JERMAINE FOWLER

I was raised watching sitcoms, and I love long-form comedy.

I've always navigated my way around the comedy writing rooms because I didn't want to cater to this side and that side; I just wanted to be liked by everybody.

'V for Vendetta' is an amazing movie, and it had an obvious message, but it was done so perfectly. I got out of the movie, and I wanted to march so hard. I wanted to be an activist.

I'm a movie fanatic. I watch probably four movies a day - not because I'm a lunatic, but because I just love movies.

I could never lie to someone to benefit myself, so telemarketing was something I was terrible at!

I do everything with a purpose, and I don't really pay attention to the negativity.

Flying is just such a hassle. If I had a million dollars, I would teleport.

In Hollywood, it's not what you know but who you know.

I grew up watching people and companies commercialize Black History Month. I watched old McDonald's commercials, and they'd blacken up the commercials for 28 days then go back to normal in March. It got annoying to me.

I have a lot of energy, and as you get to know me, you will quickly learn that! I channel my energy into my acting, my writing, everything.

My friend gave me a VHS tape of Eddie Murphy's 'Raw.' I watched it so many times, I fell in love with it. I would watch it every day, just picking it apart. And then I started doing open mics around Maryland and D.C.: that's where I'm from. And I haven't stopped since.

My dad kicked me out of the house when I was 18. I was supposed to go to community college. I wasn't really into going because I wanted to do stand-up, and he felt I was wasting my time.

I used to record 'Futurama' episodes on my cassette player and play it to help me go to sleep.

You can't teach standup comedy. You can teach someone how to formulate a joke, but making it funny is different.

I don't do anything for press.

I love comedy, but more than that, I love comedy that has a message and that has some stakes.

When I got nominated class clown in school, I remember my mom said, 'Don't be no clown.' So I went to my vice principal in my school and said, 'Can we change this to just the funniest?'

We can all agree that the best part of 'Black Panther' was his female army, the Dora Milaje. They made the movie.

I sat down with CBS, and we talked about me developing a show for them. At the time, I was meeting with a lot of networks. And I told them, 'I don't want to be acting on your show as the token black guy. I want to do something that will change a network and will change the way people view African-Americans on TV.'

I got into standup because I wanted to be an actor, and then I ended up loving standup for the next eleven years.

I'm pretty much a comic that dwells on what happened to me instead of what's happening to me.

I started pursuing stand-up comedy in 12th grade.

I see myself touring internationally - everywhere, every theater, every arena - and putting out stand-up comedy specials until I can't even stand no more. Even then, I'll probably do my comedy special in a hospital bed.

Knowing what jokes will work is second nature; you just feel it.

Spider-Man is supposed to be 'neighborhood friendly,' but I've never seen that dude at a Black Lives Matter march.