“Would you be interested in an interview on my show? You’d be an iconic guest.”
These are the words often uttered, or tweeted, by hilarious comedian Ziwe Fumudoh — before allowing her often problematic guests to implode before our very eyes.
This week, Jewish comedian and actress Ilana Glazer was one of those guests.
To be clear, Ziwe features guests admired for their work on her self-titled show, in addition to guests known for being problematic. She’s poked fun at Phoebe Bridgers and Bowen Yang — and, of course, at those with more controversial opinions like Chet Hanks, Charlamagne Tha God and Fran Lebowitz. Ilana seemed to fall into the former category.
Still, she apologized for previous mistakes she’s made.
In the episode dealing with climate change, Ziwe asked Ilana if her stand-up special “The Planet Is Burning” helped her profit from climate change, and whether any fossil fuels were used while making “Broad City,” before asking Ilana if she wanted to apologize to any marginalized communities. After a blanket apology and more coaxing from Ziwe, Ilana brought up her “Broad City” catchphrase, “Yas Queen.”
“That was some white woman ignorance. We didn’t know what we were doing there. It was in the ether,” Ilana said directly to the Apology Cam, before concluding, “That was appropriation, and I’m sorry for it.”
Ilana’s apology appears to be the first major public instance of either Abbi or Ilana addressing criticisms of their use of AAVE on “Broad City.”
Ziwe aptly and sardonically wrapped up: “This is an aha moment.”
