Join me, filmmaker and author Justin Simien, for unfiltered conversations with the film stars, artists and tv creators shaping black, queer and other emerging popular cultures. Be a fly on the wall as me and my guests use a common love language of "shade" to dive deeper than the knee-jerk reactions and the Twitter hot takes. If you're a fan of my film turned hit tv show "Dear White People," you already know I'll be going deep, with wide ranging conversations about race, pop culture, film, tv ...
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Writer/director Justin Simien and actor Tessa Thompson talk about their new film Dear White People. Winner of the 2014 Sundance U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent, the provocative comedy follows a group of African-American students as they navigate life and racial politics at a predominantly white college. Moderated by Eric Kohn from Indiewire.
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Breaking Shame Cycles w/ Dahéli Hall
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In this week’s pre-recorded episode of Don’t @ Me, I’m joined by the funniest woman I know, Dear White People writer-actor and comedian Dahéli Hall. Hang with me and the MADtv alum while we discuss gatekeeping in the comedy world, working through our shame cycles, and why she would’ve been a much better Seinfeld. Learn more about your ad choices. V…
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This week on Don’t @ Me, my friend and Dear White People writing producer/director Sam Bailey joins me as we tackle navigating the “industry of dreams” as Black creatives. The Chicago-bred, Emmy-nominated director and I talk about her being inspired by messy brown women, co-creating the hit web series Brown Girls, and operating as an outsider in Ho…
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In another live Zoom edition of Don’t @ Me I’m joined by Broadway-turned-TV superstar Alex Newell. We discuss his part in shaping his role as the gender-nonconforming neighbor Mo in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, growing up queer in the Black church, and why he is the perfect candidate to play Dreamgirls’ Effie White. Learn more about your ad choic…
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The Not-So-Hidden Talents of Malcolm Barrett
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In this week’s episode of Don’t @ Me, the insanely hilarious Malcolm Barrett introduces me to his alter ego Verbal the Rapper. The actor-writer-rapper talks about starting Ammunition Theatre Company, not talking to white schoolmates for an entire year, and figuring out how to bring positive change as a Black creative amid protests and quarantine. P…
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In this week’s episode of Don’t @ Me, tap in and get therapized by the beloved Fab Five member Karamo Brown. From learning to live for joy, to facing pushback in shaping his Culture Expert role on Queer Eye and which of his fellow co-hosts is his favorite, Karamo spits nothing but gospel truths. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice…
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Directing While Black w/ Tiffany Johnson
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On this week’s Don’t @ Me, my friend director Tiffany Johnson catches us up on her career growth in television! We discuss picking your battles, the role of the artist in times of trauma, and an all-Black Love Witch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy Justin Simien
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In this live via Zoom episode of Don’t @ Me, I welcome back my bestie, writer-director Dime Davis. We look at how far she’s come since her last visit as a newly Emmy-nominated director on A Black Lady Sketch Show, her work on season two of BET’s Boomerang, and how she knew her worth even before she blew up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p…
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Don't @ Me w/ Jarrett Hill? My friend, renowned journalist and fellow podcast host Jarrett Hill, asked to interview me on my podcast and how could I say no? Tune in to hear us break down my upcoming film BAD HAIR -- the inspiration, the backlash, the ancestral energy in it -- we get into it all. Check out the film, releasing October 23rd on Hulu! L…
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The 40 Year-Old Version w/ Radha Blank
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Radha Blank came by for this week’s Don’t @ Me and she did not come to play! I talk to the brilliant writer-director of the Sundance darling “The 40-Year-Old Version.” Beware of gems dropping as Radha gets real about directing herself in her feature debut, commanding respect on set as a Black woman, and the Purple Rain reference in her film you jus…
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The Audacity of Punks w/ Patrik-Ian Polk
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Tune in for a conversation with the godfather of Black gay cinema, Patrik-Ian Polk. The Punks writer-director talks to me about commerce vs artistic vision, American culture’s Black gay spirit, and how he ended up on a Prince tribute album. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…
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Freshly emerged from Venus’s shell and into our (virtual) studio, Laverne Cox joins me for another Zoom edition of Don’t @ Me. We unpack her beginnings as a hustler, why EVERYONE should watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, and how she plans on coming out of quarantine spiritually evolved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…
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Grinding During the Apocalypse with Issa Rae
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Everybody's favorite awkward Black girl Issa Rae joins us again and talks all about our sense of ownership over Black art, her expanding into Raedio, and the Insecure/Dear White People crossover you didn't realize already happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy Justin Simien
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In another live Zoom edition of Don’t @ Me, I sit down with star-on-the-rise, actress Chanté Adams (The Photograph, Roxanne Roxanne) and talk all about her rapid ascension from college grad to movie star, her self-care routine, and seeing her relationship with the arts as a marriage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi…
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In a special live Zoom edition of Don’t @ Me, I’m joined by writer/director/fellow Texan Terence Nance as he talks Selah and the Spades, working with Solange, and the secret plot to 2001 Space Odyssey you probably missed — so don’t miss it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…
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In part two of my conversation with talented Zola director Janicza Bravo, she calls out Hollywood demons, pitches VR porn and discusses why she didn't want to do the "titty version" of Zola. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy Justin Simien
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In part one of this two-part episode, tune in to hear filmmaker Justin Simien and the only Black Panamanian Jewish woman in comedy, Janicza Bravo, as they break down the dark comedy of being a Black director, the mixed response to Janicza’s debut film Lemon, and interrogating Whiteness in her work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastcho…
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Justin goes deep with Alma Har'el, the visionary director behind Honey Boy, written by and starring Shia LaBeouf (available now on VOD). Check out this one-of-a-kind conversation on fighting imposter syndrome on set, the healing properties of cinema, and Alma's unconventional path to directing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices…
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Sam Jay: Sam Jay Will Not Be Silent
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Join filmmaker Justin Simien as he talks to stand-up comedian Sam Jay about her new Netflix special Sam Jay: 3 in the Morning, working with white people at SNL and whether or not cocaine is compatible with Black People. Don't @ Me is back ya'll! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…
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In the season finale of Don’t @ Me, Boots Riley shares his history, muses, and the long road to one of 2018’s finest films, Sorry to Bother You. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy Justin Simien
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Justin talks about what it’s like to be a filmmaker outside of the traditional studio system with producers Alana Mayo from Michael B. Jordan's new production company, Outlier Society, and independent producer Cameron Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy Justin Simien
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Grab a snack for this chat with David Gelb, creator of Chef’s Table and director of Jiro Dreams of Sushi. He tells Justin about food as narrative subject and the making of a career in documentary film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy Justin Simien
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You might recognize Dear White People’s Ashley Blaine Featherson (Joelle) and Courtney Sauls (Brooke). There is so much more to an actor’s life than getting a good part (think: never-ending auditions and scant parts for black women). Ashley and Courtney sit down with Justin and go deep on what success looks like for them. Learn more about your ad c…
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The Collaborators with Peter Farrelly and Kris Bowers
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Justin is joined by Green Book director and writer, Peter Farrelly, and Kris Bowers, the film’s composer. They discuss the "white savior" trap films like this often fall into, the steps Peter took to avoid it, how Kris created the score, and the talents of the film’s stars Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …
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Justin sits down with Issa Rae, the original Awkward Black Girl, to talk about what happens after your dreams come true, and what it's like to be expected to create work that covers the entire black experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBy Justin Simien
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Destiny's Children with Kelly Rowland and Elle Lorraine
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This week, Justin talks destiny with some true destiny experts. None other than Kelly Rowland from Destiny's Child and up-and-coming actor and singer Elle Lorraine talk about how they knew what their destiny was, when they knew it, and who inspired them along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…
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