♪ >> announcer: from 30 rockefeller plaza in new york, it's "late night with seth meyers. tonight -- amy sedaris, playwright, michael r. jackson a performance from broadway's "a strange loop." featuring the 8g band with derrick wright ♪ [ cheers and applause and now, seth meyers >> seth: good evening. i'm seth meyers. this is "late night. we hope you're all doing well tonight. and now, if you don't mind, we are gonna get to the news. in his new book, ex-defense secretary, mark esper, writes that despite his hatred of press leaks, former president trump

was "the biggest leaker of all." said trump, "well, that's the last time i show him the area 51 aliens -- oh, damn it! [ light laughter ] president biden criticized republicans at a fundraiser last night for their recent attacks on disney and said, quote, "they're going to storm cinderella's castle before this is over. oh, buddy, i hate to tell you, if they're storming anything, it's the hall of presidents. [ light laughter ] also, that's me, right [ light laughter ] i mean, imagine -- finding -- that's how i found out i was a president. [ laughter ] president biden told a small gathering at a democratic fundraiser last night that it's gonna be hard to maintain the majority in both houses of congress, especially since they don't have it in the first place. [ light laughter ] arizona senator kyrsten sinema

appeared on the senate floor yesterday wearing a pink tie-dyed shirt that said, "no thanks." i don't know what that means except that arizona elected a senator who only shops at airports [ light laughter ] even weirder, bernie sanders was wearing this [ laughter ] "i need it i don't know what to tell you, i need it. [ light laughter ] i'm not gonna apologize. mama needs wine. president biden today called ferdinand marcos, jr. to congratulate him on winning the philippine presidential election said biden, "remember, winning is the easy part the hard part is convincing everybody that you actually won. [ light laughter ] while speaking yesterday to thousands of union electrical workers, president biden referred to former president trump as, quote, "the great maga king." okay, can we please not give him any more ideas [ light laughter ] north korea reported its first coronavirus outbreak today and

ordered all cities and counties to enter a lockdown or, as they call it, business as usual [ light laughter ] new york mayor, eric adams, said on tuesday that his official residence, gracie mansion, is haunted and added, quote, "i don't care what anyone says, there are ghosts in there. mmm, i don't think that's who's booing you [ laughter ] according to a new study, the top three baby names that are set to make a comeback this year are joan, mary, and margaret, which is also a full curse in a catholic household "oh, joan, mary, and margaret! [ light laughter ] and fin -- [ laughter ] "i stubbed me toe! [ light laughter ] i've gotten a little bit of criticism recently about my really good irish accent [ light laughter ]

and finally, the new york state lottery announced yesterday that the results of tuesday's drawing were published with the wrong mega ball number and things are pretty awkward at the house that thought they won. "honey, i was joking about the divorce. that was - [ laughter ] ha, ha, it's me. that's when i'm funny. [ light laughter ] that was a monologue, everybody. [ cheers and applause we have a fantastic show for you tonight. she is a comedian and author you know from "strangers with candy" and "at home with amy sedaris. you can see her in season two of "girls5eva" on peacock the hilarious amy sedaris will be here. she's one of our favorites [ cheers and applause and he is the playwright of the new broadway hit "a strange loop," which has already won the pulitzer prize for drama, and on monday received 11 -- count them - 11 tony nominations. michael r. jackson will be here. [ cheers and applause and then we will have a performance from jaquel spivey and the cast of "a strange loop" right here on our stage over there.

but before we get to all that, a democratic congresswoman made a powerful speech to her colleagues to take action now to solve the cost-of-living crisis. also, we found out that donald trump wanted to bomb mexico and thought we could pretend it wasn't us two stories, one look, the classic two hander for more on this, it's time for "a closer look." ♪ [ cheers and applause >> seth: the republican party remains fully enthralled to donald trump, even though he's an aspiring authoritarian and a crazy person we've known that for a long time, and yet, somehow, we keep learning more about just how insane trump is on an almost daily basis. for example, we found out this week that he asked his advisers if china had a hurricane gun they were shooting at us to create severe weather events [ light laughter ] now, i'm assuming trump was thinking of a giant weapon that could create actual category five hurricanes, but because his brain only works in cartoons, there's also a chance he thought they had a tiny handheld gun that shot out little rain clouds that would follow him around wherever he went

[ laughter ] "this is exactly what they did to daffy duck. we love -- we love daffy duck, don't we we love -- you know, i once met daffy on the dance floor at studio 54? back in 1982, i met daffy, and he said -- he came up to me, and he said something i'll never forget he said, "you? you're dethpicable." and -- [ laughter ] and i said, "that's so true, daffy, that's so true. [ light laughter ] and yet somehow, that was not the most insane thing we learned recently, because we also found out from former defense secretary, mark esper, that trump wanted to bomb mexico and thought we could get away with it because no one wouldn't know it was us. >> former president trump reportedly wanted to launch missiles into mexico to destroy the drug labs and cartels. the allegation comes from former defense secretary mark esper in a new book obtained by the "new york times," esper writes trump asked him at least twice about the possibility of the airstrikes and said no one would know it was the u.s. >> the president pulls me aside

on at least a couple of occasions and suggests that maybe we have the u.s. military shoot missiles into mexico >> shoot missiles into mexico for what >> he would say to go after the cartels. i had to explain to him we can't do that, it would violate international law. >> you politely push back on the idea did president trump really say no one would know it was us? >> yes [ laughter ] yes. i -- he said that, and i just thought it was fanciful, right because of course it would be us i was reluctant to tell the story, because i think - i thought people won't believe this >> seth: no, i mean, we believe it [ laughter ] of course, you know, we -- we believe it. i mean, there's nothing you can tell us about donald trump that donald trump hasn't already told us about donald trump. the guy said, with his own words, from his own mouth, in public, on purpose, that windmills caused cancer and that we should inject disinfectant into people's lungs to cure coronavirus. if you told me donald trump asked his advisers in an oval office meeting to form an alliance with godzilla to steal the hurricane gun and find all the fraudulent ballots smuggled in from -- i don't know, xanadu,

i'd be like, "sure, yeah, whatever i believe it." [ light laughter ] but still, i kind of can't get over the fact that trump thought we could bomb mexico without anyone knowing it was us imagine you're mexico. the u.s. just had an election where they chose a visibly insane gameshow host who said horrible things about mexicans and suddenly missiles start raining down on you. [ light laughter ] would you be mystified "who's shooting these patriot missiles at us [ laughter ] did someone say something that upset costa rica?" so, obviously, it's critical that we as a nation do everything in our power to prevent this obviously unhinged demagogue and his allies in the republican party from regaining power. and that, unfortunately, is where the democrats come in. oof! [ light laughter ] it's like if you yelled, "avengers assemble," and only hawkeye showed up. [ laughter ] [ audience ohs ] "and, uh, fyi, i did forget my arrows, guys [ light laughter ] it's gonna be the classic hawkeye punches. if you've been paying any

attention to all to politics, you know that democrats are in dire straits right now you don't need a poll to tell you that all you have to do is watch any joe biden press conference with the sound off. he's always doing that thing where he leans over the podium like every question is causing him physical pain. [ light laughter ] he looks like one of trump's advisers after trump asked about the hurricane gun again. [ light laughter ] "yeah, they, uh, they don't got one of those, boss." anyway, things are bad for democrats. and that's not just me saying that take congresswoman and progressive rising star, katie porter, who's perhaps best known for using congressional hearings to grill some of the nation's most powerful figures, from bankers to pharma ceos to oil executives using props like a whiteboard where she calculates the cost of living for a typical bank teller or a big sign called "financial services bingo." everyone in congress is so old, she had to use bingo to get their attention. [ laughter ] "quiet quiet! she's calling out numbers! [ light laughter ]

porter once even participated in a hearing with oil execs via zoom from her house, where she used bags of rice in the trunk of her car to help visualize how much public land oil companies could use for drilling, given that oil companies were all opposed to a pause on new federal drilling leases on public lands >> how many acres of public land are already leased by fossil fuel companies and not even used yet? >> i think you have a fundamental misunderstanding as to how this process works and the time and research -- >> reclaiming my time, reclaiming my time the answer is 13.9 million acres. to visualize how much land that is, if each grain of rice were one acre, that would be 479 pounds of rice the american petroleum institute even opposed pausing more leasing on our lands and even sued to stop it, because apparently this acreage wasn't enough

miss watkins, do you support a pause on new federal and gas leases >> no, i do not, because i think it's important >> you already have 13.9 million acres. this is equivalent to maryland and new jersey combined. how much more do you need? >> seth: first of all, i love the dramatic reveal when the automatic door slowly opens. [ laughter ] i've never been so excited to see what's in the trunk of a minivan. [ laughter ] usually when someone's opening the trunk of a car like that, it's a mobster showing you a dead body. [ light laughter ] "yeah, the minivan is great, because the back seats lift right out. i can get, like, five snitches in here. used to have to take a bunch of trips. [ laughter ] it was such an effective visual metaphor, if she had a music budget, she could have added the score from "2001: a space odyssey. ♪ [ laughter ] ♪ [ laughter ]

>> seth: i also love when they cut back to her, and she's just standing there, stone-faced, pouring out a bag of rice like it's some sort of grain-based interrogation. the oil execs must have been [ bleep their pants. "tell me what i want to know or you can say goodbye to all your precious rice-a-roni. [ laughter ] "please, god, not the san francisco treat. so that -- that's katie porter she's a rising star in the democratic party, and deservedly so and now she is warning her fellow democrats about the peril they face in the midterms unless they do something real to improve people's lives according to politico, porter issued a wake-up call to her fellow congressional democrats when she gave an emotional speech about how inflation has been hitting her family for months during a private house democratic caucus meeting last week she said it seemed like the first time the personal toll of high consumer prices had sunk in for some lawmakers in the room porter told politico, "i had a colleague mention to me, 'we're not seeing it in the polls.' that's because inflation is so

bad, it's just screwing up the poll results [ light laughter ] and just to be clear, i'm not saying inflation is somehow the democrats' fault, they just happen to be in charge now so it's on them to do something about it but obviously, there are lots of causes for rising costs, including corporate greed, supply chain problems caused by a pandemic trump let spiral out of control because he thought it was a hoax which is why it's so craven and disingenuous when republicans shamelessly tweet about how low gas prices were under trump. like when congressman jim jordan tweeted, "remember how cheap gas was during the trump administration?" yeah, man, i also remember that no one was buying gas, because we were all trapped in our homes, hiding from a deadly respiratory disease your guy thought could be cured by chugging a bottle of windex. [ laughter ] fuel prices are based, among other things, on supply and demand and since no one was traveling anywhere, meaning there were fewer cars on the road and planes in the sky, gas was cheap as [ bleep ] it's the same reason flatscreen tvs are cheap now, because you can watch "avatar 2" on your [ bleep ] phone. by the way - [ laughter ] i'm told you got to see it that

way. [ light laughter ] that's the way to see "avatar 2," just with a phone super-close to your face and don't put in earpods let everybody hear it. [ light laughter ] so republicans are obviously lying when they pretend to care about the cost of living, and they have no plan whatsoever to improve the lives of working people in fact, we found out today that supposed pro-worker populist donald trump colluded with meat processors to keep their factories open even as covid was ravaging their workers so republicans clearly don't care about the working class they're much more focused on canceling mickey mouse for being too woke democrats have given voters so many reasons republicans are insane, they're probably like -- >> how much more do you need [ laughter ] >> seth: but still -- still, it is on democrats to do something to improve people's lives, like extend the massively popular child tax credit or invest directly in green infrastructure, forgive student loan debt, or expand health care and look, i get it joe manchin is a giant ass-ache.

the dude rakes in cash from fossil fuels, drives a maserati, and lives on a yacht called "almost heaven," which sounds less like the name of a yacht and more like the title of an early 2000s rom-com starring ryan reynolds and mandy moore. [ laughter ] not my favorite movie, but i watched it on an airplane once, and i cried so hard an air marshal had to tell me to shut the [ bleep ] up [ laughter ] 'cause i guess feeling something is against the law [ light laughter ] manchin has been stringing democrats along for over a year now, so democrats just have to call his bluff and say, "what will you accept? we will pass it. which is why it's frustrating to read stuff like this in "the atlantic." this week, democrats have been stuck in limbo, when manchin, laying out some of his terms for a replacement bill, and democrats neglecting to put together a new bill reflecting those terms. what why? look, we all know manchin sucks, and he's gonna drag his heels. but chuck schumer, what are you waiting for? what's the problem here? are your glasses too far down your nose to read? does he realize glasses only work if they're in front of your eyes

would you -- would you like another pair of glasses to help find your glasses? [ laughter ] "oh, look at that. they were way down at the end of my nose. no wonder i couldn't govern. just call manchin's bluff and ask him what he wants. if manchin's bull[ bleep ] and his answer is actually that he's opposed to everything, which is very possible, then at least we'll know, and we can move on it's like when you're trying to find something on tv to watch with your partner. how about "ozark"? too dark how about "better call saul" too slow at some point you just got to hand over the remote and say, "okay, you pick something. and look, you'll probably end up watching something called "the tea kettle murders" on britbox with the subtitles on because everyone talks like this - [ laughter ] but at least you're watching something. and believe me, i know it sucks that this dude gets to call the shots. i'd much rather live in a world where the deciding vote was katie porter instead of joe manchin, but we do not live in that world. we live in a world where two

obstructionist centrists are stopping the democrats from delivering on their agenda, while an unhinged republican party remains laser-focused on dismantling democracy and installing an authoritarian demagogue in power republicans are so full of it, you'd think they just ate -- >> 479 pounds of rice. [ laughter ] >> seth: this has been "a closer look." ♪ [ cheers and applause we'll be right back with amy sedaris, everybody [ cheers and applause ♪ >> announcer: for more of seth's "closer looks," be sure to subscribe to "late night" on youtube. i just haven't been feeling myself lately. i've been trying to find a better way to save my money, but i keep dragging my feet. oh, sorry. oh i'm out. what a surprise. you know at nerdwallet we have side-by-side comparisons

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[ cheers and applause ♪ >> seth: give it up for the fantastic 8g band, right over there! [ cheers and applause we have had an incredible new york-based musician and producer sitting in on drums with us this week. he's worked with some of the world's top artists such as adele, toni braxton, talia, and blen - ben platt, excuse me derrick wright, everybody! [ cheers and applause thank you for a fantastic week, start to finish. our first guest tonight is an emmy-nominated performer and best-selling author you know from her shows like "strangers with candy" and "at home with amy sedaris. you can see her in the second season of "girls5eva," which is streaming now on peacock let's take a look. >> your father and i walked the devil's path, and it was a dark one

>> we had no moral compass, no regard for tomorrow, just dopamine, thrills. >> waking up in a truck bed beside a civic center, kind of all wet with, like, coins all stuck to me. [ light laughter ] >> seth: please welcome back to the show, our dear friend, amy sedaris! [ cheers and applause ♪ >> hi! >> seth: how are you >> i'm good, thank you thanks for having me on. >> seth: it's so great to see you again! >> it's really good to see you and no jacket. i like this. >> seth: i know! i got a little more casual over a pandemic >> yeah. >> seth: yeah, i was like, "nothing matters." yeah [ laughter ] it's really nice to have you back >> thank you >> seth: one of the things we -- why did you bring out a mug, by the way? >> i'm going to get you to sign it later for an auction i'm doing, which i'll get to >> seth: okay, great [ light laughter ] you can feel free to set it down >> okay, okay. >> seth: okay, great >> oh, yeah, you don't give water here do you have water? >> seth: yeah, we have water here >> oh, look at that jug. oh, i see.

well, you don't want to fill it up too much, 'cause you're gonna have to sign it. >> seth: okay, yeah, that's a good point but, you know, we've always talked about how your home is full of wonderful objects. >> oh, have we talked about that >> seth: we have >> i have been decluttering like crazy. >> seth: okay. >> it's been very stressful. i don't know, having to say goodbye to things. things i never thought i'd get rid of, i'm getting rid of >> seth: okay. >> yeah, a lot of anxiety. i lost six pounds doing it you know, and i had some friends helping me, and they were like, "you know, you have to make a quick decision are you gonna keep it, are you gonna get rid of it? it's hard. >> seth: and you have some photos of some of the things now, i think after you gave that setup, people might be surprised by some of these items, because i think no one here would keep this >> really? what [ laughter ] >> seth: well, let's start with some of your books this is a book called "asthma and eczema." >> yeah, i don't have -- [ laughter ] that's a page-turner it's really good it's a little dry. [ laughter ] yeah, i'm giving it away >> seth: you gave it away? >> i'm gonna give it away. >> seth: you're going to give it away >> the auction is gonna be -- you know cure thrifts? so it's kind of in our neighborhood, 3rd and 13th and we're gonna do an online auction.

>> seth: oh, great >> and all the money goes to diabetes research. [ light laughter ] plus, i'll probably throw in some rabbit, you know, places in there. >> seth: gotcha. >> and then my brother is doing a -- he has a new book coming out, and june 2nd, he's doing an event in brooklyn. and i can give away -- i can just give away stuff on a display table. so i have three bins of, like, palms -- like, a wooden mushroom you know, things like that [ laughter ] >> seth: this is another book that i can imagine this one's harder to part with, because this seems so useful >> oh, yeah. >> seth: "microwave for one. [ laughter ] >> well, i don't have a microwave. >> seth: well, there you go. >> that's why i'm giving that away >> seth: so it seems like of all your books, you got rid of the ones where you don't have a microwave, asthma, or eczema [ laughter ] >> you never know, when guests come over. >> seth: what is this? are you getting rid of this? >> okay, that is a rusty nail wind chime that todd ola made for me [ light laughter ] >> seth: okay, wonderful todd ola, that's great >> and it was for people with bipolar. you know, that way, when you're in the upswing, downswing, it's about crafts for people with that disability. so maybe when you're depressed, you take a handful of nails and you throw them in your backyard.

>> seth: okay. >> and then, when spring comes, you go get those nails and they'll have rust on them. >> seth: okay. >> which is pretty and then you hang them up. but the problem is now, with nails, is it galvanized? is that how you say it they don't rust. >> seth: that's right. >> so i had to go on ebay and get these rusty nails. [ laughter ] >> seth: so, you went on ebay, and you got pre-rusted nails >> yes there's a lot of guys selling rusty nails on ebay. [ light laughter ] and i paid $7, and he sent me a lot. >> seth: okay, what kind of guy -- when you picture a guy selling rusty nails, what do you think? >> ooh [ laughter ] yeah, you know >> seth: this is a -- is this a clipboard? >> yes >> seth: okay. [ light laughter ] >> the problem with that clipboard is that it's too long. you know what i mean is too long for my body. you know, hold it up, and it just comes -- you know >> seth: so the problem is not that it has a human intestine drawn? >> no. >> seth: okay. >> i'm going to get big bucks for that [ laughter ] yeah >> seth: what are these? >> children's crutches because i have them because -- [ laughter ] when people come to my house and they have kids, i'm like, "do you want to play with the crutches?"

and let me tell you -- [ laughter ] nobody wants to see their kids playing with crutches. >> seth: uh-huh. so, you have these just for -- not for kids who are injured you have these for healthy kids? >> to play in. yeah, they're playing with crutches [ laughter ] i mean, we always -- >> seth: they look like from a bygone era, as well. >> yeah, they're pretty bad. >> seth: those are like "little women" crutches. [ laughter ] >> it's so true. >> seth: and now, this is interesting. do you think this will move? >> oh, it says "jew. it's initials of somebody. julie ellen worden [ laughter ] >> seth: okay. >> but it says "jew," so, hopefully a jewish person. [ laughter ] >> seth: yeah. either someone with those initials or, more likely, a jewish person would be drawn to it i also want to ask about tina, real quick >> oh, yes >> seth: we've talked about your rabbit, tina, over the years it should be noted, at one of the first times you were on, you took tina to the vet, and tina was a boy. >> yes, after four years >> seth: okay, so, there's tina. >> look at tina the other day. look at that leg [ audience aws ] yeah no, tina, you know, when i got her, the first -- i did your show, and i had just gotten tina what is it, 9 years ago or 10 years ago >> seth: yeah.

>> my problem is that people that watch tina for me when i go away on big jobs, they're moving >> seth: oh, no! >> so now i'm really, i go to bed like this because i'm worried i have to find somebody who can watch tina for me. >> seth: is it a lot of work to rabbit-sit tina? >> well, no, most rabbits -- i mean, just in case, you know, rabbits can get sick like that because they don't speak like most animals [ laughter ] they try to communicate through their actions. so i really want someone who knows about rabbits. >> seth: 'cause your current babysitter's like, "no." they're connected. >> yeah, i met them at a rabbit conference >> seth: okay, that's great. [ laughter ] >> which they don't do anymore, in new rochelle. >> seth: they canceled the - >> yes >> seth: you met them at a real rabbit conference? >> yes >> seth: oh, my god. >> but now i'd speak to them on "thump" magazine [ laughter ] yes. >> seth: you subscribe to "thump"? >> yes >> seth: yeah. >> and people do look like their -- at rabbit conferences, when people say, "oh, people look like their animals," it's like, everybody's got like - [ laughter ] buck teeth >> seth: there's a carrot bar? [ laughter ] >> oh, that's fun, yeah. well, i used to sell stuff, but they don't buy things. rabbit owners don't.

>> seth: they don't buy things >> they're pretty cheap. >> seth: did you find anything, while you were decluttering, that it was too dear to get rid of >> lots of stuff, which i brought this mug out 'cause you gotta sign this, 'cause i can put this in a -- [ laughter ] see, i told you! [ laughter ] i'm sorry, oops. >> seth: are you sor -- how can you be sorry that was the greatest payoff [ laughter ] i feel like i was just in a hitchcock movie. [ laughter ] >> because i have letterman's -- i complimented letterman once. he had tassels on his loafers. he ripped them off and he gave them to me >> seth: really? >> but i'm gonna keep those. >> seth: oh, you're gonna keep the tassels, but - >> aaah! [ laughter ] and martha stewart is having a tag sale also. >> seth: really? >> same time i am. yeah, competition's on >> seth: hold on, i'm gonna sign that for you >> and when i did conan o'brien once, i had, like, a wood carved squirrel, and i turned it into, you know, to smoke pot out of, like a bong. [ laughter ] and i brought it on "conan," and i handed it to martha, and it still had pot in the chamber

i'm auctioning that off. >> seth: really? [ laughter ] but she didn't ever smoke it you just get gave it >> i don't know. [ laughter ] yeah >> seth: you -- we were talking about rabbit-sitting, and i do want to ask. >> okay. >> seth: were you, as a younger person, did you ever babysit >> i was a horrible babysitter >> seth: why were you horrible i'm surprised. >> i was real -- a minute the parents left, i was like, "you go to bed now. [ laughter ] i don't care what -- you go now, right now. then, i'd make them go to bed. of course, i'd eat everything, ransack the place. [ light laughter ] and then i was addicted to barbra streisand, and that's back in rona barrett, you know, they had those magazines i would, you know, cut up pictures of barbra streisand that were in the gossip magazines. >> seth: so, you would go through their home - >> ransack it. >> seth: and you would cut out -- i mean, i would say, there might be nothing more haunting than dropping off the babysitter, coming back home, and flipping through your magazines, and just, like, all the barbra streisands are gone [ laughter ] >> i know, it's terrible >> seth: yeah, well -- >> or i'd double-book. i'd say yes to a lot of people because i didn't want to turn people down.

[ laughter ] >> seth: that's good people do like to find out at the last minute the babysitter is not coming. [ laughter ] >> "yes, sorry, but i'm sending someone named rikki over." and that never worked out. but i wanted to talk about this dress. when i go shopping with david -- >> seth: yes, that's your brother. >> my brother david. he talked me into getting this dress because it's unflattering. >> seth: okay. >>time, i talked dave into buying a pair of women's slacks at agnes b, where it zipped up the back [ laughter ] and he was at a urinal [ laughter ] i didn't want to - so i might auction this dress off. >> seth: it's beautiful. i like that dress. i don't think it's unflattering. >> i feel like i'm pregnant. [ laughter ] that's what it feels like. >> seth: i guess it doesn't look - i see that there's some flaws, yeah >> yeah, he goes, "oh -- >> seth: but when you walked out, oh, my goodness yeah [ laughter ] it was, like, up here, and as you sat, it was like - >> i'm gonna auction it off. [ laughter ] yeah, whatever >> seth: i think it looks very beautiful, and i'm very happy to be a part of this auction. i'm gonna try to get you some more stuff, as well. >> really? >> seth: yeah. >> okay, i have, like, a u-haul.

>> seth: okay. >> i have a lot. my place was looking like -- you know in "silence of the lambs," when they go into that storage unit >> seth: yeah. >> that's what my house is starting to look like. >> seth: right, right. >> clutter on clutter. terrible but yeah, it was really hard >> seth: all right, well, this good and i'm glad that everybody -- both diabetics and rabbit owners will benefit from this two communities who deserve it thank you so much for being here it's always such a delight >> oh, it went by so fast. >> seth: it does go by so fast [ cheers and applause >> i'm so sorry. >> seth: it's really funny you knew what you were doing amy sedaris, every - >> i didn't! >> seth: you knew! "girls5eva," streaming now on peacock. we'll right back with michael r. jackson [ cheers and applause ♪ i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. with skyrizi 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months, after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis.

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here at city of refuge, we house up to 26 families. we reduce homelessness, address mental health, provide spaces for addiction to be broken, create spaces of healing and restoration. for the first time ever, prop 27 will provide permanent funding for organizations like ours. saying yes to prop 27 means more people get the assistance that they nee they get someone to partner in such a way to see transformation come to them. yes on prop 27, because there's no place like home. [ cheers and applause ♪ >> seth: our next guest is a pulitzer prize-winning and tony-nominated playwright whose critically-acclaimed new musical "a strange loop" is currently on broadway at the lyceum theatre fresh off the musical's 11 tony nominations, please welcome to

the show michael r. jackson, everybody. [ cheers and applause ♪ ♪ >> seth: how are you, michael? >> i'm doing pretty great, seth. >> seth: you've already won a pulitzer you are now nominated 11 times for the tony award is it sinking in exactly how people have responded to your show >> uh, it's sinking. >> seth: yeah. >> i don't know if it's quite gotten fully there yet, but it's there. >> seth: it is really, really exciting and i think one of the things that's coolest about this show is, when people comment on it, they stress how unique it is were you setting out to make a show that was unique, compared to what we tend to find on broadway >> i mean, when i first set out to work on this show, i was 23-years-old i was just writing like a sort of life raft for myself.

so i don't -- and i definitely wanted it to be, you know, specific and nuanced and complex, but i had no real thoughts about what anybody else would think about it >> seth: so, did that put less pressure on you, because you weren't setting out to, you know, make this thing that would take the world by storm? >> yeah, 'cause, like, back then, no one cared who i was like, at all [ laughter ] so i was like, "i'll just do whatever i want. >> seth: and you've referred to it as not autobiographical, but self-referential >> yeah. >> seth: what is the distinction there? >> for me, "autobiography" sort of suggests that there's a 1-to-1 ratio of events to my life, and i would say it's more emotionally autobiographical i felt everything that the protagonist feels, but we have different life experiences, and the details are different. >> seth: so it is about an usher named usher. >> mm-hmm. >> seth: you were a broadway usher? >> i was, indeed >> seth: do you feel like that was a skill or an experience, i should say, that made you more skilled in trying to write a musical like this?

>> yes, because i didn't want to usher anymore. [ laughter ] so i needed to write something that could, like, propel me out of that life >> seth: but would you -- i mean, did you get a chance to see show after show after show >> oh, i saw more than show after show after show. >> seth: yeah. >> i mean, i was, like, constantly you know, in the back of the house of "the lion king." night after night, watching the animals, watching the animals. [ light laughter ] watching, you know, the people down the aisles. >> seth: usher, in the show, names names. there are some real people that are commented on >> for sure. >> seth: did you think in the writing, ever, "oh, i might have to take this out one day"? >> i did, and then, like, there was this one draft where i think i, like, changed the name to, like, skyler terry and i was like - and then my director was like, "get the hell out of here. you're not doing that. so we left it the same and then, ever since then, i felt like i had full permission. >> seth: that's very nice. so, the song tonight is called "inner white girl. and so, again, this is this is self-referential this is something that is true

of you can you speak a little bit about what this song is about? >> yeah, like, i sort of, as a teenager was, like, as angsty as you could get. and i was like, just coming out and, like, feeling, you know, like, you know, sad and emo all the time and of course, enter tori amos via my cousin, who, like, gave me her first two albums, "little earthquakes" and "under the pink." and i sort of one night, turned all the lights off, put my headphones on, get under the covers, and then tori amos starts singing to me and i was a goner. [ laughter ] >> seth: and we were also talking backstage, our shared love affair for liz phair, as well >> yeah, liz phair was, um - in my 20s when i was, like, just feeling, like, even more emo, but a little more punk rock about it >> seth: yeah. [ light laughter ] >> and, like, wandering around new york city, just, like, hating everything in my life and everyone and liz is, like, really good music to have for you for that moment >> seth: yeah, i agree i think if i -- she's the closest thing i have to an inner white girl, is liz phair that is the most i've listened to on headphones i feel like she makes me feel very cool for hating everything. >> she does, because she has such a, like, a really badass sense of humor and, like, a lot

of candor as she sort of speaks about her experiences through the characters in her songs. >> seth: this is also very exciting it's no pulitzer, mind you, but you saw tori amos in concert last night >> yes >> seth: tonight you are going again, backstage you're going to meet her for the first time >> meet her tonight, which is so surreal. >> seth: how do you think it's gonna go what are you worried about or excited about? >> i'm worried that i might, you know, cry all over [ laughter ] like, everything that she's wearing and, like, make a complete imbecile of myself. [ laughter ] >> seth: what are her expectations is she aware of what a big part of the show she is and a big part of your story >> i don't think so. i think i've kept that pretty close to the vest, because then she might not let me come back and see her. [ laughter ] >> seth: now, after the success of the show, like -- you know, it must be so exciting it was this monday when you find out about all the nominations. like, do you now have a -- what is your anticipation, leading up to the tonys? is it mostly just excitement do you think you'll get nervous as it gets closer? >> i'll definitely get nervous, but it's excitement,

especially -- just for me, because, like, i get to celebrate so many of the people in my company. and that, for me, in a lot of ways, was way more exciting than any nomination i got, because i've been working with a lot of these people in the cast for up to 15 years and -- like, on this show and so getting to, like, celebrate them, for me, is gonna be, like, the best part. >> seth: so this is -- i mean, i think this is really -- because i think people might read about this show and hear about this show and think that this was, like, an overnight success >> oh, yeah. so overnight >> seth: but i think it's a really important thing for people - >> yeah, george w. bush had just been, like, re-elected or elected, like, when i was first working on this. >> seth: yeah, so sometimes i think it's a good -- i don't know, a good reminder that sometimes you have to put your nose to the grindstone and push through a lot of stuff >> yeah, i think, like, for me, the thing that i learned about making art and working on this piece is that it's worth it to take your time and that's something i always tell, like, young students when i talk to them and they're sort of, like, ready to, like, put their work on an

assembly line and for it to chart, you know, at number one, two minutes later. i'm like, "no, i spent 18 years working on a musical, so good luck." [ laughter ] >> seth: do you think, if you looked back -- i mean, i'm sure you still have it, but how massively different is what it is now, versus the first time you put it down on the page? >> i mean, it's different in terms -- in the sense that, like, when i started it, it was a monologue. >> seth: yeah. >> and now it's, like, a musical. but, like, the core ideas and the feelings that i was trying to capture are the same. so i've been sort of really trying to track that all the way from the beginning >> seth: well, i'm very excited that we get to see a performance tonight. and thank you so much for being here congratulations on everything. >> thank you [ cheers and applause >> seth: michael r. jackson, everybody. "a strange loop" is playing at the lyceum theatre, and you can now stream tracks from the broadway cast recording. stick around we'll be right back with a performance from "a strange loop." [ cheers and applause ♪

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[ cheers and applause ♪ >> seth: michael r. jackson's pulitzer prize-winning musical tells the story of usher, a queer black playwright and artist who is both visited and tortured by the thoughts in his head while attempting to finish a musical about his life and make sense of his own, "a strange loop." earlier this week, the show was nominated for 11 tony awards making their broadcast debut, performing "inner white girl," please welcome jaquel spivey, the cast, and musicians from broadway's "a strange loop." [ cheers and applause ♪ ♪ ♪ on days his blackness feels like another hurdl that won't get out of his way ♪ ♪ his inner white gir starts kicking like a baby she wants to come ou and play ♪

♪ she doesn't care if she ruffles any feathers in fact that is her m.o. ♪ ♪ where he's the king of avoiding confrontatio there's not a bomb she won't throw ♪ ♪ because white girls can do anythin can't they ♪ ♪ black boys must alway obey their mothers white girls can do anythin can't they ♪ ♪ can't the can't they can't they ♪ ♪ some days he feels like his blacknes is a treasure ♪ ♪ that's unde constant attac hey hey hey he hey hey hey hey ♪ ♪ his inner white gir protects it from marauders she always takes u the slack ♪ ♪ hey hey hey hey hey hey hey ♪ ♪ she lets him feel lik a human supernov like he coul conquer the earth ♪ ♪ like he's the heir to the

power and oppression her kind hav wielded since birth ♪ ♪ because white girls can do anythin can't they ♪ ♪ black boys must alway obey their mothers white girls can do anythin can't they ♪ ♪ can't the can't they can't they ♪ ♪ they get to be cool tall vulnerabl and luscious ♪ ♪ they get to be wild and unwise they get to be shy and introspective ♪ ♪ they get to make nois they get to mesmeriz black boys don't get to be cool ♪ ♪ tall vulnerable and luscious don't get to be wild and unwise ♪ ♪ don't get to be shy and introspectiv don't get to make nois don't get to fantasize ♪

♪ his blackness doesn't look blue in any moonlight which makes hi harder to see ♪ ♪ that's why he clings to his silly inner white girl the same one clinging to me ♪ ♪ we wanna be fre we wanna belon we want unearned love or validation ♪ ♪ but neither come easily so her siren son keeps us in tota subjugation ♪ ♪ cool tall vulnerable and lusciou we want to be wild and unwise ♪ ♪ we want to be shy and introspectiv we want to make nois we wanna mesmerize ♪ ♪ why can't we be coo tall vulnerabl and luscious ♪ ♪ why can't we expres in our own way why can't we unleash what's locked inside us ♪ ♪ who made up these rules

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26 is a money grab that doesn't guarantee a cent for non-gaming tribes. 27 requires 15% of all state revenues go to non-gaming tribes. the choice is clear. yes, on 27. ♪ [ cheers and applause >> announcer: the audience is back at "late night. come join us live in studio 8g for tickets head over to latenightsethtickets.com and for more "late night," follow us on instagram, twitter, and tiktok @latenightseth. be sure to check us out on youtube, facebook, and over at latenightseth.com. subscribe to the "late night podcast," featuring "a closer look" and more available on apple, spotify, google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. ♪

here at city of refuge, we house up to 26 families. we reduce homelessness, address mental health, provide spaces for addiction to be broken, create spaces of healing and restoration. for the first time ever, prop 27 will provide permanent funding for organizations like ours. saying yes to prop 27 means more people get the assistance that they nee they get someone to partner in such a way to see transformation come to them. yes on prop 27, because there's no place like home. ♪ ♪ whether someone is across the neighborhood, across the street, or across the room, you have the power to make them feel right at home. ♪ ♪ ritz. a taste of welcome. [ cheers and applause ♪

>> seth: i want to thank my guests, amy sedaris, michael r. jackson, jaquel spivey, the cast and musicians from "a strange loop." [ cheers and applause for tickets to the most tony-nominated show of the year, please visit strangeloopmusical.com i want to thank derrick wright, the 8g band. stay safe. get vaccinated get boosted. we love you, everybody [ cheers and applause ♪ ♪ ♪