and having the opportunity to host it

and have these conversations is that

there are all these black actors that just feel like

family to me,

because they've been in all of the stuff that I've watched,

whether it was sitcoms or movies.

Like you can see Blair Underwood in the show,

and then you go and see this movie

and it's Blair Underwood again, you know?

So it feels like I know y'all, kinda, sorta.

- Hey, girl, hey.

- Hey, it's good to finally meet you in person.

(laughing)

I feel this was especially true in the '90s.

The '90s was just so black, media-wise, movies, television.

- Just so good, yes. - I know.

What was goin' out for roles in the '90s like,

when it was so black?

Was it like, there are so many opportunities around

for everyone?

- Well, lets just talk about how that's, I just miss that.

I miss the fact that you could turn on CBS, ABC, NBC

and there was opportunity and different shows showing us,

showing our family life.

- In different ways--

- Comedies, shoot, sketch comedy, sitcoms,

different things that had our experience on television

that you didn't have like to pay for, that you didn't have

to have your Netflix, or whatever,

to get true, authentic stories about us and our race.

But again, different moments in our families,

so I would love to see that come back.

- Well, I'm optimistic that we can make--

- Oh, we can keep hope alive, now!

- That we can make media black again!

- Absolutely, all the way around.

- All the way around.

- Just have the diversity.

- At least try.

- Try a little harder.

- Try a little harder.

There you go, there you go.

In the '90s you were one of the it girls

as far as Black Hollywood, Black media.

You were on shows-

- Was I considered that?

I guess-

- I think so, I mean remember the essence cover

with Halle Berry-

- True that, true that. - And Loretta Devine?

Yeah, I would absolutely class you in those ladies.

This is just gonna be like an hour-long love fest,

so I hope you're okay with compliments.

- Okay, okay, I'll be okay, I'll be okay.

- Okay, I'm not so I also apologize.

- I'll be all right, I'll make it through.

- Okay.

But yeah, you were on shows that like everybody loved

and everybody watched, "The Fresh Prince,"

"Family Matters," "Steve Harvey," and this is all before

getting your own sitcom.

- Yeah.

- What was it like to be a part

of so many different sitcoms?

Like, was the energy different on each set?

Is it sort of like, "Okay, this is a Black sitcom, we know

"how this works?"

or just like-

- Yeah I think it's two parts, right?

One thing we know about Hollywood, or I'll say I know

about Hollywood, is they like something new.

- Yeah.

- I was a new girl, I was a new, fresh face.

You know, it really kind of came easy, because again,

this industry likes new, so someone that they hadn't seen

on everything before.

So, I do believe that as an actor it is easier in that

beginning of your career when, you know, it's like,

oh, let's have her,

that's somebody new that people are talking about,

okay, then let's have her over here

because that's somebody that's new

that they're talking about.

You know?

So I believe that played into it a lot.

it was always fun,

it is always fun to be the guest star.

- Was there any point while you were guest-starring

where you were like, okay, this is fun and it's cute

but like I'm ready to like be the star-star

and not the guest star?

- Here's what I'll say about me.

(laughing)

As calculated as I am now in my life,

I wish I was calculated back then.

I wasn't calculated.

It was all so new to me,

every opportunity was like,

"Oh, this is great."

I think now, looking back,

If I knew what I know now about the industry,

it would've been way more conversations with my people

and agents and managers about, okay, now I have this body

of work, now we need to take that to different networks

and show them what I've been doing,

and show them that I could possibly have my own show

or create my own show.

I was really, honestly, figuring it all out, still,

you know so that's what I'll say.

It was all great, but my plan was not as strategic

as it probably should have been,

me not even thinking of that at the time.

- That makes sense.

I feel like that would've been me, as well.

- Just happy, happy-go-lucky.

And just like, okay, we working everything is paid

for, okay, cool, great.

- Families eating

- "What's the next one?"

- "Fantastic."

(laughing)

- Is there any guest-starring role

that was your favorite?

Or, I don't know if it's like how you can't pick

a favorite kid, so I won't-

- Oh, that's easy though!

No, that's easy.

- Oh, okay, go ahead!

- So especially back then, The Fresh Prince.

The Fresh Prince, first of all, when I did it

was like, that show on television.

- Oh my gosh, I never missed an episode.

- It was right when it was the biggest thing on television,

and you know, first of all, meeting Pam Grier.

I had never met Pam Grier.

- Oh my gosh.

- So, when I met Pam Grier on set she was so nice,

and she was like, girl, look, I do my own makeup.

If you don't like what they doing, you do it yourself.

'Cause they don't know what's goin' on girl, you better do

what you know that's gonna make you look good.

Don't be coming out there like...

She was all of that.

You know?

- That's a good point 'cause I'd imagine that-

- She was great, she was amazing, and to this day people

just love that episode that she played my mom.

- So, so good.

- It was so fun, and the whole,

"Oh, you slept with Candace!"

People will say it to me, people just love that episode.

- Let me know, I will be good.

(laughing)

- God forbid.

(laughing)

- [Elise] "Are you on click?"

Some just say no.

(laughing)

- [Tracy] Okay.

(laughing)

We set.

- [Elise] Oh okay.

- [Producer] Sorry, you don't have to fully answer

the question cause we got it, but--

- [Elise] Oh I'm sorry, which one we doing?

- [Producer] We're just redoing the Essence cover,

and she's gonna ask you what you remember

from being a part of it,

if you could just like,

answer it and just say few sentences, and then we can stop.

- Yeah, just like for 10 seconds.

(producers talk amongst each other)

All right, so the late nineties, I consider truly the golden

era for black people on television.

And I feel like the best example of this is the Essence

cover that you were on Ford's 30th anniversary cover.

I mean not a big deal, it was just you, Queen Latifah,

Michael Michelle, Loretta Devine, Vivica Fox, Halle Berry

Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina King,

you know, just yeah.

You were soon starring in your own

sitcom, "The Hughleys" 1998 through 2002.

I was a fan of it,

like from the very beginning because I was really, really

into stand up comedy when I was younger.

Still am.

And I remember D.L. Hughley as a host of comic view.

I was like, this is going to be funny.

And it was funny.

It was one of my favorite shows.

Did you have to audition for this role?

Because again, like during this time,

like you're kind of everywhere.

- No I didn't, no, I didn't.

But let's talk about that for a moment.

Now we're in this moment of, you know, people creating.

African Americans creating content and how important

that is and how that is helpful to people's careers

and acknowledging people who can have the ability

to have ideas and create them.

So I like to emphasize the fact that, you know, D.L.

and his comedy and everything was the creator executive

producer of The Hughleys.

- I do not think I realized that.

- And people don't know that this was all a brainchild

from the comedy that he did,

that ABC came to him and gave him his own show off

of what he had already accomplished.

So they took that and made that the show.

So I think, you know, even he does, I mean he doesn't

really talk about that, but that is the truth,

that it was all a brainchild off of the comedy

that made that show happen.

And no, I didn't audition for it.

This was after, you know, and in the beginning of my career

I was considered more of, cause you say a film actress

coming from Rosewood, then Money Talks

and then after that, thank you,

and then doing The Hughleys.

So ABC offered me The Hughleys, which was a blessing

because you know, they thought we look well together

playing husband and wife, but you know, being

my first sitcom, that was my second television show.

But my first sitcom, you know, I learned a lot on that set

and learned a lot about having the position of being

the star, you know, and what that means.

And it was fun behind the scenes to be able to go,

oh, we're gonna have like your cousin and this.

It'd be like, who do you like?

And being in that process.

Oh yeah, I love Vivica.

Vivica played like my cousin on this show.

- So, your input was considered--

- They would ask, you know, who do you like?

And I was like, okay, this is cool.

And I just loved being on that show.

And I think people also forget how, you know,

not on the nose political, but it was very political

about living in a neighborhood that, you know,

you were the outsiders coming into a neighborhood

that maybe people didn't think that you fit.

And a community embracing us and how we as a family dealt

with those different things and our, you know,

other race neighbors and all of those things

and how we still had issues and problems

but stuck together as a family.

I think it was really an important show that people

seem to forget that.

And I think, you have lots of, you know,

different shows that have embraced those themes

like The Neighborhood, like Black-ish,

like things like that,