01x01 - . 55%

[bunniefuu]

Hi. I'm ziwe,
actress, model, pop

Star. Last summer,
I went viral for

Asking hard-hitting questions.
How many do you have?

And now I famously have
a tv show starring me.

Today on "ziwe," I'll be talking
about white women, 55% of which.

Voted for [ bleep ]
in the last election.

This is up from the 52%
that voted against the first

Presidential nominee. So
what has white women feeling

Angry enough to
march on washington?

The white lady's f*cking crazy.

Fran lebowitz is one of new
york city's most iconic figures

So I invited the legendary
author and thought leader to the

Show. She shares
with us who is really

In charge of things,
what she thinks of me.

You could be miss america.

Wow, drag me.

And so much more.

The civil rights movement
itself really works.

And later we talk to the
world's most famous feminist,

Gloria steinem for
even more insight.

I'm sure people will
get mad at me, but...

"Ziwe" starts right now.

My guest today is a legend,
and I have idolized her since

She said yes to this interview.
Please welcome fran lebowitz.

Thank you.

Fran, thank you
for doing the show.

You're welcome. I'm trying
to bring back you're

Welcome because otherwise,
you see what happens.

You say, thank you, I say, thank
you for having me, you say,

Thank you for being here,
and then it doesn't end.

It's an endless
cycle until we die.

That's right.

I'm honored that you're doing
the show, but my question is,

Why did you agree to this?
Do you know who I am?

I don't have the slightest
idea who you are.

Someone who worked for you
was incredibly persistent.

Incredibly persistent to the
point where this just seemed

Easier.

Shoutout to the persistence
of women of color, really.

Yes, or any persistence.

One of your conditions of
doing this interview was

Absolutely no games.

That's correct.

Is that standard for white
women to come on to a show and

Dictate how it's supposed to go?

Only black women think white
women are in charge of things.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Usually I make you walk
behind, I introduce you, but I

Don't know if you
want to do that.

I'm fine.

You're fine.

Let me tell you some things.
Okay, so, now, it's not my... To

Play games.

Is that a racial
choice, fran lebowitz?

I don't play them
on jimmy fallon.

I don't play games period. It
has nothing to do with race.

It has to do with my
own lack of playfulness.

You're equal
opportunity no nonsense.

Yep.

What bothers you more,
slow walkers of racism?

Is that real a question?
Well, what bothers me,

Day-to-day, like, obviously,
I encounter slow walkers.

However, obviously, it's...
They're not comparable.

What percentage of
white women do you hate?

And there is a right answer.

Yeah. There's no right answer.

I actually never
thought about this.

I would say... I would say that
I am less concerned with race

Than you are.

Really?

Yes.

Well, that's your life.

I could tell you this. I do
not hate anyone because of

Their race.

This tracks. You don't
hate black people.

You hate idiots and that's
any color, any creed.

It's what martin luther king
preached about, actually.

A lot of people notice how
much we have in common.

I would argue that you are
the martin luther king of, you

Know, women writers
who are satirical.

No argument.

Next, on "ziwe,".

I know no one is ever
allowed to criticize obama.

Here you go.

Oh, thank you.

You seem down. Is
everything all right?

I'm worried about my daughter.

Why, did she smack you?

No. It's her dolls.

I just wish she'd play with
something more educational.

What about american girl dolls?

American girl dolls?
Aren't those for lesbians?

Not anymore. Thanks
to the american girl

Dolls imperial wives collection.

Imperial wives
collection? I'm listening.

The american girl dolls
imperial wives collection is for

Normal girls, inspired by the
wives of some of history's most

Important colonizers.
Like mrs. Winslow.

She comes with a bible
covered in smallpox.

Or the countess. Her
husband steals rubber from

The african congo, and look,
under her gloves, there's blood

On her hands. Or mrs.
President's wife.

Oh no, we're out of oil money.
Honey, time to b*mb the middle

East again. Or andrea.

Look, she comes with a copy
of "white fragility" and a key

To a condo in a black
neighborhood that her republican

Parents paid for. American
girl dolls imperial

Wives collection.

Wow. Where do I
get these gorgeous

Dolls?

The store.

Oh. I'll go there and buy them.

I know no one is ever allowed
to criticize obama, but obama...

Why do you start
a snans like that?

Because every time I criticize
obama, everyone yells

At me. The main
criticism I have of

Obama is that he lost a chance
when the 2008 crash happened.

You know, that was a real
chance to do what was real.

[ Bleep ] obviously this
is, you know, my opinion.

[ Bleep ]. I'm sure
people will get mad at

Me.

Wow. That makes me really sad to

Think. Are you a socialist?

Wait, fran.

I have actually probably... Am
more left now than when I was

Young.

Oh, really?

Unnatural. Like joe
biden, I was very

Happy, obviously, that he won.

Yes.

Joe biden's to the
right of me now.

So, hey, shoutout, comrade fran.

Have you ever, like, demanded
to speak to a manager before?

I have asked to speak to
the manager at whole foods.

I asked to speak to the manager
when I had been waiting in line

For 55 minutes in the line.

At whole foods?

Yes. 55 Minutes.

I asked because why were
there so many people in line?

Because there were only four
people working the... Whatever

You call, the cash
registerer thing.

Whatever they're called.

I think they're called
cash registerers.

They're still called
cash registers?

Whatever they're called. I
asked to speak to a manager.

Where do you stand on
affirmative action?

It depends what
people mean by it.

It benefits white ladies mostly.

Really?

Yeah, starting with
the funding for...

That was for sports. You
know, there is this idea

That all white people,
especially men, you know,

Achieve everything on their own,
and truthfully, almost no one

Does. Mostly people
need a little

Help.

Whenever I'm applying for a
job, I imagine what would a

White guy do?

What they do is get born.

You talk about this in the
"vanity fair" interview where

You look for... It's not black
geniuses that you want to see.

It's the black imbeciles.
So I personally cannot wait

Until ziwe jr. Is getting
nepotism left and right.

That's success.

What I'm saying is that the
civil rights movement itself

Really worked for what they
used to tall the talented tenth.

But the untalented 90th, I
didn't say imbeciles, I just.

Said untalented. The
untalented 90th, and its.

White counterparts, what about
these people, which is most

People.

Shoutout to all the stupids.
They deserve rights too.

Stupid rights. Stupid rights.

American girl dolls
imperial wives collection.

You know, that's
not what this is.

I know.

Are there too many white
women in new york and should

They go back to
where they came from?

There are not... No. It's
not the whiteness or lack

Of whiteness. You seem
not to believe me.

But it's true.

I believe that you are not
concerned with how annoying

White women can be, but is that
in part because you are yourself

A white lady?

I think I have been
incredibly accommodating.

I've had like 50 covid tests in
the last 48 hours, so I think I

Should not be one
of those people.

No, I would argue that you
are a beacon of white hope.

I would argue you are the
great white hope, if anything.

And that in combination with
being martin luther king.

Perfect.

One of my favorite things
about you is that you called

Bill de blasio an idiot.
I think that is so funny.

Bill de blasio since
said he ran on cp time.

Do you know what that is?

I do know.

Why would he say that?

Because he's an idiot.

What would it take for you
to vote for me as mayor?

Well, I would have to know
more about you than I do now.

I'm a young woman that loves
people of all colors and creeds.

Then you could be miss america.

Okay, wow, drag me.

Next, more fran lebowitz
after this misleading cliff

Hanger. Race w*r.

Whose team are you on, black
people or white people?

American girl dolls
imperial wives collection.

American girl dolls
imperial wives collection.

In stores now.

Race w*r. Whose team
are you on, black

People or white people?

Is there a race
w*r? Did I miss it?

I'm hoping there not to
be a real w*r like that.

Yeah, that would suck.

The race w*r you have in this
country, this is just a losing

Battle. This will end.

Okay, I pray. I pray
for the sweet relief.

It's not going to end in time.

We want it to end, you
know, ten years ago.

It won't.

I think that's a great
note to leave on.

That's good because I always
end giving people hope.

You are the great white hope.
Could you sign my metropolitan?

I'll give credit to
you if you want me to.

My dear friend, ziwe... Oh,
she's just writing her name.

I don't know how
to spell your name.

Oh, wow. Z-i-w-e.

Your peer, fran lebowitz.
Don't give me that look.

Oh, okay. She's drawing.

Wow. Thank you.

You're welcome.

On a scale of, I never want to
see you again to, wow, you're

Perfect, how would you
rate this interview?

Well, obviously, perfect.

Oh, oh my god, thank you,
fran, for doing the show.

You are a beacon of intellect.

Blonde, brunette, happy,
carefree, number one mom,

Suburbia, neighbors, security,
bake sale, black friends, okay,

Well, a couple. Really, zero.

But still. He doesn't live here.

Hi, can I help you? Police?


Where your kids are?

White women. Got to love them.

Barbecue karen and barbecue
becky, the legacies you surely

Recall but those
ladies fair cannot

Compare to the harlot
who started it all

Lisa was a gal who had
the world on a string

They say even her telephone
had a diamond ring

But despite the vast
advantages that helped her

Ahead her ego was
as fragile as a

Porcelain bed lisa
called the cops on black

People lisa called
the cops on black

People to give herself
a rush of power

Now lisa lived in a
high-rise down by the mall

She had no friends and
she would wand the halls

She saw a black neighbor
was checking his mail

She said, oh,
you're going to jail

Lisa called the
cops on black people

Even just for taking a stroll

Lisa called the cops on black
people to give herself a sense

Of control before you
try to cancel her,

You ought to know, lisa
passed away about a month ago

She met some police of
color and had a heart attack

She cried, who do I call when
the cops that I call on the

Black man is black oh,
lisa called the cops on

Black people just
because her heart was a

Shell lisa called
the cops on black

People but now she has
to call them from hell

Lisa called the
cops on black people

Lisa called the
cops on black people

She called on people
right in this song

She called the police on me

Karen, a pejorative slang
term for obnoxious, angry,

Entitled and often r*cist
middle-aged white women who use

Their privilege to demand their
way at the expense of others.

Urban dictionary.

He didn't even have your phone.

I get it.

Hi, I'm karen.

Hi, my name is karen.

Hi, I'm karen.

Hi, I'm karen.

Now, karen, you know that
karen has become a pejorative

Term for some reason. How
does that make you feel?

When that first meme came out
and it said it was, like, the,

You know, call your manager,
that, I thought was funny,

Because I am that. My
kids sent it to me right

Away. They're like,
oh my gosh, mom,

Look at this, and it became
not funny really quickly.

It started out with jan cook
saying, like, your worst friend

In your friend group is karen,
and that was in 2014, and it was

A stand-up thing. Then
it became, like, karens,

You know, calling the cops.

But call it what it is. If
the action is r*cist, don't

Put a label on it.
Don't put a name on it.

Don't put karen on it.

I think the point is, with
all the videos that have come

Out, is how common place this
behavior is among white women.

I think it should be stopped.

When amy cooper pulled her
horrific stunt, I was like,

Okay, you know, now it should
be amys, you know what I mean?

Sorry to amys, but I was like,
she just trumped every karen

There ever was, you
know what I mean?

I have two good
friends named amy.

I find it offending because
her name isn't karen so now

We're being r*cist.
Think about it.

Right now, we're classifying all
karens are going to be like her.

That's not true.

It's sexism. It's ageist.

But I feel like it's a small
sacrifice to make for racial

Justice.

You're a karen to the cause.

Yes, I grew up in
multicultural settings, which I

Think does help, plus I travel
a lot and I have... I'm half

Jewish and half w.a.s.p. Which
turns out to be a quarter

Norwegian and I'm 1.5% pygmy,
if you really look at your dna.

We're all a mix of everything.
And we all came from africa.

We all came from africa.

Right.

Do you think karens'
lives matter?

I think that karens live
matter because if karens lives

Don't matter, no lives matter.

I don't disagree with what you
said, but I don't think you

Need to say that
karen lives matter.

Most karens are good people.
You know, have I called the

Manager because
something wasn't right?

Maybe a handful of times.

When was the last time
you called the manager?

Probably because, you know,
it took a really long time to

Sit down to eat. I've
called managers to tell

Them what a great
job people are doing.

Oh.

My husband and i, we actually
kind of mess with the people,

Like, if we have a server,
they'll come over and we'll say,

Oh, is your manager here?
They sweat it out, they're

Nervous, why do they want
to talk to the manager?

And then the manager comes over,
and we'll turn around and say,

My gosh, this one
has been wonderful.

So, I love that.

There are good karens out there.

Wow. And you heard it here.

All right, so, people don't love
the name karen but some people

Are karen and proud. And we
actually have tattoos for

Those who are karen and
proud. Karen and proud.

If we could do anything as
the four karens here, what we

Should do is put it out there,
let's be kind to one another.

Let's... Before we act,
let's think, right?

Wait, is that a good
idea, to call the police?

Karen and proud on three.
One, two, three, karen and

Proud.

I'm with her. No, I'm with her.

I'm with her. No, I'm with her.

No, I'm with her.
No, I'm with her.

And I'm with her and her.

And I'm with her.

I'm with her?

I'm with her.

And I'm with her.

And I'm with her
and I'm with her.

And I'm with her.
And I'm with her.

And I'm with her and her
and her and her and her.

I'm with them all. White women.

Got to love them.

Next, we'll be joined by
gloria steinem, iconic writer,

Lecturer, political activist
has been at the forefront of the

Feminist movement
since the 1960s.

There she is. Hi, gloria.

Thank you so much
for doing my show.

You are a civil rights icon.

No, no, I'm not an icon.
I'm one of the girls.

That's what makes you an icon
is because you don't believe

You're an icon.

No, definitely not.

So, my first question, is there
a space for karens in your

Feminism?

Oh, I mean, depends if
she's... If karen is being

Hostile to people on the basis
of ethnicity or race, class,

Whatever. But you
know, I'm not sure we

Should pick out
a name, you know?

It's kind of mean. What
about all the great people

Named karen.

Karen and proud.

Have you ever called the police
on a black person before?

I've never called the
police on anybody.

Wow. That's a radical act.

Gloria.

Well, I don't know, it may
just be lucky, but I've never

Called the police.

How many black friends do you
have, just ballpark range?

Well, I never counted. But
I lucked into knowing a lot

Of incredibly great women.

I'm intrigued by your
opinions on culture.

Have you ever heard the
song "w.a.p. .fts tell me"

Whether or not this
is a feminist anthem.

There's some who res in this
house, get a bucket and a mop,

That's some wet a*s p*ssy, I'm
talking wap, wap, macaroni in a

Pot, that's some
wet a*s p*ssy, wap

Wap, wap, wap. When you
hear these lyrics do

You feel empowered as a lady?

No.

No?

No, but it depends who wrote it.

The word p*ssy can be
used in all kinds of ways.

p*ssy power on a
shirt, you know.

I think we need to
consider the intent.

Last question for you. Would
you consider yourself the

Face of white feminism or
the white face of feminism?

Feminism either includes all
women or it's not feminism.

Hello?

I mean, this has been
fan-f*cking-tastic.

If you would like
to lean into me.

Yes. Thank you for
taking the time.

It's been such a
pleasure to talk to you.

Such an icon.

I so enjoyed it. It makes
me feel good about the

Future.

Oh god, I don't know
about that, but I hope.

Okay. Thank you.

Okay.

You might not even see but
all the movies of humphrey

Bogart and lauren bacall, have
you ever seen these movies?

I have not.

You should.

I will but if it's in black
and white, sometimes I get

Tired.

You don't bliek black and white?

Is that r*cist?

Yes, it is. I don't
like the white part.