Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
Stephen A. interviews “The Black Mother of Hollywood,” stage and screen actress Jenifer Lewis about her award-winning career, the recent presidential election, surviving a ten-foot fall, and her latest role in the Netflix animated film, “Spellbound.”
What's up, everybody. Welcome to the latest edition of The Stephen Asmith Show, coming at you at the very least three days a week over the digital airways of YouTube and of course iHeartRadio. I hope everybody had a phenomenal Thanksgiving. Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of talking to my next guest. She's been called the national treasure and the black Mother of Hollywood. With over three hundred film and television credits, She's best known as outspoken grandmother Ruby Johnson on a hit ABC comedy Blackish. She's joining me to discuss her latest project, the Netflix animated film Spellbound and more. But I gotta tell you something, there's a lot more to her than this upcoming animated film. This woman is something special. She's incredibly candid, and that was before she had a life altering experience that just has shredded fear from her soul to make her even more candid. That she has ever been more direct and unapologetic than she has ever been, which obviously makes for a very interesting interview. Whether it's about her, it's about the industry, it's about her phenomenal work over the years, it's about Kamala Harris and the latest presidential election. It's about Donald Trump himself or various other things that were on her mind. This woman does not hold back. It is very rare that I find myself a bit transfixed on someone to the point where I actually forget to ask a damn question at on some occasions. But that's the kind of a fact that she had on me. By the way, in the process of all of that that I say that I remind you that she is absolutely positively hilarious and fabulous, because if I didn't, let me tell you she's fabulous and hilarious. Her name is Jennifer Lewis, and she's here up next, right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Please trust me on this. Don't go away. Okay, everybody, you know what Tom it is. It's Tom for Steven a Sports Picks. Everybody knows I'm a sports junkie. And if you love watching this show, that probably means you are too. Probably also means you want to be part of all the big time game action. But how do you solve that? Exactly? I'll tell you how. You use Prize Picks, the largest daily fantasy sports platform in all the land, with over three million members with prize picks. You just choose two, three, or even up to six of your favorite players and then pick more or less when their projected stats for the game or contest. Choose any of the players you love to watch Matt Stafford, Anthony Edwards, and Travis Hunter all in the same entry. And if you sign up right now when you use code says, Prospects will give you fifty dollars instantly when you play your first five dollars lineup. You don't need to win your lineup to receive a fifty dollars bonus, y'all, It's guaranteed. All you have to do is play a five dollars lineup on Prospects and you'll get fifty dollars instantly. Now let's look at my winning picks today. I'll be choosing from some of college football's biggest rivalry games happening this Friday and Saturday. First up, Texas Longhorns single signal caller Quinn Ewers facing in state rival Texas A and M more or less than two hundred and thirty seven and a half passing yards. It's yours, It's Texas all right. One of the top ranked teams in the nation. Okay, I'm going with them. I don't like what I've been seeing from Texan A and N from time to time. Okay, that's just me. That's how I feel about it, all right. Yours is a big Tom bawler, and I know Manning's waiting in the background, had a couple of good starts and all of that stuff. He was coming back and performing the way that he did, there's a lot to be said about that. I respect the brother. I think he'll have a big game against Texas A and M. I think he's gonna do his thing. Next up, Georgia Bulldog's quarterback Carson Beck facing the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets more or less than two hundred and sixty three and a half passing yards. Now, here's the thing. I think Beck is gonna get more than the two hundred and sixty three and a half passing yards. What I don't believe is that he's gonna have a great game. He makes some mistakes. He's made a lot of mistakes this year. I expected better from mine. I know he came back from twenty to nothing deferences against Alabama, almost beat them before they ultimately can't escape with that victory. Right, But I've watched him, Okay, I watched him against I watched him against Texas, all right, you know, I listen, they handled their business there, but they got smacked around a couple of times this year. And I still am suspect, especially this old miss. I'm still suspect on him. So I again, he'll have more. I just don't know how good his numbers are gonna really equate to when it's all said and done. Finally, one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports we have, ohiuse date Buckoy's quarterback Will Howard playing the Michigan wolver Raines more or less than twenty and fifty three and a half pass the yards. I'm gonna go with more, But it's about default. I'm not liking Michigan this year. They clearly miss Harbor. Harbor. I mean, more is not Harbor. We get all of that, which will explain why he was crying a little bit when he won that game when Harbaugh was out being suspended, and he you know, he filled in for a game last year or what have you. But it's not that he can't coach. I think the guy's got potential. I think he could do some things at Michigan, but I've been very, very disappointed with what I seen from them this year. I expected more, I expected better, and that has not been the case. I think Ohio State there's a big game. Obviously, to me, this game is more about Ryan Day than anybody. Harbor's not there any longer. Now Michigan has smacked you around the Ohio State over the last three years. What you're gonna do about it? Ryan Dare, You're gonna go out there and lose some more too? You better not. You're better not okay, because as great as it, except as you are as a head coach, you ain't won a national championship. And by the way, you haven't beatn Michigan in years. People ain't gonna go for that. Now that Harball's going gotta handle your business, gotta handle your business. I'm gonna go with more on this. But guess what, there's more to the story. Get that like that. I switched that up. That's what I do for prospects all day, every day. My guest has been called a national treasure and the black mother of Hollywood. With over three hundred film and television credits. She's best known as the outspoken grandmother Ruby Johnson on a hit ABC comedy Blackish. He latest project is the Netflix animated film Spellbound. Please welcome the one and only, the incomparable Jennifer Lewis. What an honor and a privilege it is to see you. How are you doing?
How are you doing? Handsome? I'm doing great? How are you?
I'm doing wonderful, especially since I get an opportunity to talk to you. First of all, how is life treat you? I want to know first thing. How's life treating you? How's life? How's the working world? How is life period? How are things going with you?
I gotta tell you, and I'm gonna be real honest with you. I walk around in a state of bliss now, and it's just simple as that. It took a lot of years to be able to say that. I know a lot of word people don't use that word bliss. But that's the kind of work I've done, and I'm real proud of myself for doing it. You know, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder many many years ago when I was thirty three. I'm sixty seven now, and I went and took care of myself and That's mostly what I'm proud of, and that's why I'm able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I don't know if you know. I had a horrible accident in the Serengetti and Tanzania two years ago. Down there to this day, so I've been celebrating my two year anniversary.
And Stephen, when I tell you.
The things I learned in recovery, I gotta say that bitch is bad. I am walking, talking, laughing, singing, and I can even do my high kick.
Now, that was a hit.
That high kick back, Jenny, You're gonna be all right. It was an insane It was epic, a saga that could only happen to me and my dramatic ass. I fell ten feet off the balcony of my hotel in pitch into pitch black. Unbeknownst to me, wild animals were surrounding me, my girlfriend. I was able to wake up my traveling park partner, whose room was you know, far away, but everybody knows I'm a singer. I'm very loud, I live out loud, and I was able to wake her up. She saw that I was broken on the ground with her flashlight, unable to move. She caught the mass I warriors because they were the only ones they could come down.
There with the wild animals. They took me back to the main building. Jesus.
I was air vacked out of the Serengetti to Kenya. I had a twelve hour surgery in Nairobi, six days in ICU and a two year recovery. Yeah, Pampers, you know a wheelchair walker, King and Baby, when I tell you, I worked into the wee hours of the morning, Stephen, the bitch is back.
I don't play that shit. Nobody over thirty.
It's supposed to come back with this injury without a limb. Now, while I was on the ground, the last thing I heard before I passed out, because I've been on Safari before was a lion rule And my last thought was what a headline?
The King the Queen. But I did.
Thank God that didn't happen, Kilda and I'm back. Thank God that didn't happen. The word and that you know, your loved ones and everybody else obviously would have been a devastating loss. Would have been a devastating loss for the world as well, because you're just that wonderful as far as I'm concerned. I got to ask you, going back to the bipolar disorder that you you said that you know you were diagnosed with at the age of thirty three or so. When you talk about taking care of yourself, could you educate folks when you take care of yourself, what does that mean? And how is one to take care of themselves? Because you said you take care of yourself?
Now, yes, well, first of all, we have one weapon in this world. One We have one job, self care, self care. The only weapon we have is know thyself. No matter what's going on, you gotta be ready. You gotta be ready to stand as Maya Angelou told us and steal our rise. That's what got me up off the massage table, off the floor, out of the wheelchairs and still I rise. But see, because I had done so much work on myself, which was to go to talk therapy and allow myself to medicate, because it took her five years to get me to medicate, because I was like, oh, it's gonna take away my edge, and my edge is who I am. But that's not true. And one thing I want to say to people who feel that a relative or they themselves have a mental illness where they're depressed and over the top with the mania. Go and get help. There are eight billion people on the planet. Somebody will say yes to you. Somebody will help you. So go and take care of yourself once again, Journal, that's a huge tool to take care of yourself. Exercise, walt, people move because we you know, there's so much trash that we eat, and diet is everything.
Don't get it twisted.
Stop eating all that fried food and carbs, so many carbs.
You know.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Jennifer. I just said some wings last night. I'm sorry. You gotta be feeling guilty by eating the wigs.
Listen.
Everything in moderation, baby boy, everything operation, you know.
But y self care, everybody self care.
Come on, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta tell you. I mean one of you know a couple of my favorite movies. When I think about when I think about the brothers you were in that movie, I think about I think about you with Regina Hall and Kevin Hard and and and and the crew and and and and and playing the mother to my man Terrence j. He was you know, that's my brother right there. And I think and and I love the scenes where you're with the women. Be a Gabrielle Union Wade, it could be a Taraji p Henson, It could be a Megan Good, it could be the list just goes on and on. To see them with you. They defer to your wisdom and your experience. When you're around young ladies, particularly young Black women in this day and age, knowing the challenges that they face in this world today. What are the kind of things that you say to them and what kind of obligation do you feel to say whatever it is that you choose to say at this moment in time of your life.
Well, first of all, they all come to me when somebody's acting out, you know, being the mother of Black Hollywood.
You know, they called me for Kanye.
They called me for anybody that's sinking, that's depressed, that's acting out, that's shooting.
A gun out in the street.
This, oh God, that's depressed and crying in interviews, that's too thin, ought I sit them down, Stephen. They hear my interviews, they hear how blatant, bold and honest I am, and they come to me, all of them. I'm telling you, you know, Brandy, Taraji, Wow, Queen Latifa. Yes, all of them, I said, all of them. They come to me, Jleb. I sent them down, and I tell them what I know.
I tell them the.
Elevator to success is broken. Take the stairs. I tell them, if you sit and shit too long, it stops smelling. I tell them love yourself so that love will not be a stranger when it comes. I tell them what I know. I tell them to sit still and listen. When you break your body like I did in the Serengetti, when a lion roars in your ear, that loud enough for you. Jennifer, you think you're gonna retire and go sit down.
Drink red wine, smoke cigarettes and get a pie.
Is that what you think you're gonna do, Jennifer, when I've molded you for sixty five years. I'll tell you one thing, Steven. After the fall, I don't do nothing no more. And my life is of service service. What can I do? Where can I go? And who can I help? But I tell people you take care of yourself first, so that your arms are strong when the people you love fall. Yes, I didn't know how not to come back. I didn't know how not to come back from that injury.
Because the me.
I had made before I fell got me up. I woke up one night, Stephen, and I was in so much pain because I got off the pain medication. I said, if I can feel it, I can fix it. Let me feel it, because that pain medication shit.
Is a lie. Those opioids. Morphine, that's a lie.
Morphine's temporary oxycodon lies to you and tells you there's no pain. No baby, let me feel the pain, because it ain't nothing but pain. You ain't gonna die from pain, you see. So I tell them what I know.
Why should not?
I got everything I wanted, you know, I always say.
I always say, baby, I conquered a dream and I'm rich, bitch, but don't ask me for the money.
I mean, excuse me. I loved you before I was talking to you. You understand that I've loved you for years. You ain't got to worry about that. The love is gonna always be here from me to you. I know who I'm talking to. I gotta ask you a sensitive question, though, with all of this positivity that you oose, particularly emanating from your experiences, how are you feeling when Kamala Harris lost the election? Well, I imagine you were. I was told you were a big supporter.
Of hers, huge, huge, huge, if only to stop that thing from doing whatever he's planning to do. But I've got to tell you something I told the kids, and still are runs. We know how to fight. It's not new to us. And when I say us, I'm talking about the world. Because here's a song I wrote.
We gonna be all right if we stand as the people. We gonna be all right if we trust we're the people.
God right, if we right.
As one people. And I believe that Kamala Harris would have done that. This thing is device, is cruel and evil, insane.
Narcissistic, and he's a sociopath. But honey, we are THEO and we're not gonna allow this dictatorship.
I call everybody, you can be scared, but we must be unafraid.
Now, how do you fight?
You go to your city council meetings, you go to your zoning meetings, so and you'll know who's raising your rent. And you kate yourself because you're losing your rights. And I'm talking to the gen zs and the millennials.
Now, you ain't gonna have no pension if you don't fight.
You ain't gonna have social security or health healthcare if you don't fight. So learn how to fight. Listen to smart people people. Listen to Steven, Listen to Stacey Abers. Listen to Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and Maxine Waters.
Listen to them, Listen to who knows what roads to take now? Because this Republican Party ain't playing.
Let me ask you this, What about what they've said in terms of black particularly black men and Latinos supported him more than they have in the past. Why do you think that is? And what do you have to say to black men and Latinos who were not in favor of supporting Kamala Harris.
Oh honey, oh honey, When your favorite niece and your thirteen year old daughter is raped by your alcoholic brother or the next door neighbor and she tries to abort that baby inside of her from a rape, you're gonna regret that they want to keep women in their places so disgusting. I can't even put words to them voting for her. They didn't vote for her, Excuse me, didn't vote because she was a woman.
They didn't care that she.
Was smart and powerful, educated, beautiful, kind, joyful, fearless.
She would have taken care of this country. She would have propected the people. She would have surrounded herself with great minds. But keeping women.
In their place was more important to them.
And black men that was just shocking, because honey, he's gonna give the military and the police permission to shoot you in your back and there will be no immunity. So baby, y'all donefucked up. You took every right, every right from your children once again, there would be no social cere security and pensions and whites, this thing has said you will never have to vote again.
If you're gonna be in charge of the military. We have fun up enough story.
You don't think it was a simple situation of looking at the economy, looking at inflation, looking at crime, and saying, excuse me, providing and protecting as men, that's what we want. And as a result of that, I mean I voted for her. I wasn't vote for him. But speaking to men who felt differently, they didn't think about Roe v. Wade. They didn't think about stuff. They thought about the economy, money in their pockets and safety in the streets. It couldn't have been as simple as that.
First of all, do you see women breaking in people's houses?
You see what you're shooting each other in the streets.
They voted because they have They voted for Trump because well, I hate saying his name. They voted for him because they hate themselves, and they see this thing is powerful, that he's gonna move mountains for them and make them rich. And unfortunately, black man, they want a man. They were saying, I'm voting for the man. Well, we gonna see about that. And don't think we're all not at fault, all of us. We went to our jobs and came home and sat on the sofa and watched movies of destruction, Superman, Batman, the end of this armageddon. Well, all of that social consciousness has brought us here. So now, like I said, Lex Luthor is finally in the fucking White House.
What are you gonna do about it?
So let me transition back to you from this perspect because despite whatever it is that you feel, and you've articulated it quite eloquently, I might add, in the end, you're saying, there's always a silver lining in life, and you got to take care of yourself. And I bring that up because you Will received the twenty and twenty five Martin Luther King Junior Beloved Community Award in January. Tell me what that means to you.
You know, when the president of my alma made called and asked me to do the commencement speech to send eleven thousand students out into the world, and wanted to give me an honorary doctorate. When they called me from the White House and said we want to honor the Congressional Black Caucus wants to honor you. I've got so many trophies in my house there's no room for them.
But when doctor Bernie's King caught.
Me, take your time, take your time.
Wow, I told her I'm not gonna say.
I don't deserve this, but there's so many others that do more than me. Well, baby, she sat me down. She said, I've watched you over the years. You've made us think, you've made.
Us laugh, You've comforted many with your wisdom.
And she saw me with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. She said, you have a great testimony. Not many people can pull themselves out off the ground of the set and get.
Ah. She said, So you hush now and let us honor you, and I must say to you, Steve, it is the greatest honor of my life to become a part of the king family.
Yeah.
Wow, congratulations. I had to bring that up because I knew what I could. I could only imagine what that must mean to you, and you couldn't have put it any better than that. It's well deserved. Your work has been phenomenal throughout the years. I'm a huge, long, long, long time fan. I've been watching you for decades. I always and I couldn't believe when I read the research and they called you the black mother of Hollywood, because that's what I always called you, even before I do. Other people will call you that.
So play everybody's mama, I said, honey, I'll play the daddy. I want to say something because i've I've shown a lot of anger or the results of the election.
Mm hmm.
We're all still processing and yes, but I do want to say to everybody, Hm, to hate the tyrant is to become the tyrant. Stay aligned in your joy, Don't let this take you down so low that you don't recover. Don't stay mad too long you hurt yourself. Just rise up and take care of what's right. In front of you, love your neighbor, try to stop judging people, be kind to one another.
We'll get through this.
I'm not I'm not letting you get out of here without bringing up this Netflix animated film spell Bound, because your voice, Minister Nasara, if I remember correctly, that's your gonna be your voice in this. I actually did animated film years ago myself. I love this kind of stuff. What is this like for you? And tell me about your role.
You know, she's minister. She's Minister Nasara, and she's the counsel of the Kingdom of Lumbria, and she keeps the princess focused on everything that's going on. Her parents are monsters, but they have the journey to come back, and you know, it's not.
A typical fairy tale.
The princess has to realize she can't fix everything, she can't make her parents love each other, and she comes to a profound understanding that.
She just can't fix everything. And I am her counsel to help her do that.
I have a great song written by the great Alan Macon and John Lithgow, and I do a tango wow, and we say, Okay, I'm really proud of this because I'm in Cars, I've done. I'm doing thirteen animations right now, in thirteen different voices, everything from Mickey Mouse Found the House to rug Rats to Big Hero six and of course Mama Odie are from Princess and the Frog and flow from the Cars franchise.
So animations mean a lot to me.
And I'm able to go in the stud udeo and do a different kind of you know, the levels and the colors that you have to give to these voices, and it's a challenge for me, but I love doing it.
And by the way, Stephen the movie. The movie is good.
It takes you on a journey, very colorful, and it's for the whole family.
And I'm not just saying that it's for the whole family.
Mama Jennifer, I'm gonna call you that affectionately. Mama Jennifer. I got news for you. You don't do bad work. It just doesn't happen. It just doesn't happen. Okay, I know this. I do miss Blackish a lot. Anthony Anderson is a personal friend of mine. I love that brother. I think the cast, I think I'm a longtime fan of the greatness of Lawrence Fishburne. And his artistry as an actor. Think it was a great cast. I actually thought that the show wasn't going to succeed when I first met Anthony Anderson because of the title. I said, Blackish. I'm worried. I don't know if that's going Is America going to embrace that? And sure enough they did, And y'all did y'all thing. Y'all really did.
And Kenya Barish at the Helm. It was.
And it was a time in our country and in the world that they needed that education.
Yes we are a part of it all.
Yes we've got something to say, and yes we did build this country contrary to popular beliefs. And I always go back January sixth when I think about Blackish. What they didn't take under consideration was the the quality of the windows in the Capitol were not the same quality of the windows in their trailers. They didn't know they were gonna have to go get a police barricade made of steel to break those windows while somebody filmed your stupid ass.
We built that building, right, and we built this country.
Jennifer Lewis, it is such an honor. I mean, I really love talking to you. We could, we could, we could talk forever. I'm going to see you soon hopefully. Can't wait to give you a big hug, wishing you nothing but the best. So happy to hear that you see rather that you're alive and well and thriving and doing what you do. Keep on keeping on all the best of you, okay, and I hope to run into you in a very near future.
I am a big fan of yours.
You tell it like it is, and give Anthony Anthony and just and my love and telling me he's an asshole and I loved him.
More than.
You imagine. Will make sure to do it.
Can you imagine working with that fool for eight years?
Oh my god, you did it, You did it.
He won my heart, Anthony, So give him a bill right.
And you know I'm a fan of Allis Ross too, because she's she's phenomenal. She did a phenomenal job as well, so let's not.
Forget her insane cast in sec.
All the best to you. We'll talk soon.
You take care of yourself, ID speed love.
Let me just take a second to make sure everyone out there knows I play the win and if you anything like us here at the Steven A. Smith Show, you do too. And that's why we've decided to team up with Prize Picks. Remember because number one fantasy sports app with over three million members, tell turn all your sports knowledge and it's some big time cash you see. Prize Picks is a daily fantasy app where you choose just between two and six players from your favorite sports teams and then pick more or less on their projected status for the game. You like Brock, Perty pick them, You like Wimby, pick him too, you like Clay pick all three and get this. With Prospects Flex Friday promotion, you can opt in for a protected play. That's right, Every Friday, Prospects offers a protected play to each of their members, so you win or your cash back. And that's not all. Sign up with Code says and Prospects will give you fifty dollars instantly when you play your first five dollar lineup. You don't need to win your lineup to receive the fifty dollars bonus. It's guaranteed. All you have to do is play a five dollar lineup on Prozepects and you'll get fifty dollars instantly. Prize Picks Pick more, pick less. It's really that easy. Oh my goodness, My thanks to the one and only Jennifer Lewis. Spell Bound and streaming on Netflix, so make sure you check it out. Until next time, ladies and gentlemen, I want you all to continue to enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend. Live it up, have a good time, eat as much as you can't, Try to be as healthy as you can't. Get yourself in the gym, workout, take care of your body. What you put in it is what you get out of it. Okay, Remember all of that as you march forward and move forward and again, give hugs and kisses to your loved ones. Let them know your love them, Love them know how much you appreciate them, Let them know how thankful you are to have them in your life. Because I'm very, very thankful, not just to have the people that I have in my life on a personal basis, but to have you as my audience in my life. Nothing about this show would be possible without your love and support. Please don't ever think that I take that for granted for one second, because I most certainly don't. Bigger and better things are coming on coming your way down the pike courtesy of this show. I'm going to see to that, and I'm thankful to all of you for making it happen. On behalf of the staff, on behalf of everybody associated with the Stephen A. Smith Show. Yours truly saying goodbye, have a wonderful week end and I'll see you next week. Until then, peace and love everybody, Happy Thanksgiving weekend,