whole life that he, like, sounds like Hugh Grant-

    17. TFTina Friml57:57

        [laughs]

    18. TNTrevor Noah57:57

        ... when he speaks. And then like one day, I forget what... We were having a conversation.

    19. TFTina Friml58:02

        [laughs]

    20. TNTrevor Noah58:02

        And I said to him, similar to this-

    21. TFTina Friml58:03

        [laughs]

    22. TNTrevor Noah58:04

        ... 'cause we, we, we work at The Daily Show together, and I said to him, I would go, um, "Someone said I didn't understand you," or something like that, and then he said to me, he's like, "Oh, Trevor, can I ask you a question?" He's like, "Why do you always, uh, repeat what I am saying to people, huh?" And I said, "Oh, because they don't, they don't hear what you're saying." Then he's like, "No. How can they not hear me?"

    23. TFTina Friml58:22

        Yeah.

    24. TNTrevor Noah58:23

        And then he said the craziest thing. He was like, "I think oftentimes, uh, my command of the English language is even superior to yours."

    25. TFTina Friml58:29

        Facts.

    26. TNTrevor Noah58:29

        Then I was like, "Yes, but they can't hear what you're saying 'cause of your accent." And he went, "What accent?"

    27. TFTina Friml58:34

        What accent? [laughs] What?

    28. TNTrevor Noah58:36

        I said, "Joe, you're joking, right?" And I genu- I thought he was like, I thought it was the greatest joke ever, so I laughed. And then he's like, "No, no, seriously. What a- what accent?"

    29. TFTina Friml58:44

        Yeah.

    30. TNTrevor Noah58:46

        I said, "Joe, the, the, like, the all of it accent. What do you mean what-
13. 1:10:30 – 1:15:00

    The Upside of Being Different

    1. EUEugene1:10:30

       walked in.

    2. TFTina Friml1:10:30

       Yeah.

    3. EUEugene1:10:30

       No, ma'am.

    4. TFTina Friml1:10:31

       Yeah.

    5. EUEugene1:10:31

       No, ma'am.

    6. TFTina Friml1:10:32

       No, a- and it would be like I just walked in. They walk up to me like, "Absolutely not."

    7. EUEugene1:10:38

       Geez.

    8. TFTina Friml1:10:39

       Um-

    9. EUEugene1:10:39

       This is e- equally terrible and funny.

    10. TFTina Friml1:10:43

        Well, I do-

    11. EUEugene1:10:43

        It's like-

    12. TFTina Friml1:10:44

        I do kind of want to counter it, because I, I don't want to just say like, "Oh, I'm disabled, and here's a la- a laundry list of all the, all the th- bad things." There are perks, okay? Like, like, one time I was in London, I walked into, um, The Holly Arms, which is, like, Amy, Amy Winehouse's old haunt.

    13. EUEugene1:11:10

        Oh.

    14. TFTina Friml1:11:10

        Yeah.

    15. EUEugene1:11:11

        Hmm.

    16. TFTina Friml1:11:11

        A legendary bar. And, um, uh, there were bouncers outside. They stopped me. They, they thought I was drunk. I began to say it. They realized, uh, a- and, and suddenly they, it was all cleared up. They, they were like, "Oh my gosh," uh, you know. They opened the doors, [laughs] the double doors, let me in. And, um, and, and there was this, like, long, uh... I, I mean, it was peak time. There were just layers of people trying to get a drink.

    17. EUEugene1:11:46

        Hmm.

    18. TFTina Friml1:11:46

        And, and I was just kind of looking around. I looked back at the bartender, who was staring at me, called me back over. And, and once I got back, told me, parted the seas straight up to the bar with me, like, just snapped his fingers. The bartender puts down the drink she's actively making and goes over. And, and the bouncers, uh, get her drink.

    19. EUEugene1:12:18

        Yeah.

    20. TFTina Friml1:12:19

        She's lovely. She's just lovely.

    21. EUEugene1:12:22

        Hmm.

    22. TFTina Friml1:12:23

        I, I, I think, um, there, there is, a- of all the, of all the harmful things that happened to me-

    23. EUEugene1:12:33

        Yeah

    24. TFTina Friml1:12:33

        ... um, being disabled, I really, like, I'm so glad that I'm not forgettable. Like-

    25. EUEugene1:12:42

        Hmm. Damn, Tina.

    26. TFTina Friml1:12:44

        I just, that, that would be the worst, you know? I, I, I often talk so much in, in interviews and, and on stage about all, all the, the weight of h- of having to, you know, constantly, um, uh, alleviate people's discomfort about me.

    27. EUEugene1:13:09

        Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm.

    28. TFTina Friml1:13:10

        But my God, like, I, I'm so... I feel unbelievably seen by the world [laughs]

    29. EUEugene1:13:21

        Hmm.

    30. TFTina Friml1:13:21

        For better and worse.
14. 1:15:00 – 1:24:00

    Comedy, Identity & Breaking Stereotypes

    1. TFTina Friml1:15:00

       Why the hell am I a comedian?" Like, what-

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:15:04

       Mm-hmm

    3. TFTina Friml1:15:04

       ... why-

    4. TNTrevor Noah1:15:05

       How dare you

    5. TFTina Friml1:15:06

       ... why take, why take up that space? What, or like, that, that seems-

    6. TNTrevor Noah1:15:12

       That's what people ask you?

    7. TFTina Friml1:15:13

       Mm-hmm. Yeah, kind of.

    8. TNTrevor Noah1:15:14

       That's, that's-

    9. TFTina Friml1:15:15

       I can believe that

    10. TNTrevor Noah1:15:15

        ... no, but I, okay. I forget that I'm a comedian. [laughs]

    11. TFTina Friml1:15:18

        Let me tell you something, brother.

    12. TNTrevor Noah1:15:20

        [laughs] No, I genuine-

    13. TFTina Friml1:15:21

        [laughs]

    14. TNTrevor Noah1:15:21

        I forget that I'm a comedian. I, yeah, but-

    15. TFTina Friml1:15:23

        It, it's almost like, like, how self-serving-

    16. TNTrevor Noah1:15:27

        Mm-hmm

    17. TFTina Friml1:15:28

        ... of you to, to sort of, um, suss out, y- to come, well, uh, uh, and I, I think the, the worst take that, that I have heard, the most extreme take is, "Well, you know that we have to accept you if you're a comedian."

    18. TNTrevor Noah1:15:51

        Oh, yeah.

    19. TFTina Friml1:15:52

        So, so like why, why are you d-

    20. TNTrevor Noah1:15:55

        Yeah

    21. TFTina Friml1:15:55

        ... how self-serving to, to do this?

    22. TNTrevor Noah1:15:59

        Mm-hmm.

    23. TFTina Friml1:15:59

        And, um-

    24. TNTrevor Noah1:16:01

        Can I tell you something interesting about that, though? We experienced that in South Africa when comedy was burgeoning. There were many comedians who would say Black comedians are only getting a laugh because they're Black.

    25. TFTina Friml1:16:17

        Mm-hmm.

    26. TNTrevor Noah1:16:17

        Like, there was literally a thing where they were just like-

    27. TFTina Friml1:16:19

        Mm-hmm

    28. TNTrevor Noah1:16:19

        ... "Ah, yeah, it's because they, they come here and, and they, they talk about, uh, their tough upbringing and growing up in a township and-

    29. TFTina Friml1:16:26

        And being Black

    30. TNTrevor Noah1:16:26

        ... and then people have to laugh because what are you gonna do?" And we're like, "No, but it's, these are funny things."
15. 1:24:00 – 1:29:00

    Pity Laughs vs Real Laughs

    1. TNTrevor Noah1:24:00

       You wanna talk about pity laughs, I've seen some of the most famous people get on stage, f- movie stars, musicians, even comedians get on. Audience, first three minutes, "Yeah." They say anything, "Yeah."

    2. TFTina Friml1:24:15

       Yeah.

    3. TNTrevor Noah1:24:15

       And then at some point, the audience is like, "All right, we've run out of the..." [laughs]

    4. EUEugene1:24:20

       Pity ones.

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:24:21

       Yeah. We, we-

    6. EUEugene1:24:21

       The free ones are gone.

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:24:22

       We can't give you the fame laughs anymore.

    8. TFTina Friml1:24:24

       Mm. Mm.

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:24:24

       We can't give you the pity laughs anymore.

    10. TFTina Friml1:24:26

        Yeah.

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:24:26

        We can't... And then you just, the audience just goes like, "All right, we're, we're done." A room is really, really honest.

    12. TFTina Friml1:24:32

        Yeah.

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:24:33

        You know why? Be- because the room is dark, and there's anonymity-

    14. EUEugene1:24:37

        Mm-hmm

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:24:37

        ... so no one in the crowd feels personally responsible for a laugh happening or not happening.

    16. EUEugene1:24:41

        And there's also safety because people-

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:24:42

        That's what I mean

    18. EUEugene1:24:43

        ... come, come with other people.

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:24:44

        Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    20. EUEugene1:24:44

        You know what I mean? Like, safety of companionship.

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:24:46

        Yeah, yeah.

    22. EUEugene1:24:46

        People can, can refer to the other person and go, "I'm not crazy," no?

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:24:49

        Yeah, the pity... You know what I wish you could do?

    24. EUEugene1:24:51

        Mm.

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:24:51

        Oh, man, this would be such a great, like, gag for those people. I wish you could do an impression, like change your voice and then sound like you don't have cerebral palsy, just for a moment, just for those peop- It would break-

    26. TFTina Friml1:25:04

        Oh my God

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:25:04

        ... it would explode their brains.

    28. EUEugene1:25:06

        I thought you were my friend.

    29. TFTina Friml1:25:06

        Well, I-

    30. EUEugene1:25:06

        That's what I was thinking
16. 1:29:00 – 1:34:00

    The Secret Behind Tina's Comedy Timing

    1. TFTina Friml1:29:00

       I, I think [laughs] I'd, I'd just turn into something I, I end up despising. I would become the monster.

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:29:12

       [laughs]

    3. TFTina Friml1:29:12

       You know? I'd just be talk... Oh.

    4. TNTrevor Noah1:29:18

       [laughs]

    5. TFTina Friml1:29:18

       I know, 'cause I think I'll find this newfound power, and I would just speak to more, more managers and-

    6. TNTrevor Noah1:29:26

       [laughs]

    7. TFTina Friml1:29:29

       I don't know.

    8. TNTrevor Noah1:29:30

       [laughs]

    9. TFTina Friml1:29:31

       I need to be humbled.

    10. TNTrevor Noah1:29:33

        [laughs]

    11. TFTina Friml1:29:35

        I think that's why God did this.

    12. TNTrevor Noah1:29:38

        [laughs]

    13. TFTina Friml1:29:38

        I'm an absolute mess.

    14. TNTrevor Noah1:29:41

        Oh, man. [laughs]

    15. TFTina Friml1:29:42

        Oh my God.

    16. TNTrevor Noah1:29:43

        Oh, wow. Can, can I ask you a question? Your, your, one of the, the things that's, that's always amazed me about your comedy is your timing, and I've always wondered how much of your timing plays into the idea of what we think cerebral palsy may or may not be and how you are actually experiencing it. 'Cause, like, like, your body is not fully in your control, but you've learned how to live in yourself with so... But I wanna know how you work out the timing. That's, 'cause comedy's all the timing. Yeah. How do you, how do you do that?

    17. TFTina Friml1:30:12

        Well, thank God for comedy because the timing is one thing that I can control. I, I, I, I learned that, that the power does come in the pauses. And, and a bit like singing, w- when I, I speak very slowly, and comedy is one of the very few instances where that can be used as an advantage.

    18. TNTrevor Noah1:30:43

        Oh, I love that.

    19. TFTina Friml1:30:44

        Um-

    20. TNTrevor Noah1:30:44

        Okay

    21. TFTina Friml1:30:45

        ... a- and I mean, that's why, you know, I, I can s- I, even before stand-up, I would use that to my advantage o- over, um, sort of deferring the, the sentence that I was saying right at the end, almost just to make sure people were listening to me and not zoning out. Um, I, you know, I don't know 'cause I, I get talked to about my timing in comedy all, all the time. And really, like, [sighs] I don't know. It- it's been one of those things that I, I've always had it.

    22. TNTrevor Noah1:31:33

        Right.

    23. TFTina Friml1:31:33

        And I mean, I, I used comedy as a kid as a language, quite literally, to show other people, kids and adults, that I was, uh, cognitively all here.

    24. TNTrevor Noah1:31:47

        It's amazing, it's amazing that that is, like, one of the measures that we have, right? Mm.

    25. TFTina Friml1:31:52

        Yeah.

    26. TNTrevor Noah1:31:52

        No, really. It's, it's, it's, it's truly amazing how- Humor Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    27. TFTina Friml1:31:57

        Mm-hmm.

    28. TNTrevor Noah1:31:58

        As soon as somebody does that, you go, "Oh, oh, shit." Like, you know, I've, I've seen that happen to some people who don't speak a language well. Oftentimes it'll- I'll see it in English, obviously, someone who doesn't speak English well, and you can see people around them treat them like they aren't intelligent.

    29. TFTina Friml1:32:15

        Mm.

    30. TNTrevor Noah1:32:16

        And then when they just drop one joke or one... Like, you see the people go like, "Oh, you're here."
17. 1:34:00 – 1:41:00

    Following Dave Chappelle at the Comedy Cellar

    1. TFTina Friml1:34:00

       from my time there was, um, I was doing the Cellar. She was in the back of the room watching, so obviously pressure's high. Um, and then I'm about to go up on stage. Uh, the host leans into me and says, "Oh, Tina, uh, hang on. Dave Chappelle just walked in, and he'll, he'll, he'll go up there and do 20 minutes, but only, only 20 minutes. He has to run after, so you'll go up after him." And, you know, I, I kind of... I, I've, I've seen this play out before that, like, a big name goes up there, crushes it, and then some guy gets up after and, and like-

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:34:52

       It's such a painful position to be in

    3. TFTina Friml1:34:54

       ... tries to, like, kill. They, they have, like, jokes about their dog or, or... But, but the whole room is just, like, electrified and, like, you know, um, and, and they bomb. But, um, I, I was, uh, all this happening, all the while Estee the booker is watching, and I think, "Oh, this is how it ends."

    4. TNTrevor Noah1:35:20

       [laughs]

    5. TFTina Friml1:35:20

       This is how. Oh my God. So I think, okay, well, I, I think to myself the only possible thing that I can do is listen to what Chappelle is saying on stage and then come up with a callback joke. Um, a- and then I can get up there a- and, and somehow say that, and then, then they can write that on my epitaph.

    6. TNTrevor Noah1:35:48

       [laughs]

    7. TFTina Friml1:35:48

       Um, and, um, so he, he's about to get up there. He, he's, you know, he's incredible. Brings his own piano player and, and is just commenting on, on the world and is so profound. And then, um, a- a- by the way, I, I can say this because he actually did also say this in his sp- his special after. Um, but about 10 minutes in, he, he just says, "You know, I, I know I g- I get, I get a lot of, I get a lot of heat for a lot of kinds of jokes that I make about minorities. So, so today I'm only doing handicap jokes. Um, uh, I, I bet there is one handicap person in this room right now, just probably in the back. That's where they keep them."

    8. TNTrevor Noah1:36:49

       [laughs]

    9. TFTina Friml1:36:49

       "Prob- probably just sitting there, like, boo." A- and the whole room, like, laughed and, and he said, "Uh, pro- probably not. T- too many stairs to get down here."

    10. TNTrevor Noah1:37:04

        [laughs] Jesus, Dave.

    11. TFTina Friml1:37:05

        [laughs] And every comic lined up in the back just looked at me just like [gasps] ... And, and I, I thought that they were horrified. I, but I was just like, "Yes."

    12. TNTrevor Noah1:37:22

        All praise to the handicap God.

    13. TFTina Friml1:37:24

        Yeah.

    14. TNTrevor Noah1:37:26

        [laughs]

    15. TFTina Friml1:37:26

        Yes. Like, God has smiled-

    16. TNTrevor Noah1:37:29

        [laughs]

    17. TFTina Friml1:37:29

        ... upon me on this day.

    18. TNTrevor Noah1:37:33

        Hallelujah.

    19. TFTina Friml1:37:34

        I was like, "Oh my God." Chappelle had given me the best possible thing he could ever give me, which, which it, it really was that I now had a bullet. I, I, I, I could get up there and not say a thing just, and I get timing. Like, like- I- in the moment, the timing just came up-

    20. TNTrevor Noah1:38:00

        Yeah, yeah, yeah

    21. TFTina Friml1:38:00

        ... I knew exactly-

    22. TNTrevor Noah1:38:01

        Oh, that kind of fist in comedy

    23. TFTina Friml1:38:02

        ... I knew exactly, I can see it before it happens, a bit like shooting a ball. Like, I got up there, um, just, you know, and, and I just said, "Lucky guest, Dave." [laughs]

    24. TNTrevor Noah1:38:18

        [laughs]

    25. TFTina Friml1:38:18

        And it just, not enough fucking stairs.

    26. TNTrevor Noah1:38:24

        [laughs]

    27. TFTina Friml1:38:25

        [laughs] And the whole room just like erupts. Um, and yeah, uh, uh, it was just, I mean, I mean, d- uh, and that's all it is, just like to, to be the walking personification of a joke-

    28. TNTrevor Noah1:38:43

        Yeah, I mean, that's a, that's the, those are the g- as you s- it's like the greatest gifts you will ever receive in comedy in those re-

    29. TFTina Friml1:38:50

        Yeah

    30. TNTrevor Noah1:38:50

        ... those are the moments where you're just like, "Ah, there's a higher power looking out for me, and they're a fan of my shows-"
18. 1:41:00 – 1:48:00

    Why Stand-Up Feels Like Home

    1. TNTrevor Noah1:41:00

       the least like you are not part of a club, and the most like you're part of a club

    2. TFTina Friml1:41:03

       Oh, my God, sorry, not to, I mean, yes, [laughs] not to step on you, but yes. Uh, I mean, I feel way more comfortable talking to 250 people than I do talking to two people right now.

    3. TNTrevor Noah1:41:21

       Well, thanks. You didn't have to say two people. There's only two people here, Tina. You just, you could have said like a metaphorical number like one or five. You didn't have to say, "I feel more comfortable talking to 250 p- than you two losers."

    4. TFTina Friml1:41:33

       [laughs]

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:41:33

       Than, "I feel way more comfortable talking to two people-

    6. TFTina Friml1:41:36

       I am so-

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:41:36

       ... than two South Africans."

    8. TFTina Friml1:41:38

       [laughs]

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:41:39

       "That I feel way more comfortable."

    10. TFTina Friml1:41:41

        I am mad uncomfortable right now.

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:41:43

        [laughs]

    12. TFTina Friml1:41:43

        I'm, I'm quickly on the cross, guys. Ugh, you've been out there an, what, an hour 40 minutes.

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:41:51

        [laughs]

    14. TFTina Friml1:41:51

        I'm so, I don't know about you guys. I don't know. Ugh. Um-

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:41:58

        [laughs]

    16. TFTina Friml1:41:59

        But, but I mean, uh, like I just, uh, I, I, I think [laughs] I, there is this like level of, uh, control that you have when, when you're on the stage of it's the most you'll ever be able to control how you're perceived.

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:42:25

        Oh, yeah.

    18. TFTina Friml1:42:26

        It, and that is huge. Um, also, uh, a lot of the comedy, you know, my, as much as I absolutely adore touring and performing for my fans, I love going to the Comedy Cellar and performing for people that have no idea who I am.

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:42:49

        It is the best, yeah.

    20. TFTina Friml1:42:50

        It, it really, like, because fresh meat, you know?

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:42:54

        [laughs]

    22. TFTina Friml1:42:54

        Like, it just [laughs] like-

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:42:57

        You've lived around student campuses for too long. [laughs]

    24. TFTina Friml1:43:03

        [laughs] And there's no perceived notion of me. And, and for better and for worse, I, I, my, uh, I know that I said earlier that I wish I could just, every person that I meet, I wish I could just have this whole conversation with them-

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:43:26

        Right, yeah. Mm

    26. TFTina Friml1:43:27

        ... the context of it. Um, but that's all that my comedy is. I'm not, I'm not kidding about anything. All I'm doing is just, uh, saying what I wish it would be okay to say in-

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:43:46

        Mm

    28. TFTina Friml1:43:46

        ... in real life on the street across the hotdog cart, you know? Um, yeah. G- I mean, stand-up comedy, it, it's- Miraculous that I've got into it because it, it kind of found me. Like it, I, I-

    29. TNTrevor Noah1:44:11

        It finds all of us.

    30. TFTina Friml1:44:12

        Yeah.
19. 1:48:00 – 1:54:00

    Living the Bonus Round

    1. TNTrevor Noah1:48:06

       You are arguably the most incredibly lucky person ever, luckiest person I've ever met. Because what could have ended your life set you on a course, brought you into a world with parents who played for a living, who took you to go play with them for a living. And you met people who play for a living in the theater, then you went and played for a living. So everything that has happened to you that is monumental, that is sort of a s- a discovery of what the disability brought out of you, 'cause I don't think you are the disability, it just brings out stuff out of you, was your seven-year-old brother and obviously the car ride going home when you made the real- realization after The Roast. And after that it was smooth sailing for you, because those two truths were enough, and they were fact. But the fact that the doctor was able to get to the hospital on time, resuscitate you, and your parents had you for the rest of their lives trying to shelter you from not losing yourself, is a gift that you can give to everyone else when you, when you live loudly and get on stage. And-

    2. TFTina Friml1:49:04

       Yeah

    3. TNTrevor Noah1:49:05

       ... that's incredible.

    4. TFTina Friml1:49:06

       Thank you.

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:49:07

       Yeah.

    6. TFTina Friml1:49:08

       I mean, that, that is, uh ... People, you know ... I, I get painted inspiration a lot.

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:49:16

       Mm-hmm.

    8. TFTina Friml1:49:17

       Um, uh, and you know, I, I have a very complicated relationship with that word [laughs] .

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:49:25

       Mm-hmm.

    10. TFTina Friml1:49:26

        Inspiration. I think, uh, uh, I'm sure that you both get that too, and it's, it doesn't land in the way that I think people want, expect it to land in you. Because, like, you know, uh, oftentimes, uh, like, uh, if I'm doing an article or, or t- talking to, uh, a fan or-

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:49:52

        Yeah

    12. TFTina Friml1:49:52

        ... um, uh, uh, they'll, they'll ask kind of, "What, what, why are you doing this? W- what is the goal? How, how are you looking to get, to imprint on everyone?" And, you know, uh, now I, I kind of have developed this media trained answer of, of, you know, I, I think that even though disability is on- only, um, relative to, to a certain section, I think that the, uh, need for acceptance, uh, is universal. Um, that's the media trained [laughs] answer.

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:50:34

        Mm-hmm.

    14. TFTina Friml1:50:35

        In reality, I don't have a goal. Like, I, you know, I, I talk about myself in that I'm living in the bonus round, you know?

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:50:47

        Mm.

    16. TFTina Friml1:50:47

        Because I ... It was game over, and then, and then-

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:50:52

        From the onset

    18. TFTina Friml1:50:53

        ... yes. And, and then the, the doctor put a few quarter- quarters in.

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:50:59

        [laughs]

    20. TFTina Friml1:50:59

        And, um, and I, I do have a joke about this, where like that, like I'm now on free play and, and like I, I'm above the law. I, nothing matters anymore.

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:51:13

        [laughs]

    22. TFTina Friml1:51:14

        Like [laughs] and, um, a- and I mean, just like a lot of my jokes is a joke, but, but I'm hiding in plain sight. And I really, it's 100% true that, um, in any given moment, I, I never lose sight of the fact that I'm not really supposed to be here.

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:51:37

        Hmm.

    24. TFTina Friml1:51:39

        Um-

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:51:39

        Hmm.

    26. EUEugene1:51:39

        How many times have I told you that?

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:51:41

        Yeah, Eugene says that all the time.

    28. EUEugene1:51:42

        Yeah.

    29. TFTina Friml1:51:43

        Yeah. A- and how unbelievably, um, disruptive it is that, that, um, that the odds have fallen in this direction.

    30. TNTrevor Noah1:52:00

        Hmm.
20. 1:54:00 – 1:58:00

    The Meaning of Being an Inspiration

    1. EUEugene1:54:00

       Let me tell you something.

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:54:01

       You know, the, the thing you're saying about not knowing how to, or rather the term, "You're such an inspiration," not landing, Atsuko was, was on the podcast, and we were chatting about, about this. And we were joking about it. She was saying she learned very early on, when people are like, "You're so brave," that's, that means they don't see you in like a good light. They're like, "Man, your shit is..."

    3. TFTina Friml1:54:24

       Hmm.

    4. TNTrevor Noah1:54:24

       When they're like, "You're such an inspiration," they're like, "Mm, mm, I do not wish I had your life."

    5. EUEugene1:54:29

       [laughs]

    6. TFTina Friml1:54:29

       [laughs]

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:54:29

       That's what people are essentially saying.

    8. TFTina Friml1:54:31

       I would rather die.

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:54:32

       Yeah. That's what people ... But, but there's also, there's also another layer to it that I think we shouldn't take for granted, right? In life, we are living as us, technically for ourselves, you know? I'm not saying you can't live for others and do they, but we are living as us for ourselves.

    10. EUEugene1:54:48

        Right.

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:54:49

        What we take for granted is the fact that we are affecting others around us, whether we want to or not.

    12. EUEugene1:54:54

        Mm-hmm.

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:54:55

        And so you don't need to choose to be an inspiration to be one. You just are one. And it's, it's, it's a, it's a, it's a strange paradigm for people to accept, because we sometimes think it comes with a responsibility, or an obligation, or an idea of how we should be moving through the world. But it's like, no, no, no. No, no. It, it's not that. And I, I mean it on every level, not just in the world of like fame and fortune. I think of how many parents were an inspiration to their kid without them knowing, genuinely.

    14. TFTina Friml1:55:29

        Hmm.

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:55:29

        You know, you'll talk to people who go like, "Who's your biggest inspiration?" They go like, "Oh man, my mom. She worked three jobs and, and she'd come home and she'd still make time to love us. And you know, it was so amazing to see how she would..." But then when you talk to the mom, the mom's like, "Huh?" She's like, "What, what other option did I have?"

    16. TFTina Friml1:55:44

        Hmm.

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:55:44

        "Well, what do you mean? You, you can't not love your kids, and you can't not work for them, and you can't..." And they'll be like, "Yeah, but that inspired us." Mom's like, "Inspired? Get out of here with your in- inspiration. I was just living the life that I was meant to live and I had to live." But I think both things can be true at the same time, and I don't think we have to take it for granted. It's somebody just observing tr- you from the outside going-

    18. TFTina Friml1:56:07

        Hmm

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:56:07

        ... "What you naturally do or how you are makes me feel a certain way, and I appreciate that." And then if you are the person who's receiving that, almost just go like Oh, good for you. Do you know what I mean?

    20. EUEugene1:56:20

        Yeah, absolutely.

    21. TFTina Friml1:56:21

        Yeah.

    22. TNTrevor Noah1:56:21

        Good, good for you. I'm, I'm happy that that is ... 'Cause I o- often think of it this way, is, like I don't know what the opposite, is it a de-spiration? What is the opposite of inspiration?

    23. TFTina Friml1:56:31

        [laughs]

    24. TNTrevor Noah1:56:31

        I don't know what the opposite of that would be. What's the antonym?

    25. TFTina Friml1:56:33

        Repulsion.

    26. TNTrevor Noah1:56:35

        I mean, I guess uninspired.

    27. EUEugene1:56:36

        [laughs]

    28. TNTrevor Noah1:56:36

        But I'm gonna say de-spiration.

    29. EUEugene1:56:37

        De-spiration.

    30. TFTina Friml1:56:38

        A cautionary tale.
21. 1:58:00 – 2:13:00

    Dating with a Disability

    1. TFTina Friml1:58:00

       Tim Allen, I, I didn't do shit. Like, [laughs] I just ... But, but yeah, yeah, that, it, it, it's, uh, uh, maybe actually that is why it feels so weird to be called it to your face. It, it, a bit, it is like being like, "I have a crush on you." And-

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:58:23

       Yeah, you don't know how to respond to that.

    3. TFTina Friml1:58:24

       Yeah. It's like, "Whoa," like, keep that to yourself.

    4. EUEugene1:58:28

       I, I have a response.

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:58:28

       Can I, can I ... Now you just tr- like this is the intrusiv- intrusive thoughts-

    6. EUEugene1:58:32

       Yeah

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:58:32

       ... in my head when you say certain things.

    8. EUEugene1:58:34

       I'm so glad you have those.

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:58:35

       I mean, he is my intrusive thought.

    10. EUEugene1:58:37

        Oh, good.

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:58:37

        So normally ...

    12. EUEugene1:58:38

        [laughs]

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:58:38

        No, but like, do you ever encounter guys who have a crush on you, but because they're fetishizing you in some way?

    14. TFTina Friml1:58:48

        All the time. Yeah. Oh, yes. It, it really, it began to happen, um, with my comedy. I, I never had a ... And i- i- I think stepping into the public eye made it much more apparent for me.

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:59:08

        Mm.

    16. TFTina Friml1:59:08

        But, but that's why when I was, um, on the apps, I, I would always struggle when, when in this whole process do I say that I am disabled? Because-

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:59:23

        Oh, geez, yeah

    18. TFTina Friml1:59:24

        ... I, I did learn that I was balancing this precarious world of, um, lots of guys where they were not attracted to, to me because I'm disabled, and then [laughs] a subsect of other guys-

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:59:43

        Feminist professors. [laughs]

    20. TFTina Friml1:59:45

        Yeah. [laughs] And then there's this guy. [laughs]

    21. EUEugene1:59:51

        A pseudo scientist. [laughs]

    22. TFTina Friml1:59:55

        And, you know, uh, and the tricky thing is-

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:59:58

        Mm

    24. TFTina Friml2:00:00

        ... um, I, I think, you know, people that might fetishize disability, they don't just, it, they don't know it. It's not like them fetishizing-

    25. TNTrevor Noah2:00:11

        Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

    26. TFTina Friml2:00:12

        ... anime girls or something. It, it really, um, because when you're fetishizing disability, what you're really fetishizing is, um, uh, the need for help.

    27. TNTrevor Noah2:00:27

        Mm-hmm.

    28. TFTina Friml2:00:30

        The, um, the, this weak-

    29. TNTrevor Noah2:00:30

        Oh, that's, that's the, that's the l- that's the sub layer.

    30. EUEugene2:00:32

        Yes.
22. 2:13:00 – 2:28:00

    Is Social Media Hurting Comedy?

    1. TFTina Friml2:13:00

       So, uh, I, I'm gonna get some heat for saying this, but-

    2. TNTrevor Noah2:13:07

       Say it, Tina

    3. TFTina Friml2:13:08

       ... but, like, I cannot wait for this rise of comedy in social media to, to die. Die.

    4. TNTrevor Noah2:13:18

       Damn.

    5. EUEugene2:13:18

       [laughs]

    6. TNTrevor Noah2:13:18

       Say more.

    7. TFTina Friml2:13:19

       I-

    8. EUEugene2:13:19

       Yeah. [laughs]

    9. TFTina Friml2:13:21

       I think for so many reasons, uh, and I say this as a comedian who owes her career to social media.

    10. TNTrevor Noah2:13:31

        Oh, so you wanna pull the ladder up. I see what Tina's saying.

    11. TFTina Friml2:13:33

        [laughs]

    12. TNTrevor Noah2:13:33

        Now that I'm in, it's time to shut this shit down.

    13. TFTina Friml2:13:37

        Get out.

    14. EUEugene2:13:37

        [laughs]

    15. TFTina Friml2:13:37

        Get out.

    16. TNTrevor Noah2:13:37

        No more comedy for you-

    17. TFTina Friml2:13:39

        Shut down

    18. TNTrevor Noah2:13:39

        ... losers from the internet.

    19. TFTina Friml2:13:40

        [laughs] Pull-

    20. TNTrevor Noah2:13:41

        I was the last one.

    21. TFTina Friml2:13:42

        Yeah. Save-

    22. TNTrevor Noah2:13:43

        We thought there was room for two of a kind.

    23. TFTina Friml2:13:46

        Save the love.

    24. EUEugene2:13:46

        [laughs]

    25. TNTrevor Noah2:13:46

        There's not an ark.

    26. TFTina Friml2:13:48

        Save the love.

    27. TNTrevor Noah2:13:48

        It's Adam as five. [laughs]

    28. TFTina Friml2:13:50

        We've had, we've had enough. All those... No way. Yeah, enough com- comedians. No, but, but, like, I, you know, for, for a variety of reasons, I think that, I mean, watching comedy 60 seconds at a time, when I began to get back into making a, an actual effort to watch-

    29. TNTrevor Noah2:14:17

        Mm-hmm

    30. TFTina Friml2:14:17

        ... stand-up hours, um, on Netflix, Hulu, wherever it was-
23. 2:28:00 – 2:31:38

    Final Thoughts

    1. TFTina Friml2:28:00

       the movies.

    2. TNTrevor Noah2:28:00

       Yeah. That's, that's what we all hope.

    3. EUEugene2:28:01

       It is happening. Yeah.

    4. TFTina Friml2:28:01

       Yeah.

    5. TNTrevor Noah2:28:02

       No, that's what we all hope.

    6. EUEugene2:28:02

       It is gonna happen. Yeah. It is happening.

    7. TNTrevor Noah2:28:03

       I don't even think it's gonna happen. I think it is happening.

    8. TFTina Friml2:28:06

       Mm.

    9. TNTrevor Noah2:28:06

       I think it's always happened. There is zero chance I would've ever gone to a baseball game had I not seen baseball highlights growing up in South Africa-

    10. TFTina Friml2:28:15

        Mm

    11. TNTrevor Noah2:28:15

        ... on Gillette World Sports Special. Uh, there was no world.

    12. EUEugene2:28:18

        Mm.

    13. TNTrevor Noah2:28:18

        And I'm sure someone would say, "You can't distill baseball down into highlights," but that's how I got it. That's how I got basketball.

    14. TFTina Friml2:28:25

        Mm.

    15. TNTrevor Noah2:28:25

        That's how I got all the sports that I never would've gotten. And so to sort of go back to the thing we were saying just a, a while ago, the people are being inspired by something. We may not wish for that to be the ins- But someone might go ... You go like, "No, this 60 seconds is not, is not me." And it's like, that is true, but it's the beginning of you, and it's a piece of you, and it's, it's better than none of you.

    16. EUEugene2:28:51

        It's a part of you.

    17. TFTina Friml2:28:51

        Yeah. Yeah.

    18. TNTrevor Noah2:28:52

        And so for me, I go like, "Yeah, you know, that'll be it."

    19. TFTina Friml2:28:55

        Yeah. Uh, I mean, it is a, a bit of an ego death I think we all have no matter who we are in, in our life that, that we realize we're never going to fully be able to be perceived c- 100%-

    20. TNTrevor Noah2:29:12

        No

    21. TFTina Friml2:29:12

        ... authentically-

    22. TNTrevor Noah2:29:13

        No

    23. TFTina Friml2:29:13

        ... as we are. So we may as well let that go. [laughs] Let, let go of this, yeah, the, the inspiration and, and w- how I used to feel. [laughs] I'm like, "No, you, you, you don't know the whole story."

    24. TNTrevor Noah2:29:30

        [laughs]

    25. TFTina Friml2:29:30

        And like, "Oh, they're never going to know the whole story."

    26. TNTrevor Noah2:29:34

        I love that.

    27. EUEugene2:29:34

        Hm.

    28. TFTina Friml2:29:35

        Um, a- and maybe that's what inspiration is, is taking what they take from, from you.

    29. TNTrevor Noah2:29:45

        You know-

    30. TFTina Friml2:29:45

        You know?

Episode duration: 2:31:39