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In this episode of The Antidote, Amy and Grace connect with comedian Naomi Ekperigin about the joys of a swimming pool, the power behind ‘most’, and procedural Lifetime movies.
Amy and Grace share their bummer news of the week – holiday airfare will be super expensive this year, and the former Governor of Mississippi helped Brett Favre secure welfare funds for a volleyball stadium. They also share their antidotes: a lymphatic drainage massage, and celebrating.
This week’s Creative Tap-In:
”Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.”
-Bruce Garrabrandt
OUR SPONSORS:
BetterHelp Online Therapy – betterhelp.com/ANTIDOTE
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Do you have a favorite antidote or need an antidote suggestion? A question for Grace and Amy, or something you loved that Amy, Grace, or one of their guests has said on the podcast? Share a message with The Antidote team: https://mpr.tfaforms.net/111 or tag us on Instagram, with the hashtag #ThatsMyAntidote, or leave us a message on our hotline at 833-684-3683.
Amy The world is a dumpster fire. I'm Amy.
Grace And I'm Grace.
Amy And we want to f—ing help.
Grace We're comedy writers in Los Angeles, so we're taking those bad news lemons and making them into lemonade. Ow Beyonce reference.
Amy We talk about cultural moments we love.
Grace Talk to people we adore.
Amy Crushes we have
Grace And self-care we stan.
Amy During these trying times. We all need a show that focuses on joy.
Grace This is The Antidote. Hi, everybody. Welcome to another week of this podcast. Welcome back to the antidote.
Amy And another week of this garbage world.
Grace Yes. Yes, that is that is very true. I mean, yet we are still on this spinning orb of garbage.
Amy This trash island called Earth.
Grace Trash island called Earth. So, Amy, did you hear about this story? I saw it on Condé Nast Traveler that now there's going to be 80 minute flights from London to New York, like the Spanish designer Oscar biennials. He made like a super, like, futuristic, hyper strength jet that can get from London to New York in 80 minutes, like just a little over an hour.
Amy I'm laughing at that because I just imagine Black. Women's wigs flying off. Like peww, just everything ends up in New York all bald. What happened. That was too fast. I don't want to be on that fast ass flight. Like there's something wrong with that. Why would you doing that?
Grace That's scary.
Amy We're not even supposed to be in the sky like people are not supposed to fly.
Grace I mean, this is just concept art right now. But it's still wild that they're trying to do this.
Amy Why can't that guy do something else with his genius? Like, I'm just like, we don't. Yeah, I want to get places faster, but sometimes it's like, don't try and be God. Don't try and fly too fast is going to f— something up.
Grace Here's the technology that I'm interested in, Amy. Like, did you ever watch Star Trek?
Amy I have before.
Grace Remember, they used to have those trans transporters. Like, that's the sh– they should be working.
Amy And they turn into specs and then they show up somewhere else.
Grace Yeah, that's the technology.
Amy No they shouldn't Grace. They will scramble us up.
Grace They have those, like, adventurous people who want to be, like, the first person to do it. You know, there's there's human beings, and there's human beings that do like human trials or like new medications that there's people who be willing to try it. I'm about to be I'm like, before I get to transporter, you got to have that technology for a few years and make sure that nobody can get cancer, whatever from it. But I mean, if you don't use your genius on something, then, you know.
Amy Please don't get transported. You hear the science, don't transport my friend, because I don't want him to come out on the other side looking all weird. Her face is on the back of her head. I'm like Grace, turn around. And she's like, I did.
Grace But I'm here now. Real quick.
Amy I made it to dinner in 5 minutes. Was it worth it? Well, that reminds me of our guest conversation, because we did talk about travel with Naomi Ekperigin and she's coming up later in the episode. So I wish we really asked her if she was into transporting.
Grace Yeah, I wish we had asked her. Amy, we wouldn't need the antidote if we didn't have something to get an antidote from. Right?
Amy Starting now, top of the hour. Bummer. News of the week. This first bit of other news is about holiday airfare. I read on CNBC that, quote, Average domestic airfare for trips over Thanksgiving is $350 and international round trips are going for an average of $7.95. Both marked a 22% increase compared with 2019 and quote, meaning that this holiday airfare will be the most expensive it has been for the last five years.
Grace This feels a little predatory from the airlines, to be honest, because, you know, people want to see their families like during the holidays. So it's just really sad that, you know, a lot of people are not going to be able to afford to travel. And here's the thing. Like, life is so short. Like I've had some friends recently lose people very unexpectedly. And these are the times when you should, you know, spend time with your loved ones and your family.
Amy Yeah, I don't like that they're saying good luck to those people who have families far away. Just like good luck. Happy holidays are broken because it's like.
Grace I mean, it's like capitalism. I mean, they're just like. Well, if you can afford to then you can. But if you can't, sorry. You know.
Amy That's my thing. I like the play. They're so old, you never get snacks anymore. They added a row. Like, it's just like it's like a bus in the sky. And they keep raising the prices and they are now flying fewer and fewer and fewer planes because they don't have enough crew because we don't want to catch COVID in the sky. And so I'm just like, it's just making travel abominable. And it used to be a luxury back in the day. And I'm like, now it's like.
Grace Yeah, yeah. I mean, I was lucky enough recently to fly business class and, like, for my job and. I was just like, Ooh, child, this is this is not what it used to be.
Amy Have you ever watched that show, The Other Two on HBO max, it's so f—ing funny. Have so much. And there's a scene where they're in business class and, like, this is class. It's so nice. It's so nice not being in the back of the plane and then people just putting feet by their feet, like people seated behind them, put their bare feet up right next to their face. And she turns it literally, it's a foot and it's like, Wow.
Grace Yeah, it was real. It was real. I think the seat was very like.
Amy Like hard?
Grace Grimy. And it's just like that. The the the movies didn't work. It was but.
Amy It didn't work. That's the whole point.
Grace And that's a that's a long flight. Amy, it was like 6 hours.
Amy 6 hours too long. Well, that's not the only bit of bummer news. Next up, we're going to talk about Brett Farve. Okay. Former Mississippi governor helped Brett Favre secure welfare funds for his f—ing volleyball stadium for his daughter. And this story, if you haven't heard it, you're living under a rock. But I'm going to tell you right now, I went on ESPN. Brett Favre wanted money to build the stadium at his daughter's college. University of Southern Mississippi. So you're on notice to USM. And he, along with former Governor Phil Bryant, took $4 million that had been designated from the federal government to be used for welfare funds. This is not alleged. It has been proven. We have seen the text messages and Nancy knew who was tasked with spending the money to help. The state has already pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts for her role in the welfare scheme, which means they threw a woman under the bus for all of this and knew is the one who released the text messages between herself and Brett Favre. It's totally disgusting. You need that. Welfare funds, which are supposed to help those in need in the poorest state in the nation, were used for a volleyball court. But also the other thing that's offensive to me is that Brett Favre is a sh—y scammer. You better learn to scam my n—- literally. Why was he sending text messages being like, is this a scam? Yes. Will people know? Okay, like he's a bad scammer.
Grace I when I see sh– like this, I was just like, how small does your heart have to be? You know what I'm saying? Yeah, like. And he better hope that there's no hell, because they're going to send him to the hardest piece of hell. Like he literally stole food out of poor children's mouth.
Amy What is he the Nestle Corporation?
Grace To build a volleyball court?
Amy That's crazy.
Grace Like. And then also, why is he not in jail? Like he's. We seen the text. Like, everybody knows he did this sh–. So, like, why is he, like, chillin in his mansion where the f— he lives? Because I don't even know. And so, like, why is he not in a jail cell right now? Like, how are those children going to get their money? Like what? What is going on with this? I mean, I have to say, being a rich white man is just the best. Get out of jail free card that one could ever have.
Amy I read a great quote by writer Chris Burke of SB Nation, which is like the fan club for the Packers. He said Brett Favre soiled the G and bamboozled us all. The player was a legend. The man is a legendary con artist. And I'm like, Yeah, you're right, Chris. I'm like, This man, is it? And I just love that. He said he bamboozled us all because literally he did. He bamboozled his own state and that governor let him.
Grace That is a true bummer. And the fact that he doesn't seem to be facing any serious consequences. Well, yes, you know, people are literally killed for selling cigarets on the street or people are shot down for, you know, at a traffic stop for no reason. And he just gets to steal millions of dollars from poor children and mothers and the people who need it. And he just gets to chill in his mansion.
Amy Anyway. How do you feel, Grace, talking about this sh–?
Grace Well, not the not the best. I mean, that whole Brett Favre thing is such a it's like a tragedy. It really I just really think about the people that didn't get the services they need because of that man. And then also. Yeah, I mean I sad that people can't travel during the holidays to see their grandma Christmas. That's sad.
Amy Yeah, I'm upset about all of this, too, but that's why we're going to get into the antidote.
Grace Let's get into it.
Amy So this is the segment where we tell you about the culture we consumed and things we did this week that made us feel better about the bummer news What was your antidote this week, Grace?
Grace I'm here in New York right now, which is great. I have been hearing about something from a friend of mine. She swears by this one kind of massage, and I was just like, You know what? It's the weekend I'm about to start going into production, all that different stuff. So let me try this out. So I got a lymphatic drainage massage.
Amy What is that?
Grace Basically, we have lymph nodes. You know, Oliver bodies and they don't have a system like other bodily systems. This is what it was told to me. Please, if you're a doctor and you're like, That's bullsh–. I'm sorry. I don't.
Amy This is some really whack science.
Grace A lymphatic drainage massage is people physically pushing fluids through your body so you can eliminate them, I guess either like by peeing or sweating it out. So there's two parts of the massage, so there's the actual massage where she's like pushing the fluids. And then there's-.
Amy What does this mean? Like, you're, like, peeing while she's massaging.
Grace No, no, no, no, no. You're not peeing. It's just like they do it. And then within the next few days, it helps to, like, debuff you deep blow to you. Oh, she was saying that a lot of times people do it right before, like a big event, like a wedding, or like celebrities do it before, before a red carpet or something because it's basically draining like a lot of excess fluid out of your body, by the way, that she manipulates it. And honestly, I could tell the difference right after I looked at my stomach, I looked at my legs and she even put my hand on certain parts of my body and she's like, feel that. She's like, that's all inflammation. Like my upper leg. It was all inflammation. And then afterwards she's like, Feel it again. And it freaked me out because it was so much flatter that I was I was used to my thigh being.
Amy I don't want my lymphs inflamed.
Grace So anyway, so there's two parts of the massage, the actual massage, and then she sprayed magnesium on me and then wrapped me in like eight bandages. And then I went and I sat in the sauna for a half hour. Yeah, I just felt like a lot healthier. I felt like less puffy. Less bloated.
Amy I like it. I want to try. I always see it. I'm like, What the f— does this mean? A lymphatic drainage. It just sounds so clinical. So now I with your encouragement, that's the great antidote.
Grace Yeah. I just want to warn everyone. If you do try it. It's not relaxing. You know, if you're if you're going there for, like a relaxation moment, it's not super relaxing. The actual massage part is not super relaxing because this she's like digging deep. But once you actually get into the sauna, that part was super relaxing. And then what's cool about it is that like, you literally see the difference right away.
Amy That is the great antidote.
Grace So it was your antidote this week, Amy?
Amy So I recently was interviewed in Glamor UK about the ways that I put wellness in my life, especially considering not only the writing program I started, but also this podcast. And one of the things I said in the article and that I actually was my editor this week is celebrating. I think so much of the antidotes that we have are about going inward, taking time for yourself, being solitary recharging. But I actually think celebrating and living in the now of your achievement is an antidote. And it's something that I used to really struggle with. I really still struggle with that a little bit. And so sometimes I really put effort into having intentional celebrations. So one thing I did this week was I started a production company a year ago called Super Special, and you can follow us online at the Super Special and and it's our year anniversary and we've done a lot in the first year for a small company. And I wanted to celebrate it and also to celebrate it with the people that we've been working with and the people that have supported us. And in some ways I'm like, have we done enough to earn a celebration? But I'm also like, We have more. Who cares? Yeah. On whose metric. So yeah, exactly. So it was really, really wonderful to be able to celebrate my team in front of the people who are, you know, supporting our projects and to get to have a night where we were focusing on our strengths and how we've grown over the last year, as opposed to thinking like, what's next, what's next? What next? Because I think I always is a Virgo. I'm just like, Well, you're doing okay, but like you've got more to do. And that wasn't that great. And what's next? And this was a moment where I was like, I'm not living in the next, I'm living in the now. So finding some time to celebrate.
Grace Amy, I'm so proud of you. That's been so beautiful to watch you in the past year. Like do this company, like your your writing program has been so impactful. Like all your writers are like you're they're racking up wins. You know, they're they're assisting people. They're getting their work out there. You shot a short film. I mean, like you've done so, so much. So I'm so glad because you are a person that loves to work hard, which is great. But I'm glad that you took a moment to be like, Wow, I've done all this in one year of my company. So that that is a beautiful anecdote. And I think that, you know, we can all learn that lesson. I also am a person that does not always celebrate the good. Because I'm just like, what could go wrong? If I can't celebrate it because they know it might go away if I see them right away. You know, so I think that that's a great lesson for, you know, everybody listening that to celebrate your yourself, you know, even when you're working hard, you know.
Amy Yeah. And honestly, as a true introvert, like celebrating takes a lot out of me. So I'm really tired. And now I think I need a lymphatic drainage massage, so. AUDIENCE If you guys tried any of our antidotes at home, let us know. Shout us out on socials with hashtag. That's my antidote. Or leave us a voicemail. Guys. We can play them on the show. Lose a voicemail by calling the number 83368436831 more time. That's 8336843683. And leave us a voicemail sharing your antidote and we will share it with the world.
Grace Yes. I mean, if you didn't catch that, we're going to make sure that we also have that number on our social so you can hit us up. We would love to hear your sweet voices and hopefully play one on the show soon.
Amy We'll be back after the break.
Grace Welcome back to the antidote. We have a special guest today. Who is it, Amy?
Amy Our stunning guest is a writer, actor and comedian. She is a native New Yorker whose mom hails from Detroit and whose father is Nigerian. Oh, that's great. And. So you see what she's our BFF. She co-hosts a podcast with her husband called Couples Therapy, as well as another podcast about Lifetime movies called I Love a Lifetime Movie. You can see her on TV in Mythic Quest and hear her on Central Park, both on Apple TV. Friends. The phenomenal, amazing and spectacular. Naomi Ekperigin.
Naomi Ekperigin Wow. That was beautiful. Thank you so much.
Amy Of course.
Grace But it's all true. Also, she got some banger standup specials on Netflix.
Amy I mean, I didn't even talk about the stand up specials, but then I would have had to keep talking because I would have started naming all my favorite jokes. And then this would have gotten long.
Grace Yea, it'd be forever. It'd be forever.
Amy Check her out on Netflix, y'all.
Grace So, Naomi, you are very, very impressive, but we aren't here to talk about your many accomplishments. We are here to get deep.
Amy Yeah, let's check in first. How are you feeling today? Like, for real, not small talk. Is there anything weighing on you?
Naomi Ekperigin Well, I mean, look, look, I've got to tell you this right now. I woke up at seven to get my will. I got the dog out at 832 nine. Okay. Then later, round from like 9 to 1130. Tried to make a ramen. I saw on TikTok and my stomach still hurts.
Grace From scratch?
Grace And I took a nap. Well, it was a quick but you know how they give you quick, easy recipes. And I like saw that I was like, wow, I actually have all of these things in my house. And I said, I'm going to do this with an egg on top and now it's breakfast.
Amy Nice.
Naomi Ekperigin And, you know, I regret it.
Amy I mean, here's the thing. What I heard is today you were a professional dog walker, a chef, and part of a sleep study.
Grace Yeah.
Amy You had a very ambitious day.
Grace You had a productive day to me because I-
Naomi Ekperigin Wow you all are. Good.
Grace I have-
Naomi Ekperigin That's a good that's a good twist.
Grace I have never attempted to make ramen, so the attempt is really the victory. You know what I'm saying?
Naomi Ekperigin That's nice of you. But my stomach was like, Girl, you mixed up some spices in a way that may not have been correct.
Grace So what if I had this? Or, like, what was the problem? Too much thought. Too much spice?
Naomi Ekperigin No, I think it was, like, too spicy. It was, like, supposed to be, like, shooting up a packet of instant ramen. But I was like, I don't want to actually eat the packet, but it was like, use the spices, like put the spice into the packet and then put it in all this other stuff. And I just wonder if that spice packet was not like a cute. No, no, just I'm saying and I think it's just like too many like I was doing that, I was doing Chipotle like because I had to sub it for a Korean like I know Korean peppers. Then I got to put some honey, then I got to put in some soy sauce. Obsessed. Wow. That's the other statement, right? But this is. I took that stuff off like I thought without using the salty white stuff, I was like, Maybe it won't be. But I was like, Dear, there's really no way around this. Like, it just is a salty sensation, but it's like a spicy, salty. I made garlic chips.
Amy This is a lot. That's what's going on in that tummy. That tummy is like, Ma'am, I was expecting salt, but I got Cuban coriander and cloves.
Naomi Ekperigin All before noon. It was like, Why are you doing this? I mean, that's why I'm saying you're an ambitious chef. You know what I'm going to say that we are here to raise our vibrations a little bit, make that tummy feel yummy. So let's get into it. This show, it's called The Antidote, because life is hard and we all need different antidotes to deal with the bullsh–. So what's your antidote? In other words, what's something non-work related that's bringing you joy this week or this month? You know, it's so funny because that is definitely something that I told myself I got to I decided to make a concerted effort to find out because I noticed in particular, once I moved to Los Angeles, it really did become about work in a way that even though, of course, New York is a place where you hustle and work, I just didn't feel the same. Maybe pressure on it, I think. And so now it's been real. I'm like, Oh, I was like, Oh, I got to go do stuff that's not. And for me, that has been. It sounds very simple, but I'm starting with just, like, socializing. Like last night, I had a standup show. Yes. And I went up and then I stayed and watched the rest of the show. What? I saw people.
Grace I mean I mean.
Naomi Ekperigin I know this is like something I don't do, but I really I was like, oh, when I came home, I was like, oh, I'm in a better mood. And I think it's because I had a chat and I got to see other people doing stuff and even the stuff that wasn't good. Yeah. You know, sometimes when you see stuff that's not good, it, it can be kind of helpful because you're like, Oh, well, I mean, anybody can be, oh, you know, they're up, they're failing.
Amy So what am I bad at?
Naomi Ekperigin Why am I so hard on myself? Get up there and just start talking. Oh, my. So and just, you know, I saw some people that I hadn't seen in a while and that felt good. It felt good to me because then I made it not just about the act of doing a set and all the attitude I have to be like, we started late and who these audiences were, you know, whenever I made it had a little more to it than just the work part of it. And I got to start making myself do that more. I really got to just like get out there and interact. I really love that because it's like, it's about like making sure, just like you said, that the work part of it doesn't take over. And I think as beneficial as that can be to see people bomb your you can also see people who are really good and either way you're going to get inspiration. And either way, it kind of returns you to, at least in some small way, the mental state you had when you were new in. You're there for the first time and just enjoying it. But that sounds nice. Okay. Can I tell you something? I another thing I do for my own joy.
Grace Yes.
Naomi Ekperigin I do not believe in posting deadline articles. Okay. I said it. I said it. All right. And like when someone posts, it's not like I'm sitting there going, What's wrong with you? I'm like, I get it, you're excited. You want people to know what you're doing. Also, a lot of this business is in creating the illusion and so part of that illusion. But I'll say that that illusion is in posting that article, okay? Like, look, fake, you know. Okay. But I despise it because I think it serves to feed into. Into the pickup and the strutting and like because it's like I think we all know that by the time something's been posted, it's like it presents something different than what's actually happening. And so I don't want to do it, but then it's like I'm I was like, but I want people to think it's not because I'm not, like, proud of what I've done. And I'll tell anybody in a conversation if you ask. But there's something about posts and the feathers posted a peacock feather, you know, that I just it just like I'm not good at it. Also, it's like I'm not famous too. And maybe that's I'm a bit of social media because I don't like the way.
Amy Oh wait, are we going to do this? Like, literally, like, are you begging for compliments? You are a TV star.
Grace You have touched David Letterman's beard, bitch.
Amy Wait a second.
Grace What are you talking about?
Amy What. Studio B knows who you are. Okay. You perform at the King's Theater in Brooklyn. I was. there. I was there. It was part of Two Dope Queens on HBO.
Naomi Ekperigin Oh, God. We were young and we were so young.
Amy Oh, my God. The youngest. I remember you wore a beautiful black one piece jumpsuit. And now, as my ripe age, I'm like, You can't wear that. It's too hard to go to the bathroom. But back then we were cocky and we wanted people to know that one strip of fabric fit our body.
Grace That's all I need one closure.
Amy Oh. It was so beautiful. I remember being like, you got me into my jumpsuit era. I think you really did. I feel like I was like, Oh, I need jumpsuits. And then I traveled one time in a plane with one, and I was like, This was a mistake for traveling, travel. You got to get full naked to use the bathroom like this was a mistake.
Naomi Ekperigin No, no, no, no. No, no jumpsuits on aircraft.
Grace In a public situation like you like. The thing pools like you have to kind of hold it up so it's not pooling on the ground, you know what I'm saying? There's just a lot of acrobatics that need to happen.
Amy And then if you've got a bag, sometimes, guys, I put the strap of my bag in my teeth. I'm not going to lie. I've done it before. I'm like, I don't want to put it on any of the surface of this bag. I will hold it.
Naomi Ekperigin I don't know about being.
Grace I don't know if it should go in your mouth girl.
Naomi Ekperigin Be immune. I think you might be immune to monkeypox. You might.
Grace So what would you say your favorite place is? And I asked this very loaded question, as I know this often turns into a New York versus Los Angeles discussion. But I mean, it doesn't have to be either one of those cities that could be like someplace you've vacation. Like where is your favorite place to be?
Naomi Ekperigin Okay. I'm going to tell you this. I'm actually not going to give you a geographic location. What I'm going to give you is a swimming pool by myself on like an 80 degree day for me that's so hot that I love. There's nothing I love more than being in a swimming pool. I thought when I moved to Los Angeles that was like swimming pools would be everywhere. Like give you a pool. I know it was like every house has a pool, right? There's something about being in the pool. When I was little, I took swim lessons really early on because my mom did not apply to me. She really wanted me to make sure I knew how to swim. So I was like learning to swim from maybe age six. And I just really like it. I like this feeling that you can make. Can't I be weightless? You're so cool and comfortable. I don't like it when it's heated. I'll tell you this, man. I don't like a heated pool. I want that water crisp.
Amy Yeah. Why? Why would it be heated? That's what a hot tubs for.
Naomi Ekperigin I know, but people heat their pools. Wow. And I say, give me that crisp, cold water. Yeah, I love that. Because when you first step in, you like to go to go jiggle. And I suppose you're like, now I'm good. Yeah. I love that. Like, honestly, just thinking about it, like, oh, and like whenever I travel, I want an Airbnb that has its own pools thing NASA's that makes me feel very decadent and I just don't like random so. So I say it has to be empty.
Grace Like 11 a am in the middle of the day on a weekday.
Amy Yeah. Not a public pool. A private pool.
Naomi Ekperigin Yeah, exactly. Well, the last time I went to a hotel, you know, it had a pool for everybody, but I picked because I was, like, had a separate pool for children. Nice. Get them out of here. And I see them little kids out. However, when we get there, the pool for the children was closed. So everybody buddies pool these god damn children. Okay.
Grace Oh, no.
Naomi Ekperigin I lost my mind when this man. He had a little he had a little boy had knee maybe two ish. And he keeps and you know little Nico, you know, I know his name is Nico because the father keeps going. Nico, get us puppies. Nico, get us puppies. Giving a little boy French fries in the pool.
Amy You got to stop. You better stop.
Grace Flag on the play.
Naomi Ekperigin Nico, no quiere papas. Okay.
Amy No.
Naomi Ekperigin Every French fry his father would give him, he would drop it in the pool. He would just drop it. He was like, I don't want this. And I was like, Why do you keep giving? So I was like, Stop, give it to have it. And he just dropping em. And I was like, And then I'm out of this pool. I have to be.
Grace Unsanitary.
Amy You were in a wet potato pool. That's disgusting.
Naomi Ekperigin I was in a wet hash brown. Yeah. Not today.
Amy Not today.
Grace Nico. That is a flag on the play.
Amy That's infuriating.
Naomi Ekperigin I know. I was like, he does not want these. Like, that's what was killing me. I was like, why do you keep offering them to him? He's like, not even that he wouldn't let it go.
Amy That's insane. It's such a game changer to be at a hotel or a resort or a pool place that has a separate pool for kids. It's such a game changer because you're just like, Oh, I can float. Well, you know, I can barely float. My body don't work that way, but I can sit. I can stand. In my own water and not be worried that it's suddenly going to get warm because a little kid peed in it. You know, I'm just like, that's serenity. That's serenity to me.
Grace Yeah, Amy and I are not swimmers. I literally a friend told me recently and I'm like, organize this at some point, but that there's a man, a man in Arizona that can teach adults to swim in four days. So at some point we be doing it.
Naomi Ekperigin Wait a minute.
Grace Yeah.
Amy Let's go. Let's find this man. Exactly.
Naomi Ekperigin There's no water at Arizona, so I don't trust this. Okay? Yeah.
Amy Anyway Naomi. You know I want to hear you talk about the word most. You've talked a lot about how adding this word has changed your routine. What has it brought to your life? I love this. .
Naomi Ekperigin I think that certainly yes, we've all you know, everyone talks of how society has shifted in this notion of cancel culture and all that. And for me, instead of thinking about it like that, like I'm going to get canceled, I think it's about just being a we are so much more aware of the diversity of experience and existence than we were even ten years ago, let alone 20, let alone when we were children. And I think that to me it is so easy to account for that and still say what you want to say as a comedian, as a writer, as a person. Because I think that sometimes standup is just like say something outlandish and then figure out how to justify it, you know, in the back end or take a big swing and then you'll get to it later. And I certainly think that for a lot of people. Even now, those big swings are in the generalizations. You know, they are in women be like I mean, when we all grew up Def Jam, it was white people. It's black people that like, it would just be like blankets. And that was you know, it was funny. And it could be surprising when you're like, oh, you put this thing together that I've never accounted for. Or You spoken to an aspect of the black experience that like other people don't talk about like there there's some value in that. But I think now and I think the three of us are this example, like the three of us grew up as those nerdy black girls who at some point people were saying, talked white. Mm hmm. And now here we are. I mean, writing the Blackest things on television. I mean, we've all come to, you know, people stop. I think people are stop doing that. Or I think they do it a lot less because there's now the realization that, you know, Blackness contains multitudes. Yes, gender contains multitudes. Sexuality contains multitudes. You know, and so, you know, you can still temper your language and still say what you mean. Right. You know.
Amy Yeah. And not paint with a broad brush.
Naomi Ekperigin Yeah. But still. Yeah, you know, still get the point across and make sure you're not, you know, needlessly offending people. I think it's it's also like, you know, I want I just want to be liked. I mean, if you're trying to get on stage and say sh– that makes people mad and then, you know, and then it's like, well, at least they're talking about me. Some people just feel like they want to get aroused.
Amy I just want the conversation.
Naomi Ekperigin No, I don't. I don't want no conversation.
Amy Yeah. And you can still be funny. I think sometimes there's a feeling that comedy comes from a broad brush painting, but it's like, actually there's a lot of comedy in choosing the way that you be selective with how you say what you're saying, which is something I love about your comedy because you constantly do that. So I yeah, it's just always, I'm always like, Yeah, if I evolve the comedy, evolve it.
Grace Yeah. And there's so much universality and specificity are universal. I don't know how if that word, how I said it was how it's pronounced.
Amy Universal-
Grace Universality.
Naomi Ekperigin But also, you know, I know what you meant. I knew what you said, you know.
Grace And specificity. And I think that the people who are so comfortable not caring like that, something hurts. People have never been bullied. Now I've been bullied. I've been bullied.
Amy Same. We have that in common. Yeah.
Grace Exact. So, you know, I went to like a Republican Catholic school for the first nine years of my life and so I'm nine years of my education. So I know what it's like to be bullied for race, for gender, for how you present yourself or how you talk or whatever. And so I never, ever want to do that to anyone. So if somebody from a community is like, Hey, don't say that, don't call me that, don't discount my experience in your comedy. I'm more than happy to do so because literally the reason why I got into comedy or the reason why I love comedy above everything else, is because I like to make people laugh. I like to give people joy. And if something that I'm saying is not giving a certain community joy, then I want to stop doing that because that is not my intention, you know?
Naomi Ekperigin Right.
Grace So I love that you do that because I think it's so important for us, as, you know, comedy writers, comedians, to keep having that discussion that it's not just like, oh, cancel culture. You can't say what you want anymore. Like, no, when you think actually take a pause and think about it as a black person, I'm just like, Don't call me the N-word. Don't make fun of me for being fancy or whatever. I don't like that or whatever. And if somebody had just been like, Oh, okay, I'm not going to stop doing that because you're too sensitive. I would have feel some kind of way about that. Right. But anyway, let me move us to another question, Naomi. Um, is there a piece of art, meaning a book, a play, a show fine art that has had like an impact on your life? Was there is there something that was just little young? Naomi was just like, Oh, this I want to be an actor or I want to be a comedian. Like there was was there some sort of formative piece of work for you?
Naomi Ekperigin Well, it's funny because, you know, my first dream was to be a writer. That's what started it. And that's how cool I was obsessed with, you know, books. You can always just find me in a corner reading a book. And this is not a high art. But I started out I'm obsessed with the Baby-Sitters Club. Yeah. And was and I was like, I'm going to write. I'm going to write book. And I to write books about girls who were girls. And like that was like, I'd be doing like sh– stuff and then hanging out, being girls like it boys and babysitting. When I was like, I was like really obsessed. And that was something very formative for me in the beginning. And just like when I say I have, I had all the books they had like a Baby-Sitters Club, Kids Club, which is kind of like a male thing. I had doubles. Yeah, we donated all of my books to the library because I had duplicates to the point where you just have a whole set of the books. My God. So he gave them to the library at 1/35. I was like, Take it for the children. It's just another generation that was like, that was huge for me. I think it was writing way. I mean, I did want to act because and I would say to like, you know, growing up in the nineties there were so many black shows. So it was easy to see like, Oh, I want to do that when I was little. And then, but I still didn't know how, you know, I mean, the TV felt like a magical box. Yeah, right. But writing it was like every birthday, probably through high school, people would just give me journals and pens and like, all you know, I love. Oh, my God, give me stationery. Give me a cute pen. I love a little notebook.
Grace Were you a Lisa Frank girl?
Naomi Ekperigin Well, come on. Yeah, of course. Say my stickers and the notebooks and. Oh, God. Do you remember jelly roll pens? Yeah. Metallic in, like, all caps. Oh, yeah. Oh, my gosh. And then when they dried up, you'd be so upset, but they would always dry up before the pen was.
Grace They weren't meant to last forever. Because the thing is, is that I realized when I was younger, I wrote so much stuff longhand and now we don't do that. So my pens be the lasting for years because I was just like, I know like my dad's that aspect of it because like, he'll be like, do you have a pen? And I was and I was like, no, that he's like, how you a writer with no damn pen? I was just like, fair point. Fair point, Dad.
Amy We write digitally.
Grace But yeah, I love the Baby-Sitters Club. That was my sh–, too. That and Nancy Drew, you know.
Naomi Ekperigin Yes. Oh, my God, Nancy. Also, did you guys ever read Goosebumps? Yeah.
Amy Goosebumps and Fear Streets. Yes. Yeah. I was like, I'm grown. I'm reading Fear Street. It was so good. Yes. Books were books were that bitch.
Grace Some of this the like. Yes, I read the kids books with both of us. F— me up to this day because what I got into too young was romance novels.
Amy Oh yeah. I was, I was reading something like aged ten. I'm like, what does it mean that his engorged member.
Grace What is her? What's is his throbbing member?
Amy What does that mean?
Naomi Ekperigin Ok. V.C. Andrews? Did you read that? I read that way too early. Flowers in the attic.
Grace Oh, well, for me, it was the author name Amanda Quick. And the reason why I got into Amanda Quick was because, you know, most success novels, like The Woman's, like, thrown back and the guy's like kissing her neck or something like that. And so I would be too embarrassed to, like, take that out. But Amanda Quick, she had that, but it was on the inner cover. So okay, so the top cover was just like a plain color. So I got it. So I wasn't embarrassed when my librarian friends, you know, I was reading freaky books.
Amy Because the librarians knew.
Grace They knew. My my 11 year old brain was just like they ain't finna know. No, they ain't finna know.
Naomi Ekperigin Oh.
Amy Here comes that horny toddler.
Naomi Ekperigin But for some reason too, I imagine little grace like ten year old Grace, for some reason, is wearing a business suit. And so it's like I'm imagining a little girl in, like, a fancy outfit checking out.
Grace I was like, I'm going to put these books in my briefcase.
Naomi Ekperigin In my briefcase, my Jansport briefcase.
Amy See you tomorrow, Cheryl.
Grace I know. I mean. I mean, I read the Madonna sex book that way. They had one at the library, like. Yeah, I would use the library. Yes. For education of for children's books, but also learning some else that that I was not ready for. Sorry, Mom and Dad.
Amy But it sounds like for you, Naomi Baby-Sitters club was really formative like that was like the series that that sort of started putting in that feeling of I want to be a writer.
Naomi Ekperigin It did. I went and I went to, like, book signings to meet Ann M Martin. And there's a picture of me like a ten years old. I mean, the glasses were coke bottle. The braces were shining. And I was so nervous. And what's so funny about it is that, like, because my mom had this picture and it was like the dowdy white lady she was giving us, like, white turtleneck with, like, a sensible sweater over it, you know, like. Yeah, like a bra. She was like. And the fact that I was tongue tied, you would have thought that I was being like, God is being Michelle Obama's. Yeah. Like, my mom's, like, stand next to her so I can take a picture. And I was like. And it's, like, intimate. And I said, this woman is a rock star to me. And it's like, very, very regular. A regular. Yeah, because you're from Harlem. So this happened like in New York. Things like this happened. Yes, yes, yes. We were going to thing. That's the thing. I think my you know, my mom really got me into stuff early and like going to shows and, you know, we'd always go to the movies and, you know, back in the day, we used to have to sneak in to like we go to pay for one and then we see two bored, you know, best friends for like a Saturday. Oh, I see. Exactly. So that was like always. Ah, you know. So she introduced me to a lot of stuff early in a way that's like to me, it's like I loved growing up in New York and I know tons of people who feel like the city is so hectic. And I can imagine it may be hard to raise a kid there, but it's just like there's so much stuff you can just go ahead and do things. It's just like museums are free. You can just like walk in and be like babysitter. Exactly. Those are something and just realize like, okay, that person's a murderer and that person's not. Like, my mom would even tell me she'd be like, You can always ask an older woman for directions. Do you mean like lost or is it a space? She would tell me to ask an older woman, period. That's so good. And it was like, yep, that's all I do. And that if I get scared, confused or don't know, whatever, you know, I mean, you just go to somebody and then.
Amy Yeah, I've become that older woman, I think, at a grocery store as a random kid.
Grace That literally children come up to me all the time like she's she looks safe. She's never hurt a person in her life.
Amy Oh, that's great. I love being trustworthy.
Grace Yeah, no, I appreciate it. So another question for you then. What do you love about a Lifetime movie? Like, obviously, you have this whole podcast about it and you know, I have seen some lifetime flicks myself, but I am not in deep into the canon as you are. So please tell us, what about a Lifetime movie is iconic to you.
Naomi Ekperigin Okay, now, look, I'm going to tell you this about me right now. I love a procedural, okay? I love my criminal minds, my law and orders. And I think in my lifetime, my preferred lifetime movies are the thrillers, you know, are the scary ones. I don't really need to watch a rom com. Michael Lifetime rom com. And so I find the Lifetime thrillers to be very much procedural. Okay, I like the structure of it. I know what's going to happen in the end. In the end, a woman will fight for justice because Lifetime, lifetime is very ACAB okay, because I guess every movie about the cops don't do it. So then she has to do it herself, you know, I mean, like her and her friend, because inevitably the cop is like our hands are tied or they're like, we can't find anything. And then it's like a woman in the woods and she, like, kills a man with a tea kettle or something, you know, she hits him over the head with a tea kettle. And I find that very satisfying. I also think that there's a lot of wish fulfillment in the kitchens, in the homes. Yes. You know, there no matter what you do in a Lifetime movie, you have a kitchen island. Okay.
Grace Made of Caesarstone. Marble. You know what I'm saying? The best of materials.
Naomi Ekperigin Like literally I was like you're a substitute English teacher and you own property. And I was like, okay, I love this world.
Grace And let me tell you, as somebody from the Midwest or whatever that can happen in the middle of the country. You're a coastal bitch so you don't know about these cheap prices.
Naomi Ekperigin You're right.
Grace You can. You can be a substitute teacher in Michigan and have a nice kitchen island. You know.
Amy Naomi, we feel so much better now that we've talked you.
Naomi Ekperigin I feel better talking to you. I think I better get some stuff done today. You guys are giving me my second wid..
Amy I love it.
Grace We are happy to do that. Always. Sh– still. I mean, we still in America in 2022. I know, but. But it's sucks a little less because we talked to you today.
Amy Yeah. Do you have anything coming up you want to tell us about? Anything you'd like to plug? You can even be something you love, not something you worked on.
Naomi Ekperigin Oh, no. I'll plug myself. You can see me in the new movie Me Time. And that also stars Kevin Hart. Regina Hall. Yeah. It's a fun family film.
Grace And then, you know, when Jody comes out next year or whatever, you know that Naomi has a role in that as well. So, you know, you check for her when you see Jody coming out, you know, check for her because she's she's one of my star studded cast.
Naomi Ekperigin Well, I'll tell you what I did. I'll tell you what I did, Amy. And I'm not afraid to tell the listeners. I said, Hey, you got me. I can say. And, Jody, you got any parts that I could audition for this thing? And I get it now. And I mean, I am not a I'm no grace too loud to be coy. I've known her too long to be coy. Yes. And then Grace. So, you know, she's like, well, you know, a lot of the main parts are already cast. I was like, Grace, I don't assume I'm going to get a part. I would like to play Lady in store who says move, like, I'm fine. And she did it.
Grace Yeah, she killed it.
Amy When we win.
Grace She killed it. She killed it.
Amy I just got so inspired Grace has a show and she cast her friend. Because her friend is amazing. You know, it's like it literally is like, what is the thing? Luck is when preparation needs opportunity. Like, yeah, it's like you're already is not the thing. Oh, no. But the point is, you can ask that not just because you're her friend, but because you have this crazy voice and it deserves to be heard. Yes.
Naomi Ekperigin Guys, guys, I'm going to listen to this episode over and over.
Grace Please do. Because we need the ratings girl.
Amy Can you listen to it on multiple devices? Just send it to your mom. Send it to your therapist. Send it to your husband.
Grace I mean, 90% of our audience are my two parents who listen to it multiple times a week. But where can people find you on the Internet? Naomi?
Naomi Ekperigin Visit me on Instagram. That's where I'm having the most fun and you're seeing the most dog pics. And that is black dress comedy spelled exactly the way you think it's spelled because I was on these socials back when I had a day job and I took Caitlin, so now that's what's up. So visit me it as always. Listen to couples therapy. If you like a Lifetime movie. Listen. I love a Lifetime movie. Look, I'm giving you something every week, okay? I'm giving you something every week.
Grace She is producing. She's working on a regular basis for you there, so there's no reason that you can't conceive something. Naomi Ekperigin on The Weekly. You know what I'm saying?
Amy Come on, come on. Thank you so much, Naomi. We love you.
Grace Bye.
Grace Okay to close this out. We are doing our creative tap in, which is our segment about creativity. Amy, are you ready for this week's quotes?
Amy I sure am, Grace.
Grace Okay. Creativity doesn't wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones. And that's from Bruce Garrabrants. I'll read it one more time. Creativity doesn't wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones. Bruce Garrabrandt.
Amy That's a cool quote. I. I do agree that creativity doesn't wait for that perfect moment, and that for me, it makes me think of like not waiting for inspiration. Like, you just got to move forward with what you're making and, and hope that inspiration comes through the process of doing. But the second part of fashion's its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones. Sure. I don't. I don't know if it. I guess maybe the word perfect is, like, I'm bumping me. Like, maybe, like in fashion. It's its own moments out of ordinary ones. Because I'm sort of like, what is a perfect moment, I guess, is what I'm thinking. But overall, I do like the quote. I think it's speaking to don't wait for inspiration, keep living. Because through ordinary life, by doing things that you always do, but also like even breaking out of the norm and doing different types of things. But just by living. Creativity will eventually find you. So that's what I hear from this quote. Mr. Bruce. What about you, Grace? What does the quote make you think?
Grace I it makes me think about all the times where I've just randomly gotten creative inspiration out of, like, nowhere, you know? So sometimes I'll be turning something over in my mind. I'll be trying to untie a story problem or fix the character, or I don't know what dialog should go in this scene. And then I'll sometimes put it down and sometimes when I'm in the shower, that's when I get the answer. Sometimes when I wake up first thing in the morning, sometimes I get the answer. Sometimes when I'm like at a concert or like just somewhere out in the world where it is not convenient at a party or whatever to like get that. And then sometimes when I'm drunk or like, you know, zoning out at the end of the night, like that's when I get the answer. And what I will say to everyone is that that moment you get the answer, even if it's an inconvenient moment, you need to record that because there have been so many moments where I'm like drifting off to sleep and I'm just like, I have the answer to that problem. Sleep. Wake up in the morning. The next morning. It's just like, Oh, Jesus, I don't remember what. I know. I remember that I had the answer. I just don't remember when the answer is. And, you know, the good ideas, I think, always do come back. But it puts you through so much because you're just like, Oh, man, I have solved that problem. But but it was not a convenient moment. So I, it makes me think of all of the little ways that just living life like sometimes will give you that answer. I once got an answer from a story problem when I was in the grocery store buying kettle corn. So I think that it's just that creativity doesn't always wait for the perfect moment when you're sitting at your computer or when you have the perfect time. Sometimes I'll be driving and I'll find it out. Wow. It just reminds me of all the moments where I've gotten answers to creative questions when it was not the right moment to do so.
Amy But that's kind of cool. I feel like this this quote for me was like a little figurative, but for you, it's like almost literal. That's going to be doesn't wait for that perfect moment in fashion to zone perfect moment that ordinary wants. You driving girl and I hit ya. That's cool. Oh, yes.
Grace Like that's what she should do. You know? And sometimes it's because I'm listening to a podcast or I'm listening to some music. Beyonce's Renaissance, I still love it. But anyway, that is what that made me think. So thanks for listening to the antidote. We hope that this injected a little bit of joy into your week. I know it did mine. How about you, Amy?
Amy I feel good, girl. We should do this again sometime. Oh, we'll be here next week.
Grace And in the meantime, if you'd like to follow us on social, follow me. Grace. At Gracyact. That's G-R-A-C-Y-A-C-T.
Amy And follow me, Amy at AmyAniobi. That's. A-M-Y-A-N-I-O-B-I. And follow the show at theeantidotepod.
Grace That's thee with two E's.
Amy If you like feeling good about yourself, please subscribe and rate us five stars at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Grace Goodbye.
Amy And get out there and socialize. The antidote is hosted by us Amy Aniobi and Grace Edwards. The show's production team includes senior producer Se'eraa Spragley Ricks, and Marcel Malekebu.
Grace Our executive producers Erica Kraus and our editor is Erika Janik. Sound mixing by derek Ramirez.
Amy Digital production by Mijoe Sahiouni. Talent booking by Marianne Ways. Our theme music was composed and produced by TT the artist and Cosmo The Truth.
Grace APM Studio executives in charge are Chandra Kavati, Alex Schaffert and Joanne Griffith. Concept created by Amy Aniobi and Grace Edwards.
Amy Send us your antidote at antidoteshow.org. Like we said, you can call us. And remember to follow us on social media at theeantidotepod. That's thee with two E's.
Grace The Antidote is a production of American Public Media.
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