Yo, quick question.
You know, everyone's talking
about, like, the four-day work week,
and everyone's talking about, like, how you can limit times...
You know what I realized the other day?
I was like, I feel like whoever invented companies
and, like, working and shit,
they tricked every single one of us.
Why do we act like the weekend
is, like, different days to the weekdays?
Who tricked us into this bullshit?
Can somebody tell me that?
'Cause then there's, like... Yeah, there's-there's two.
There's only two on the weekend.
Then we work on... 'Cause that's the weekday.
Who said that?
How did we accept this as a trick?
They're all the same day.
They literally... There's no difference.
You... But then they're like...
You know? And people who own companies are like,
"We would love to, but there's only two.
"There's only two of them.
"We would give you more if there were more,
but there are only two of them."
And then we're like, "Yeah, there's only two of them.
Thanks for trying, companies."
There's only two of them.
If there were more days that they could give them...
The weekend only has two days.
Who made that rule?
How did they trick us?
Why do we not work the two or three days
and then be like, "The weekend is four days"?
'Cause who-who can tell me that a weekend is long enough?
You have to, like, crow-crowbar your Friday into the weekend.
"It's Friday!" Friday's not even the weekend.
Now you have to, like... Enough joy and energy
to start enjoying the weekend, 'cause Sunday,
you're stressed out about the Monday.
Technically, the weekend... You need four...
You need four days for a weekend.
You need one day to party, one day to recover,
one day to chill, and then one day
to prepare for work. I think that's fair.
And then three days, we work our asses off.
Then we go back to the four days.
I mean, this is just me, and these are my opinions.
Three-day week. Why are we negotiating
for a four-day week like it's a nice thing?
Three-day week, people.
Then they'd be like, "But the economy."
The economy is a-a made-up thing.
-(siren wails in distance) -Ah, shit.
The cops are coming for me already.
(laughing)
♪ ♪
ANNOUNCER: Coming to you from the heart of Times Square,
the most important place on earth,
it's The Daily Show.
Tonight, America doesn't want to go to work,
when to use the a-word,
and John Legend.
This is The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Hey. What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to The Daily Show. I'm Trevor Noah.
Let's jump straight into today's headlines.
We kick things off with tourism:
when you cheat on your hometown to spice things up.
As we begin to move past COVID,
the world is opening up for travel again.
But the pause has given some major tourist destinations
a chance to rethink how they want to operate.
For instance, Venice, Italy,
the only city where drivers have canal rage.
They just announced that it's going to have
an entrance fee with electronic turnstiles.
Yeah. So, it'll be like the New York subway
but less flooded.
And now the island of Bali,
one of the finest and most Instagrammed
tourist destinations in the world,
is saying that as it reopens,
it is also instituting some new guidelines.
NEWSWOMAN: The Indonesian government says
they now want to focus on attracting
what they're calling quality tourists:
those that spend more money, stay longer
and respect the Balinese culture.
NEWSMAN: One government official stated openly,
"We do not want backpackers."
I mean, yeah. Of course Bali doesn't want backpackers.
Nobody wants backpackers.
I don't think there's any country in the world
that's like, "Come, backpackers.
"Wash your filthy underwear at our pristine beaches,
"then go back to your hostels and spread chlamydia.
This is what tourism is about."
So, look, you can't blame Bali for wanting to be selective
about who they invite into their country.
I mean, tourism is a business.
If you're running a business,
would you want poor people coming in
and barely spending any money? No.
You'd want rich people who can pay you
to cook and clean and dance for them
while they laugh at how weird your local outfits are.
Wait, what?
And, honestly, I wish New York
would start handpicking its visitors, as well.
You know? Then we could kick out all those tourists
who stop in the middle of every single block to take a picture.
You guys never seen a building before?
It's a big thing with windows. You don't just stop and...
Who are you taking these pictures for?
Who in your country is like,
"Oh, wow. Yes, yes. This is the best picture
"of the Empire State Building I've seen.
Ah, I didn't have Google. I'm glad you took this picture."
Like, you don't have to stop every single time.
It's not something you have to do.
-Anyway... -KOSTA: Trevor.
Trevor, thank you. Just want to say thank you.
Uh, I know you're doing your thing,
and I'm not gonna interrupt a lot,
but the Wi-Fi was down at my apartment, so--
ever since I stopped paying the bill--
so I'm just gonna pop on here, and I'll...
You work. I work.
That's why it's called WeWork. Okay?
-Thanks, buddy. -That's not why it's called WeWork,
first of all. Second of all,
Internet is not down.
The Wi-Fi is not down. You didn't pay for it.
And last and most importantly, I agreed to this
because you said you weren't gonna interrupt.
-(stammers) -That's the only reason I said yes.
But that was an excellent take as well.
So I don't know if you need, like, a little bit of a...
'Cause I-I agree with you on backpackers.
I don't trust backpackers.
You know, think about who uses backpacks. 'Kay?
Drug dealers, terrorists,
children.
'Kay? Three of the worst groups
you'd ever want to be in a hotel room or airplane with.
So I'm with you. You do your thing, I'll do--
Oh, I-- Your password, it was so simple.
I just changed it to something more secure.
Can I tell you quick?
"Daiquiri marshmallow camouflage."
Three of the most commonly misspelled words.
I also misspelled the words, so now nobody can hack in.
You're welcome. Here we go.
You do your thing. I won't interrupt.
All right?
I feel like I'm gonna regret this.
-Let's move on. -Thank you, bro. Honestly though.
That's the last thing I'll say, is just-- is thank you
and I'll keep it down. So...
(bleep), this coffee's hot.
Okay. Sorry. Go ahead. (clears throat)
All right, well, let's move on.
Because there's something very weird that is happening
on a street in San Francisco.
And I'm not talking about that curvy one,
although that is weird.
I mean, get your life together, street. You look ridiculous.
No, what's happening is that San Francisco
is one of the cities where they're testing
self-driving cars.
And for some reason, lately,
all these cars are getting stuck in the same dead-end street.
Nobody knows why it's happening,
and it's totally freaking people out.
NEWSMAN: They come all day, right to the end of 15th Avenue,
where there's nothing else to do but make some kind
of a multi-point turn and head out the way they came in.
Now, not long after that car is gone,
there will be another,
which will make the same turn and leave
before another car shows up and does the exact same thing.
WOMAN: There are some days where it can be up to 50.
I mean, it's literally every five minutes.
NEWSMAN: At several points today, they showed up
on top of each other. These cars,
packed with technology,
stopping in a queue as if completely baffled
by a dead end?
It's a little bit peculiar.
Yeah, it's a lot peculiar.
But I think what's happening here's pretty obvious.
There's a Roomba in one of those apartments
all those robot cars are trying to smash.
And, look, I don't know why everyone is so upset about this.
The thing that everyone wants
is for self-driving cars
to become just like humans, right?
And now look at them.
They're making wrong turns down a dead-end street
just like humans. We did it, people!
This is artificial intelligence! (laughs)
Honestly, I don't even think this is a coincidence.
I don't think it's a coincidence that they keep coming back
to a dead end.
I mean, if I was a robot, the whole concept of death,
that would be fascinating.
They're probably in that dead end like,
"So the road just stops existing?
Should we do that to the humans?"
Yo, I-I-- Yeah, sorry, I have to jump in here
'cause I'm overhearing,
but I actually think these are dumb robots.
They keep going to the dead end.
This makes me happy.
Everyone's afraid of robots taking over the world
and killing humans.
These robots can't even figure out a street.
You know what I mean? This makes me h--
Humans still got it.
That's my take. (whoops)
That's a hot take, bro!
Sorry. I'm not gonna interrupt too much more.
But...
you know, everyone says, like,
drones and missiles and watch out--
they're self-aware.
They can't even figure out a dead end, Trevor.
I don't know who writes this stuff for you,
but, like, I-I got Word open.
You want a pretzel or anything?
You good?
That was actually a pretty good joke.
I'm-I'm not gonna lie.
Yeah. Bro, why do you think I dress this way?
I could be in sweats, but I see the way your writers dress.
(chuckles): Oh-ho-ho-ho.
I'm here, bro. I'm just...
Camouflage daiquiri marshmallow.
All right, that's all the time we've got for the headlines.
Let's move on to our top story.
The COVID pandemic may be winding down in America--
I hope-- but as society continues to open up again,
we're not going back to the way things were before.
And for some people, that means rethinking their jobs,
which is the topic of our latest installment
of Getting Back to Normal-ish.
♪ ♪
Quitting your job is a rite of passage for everyone,
whether you're turning in your two-weeks' notice
because you're going to college,
or turning in your two-seconds' notice
before they find all the printer cartridges
you've stuffed in your pants.
And America just set a new record
for how many people are calling it quits.
NEWSWOMAN: It's being called "The Great Resignation."
A record number of Americans
are telling their bosses, "I quit."
According to a new Labor Department report,
4.3 million people quit in August.
That's the highest number of people quitting on record,
dating back to more than 20 years.
And that's up from four million
who walked away from jobs in June.
NEWSWOMAN 2: Leading the quitters-- restaurant, hotel
and retail employees.
892,000 workers
in food and accommodations quit in the month,
721,000 employees in retail.
Workers in state and local government
education also quit by the thousands.
NEWSWOMAN 3: There are more jobs available now
than ever before in U.S. history.
Many businesses are suffering
from a major shortage of workers.
With the 10.4 million jobs open,
employers are scrambling to find help.
That's right. More people
than ever before are quitting their jobs.
Restaurant workers are quitting.
Teachers are quitting.
Katie Couric quit being a journalist.
And some of the numbers are crazy.
700,000 people quit retail jobs!
Which explains why
the T.J. Maxx I went to yesterday looked like
it was hit by a tornado.
What?
Oh, it... it always looks that way?
No. The-the shoes were on the roof.
So many workers have left,
pretty soon every business is just going to be self-service.
Like, you realize you're going to have to make your own food
at a restaurant.
Or you're gonna have to give yourself a root canal.
Or even worst, at strip clubs,
you're gonna be dancing for yourself in the mirror.
"Oh, yeah, I like that, don't I?
"I'm gonna give me all my money.
Man, the strippers in this club are really sad."
By the way, can I ask you guys a question?
-Like, why is everything in America "the great?" -(laughter)
Like, do you ever... you ever think about that?
It's, like, The Great Depression,
the great recession, the great resignation,
The Great Gatsby.
I mean, like, the dude got shot
in a swimming pool like a little bitch.
What's great about that?
Anyway, you-you might be wondering
why everyone is quitting now.
Like, right now, why is everyone quitting?
I mean, people have wanted to quit their jobs
since the beginning of time, right,
all the way back to caveman days.
The guy who sharpened the stones by hitting them
against other stones-- he hated his job.
He wanted to dance, but music hadn't been invented yet.
But it turns out there isn't one reason
people are quitting their jobs,
because the pandemic has given people a million reasons
to quit their job.
NEWSWOMAN: Americans are looking for better pay,
better working conditions
and more flexible working arrangements.
Some have eldercare and childcare responsibilities
in this pandemic.
NEWSWOMAN 2: Some say they feel burned out
after working through a year that had so many challenges.
Three million to four million people are still saying,
"I am fearful for my health,
"for the health of my loved ones,
"and therefore, unwilling to take jobs
where the risk of contagion is higher."
MAN: Millions of Americans worked from home
over the last year,
and will likely quit rather than go back to the office.
NEWSWOMAN 3: Anastasia longed to return to working from home,
and bravely asked the question.
Well, why can't I have that?
Like, we did... we did have it.
We all worked from home.
So why can't... why can't I still have that?
Because, I mean, yeah, look, you know what? She has a point.
For companies that had people work from home
during the pandemic, everything seemed fine.
They kept making money, they kept making a profit.
Which really made a lot of people wonder
what the point of coming back into the office is.
Like, why sit in two hours of traffic
to then sit at a computer that has the same Internet
as my computer at home?
Except everyone here can see that I'm looking at porn.
I mean, honestly, I think
companies are playing a dangerous game here.
If you're telling employees the only time
they can work from home is when there's a global pandemic,
you're gonna have people trying to start another pandemic.
There's gonna be people sneaking into the zoo like,
"All right, let's see what happens when I bite this turtle?
"Aah! Okay, nothing there.
Guess I got to try banging that snake."
But it's not just a desire to work from home.
There are so many reasons
that people are quitting their jobs right now.
Some people don't feel safe because of COVID.
Some people don't have childcare.
Some people are burned out.
And some people just want to try their luck in Squid Game.
I mean, it's a lot of money.
You know, if you ignore all the people who died,
it's a pretty inspiring story.
But there's another reason people are quitting.
And honestly, I think this reason is one
of the most interesting, because it comes from a deeper,
almost philosophical place.
For a lot of people, the pandemic has changed their minds
about life, really, and what's important.
And for some people, that means changing careers.
A growing number of them are not jumping
to a new full-time job, but just taking a break.
They are saying, "I don't want another full-time job right now.
"I want to hit pause, maybe learn some new skills,
"take a breather, um,
and maybe plot a new direction in my career."
It was a lot of reflection time. "I know what I want
out of my career, might as well just make the move."
NEWSWOMAN: 42-year-old Dan Nikolaescu
had spent more than two decades in the restaurant industry.
But he says a year home with his wife and two kids
changed his perspective.
Nikolaescu was hoping to trade mixology for mycology,
mushroom farming.
Is there money in mushroom farming?
I guess I have to find out.
(laughs) But we can't always pursue
only the financial side of things.
There is no rewind button in life, right?
The man that ties women to train tracks is right--
there is more to life than making money.
And the pandemic has forced people to reconsider
whether their jobs were really how they wanted
to spend their entire lives.
And I'm not just talking about boring office jobs, either.
I mean, this guy was mixing cocktails,
I'm assuming in the 1800s,
and even he wanted to try something new.
And I'll be honest, I think it's great that people
are pursuing their dreams.
But...
I also think we need, like, a google doc or something,
just, you know, to make sure we're balancing things out.
Like, think about it, we can't have a society where everybody
is pursuing their quirky second careers.
I'm all for mushroom farmers, but I still need a proctologist.
Those M&Ms aren't gonna remove themselves.
Now, obviously, most people won't or can't leave their jobs,
so these quitters are a very small minority.
But the quitters are still having a broader impact,
because with so many workers willing to leave their jobs,
companies are forced to make the jobs more appealing.
NEWSMAN: A pandemic-forced power shift.
Employees gaining the upper hand and making lifestyle demands
with employers hoping to keep them happy.
NEWSWOMAN: Some companies are changing their policies
to adapt to the times, offering more perks and flexibility.
REI, the apparel retailer,
gave up their headquarters building
in favor of creating satellite offices,
so that people could go to work
but go to work in a smaller office
that would be closer to their home.
LinkedIn is leaving the office behind for good.
The networking website says most of its 16,000 employees
will be allowed to work remotely full-time.
The crowdfunding platform Kickstarter says it's gearing up
to test a four-day work week.
The popular dating app Bumble closing its offices
this entire week to give its staff a break.
Nike, they just gave a week off to their employees
so that their employees can really recharge.
Yes, finally!
Finally, people!
It's great that companies are starting to be
a little more flexible.
And you know who deserves the most credit?
Spirit Airlines.
They were way ahead of the curve on this.
Yeah, the guy who cleans their airplanes,
he's been working from home for years.
And you know what sort of sucks?
what sort of sucks about this thing
is how it's all the white-collar jobs
that are getting more flexible.
Because I know anyone in any job can get burned out,
don't get me wrong, but I would love to see
the staffs of Kickstarter and Bumble
try to explain how burned out they are
to a group of coalminers in, like, West Virginia.
We had this one customer who just would not verify his email!
I mean, how was your day?
Carl died.
Yeah, so you totally get it.
I will say, though, the one company
we really can't afford to lose employees is GoFundMe.
Like, they better make the jobs more flexible.
We can't have GoFundMe employees quitting.
American health care depends on it!
So, look, at the end of the day,
anytime humans experience a massive life change,
it changes what they expect from their work.
And these changes could be anything--
having a kid, getting divorced, losing a loved one.
And the pandemic has done that to everyone in different ways.
Hell, it's even done that to me.
Like, I thought I was gonna host The Daily Show forever,
but now I don't know.
And I heard there's a job opening
for a guy with a badass mustache
to make cocktails, and I think I might be interested.
All right, when we come back,
John Legend is joining us on the show,
and we'll figure out the best way to offend aliens.
John Legend. That guy is the legend.
What are you... Are you still here?
Oh, my battery's been dead, dude. I'm enjoying the show.
You do a good job at this, man.
-Well, thanks you, but... -Yeah.
This has got a future, this show.
You don't-- don't be here for John...
Can we get him out before John Legend comes in, guys?
Do you have a charger in your office?
-I don't have anything. -Do you have a toilet in your office?
-Yeah, I do. You can use it. -Okay. Done. 'Cause...
You know what I mean?
-Yeah. Just go. -Okay. Thanks. (clears throat)
I'm gonna take the bagel with me.
I don't know if you guys heard this story.
Um, Demi Lovato last week was doing an interview.
Right? Demi Lovato, the artist.
And, um, and said
that we need to stop using the word "aliens,"
um, when talking about aliens.
But, like, not immigrants.
Like, actual aliens from outer space.
Because Demi said that it's derogatory,
so we should just call them ETs, extraterrestrials.
And it was interesting, 'cause a lot of people...
a lot of people agreed.
Lot of people were like, "Yeah, no, that's a good point.
We don't want to offend the people."
And-and here's.. I don't know. Here's the thing.
First of all, I love... I love Demi.
Like, I've always thought that Demi is one of, easily,
you know, the best artists you will ever see perform
and just a-a great talent and... You know?
But... And I-I understand what they're trying to do,
but I almost feel like...
I don't know. People want to be sensitive,
but then some of the things they want to be sensitive about...
Like-like aliens. Look, I understand.
You want to be respectful to aliens. Don't get me wrong.
You know, we've all seen Independence Day.
When aliens cancel you, they really cancel you.
But-but sometimes, I feel like as people,
we're just changing words for the sake of changing words.
You know?
Like-like how the acceptable term...
Thank you. Thank you, John.
Like how the acceptable term for "homeless"
has now become "unhoused."
And-and I don't know. Am I crazy?
I feel like it's the same thing.
You know, it seems like it means the same thing.
It's almost like people think
if they make the term clunky enough,
then people will stop saying it,
and then homelessness will be solved.
I mean, or "unhousedlessness" will be solved.
And-and, like, I... Here's the thing.
I know it comes from a good place,
and maybe we have to try,
but I also think we have to acknowledge
that new words by themselves,
they aren't gonna solve the problems.
Do-do you know what I mean?
Like, way back in the day, way back in the day,
right, people with developmental disabilities
used to be called "feebleminded."
That's what they were called.
And then doctors said, "No, that's offensive."
Right? They need a new word.
And so then they came up with-- thanks, Enid--
so then they came up with "moron."
Right? And they said, um, "moron."
And then they said, "No, that's offensive"
and said, "No, they're not morons.
Um, they just develop more slowly. They're retarded."
As in "to hold back."
I mean, I can't ev-- Like, even saying that word now,
I'm like, "Ah, you're not supposed to say that."
And-and the same thing happened with "special."
Like, when I was a kid, "special" became the new word.
But then that became offensive.
And, like, now-- I-I just learned this the other day--
schoolkids today, when they're trying to insult each other,
they-they say, "DD. Look at this DD kid,"
as in "developmentally disabled."
I-I feel like, at some point, we have to admit
the problem isn't the words.
It's how we treat the people who the words refer to.
Like, that's the actual thing.
And I'm not saying we shouldn't try. But it's--
You-you get-- Like, the-the people,
if they want to be assholes to certain groups,
they're gonna keep finding the new word for the thing.
A-And it's like, yeah, you want to change it, but I also--
Yeah. I don't know, with aliens...
I don't know. I think sometimes people feel powerless
to make actual changes,
so then they invest all their energy in making
the small changes that they actually can see.
You know, Americans see homeless people and they think,
"Well, the government is too broken
"to give these people houses, but the least I can do
"is give them a different name.
You're 'unhoused'!"
"Actually, my name is Peter."
"I'm not trying to get to know you.
"I'm just trying to make myself feel better
about your situation. And, no, I don't have any money."
(man chuckles)
You know?
It's just like... I don't know.
And, like, would aliens... (sighs) You know?
Would they even speak the language?
Do you know-- Like, even... (stammers)
Because think-- You go like, "We're gonna offend aliens."
This is assuming that aliens speak the language.
So if the aliens are smart enough to get here,
either they know all our language and they would--
then they would understand it.
Or, like, how did they get here?
Like, they're just, like, random aliens just... You know?
And then you'd be like, "You are extraterrestrial."
And they'd be like, "We're actually Globs Glob."
You're like, "I'm sorry. What?" "We're Globs Glob."
And you're like, "Oh."
They're like, "What's-what's an E.T.?"
Then you're like, "Oh, you guys have never seen the movie?
Then we're gonna play the movie E.T. for them."
And boy, you want to talk about being canceled.
They're gonna be like, "I'm sorry.
"That's what you thought we... we all looked like?
Why do we talk like that?"
"E.T. phone home."
Aliens are gonna be like, "Yo, yo, yeah, we were just gonna,
"like, to talk to you guys, but now we might just have...
We might just burn you all down."
They're like, "Well, we're just...
"Why did you put us in the front of the...?
Why didn't we have our own bicycles?"
"Yeah, we thought it was cuter like this.
We just thought it was... it was cute."
But I don't know. Look, I get it. I understand it.
But, okay, here's the thing for me. Here's the thing.
I'm not saying we shouldn't try as people.
But I do think we've got to be careful
of being instantly prescriptive
for other people to take on an idea
that we've just, like, sort of made for ourselves now.
Did you get what I'm saying?
Like, you can't just say
something is offensive out of nowhere,
and then, like, say people are being offensive.
Because people have to catch...
Like, language has to change. People have to catch up.
So, it's weird for me. And please, don't get me wrong.
Again, I have nothing against Demi.
I think Demi knows this, but I just think
when we have these conversations in public...
'Cause it's not just this.
So many stories where people are like,
"Oh, you're a bad person because..."
It's like, "No, you just told me a new rule.
Give me a moment to, like, catch up to it."
That's... that's all I think.
Anyway, John Legend is up next, right?
I'll talk to him about this.
Welcome back to The Daily Show.
My guest tonight is EGOT-winning artist
and activist John Legend.
He's here to talk about his brand-new initiative
that works with local governments and communities
to fight institutionalized racism.
-John Legend, welcome to the show. -Trevor.
-It's good to be back. -How you doing, my friend?
-I'm doing very well. -It's, uh, it's good to see you.
You know, I was just thinking about this today
when I... when I was preparing for the interview,
and I was like, you have 12 Grammys.
-Yes. -You have an Oscar.
You have, what, two Emmys?
-Yes. -And you have a Tony.
And you have the Oscar
that they took away from you, as well.
Well, that was never mine to begin with.
(both laugh)
I was never gonna actually get a trophy for that
'cause they only give it to three producers
-when you win Best Picture. -Oh. Okay. Okay.
-Yeah, but... -So, I was never gonna get that.
But I was up onstage, and I was, uh, shocked
just like everyone else
-when it went down. -But-but, I mean... (laughs)
-You remember it? -Oh, I remember it.
-Everyone remembers it. -This is... La La Land gets called up.
-Warren Beatty and, uh, Faye Dunaway. -Yep. Yep.
They-they call us up onstage.
And they were confused, too, because they had the wrong card.
-Right. -And they were looking at it like,
"Uh, this is not the Best Picture,
"but it is an actor's name
from what everyone thinks is going to win Best Picture."
And, so, they just said, "Okay, we'll just say La La Land."
They brought us up onstage,
and it turns out we never won to begin with.
And it was Moonlight.
What-what sticks in your memory more,
winning your first Oscar
or having your first Oscar moment taken?
-What do you... What do you remember more? -(chuckles)
-Winning my first Oscar, because that was... -Okay. Okay.
That was monumental. We performed "Glory,"
-me and Common, and it was such a moment. -Yeah. Yeah.
And we knew, uh, how important it was
for us to win on behalf of that film
-and what that film represented. -Uh-huh.
And for us to get up there and be able to give a speech
on behalf of the movement,
it was a powerful moment. So, I'll never forget that.
-But I'll also never forget the La La Land moment. -(laughs)
Let's talk a little bit about-about what you've done
-since then. -Yes.
Over-over the years-- I would say maybe it's been
over the past ten, 15 years,
we've noticed John Legend shift from being
John Legend just on the keys
to John Legend out in the streets.
We've seen John Legend fighting for incarcerated people
to not have to spend time behind bars
because they can't pay bail.
We-We've seen John Legend fighting
for-for people's rights, for voting rights.
-We've seen John Legend... -Yeah.
This shift has-has become more and more aggressive
-over time, in a good way. -Yeah.
I-I'd love to know where that came from.
Like, how do you go from singing love songs to going, like,
"No, you know what, I'm also gonna get out there
in the streets and-and fight for these things"?
Well, it came from all the artists I looked up to,
because I looked up to people like Paul Robeson
and Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye,
-artists who always used their platform... -Interesting. Okay.
...to tell the world what was going on,
not just in their music
but also going out there and funding, uh, protests,
uh, like Harry Belafonte used to do,
going out and marching with people like they used to do,
singing at these protests, like Mahalia Jackson used to do.
These were artists that I always looked up to.
And when I was 15, I even wrote an essay.
Uh, it was a Black History Month, like, essay competition.
-I wondered if this was true. -Yes.
And it's true. I wrote this when I was 15.
And they said, "How are you gonna make Black history?"
And my essay, in 500 words or less,
I said that I'm gonna become a successful artist.
I'm gonna become a musician, uh, and-and do what I love,
which is making music,
but I'm also gonna use the platform that I gained
from becoming a successful musician
to try to make change in the world.
It's a-- It's-it's such an interesting journey to get into,
at the age of 15, saying, "I'm gonna become
"a successful recording artist, not just for the music
"and not just for the-- for the fame
but also because I want to use the platform."
-And that's what you've done. I mean... -Yeah.
-Your-your latest initiative, HUMANLEVEL... -Yeah.
...it's a really interesting one, because, for a long time,
people have argued that...
many people who are activists
or many people who want to get involved in politics
-like to get involved at, like, the flashy levels. -Mm-hmm.
-You know? Who's running for president? -Yes.
Who's governor? Who's going for this? Who's going for that?
HUMANLEVEL seems like it's like, "No, it's on the ground.
It's not flashy."
And you argue it's what actually counts.
It's in the trenches.
And I-I joked with our cofounders,
"We got to make local government sexy."
Because what-what really happens
and where resources get allocated,
where priorities are set...
You know, we-we notice the big bills
-that came out of Washington. -Right.
But even though big bills, a lot of the times,
the resource allocation happens on a local level.
And so, we want voices in the room who are saying,
"Let's look out for people who have been marginalized,
people who have been ignored before."
You see these stories come up all the time.
-Obviously, Flint was one of the most famous. -Mm-hmm.
Recently, we've seen it again
where you get underprivileged communities,
-oftentimes Black communities... -Yes.
-...where lead pipes are poisoning their water. -Yes.
A lot of the time people don't seem
-to understand where that comes from. -Yes.
You know, they'll say, "Oh, the governor needs to do something.
The president needs to do something."
For someone who completely doesn't understand, they go,
"John Legend, what are you talking about?"
What is an example of something
that people don't realize is decided on this ground level?
Well, in Michigan-- that, I think, was mostly a state issue.
-So it was the governor and-and their staff... -Right.
...deciding how they were gonna handle a water issue in Flint.
And it had disastrous, uh, repercussions
for the city of Flint.
But there are so many decisions.
For instance, so many people have been protesting
about policing and the criminal justice system.
-Mm-hmm. -So many of those decisions about how we police,
who we police, how it's funded
and what we take the funds away from
-when we fund the police... -Right.
Uh, all those decisions are usually made
on a city council mayoral level.
And, you know, you saw so many protesters calling
to defund the police or to allocate some of those resources
that we've been spending on police
to other things that would care for the mental health...
-Mm-hmm. -...and the physical health of the community,
invest in the community in other ways.
But how do you actually go about doing that?
That happens in local government.
For a long time, artists were people
-who were just artists. -Mm-hmm.
You saw what they were doing when they wanted you to see it.
And then slowly, over time, you know,
people stepped out of that. They said, "Well,
"I'm not just gonna be the artist.
"I'll also live life
and I'll speak out for the issues that I believe in."
I've really been interested in how you have also shared
some of the best and worst moments of your personal life
-Yeah. -as a human being.
I know a lot of people don't understand it.
I know you have had people
who have been against you and your wife
sharing issues that you've gone through and whatever.
But I'd love to know, as a human being,
why have you chosen, as John Legend, to go,
"I'm not just going to show you the stadiums that I sell out.
"I'm not just gonna show you the activism.
"I'm also gonna show you some of the most painful moments
of my private life."
Well, this is a whole new world, you know?
Artists didn't have social media 20 years ago.
And so there is no blueprint
-for how this is supposed to happen. -Definitely.
But we've kind of... our generation
has kind of grown into social media,
knowing that we have the ability
to tell our own stories to our audiences.
And Chrissy and I, we don't share everything,
but we do share some of our personal lives
and some of the tragedy that we've experienced.
-And we experienced a miscarriage last year. -Right.
And it was really tough.
But one of the most powerful aspects about it
was knowing that us sharing it
made other people feel more comfortable talking about it.
-Right. -Because so many families have gone through this,
so many women have gone through this.
And they felt seen, they felt heard,
they felt validated in their own experience
by seeing someone with such a huge platform talk about hers.
Before I let you go, if people want to get involved
in this new initiative, if people want to take action,
if people want to get involved in the, as you say,
the grass-roots movements that will actually change
how their cities work, what can they do?
How can they help HUMANLEVEL?
So, they can visit our website, humanlevel.org.
We just launched it. We, uh, in the site
We describe the work that we're doing
and the fellows that we're working with
and the cities we're working in, and folks can get involved.
And we want people to get involved and realize
how much the local leaders matter in your community.
And if you don't want to get involved in actually doing
that kind of work, at least pay attention
to what's happening in local elections.
Because the folks on the other side are definitely doing that.
They're going to school board meetings.
They're making sure that elections officials
-are changing in those communities. -Mm-hmm.
We need to, also... voices for inclusion,
voices for progressive values need to also be concerned
about what's happening locally,
because so much of that impacts our daily lives.
Well, as always, my friend,
-it's a pleasure having you on the show. -Thank you!
Thanks so much for being here.
Ain't Too Proud returns to Broadway on October 16,
and this man is part of the team that's putting it on.
For more information on John's new initiative,
go to the website below.
We're gonna take a quick break,
but we'll be right back after this.
Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go--
If you're in Washington, D.C., or Philadelphia this weekend,
my "Back to Abnormal" comedy tour
is going to be in your city.
Head to backtoabnormaltour.com to get your tickets.
Until next week, stay safe out there,
get your vaccine, and remember,
if you're the last one left at your job,
well, technically, now you're the boss.
Just stay and give yourself a raise.
Now, here it is, Your Moment of Zen.
♪ ♪
NEWSMAN: Mr. Premium is going to be out here
every single Monday and Wednesday
skateboarding with everyone and trying his best
to basically show them exactly what to do.
As far as Chandler Skate Park, they'll be done
in about the next ten days or so.
Victor Williams, Local 4.
NEWSWOMAN: Victor, you are so cool!
-Come on. -He's so cool!