IMO Live: Give Your Parents Grace with Quinta Brunson

19:44Craig Robinson:You don't get the title. That was the crazy part about it. I don't enjoy driving, but I had like the juice. My friends would call me and be like, oh my God, I'm downtown. Do you think your dad can get me in? I'm like, hey, let me call my dad real quick. It was great. It was so cool. You were living like, what was your neighborhood like? What was school like? My neighborhood, that's a good question. My family did a really good job of making me feel like I lived in like full house. You know, like, you know, I didn't know that outside my neighborhood was more like The Wire. I wasn't really that aware.

20:28Craig Robinson:I think everybody here can relate. Something I really love about Chicagoans and feel a kinship there. We all thought we were rich. And I think that's kind of like a testament to a really good family. And it wasn't protectiveness. It was, you're a child and you deserve to live in a nice environment. But yeah, one day I was outside and I was like jumping rope with my girlfriend. Double Dutch. With my girlfriends. And then there was like a drive-by. Oh, yeah. And that happened. And we just ran behind the, on my porch, there was like a little barrier. We had a, what do you call it? Outdoor perch. and then we like stood up and then this kid I knew came limping down the street and blood dripping from his leg and I was like man that's so crazy that that happened to him and then I was like wait could it happen to me?

21:27And then

21:28Craig Robinson:I remember that being a moment of ooh my parents were doing it was summer I was outside by my I probably was about 12 I would say yeah cause we moved out of that neighborhood when I was 14 but they did a good job of making me feel like it wasn't as tough as it was because it was a rough neighborhood. Did having the older brothers and sisters, were they kind of your protectors? Yes. I know you knew that you had to be able to throw some hands. I know you write about that. Yes, I knew I needed to know how to fight, and I do know how to fight. You were just like, by the way. Really well. Just so it happened.

22:11Craig Robinson:You just messed up You look like somebody He could fight Thank you Quinto messed up I think It's like I'm like I think Right now? Quinto Right now? Right this second? It's just like That wasn't the look I was going for I can tell you multitudes I guess that's good Yeah No yeah They knew how to fight We never fought each other And we weren't fighters You know Fighting I don't want to fight But you have to If you need to In a city like that Once again Girls I'm just I don't feel like... Don't fight. It's not... If you can resolve it in other ways, please do it. Yeah. That's true. That's true. I've only been in, like, two physical fights, and I'm very proud of that.

22:54Craig Robinson:Yeah, and a lot of people haven't been in one. Yeah, we can clap for that. Somebody's clapping for the fights. That's good. That's good. I feel like you guys should take the reins now. This is why I don't want to do this. No, we love this. We love you. Yeah, this is great.

23:16This episode is brought to you in part by United Airlines, Chicago's hometown airline where good leads the way. So Mish, I have to ask, when you're on the plane coming back to Chicago and you catch a glimpse of the skyline over Lake Michigan, what comes to your mind?

23:36Craig Robinson:That's my favorite part of the flight. I mean, I try to make it a point to stop everything that I'm doing and make sure that I'm looking out the window. Because I don't know about you, but I try to outline where we are. Because the beautiful thing about Chicago, it's a grid system. And it's one of the easiest cities to get around in. And you can sort of track your whole neighborhood, right? So I try to find out where's the house? Do I see mom's house? Do I see where you guys used to live? Even though it's a little bitty dot, it's just exciting. You have an idea. No, I feel that. I feel that same way.

24:16Every time I land at O 'Hare, there's this specific moment where I just exhale. Like, okay, I'm back. This is where it all started. And even after traveling the world, I still think Chicago is one of the most beautiful electric cities on the planet. And that feeling never gets old. Do you have any special feelings about the city like that?

24:43Craig Robinson:Oh, my God. It's the exact same thing. I mean, I have traveled the world and my heart is still in Chicago. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Grant Park and now Jackson Park is going to be just as beautiful because, you know, shameless plug, but the Obama Presidential Center is going to be a part of that skyline. The lakefront is amazing. I mean, it's just such a livable city. And when it's not freezing cold, which is the summertime, it's alive with so much going on. Festivals and art museums and great shopping and some of the best food you can have. So yeah, Chicago is still my favorite city in the country, probably in the world.

25:32And United is part of that. They've been part of this city for 90 years, shaped by the same grit and work ethic Chicago is known for. Mish, what does home mean to you?

25:44Craig Robinson:I've learned that home isn't about the house you're in. It's about the people who are in the house, right? So we've had to learn, you know, leaving Chicago, our hometown, to start a new life in Washington and living in the White House, one of my fears was that it wouldn't feel like home. But the best thing I learned was that home is wherever family is. Well, Chicago is forever our hometown. And as Chicago's hometown airline, United Airlines can connect you to the world with more destinations than any other airline. On more new planes with screens at every seat, Bluetooth connectivity, and bigger overhead bins.

26:28Book your next flight on the United app or at united.com.

26:39Craig Robinson:Now, your parents were wonderful role models to you. There was a lot of love, but there was a period where you were going through some contentious times. Sure. With your mother in particular. Oh, yeah. Can you talk about that? Because I bet there isn't a girl in this room who isn't mad at their mother, right? You know? Even the 60-year-olds. I know. And, you know, it was in college, really, where I, once again, didn't know what she was trying to protect me from. Yeah. And that's where we started having issues. We were so solid before that. But in college, it just felt like she was holding on for dear life or she didn't trust me.

27:26And I just didn't understand. I was doing, like I said, I was doing improv and I wasn't doing drugs. I was, well, I wasn't, I was, I wasn't doing anything bad. I wasn't doing anything bad.

27:38Craig Robinson:You weren't doing anything illegal technically. Yeah. I wasn't doing anything bad. Anything that everybody else wasn't doing. I was a really good kid. So I just didn't understand. And my mom and I got into it one day after when I was getting out of the car, she was dropping me off at a friend's house. And I just really I was never disrespectful. But I asked her, like, what is going on? What is your deal? Like, you did this. You raised me. You made me who I am. Why are you trying to stop? What, you know, is inevitable. And, you know, I wasn't looking at her as a full human being. It's kind of similar what I'm talking about, where, like, you get to see the full America.

28:14Therefore, you understand it. That's why it's important to learn it. I wasn't seeing the full picture of my mom. I was just looking at her as a mother, but not as a full human being who had lost two siblings to drugs and alcohol and was just trying to protect me from a rough world. But I just didn't understand because she was a dancer and everything and she lived a life.

28:40Craig Robinson:Because you went to Temple, but you lived at home. You didn't live in the dorms. I failed my way to live in the dorms. Yeah, well, you snuck your way into the dorms. Wait a minute, wait a minute, explain this. I commuted my way into the dorms. I like what that says. I had a, there was a friend who, the first day of school, her roommate, I guess dropped out. I don't know what happened to that girl, but she never, I hope she's okay. That girl. But we never told the school, And I just moved in. Oh, why nice. Oh, okay. I always found my way. I was like a couch surfer, hobo. Just moved around campus, stayed on friends' couches.

29:24Where did your parents think you were? I would tell them that I was staying on campus. But there was resistance to that. And I was just like, I'm not doing anything. I was watching, do you know the show Tim and Eric? Are you guys familiar? No.

29:37Craig Robinson:What is it? I'm showing my age. I was watching SNL and comedy shows with my friends on the couch. but that they were just were not, my mom in particular was really not happy. We got over that hump and I'm happy that we did. It took a lot of discussion and communication because I was determined to have a good relationship with my mother and she was determined to have a good relationship with me. And I think if two people are just determined to work it out, it can eventually work, but it took some time. I mean, I think the point you make about seeing your parents as whole people, I remember distinctly When we always had A great relationship with our Parents we were a close knit family All aunts and uncles and cousins They believed in talking to us About things but I think our Parents did the opposite they were like Kicked us out they were like go Try some things don't stay so Close you know they had the same Fears you know but You grow up with your parents And all the adults around you as heroes right because they're so wise um but then one day as you grow up you realize oh man dad's got some issues right yeah yeah and then you

30:57Craig Robinson:and the same thing and she wonders why i was the favorite but you also see it happening from your kids when you have kids yeah when you start when you know So you've got to go through that period where you start growing up. Yes, yes. And then you start realizing what the world has in store. Yeah. And what your parents are really struggling. I'm talking to all you young people here who may be mad or struggling with the adult figures in your lives. It is hard to see those people as real whole people with a set of fears and setting challenges and limitations. And a lot of times parents don't talk about the hard things.

31:41Craig Robinson:No, I mean, they don't want to. You're a kid. They don't want to. But it helps, though. It does, yeah. It helps. But to the parents' defense, sometimes they're just afraid. Totally. And they're afraid for you because they think you don't know what's coming. Yeah. And that's where I thought our parents did a really good job because we found out later how really afraid our parents were to let us go on trips with a basketball team when you're 13 years old. Or go out of the country. Go out of the country for the first time by herself when she's in high school. Or send you off to a school. I went to high school right around the corner here at Mount Carmel High School.

32:33Mostly white school. I've got a couple of friends here who I've been friends with ever since then. They were afraid of all of that. And I want some of these young girls and young people in here to just have a—we're always talking about giving people grace. We never give our parents the grace because— Yes. And sometimes it's too much, right? Misha and I always talk about how parents these days try and curate this perfect existence for their children. So there is something in the middle there. Totally. You can't be too afraid that they can't do anything. And then you can't protect them from everything.

33:15Absolutely. There's a good book I'm reading. It's a tougher read, but I'm getting through it, called The Anxious Generation. Oh, yeah.

33:23Craig Robinson:And it speaks to that so well. It is speaking specifically to technology, social media. But it's true that each generation is going to try to create perimeters based on what they experience. My parents, look, they survived. And I mean, they made their way through the crack era where they were losing friends. Through the AIDS era, losing friends, watching people disappear left and right. You know what I mean? So of course they're trying to protect their children from the things that they've seen. I'm going to try to protect my kids from the things that I've seen. And they're probably going to look at me like I'm crazy because those problems probably still won't.

34:07Craig Robinson:They probably won't exist in the same way. That's right. Or, you know, I hope they won't anyway. I think the Internet is our big painful thing that my generation is dealing with. But, you know, to your point, though, you're right. how much they're afraid of. And I realize it more and more as I get older. If you're fortunate enough to get older, you get it. You start to think about having kids of your own or having kids of your own. And you're just like, I don't even know how my parents had five children. My mom's a teacher. I don't know if you guys heard, they don't make that much. And my dad was managing parking lots.

34:50Craig Robinson:It don't make that much either. He was the king of parking, but still. He was the king. But we're talking about a combined salary of maybe over a little over 100 grand. Yeah. Five kids. I'm doing all right, I think. And I'm still like, if I have one, I'm like, oh, my God, I can never stop working. I have to. I don't know. How am I going to do it? How am I going to do it? But that's the thing that we constantly have to remind ourselves. because we talk to young people like, I don't know if I'm ever going to have kids. I can't afford it. And, you know, our parents were the same way. My mother didn't work until I went to high school because she wanted to be home.

35:27Craig Robinson:She wanted to be involved with the PTA. She wanted to look out for us. She wanted us to be able to come home for lunch. And so that meant we were living off of one. My dad was a city worker, right? He was a shift worker. And so what that generation did was that they lived small, right? Yes. And then they didn't place a whole lot of value in the stuff we had. And they didn't feel responsible for us having. So they didn't feel guilty. Yeah. Right. I mean, one of my father's favorite sayings was never satisfied. Never satisfied. If you had something good on your plate and you were looking for the next thing, he was like, see, that's the problem.

36:12You know, you got to learn how to be satisfied with what you have. Satisfied and grateful.

36:18Craig Robinson:And social media is kind of putting forward all the things you don't have and should want. To your point, my dad, I was on the phone with him two days ago, and he was talking about what his dream was. He dreamed to have a family. That was his dream. And he accomplished it. And then it was keeping that family taken care of no matter what that meant. working jobs that he didn't want to until he got the one that was good. He was, and that was so special to me because it was so big to him, seemingly small to other people. And then another point to like the internet. And I feel like we're often trying to impress people who aren't even in our community, who don't even know us.

37:06and the way I was brought up, we were a part of a religious community, our neighborhood, our literal neighborhood community and my dance school was another community. My father was in the Carpenters Union and he was a part of a music group and these were the people we wanted to impress, our actual communities And I think that made for a healthier environment. But now that we have gotten into the habit of impressing people who don't even know we exist, it feels like a disconnect between what's really needed at home and what we think we need to show people. And I'm saying this not as a judgment, but as someone who's grown up through that and is now trying to actively reject it.

38:03And it's hard. I struggle. I'm like, I have to actively like put down this thinking. That's a great point because I was thinking about all the things I wanted to talk to you about. We're not going to get to all of them. But one of them was you got your start on the internet before folks were like online like that. Yeah. Right? Can you talk about what you were thinking and how that all evolved? because first of all, I'm too old to know. I didn't really get to know you until I saw Abbott Elementary. And then we started doing the background work and I was like, whoa, you've been doing stuff for a very long time and at a young age.

38:47Can you talk about how, what was your mindset? How did you say, well, I'm gonna do this and then I'm gonna put it online. Was that a plan or was it just sort of an outlet? It was an outlet. I talk a lot about the importance of craft. I just was practicing comedy. And the internet, I was actually staunchly against it at first. I had zero respect for YouTubers. I thought I was not on board. I respected the stage and I respected writing and television, but I did not respect the internet. And then what happened was Instagram, look, social media, Facebook, How far back do I go?

39:32Craig Robinson:Yeah, really. It's really hard. I mean, MySpace was the beginning of it. Need up. It's so hard. MySpace was like really the beginning of it, but we didn't know what was happening to us. I want to be clear about that. Yes. We were just kids using the internet. We didn't know. We were basically being indoctrinated into our social lives changing forever, right? So that MySpace happened. And then Facebook happened next. And Facebook, this is back when you had to have a college email to sign up for it. And that became the second iteration of you living your life online. You know, like it wasn't just your friends in the classroom, it was your friends here.

40:10And then when I came to Chicago, actually, I started having friends on Facebook in Chicago, which expanded my internet living, you know, the beginning of like, I don't know, just a network of people online. And then Facebook had video and I would make really silly videos with my friends for no one. That was the goal. It was just like, just for me and my friends. And then I started a little teeny talk show on Facebook. None of this is big stuff. It just was kids messing around on the internet. And I would interview someone for silly reasons. The first episode of that show is when Barack, he wasn't elected yet.

40:47He was about to get elected. I made up a rap and I said, Barack, Barack, you rock my socks. I don't know what else I said. It was so dumb.

40:53Craig Robinson:I'll show you. But it was so silly just being in the dorm being silly. And then it expanded to Chicago because I would come out here and visit my boyfriend and he was in a music group and I interviewed them. And then the series started getting popular on Facebook. And so that was kind of my first way into like, oh, all right, there's something to creating here. Then Instagram happened. Now, once again, just making silly videos for my friend. This is before you could share. Because I feel like some of us in here, remember, it was just for you and your friends. And then I made some silly videos.

41:33But then I woke, I went to sleep, woke up, and they were getting a lot of comments from people I didn't know. And looking back, I'm not even sure how, because it wasn't easy to share a video then. There was no share link. I'm not even sure you could like copy the URL to paste and send to someone. So it was complete word of mouth. And that was really interesting to me. So I was like, was it scary? Was it exciting?

41:59Craig Robinson:It was exciting. Okay. It was, I didn't know to be scared yet. Cause once again, didn't really know what was happening. And did your parents know? No. They didn't even, my parents still to this day don't. I don't know how to, you know, I remember when Malie and Sasha were starting to ask for stuff. And then I was like, I'm supposed to be monitoring this. Yeah. But I don't even know what it is. You know what it is. So I'd get mad like, give me your phone. No. And I'd be like, open it. Now take me to the site. I don't even know what I'm looking for, but I'm going to find it with your help. That is hilarious.

42:37See, this is what I mean. That is hilarious. No, they had no idea. And then I started making more of those Instagram videos and they started going viral. And then I would put some of them on Vine, which no longer exists. And people would pick them up. Oh, is that the thing?

42:52Craig Robinson:Everybody's all like, oh, fine. And it was all just happening. And I was broke. I was working at Apple. But man, I was dead broke. My money went straight to rent. I had no money. Was this when you were in LA? Yeah, I had made it to LA by that point, yeah. Well, also talk about how you got to LA. because eventually you just left. Like you were secretly staying in the dorms. You secretly took your little self to LA to live. Talk about that. I knew I wasn't going to get away with that. I had to tell my parents. I was soft launching it to them. So I went out to LA. I was like, I'm going to go. Some of my friends are out there from Temple.

43:38They're doing the Temple program that they have in LA. I'm going to go, yeah, I'm doing that. Mind you, at this point, I'm flunking out of college.

43:46Craig Robinson:I had a bad breakup with that, the Chicago boy, and it broke me, okay? Don't do that, y 'all. Don't do that. Do not do that. It broke me. Sorry, boy, break you. Don't do it. I thought I was, like, going back to school, but I was, like, heartbroken. Yeah. I was a very emotional girl and just, like, was devastated. And then I was, like, I'll go back to school. I am going to go back to school. but they didn't know at that point that I was like not doing well. You were undercover flunking. Undercover flunking. You were such a little undercover girl. I know. Not anymore. That was a hard life to live.

44:22Craig Robinson:I didn't. I didn't. I didn't like that. And I wasn't a good liar. So it was. Seemed like you were, Quinta. No, I was good at half-truths. Uh-huh. And living what is called a double life. Oh. So I was never. I wouldn't say. My parents like, where are you going? And I'm going to see some friends from college. I didn't say what college. And I didn't say what friends. So I would get away with it. But then I, yeah, when it came to LA, I kind of went out to test the waters just for a month. Stayed with a friend. And to see if I could work. So I got to work in the business. Yes. To see if it would work out.

45:02At that point, I knew Chicago, it was going to be like SNL or bust. And I didn't know if that was going to be right for me. And I felt like LA had more opportunity. So I worked, I took a second city class and I got a lot of PA jobs. I worked on this show, oh, Key and Peele. I worked on Key and Peele. Oh, yeah.

45:23Craig Robinson:As a PA. I missed that in your book. I don't know if it was in there. I don't know. I did. It was like, it was their first episode, actually. Wow. And I was a PA. And through that, met a producer. PA is a production assistant. Production assistant. She does a podcast now. She's in the business. Yeah. I'm just, you know, all this lingo, PA. I was PA. Production assistant. And then I, that producer. Shut up. That producer got me a job on a music video, which happened to be Donald Glover's music video, Heartbeat. And I was, so that was, I was like, okay, I can do this. I can work out here. The girl I stayed with, Brittany, she was a styling assistant and she couldn't do a job and she gave the job to me for a woman named Samira Nasir who now runs Harper's Bazaar.

46:14But at the time, she was like a traveling stylist. So I went back to Philly. I said, okay, I need to get a job and I'm going to make sure it's a job that can move me to LA. And that's how I started working at Apple because I knew that they had a good transfer program. So I worked at Apple for a year. So you were a tech assistant at Apple. Yeah, I don't know if they exist anymore. an FRS, a family room specialist. Never been in an Apple store.

46:39Craig Robinson:I know. I'm first lady. Well, you had like a big period of your life where you probably couldn't go places easy. I didn't do normal human things. Yes. That's true. You should go. Lovely experience. I probably won't. I probably won't. Yeah. And then I transferred to L.A. I did tell my parents at that point. I was like, I am moving. I'm going to move there. And I just had to present it as a thing of, I'm not asking you. I am going. Which was really tough for me because I had never really had that experience with my parents before. My mom was in absolute shock. And my dad was only supportive of me in a really unique way.

47:21He kind of respected my carrying on. So he would let my mom do the yelling. But he secretly would be like proud of me.

47:32Craig Robinson:You do your thing. Yeah. Did they know you were interested in comedy by then? No. You couldn't say that. You were like, I'm going to be. No, at that point I was telling them I'm still planning on going to school. And I was. I was going to transfer to UCLA. I know. But it was a plan. I was like, I'll go to UCLA. So it was a full. It was a truth. You weren't lying. I wasn't lying. And then I got to LA and worked at Apple. But then those videos started going viral. and I started selling t-shirts with like phrases from the videos on them. I was making more money than I've ever made in my life and I'm talking$4 ,000.

48:09Okay.

48:12Craig Robinson:I'm balling. Living like a queen. I was taking my friends out to dinner and everything. It was immediately crab dinners for everyone. It was so cute. And then the money ran out. For the young people, That's another thing you don't do. Don't do that. Money ran out. I didn't want to make T-shirts. I was like, I feel like a T-shirt maker. That's my job now. I don't want to be that. And so I was like, I need a job. I started doing stand-up and public appearances, but I didn't want to do public appearances and say my catchphrases on stage. That didn't feel good. And I didn't stand up. I was good at it, but it was not for me.

48:52I knew it wasn't. Why not? Yeah.

48:58Um, it, the lifestyle of standup wasn't for me. I didn't like being at the comedy store in LA until 2 a.m. I didn't like who I was becoming. Like I was starting to like smoke cigarettes and stuff just to hang out. And, and I just, it just wasn't for me. I respect standups and people who are very good at it. And that is like their thing. But I felt. But it is a tough life. Tough life. And I didn't feel like it was my version of storytelling. I always say that. I didn't want to be singular. My personal experiences, I really enjoyed fictional worlds and narrative pieces. So then I got a job. I said, it's time to get a job.

49:42So I started working at BuzzFeed at the time. And that was a lifesaver. It was great pay, a wonderful opportunity for me to expand.

49:53Craig Robinson:Talk a bit about BuzzFeed for people who don't. BuzzFeed was this platform that used to exist. It still exists. It still exists. It still exists, but not like it did in its heyday. I joined at the beginning of its heyday where we were producing videos for the internet that were like, it was relatable content, taste tests, etc. I kind of came in and helped build the narrative department. So scripted videos. That was just like a dream come true. I sold shows. I learned how to sell shows there. How to, it's one thing to make a show. It's another thing to actually sell it to a platform. And so I learned how to do that.

50:30I made incredible relationships. A lot of my friends from BuzzFeed currently work on Abbott. My friend Kate, my friend Justin, my friend Garrett. Lifelong lessons there. And there are a lot of people who did not have good experiences and their experiences are valid. I'm not one of those people. But I also think I looked at it as for what it was. It was a job for me. And a lot of those kids were like coming out of college. And that was their first job.

50:55Craig Robinson:Right. And they didn't. You had had bad jobs. I had had bad jobs. I had, I worked at Friendly's. I worked at American Eagle. I worked at a dance school. I worked at the YMCA in LA. And that was a wild experience. It just, I had some jobs. I worked at a call center for my school. I worked at a sex phone center because I was that broke one time. I had pawned all my stuff at a point in L.A. just to stay there, like everything I had. And so I was like, this is a job. I get that. Even working at Apple, I understood a job. So for me, it was the best job. Well, and that's another thing about, you know, just for the kids, like taking some time to try on some things when it comes to work.

51:40Yeah.

51:41Craig Robinson:You got to work to pay rent. You got to work to, you know. Yep. But so having all these experiences, so by the time you get to BuzzFeed, you're kind of an adult. I'm an adult and super appreciative. I have 401k benefits. By the time I left there, I was making six figures. I couldn't, I never even saw that happening for myself. I was treated with respect, especially in media. I mean, they let me do stuff that nobody was letting, no black girl do anywhere else at the time, you know. And when I would even ask them why, they were like, because you're good at it. I loved that. That was so, I'm so grateful for that.

52:23That was huge for me.

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56:43Craig Robinson:Terms apply.

56:50Was that the first time you felt successful in your path? Yes. Because I ask this because as an athlete and a coach, I find we learn sometimes more from our failures than we do from our wins. And I just want to get a feel for you. Did you think that all those tribulations you went through, good, bad, was it better to fail and figure out how to do it right? or if you can avoid failing. And this is for the young people out here who think that, you know, you just sat here and did boom, boom, boom. And here I'm at the, you know, award show picking up my awards.

57:37Craig Robinson:Picking up your third Emmy. Well, you know, I love that question because sports is how I look at everything. Oh, Lord. No, I'm sorry. I know the two athletes the two sports fans up here I am one of them I like sports don't I I do and I just like I just watched actually not save the last dance the last dance again the Michael Jordan documentary oh god that kind of look at greatness is what I that's my jam I And every failure is just motivation and it's just a part of the bigger picture. And so I have not considered anything I've ever done ever a failure. And I never will. It's not that it wasn't.

58:41It's just part of the bigger picture. Even when I was folding pants at American Eagle, that was a part of getting me here today. when I had to pawn all my stuff that would have been a lot of people's down moment but for me I'm like this is just part of the

58:58Craig Robinson:part of the up I now look back I had to ride past that place recently where I sold my computer which that was big it was all I had I sold all my clothes at that point for nothing mind you I mean I didn't have like good clothes they were from like wet seal so I didn't get a lot of money oh yeah I didn't get anything for them. So that computer was a big deal. But I rode past that place the other day in L.A. and was like, wow. I'm so grateful that I can ride past and that I have that moment to see how far I've come. So I just think, I don't, yeah. I mean, like, I was talking about that documentary because they had that moment where the Bulls lost to the Jazz.

59:46And that could have been the it. That could have been the end of Michael Jordan as we know it. And it wasn't. It was, we'll be back next year. And that's part of the journey now.

59:56Craig Robinson:And I'm coming for you. Like, and I think that's how I kind of look at things. And even Abbott, I don't know. There was a point where I was like, I don't know if I'll ever have another good idea after Abbott. Really? I did because it seemed so big. I was. It is big. I wrote this show. And then all of a sudden, I was like, well, all right. and then as we've gone through it, I was like, oh, this is a piece of a larger puzzle. I don't know quite what's in store. I know some things, but it is part of something big, but somebody else, it's big to us and big to me. There are people who could look at, I know it's crazy to think, having a show on network TV as a, well, I didn't make an HBO show.

1:00:40I am around people like that every day. It is nuts to me. It's nuts. Never satisfied. Exactly. And that's where gratitude comes in for me. It's major.

1:00:52Craig Robinson:Well, that's something to also remember as you ascend. You start realizing that this constant pursuit of something outside of yourself, for people who haven't figured that out, they're never satisfied. I've probably sat at every powerful table there is, you know, from grammar school to the G summit, right? You, you see the same people at the table with the same issues, you know, it doesn't matter how much money they have, how much power they have, you know, if they haven't figured out this piece, you know, if they haven't figured out their process, their purpose in life, and it's so hard for kids to believe this, but they're not happy, You know, and some people that are constantly grasping it more, the trillionaire, you meet these people and they don't know how to build anything else except for wealth.

1:01:55Craig Robinson:So they're empty. Totally. And it's fascinating to see as someone who spent a lot of time working on making sure this was straight, to watch some people that everyone knows and loves are hollow. Yeah. Hollow, man. Like, and you talk to them and literally, like, you feel like you can see right through them. It's like, I don't even know why I'm having a conversation with you. I see what, it's just nothing in there. And I was watching one of my defining DCOMs, Disney Channel original movies the other day. and it's a movie called hold on one second this is what happens when you have old people that I know it's okay that I guarantee I guarantee that's somebody old and they don't know how to turn it off and I go oh Jesus we were just talking about social media hand it to a young person give the young person the phone to turn the phone off but do you guys remember the movie Brink?

1:02:51the dad in that movie says something that was That hit me so hard in this Disney Channel version movie. But he tells Brink, who's a skater, and all he cares about is skating and shredding. And his dad's like, you know, skating is what you do. It's not who you are. You are. He says he lost his job, the dad, in the movie. And he was a construction foreman.

1:03:14Craig Robinson:He said he used to introduce himself as, hey, I'm construction foreman such and such. Almost like who he was, was the job first. And then he falls off a ladder and hurts himself. and he had to find himself again. And that really stuck with me because I'm going through that with my career right now. My job is not who I am. It is my work. I do care about it very deeply, but I think it's important. I mean, I know people who, teachers who care about their job very deeply. I know bus drivers who care about their job very deeply, but it's not who I am. Who I am is a good sister, a good daughter, a good friend, you know, Just who are you when no one's looking?

1:03:57And these are not just words.

1:03:59Craig Robinson:It's really the truth about life. Yes. And it's like the sooner that you young people understand that, just sort of believe that truth, then you can start building life from there. We've got to get rid of social media. I don't know what to do. I just, I don't know. Well, you've spoken like somebody who's built your career on, so can you talk about how you're thinking about it? I started to vow to destroy the very thing that created my career. You know how many times I used to, back before even, you know, Twitter became X, I used to have dreams of going to Twitter and pulling the plug out of the headquarters.

1:04:46Craig Robinson:I'm so serious. because I could feel in real time the negative effects that it was starting to have on my peers, on my people, not to even mention the younger generation. They got a number done on them for real because I at least lived life before the internet. You know, the internet didn't come into my life as a social platform until I was like 17. But man, it is, it's a doozy. I don't know what we're going to do. People thinking that fame is a goal, that like, I don't even understand what influence is in the absence of anything behind it. Yeah. You haven't built anything. You're just sort of selling somebody else's stuff.

1:05:33It has its benefits for sure. Yeah, for sure. I do think the negatives are outweighing the benefits. And so there was a recent case, though, that, you know, was going to be interesting where finally someone got to court and proved, hey, same effects as cigarettes happening right here. We got to do something. We can't keep living like this. And I know we all, like, joke about the algorithms, but it's really not funny that you can. You can manipulate somebody. Yeah. Yeah. You know. That you're messing with dopamine and people's habits.

1:06:15Craig Robinson:The notion that a lot of these programs are using the same algorithms that they use in Vegas. To get people to continue to gamble and use slots of the same sounds and the sights and the noises and the repetition. It's just important for kids to understand that. because it all looks so good because the allure of fame and notoriety. And the allure of community. That's another, I think more than fame, it's been this allure of community that is there that I think there's issues with that. It's now been scientifically proven that there is an issue with you thinking your community is 10 ,000 people you don't know.

1:07:04and have no connection with in person. And even, you know, for children to be growing up and the first people they are talking to are people they don't know. I would tell the girls that

1:07:18Craig Robinson:when they started getting into it. You know, I was like, you would make the same point now. They were right up the cusp and they're like you, they are so glad that they were just right on it. Yeah. That it's not like part of their ecosystem. Sasha being the youngest is probably a little more into it. But, you know, you look up and she, you know, she's like, I got a thousand friends. I was like, I know you don't. I mean, there is, you don't, you don't know. I know these people. And I was like, no, you don't. And I said, the thing you have to understand is like, now you have a thousand people who have access to you.

1:07:55You know, and when you're coming up in our day, when it was black and white TV and we used to walk to school in our bare feet.

1:08:06Craig Robinson:But in order for you to have people have access to you, they had to call a phone. Right. And your mother or parent would answer. And the person calling you would have to communicate and say, hi, my name is X, is such and such there. And by doing that, your parent was alerted. Oh, such and such is in my child's life. Yeah. Now I am cognizant of who my child is dealing with. And you might say, well, who's such and such? Right. Tell me about that person. Right. Right. Now that buffer that is necessary of protection, just a parent going, somebody is calling my kid. Now you don't have it. And the fun, I'm so sorry.

1:08:47No, no, no. The interesting part about this conversation is a lot of parents of that time, they were trying to protect their kids from outside. Outside was getting crazy.

1:08:56Craig Robinson:So it was really safe if you were on the family computer doing something. But they had no clue. They were trying to protect us from the outside. But now we know. And that court case is what they're proving, which is, no, they know what they're doing. They are getting your kid addicted. That's what they had to prove with cigarettes. Like, no, no, no, no. The marketing. Joe Camel is like a cartoon. That's right. That's right. Who would have ever thought? watching loads of TV would have been better for you. I know. I'm a big, big supporter of television. So we were TV kids. We were TV kids. Yeah, I was such a TV kid.

1:09:29I mean, I just love TV. I like that you... Oh, no, go ahead. Speaking of TV, can we talk about Abbott Elementary, please? We can.

1:09:39Craig Robinson:Yes. So we all admit it's a great show. And, you know, I was talking to my wife and my kids about this show and we all like, so you got 16 year old, 14 year old and adults all watching TV again, which had stopped happening. Everybody's sort of binge watching everything. I was dying to ask you, why do you think it's such a great show? Well, I created it with that intention. I thought you were going to say, because I created it. No. Intention is important though. Okay. I created it with that intention. I would go back home, and my niece, she's 20, 20, 21, and my mom is 73, and I'm 36. And then we had nothing to watch together.

1:10:27And I really couldn't stand that. You know, I really, I just didn't like that because my parents and I grew up watching TV together. Everybody watched the same show. And everything that we were watching was old. You know, I think a big show in our house was later on became King of Queens for some reason. And that became a generational show in our house. Cosby Show kind of fell off in the house. You know, but that would have been one. That would have been one. A Different World was a big one because my niece really liked it and everything. But I was like, there should be more of these. And then after I was visiting my mom the year before she retired and I was pushing her to retire.

1:11:09And I was visiting her and just walking around the schools. I grew up in schools. They feel like second homes to me. So I do know them well enough to know the rhythms and everything. But visiting it in that way after being out of school for so long, you start to see it in this really clear way. It's kind of like when you haven't seen your family in a while. And you grew up in this family, but you haven't seen them in a while. And you see them again. And then you see everyone kind of clearly for who they are. That's what it was like when I visited my mom. Her new principal was so funny and bananas.

1:11:45And my mom's little best friend, who Melissa and the show was based off of, was so funny to me. And my mom was so... I saw this woman who didn't want to retire because she didn't want to be put out to pasture. I don't know. Both my parents really, they're workers. They've been working their whole life. They love working. My mom loves teaching. and I could feel that in her. And that, so that was the heart of the show to me right there. And then my mom years ago had this TA, a teaching assistant that was so young and bubbly. And I remembered, even though I was young, I remember that woman getting on my mom's nerves and I thought that was so funny.

1:12:26And so all of a sudden I'm like, I see Janine, I see Barbara, I see Melissa, I see Ava. My good friend from school, Gregory, he became a teacher and we ended up teaching with my mom and he and I went to school together we went to these programs together and everything we went to college together and I really watching him become a teacher was so interesting and I was so proud of him and so proud of what he was doing he was it's again what I'm talking about like him choosing to be a teacher was him choosing to be a role model for so many young black boys in Philadelphia, something they desperately needed, whether they knew it or not.

1:13:09And so then Gregory became clear to me. And I had a friend, Matt, who was teaching in New York, who was the most well-meaning white guy you could find. And I was like, Matt, it was so funny to me. Just so earnest. Nothing could get him down. You know what I mean? And I wanted to so many times be like, Matt, you corny as hell.

1:13:31Craig Robinson:That's everybody on the Obama campaign. No. Yes. But you know what? That corn is what helps some kids to see another day. That corny teacher is necessary. So then I got my Jacob. I was like, I have a show. You do. I have a show. And then I just like woke up and was like, I'm going to make this. At the time, I was in between some other deals. So I was going to make it as an animated show first. But I was really in, I am very into animation. And so I was like, I'll do an animated. And I hadn't seen an animated mockumentary. But then things happened, whatever. And got the opportunity to do it live action, which led to the show.

1:14:15And yeah, I just wanted to make a good comedy. I had no idea how it would really shine a light on education. That was not my intention, to be honest. I just thought it was a good show. And I think that's kind of the beauty of being so intentional about one thing. You don't even know the blast radius that could happen. I really wasn't thinking about any. I'm amazed by some of the impact that has come from the show.

1:14:50I was just in Chicago. And let me tell you, the energy in the city was incredible. Everyone was just buzzing with excitement. While I was there, I actually had a bit of downtime, so I booked this Airbnb experience. It was a custom sneaker-making workshop. It was seriously so much fun. First, she takes you through her space and shows you exactly where the magic happens. You get to see the whole process, ask a million questions, and check out all these different leathers and fabrics. But the best part? I got to customize my own pair of sneakers. I made them especially for IMO. And honestly, the conversation and the hands-on activity made it such a memorable part of the trip.

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1:18:56Craig Robinson:yeah well you you did it up and i love the way you talk about um how you weren't necessarily you don't suffer from imposter syndrome no it's my biggest flaw i've learned i was like maybe i should get some imposter syndrome sometimes Yeah, I know. Can you talk a bit about that? What is that about? Especially when so many, there's so much conversation about people not feeling like they belong in their success. I feel like, if I feel like I don't belong somewhere, for me, that is a sign to leave. So I always follow that instinct. If I'm somewhere, I'm like, I don't belong here. to me that doesn't register as imposter syndrome.

1:19:47It registers as I'm not supposed to be here and I'm leaving. And peace out to the environment. Yeah. Yeah. But if I am somewhere and I feel like I do belong there, I don't let any doubt enter because I'm here. And I look at the feeling of not belonging as more as a defense mechanism for me. something to keep me safe. But when it comes to my work or comedy or any of this, I don't, I don't know. I don't. And when I do get it, it's for the silliest things. Like, and even then I'm like, you're here. So you belong. And so I had it for a brief second. I think this is what imposter syndrome feels like.

1:20:40Like, I was at the game on Wednesday in Madison Square Garden. And I'm not a Spurs or a Knicks. I'm not from New York, and I'm not from San Antonio. I'm especially not from New York.

1:20:55Craig Robinson:And being in Madison Square Garden, I was like, oh, man. I felt like a little bit of, ooh, can I? So I went out and got, like, an agnostic NBA jacket, you know? I just followed the feeling, really. I was like, I'm not, you know, I'm a fan of both teams. I'm just not from there. But I was like, let me get up. So you weren't rooting against the Knicks is what you're saying? This was a series where I truly was, you were neutral. You hope both teams lost. I hoped both teams won. That would have been, after watching this season of basketball, I thought these were two. I was so happy it was these two teams in the finals.

1:21:39and so I just felt like I just it was just good basketball which is so fun to watch and so I felt is that imposter syndrome? I felt that way but then I went and worked on it I got myself an agnostic jacket I'm going to the game

1:21:54Craig Robinson:I'm going to the game I sat down and I had a grand old time you know and I was able to lift the spirits of those around me because the New Yorkers around me threw in the towel this is when they were down by 30 I was like hey guys you gotta believe but I don't I'm just out here for a good time. So, and that was the beauty of me being like, no, I do belong here. There was a man next to me about to croak. He was like 97. And he was, I was like, sir, you got to believe. You got to believe. You got to believe everyone. And they're like, what is your problem? And I'm like, just having a good time. I belong here.

1:22:32Craig Robinson:I belong here. It's my stadium. And so that's why I don't let it enter. Because I think it can block your blessing. or the blessing you can be to someone else too. Oh, that's great. Yeah, yeah. That's great. Well, we have some fun stuff planned at the very end that we want to get to. But before we do that, I want to talk about the field trip fund, the Quinta Friendship. Can you talk a little bit about that? I'm so excited about it. Yeah. So I was really sad to hear that my niece and nephew who went to school during COVID didn't get to experience that many field trips. I immediately blamed COVID.

1:23:08And they just were like, no, auntie, like field trips just aren't happening anymore. And I was like, excuse me? They're like, yeah, it's like, there's no money for them. They just aren't that big of a deal anymore. And I was like, not that big of a deal. Field trips changed my life. Changed my life. The first time I went to New York was, New York is only two hours away from Philadelphia. But so many kids from Philly never go to New York. And it's right there. But, you know, whatever. So, and then we did such fun things. We went to the river and we built boats and whatever. We went to museums. We went to, sometimes it was just to the Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

1:23:52Yeah. And drew the Liberty Bell. Yeah. But these things mattered. And so when I learned that, that really upset me. And when I found out the issue was like money, I was like, well, I have some of that. So I'm going to try to help. Yeah. And so I started talking about it with, I now have a team of people I work with in philanthropy specifically. And I was just like, what can I do? How can I help? And I went back to that thought of community, right? Yes, I could by myself, like throw money at the problem. But there was something to the community also being able to care if they were moved to do so.

1:24:38And I felt like when people in Philly heard the information that I heard, which is that field trips aren't happening anymore, because you're kind of disconnected from that if you don't have kids, that they would feel motivated too. There's not much that we as individuals can do about maybe the school buildings, which are old, or the teacher's salaries, which need to be raised. But here's this main thing we can do. And so we talked about this fund where anyone can donate, and you will change the lives of Philadelphia students everywhere. Because field trips don't cost that much, but they do cost money.

1:25:20And they can go somewhere free, but they need a bus. They need transportation there. We took a lot of my field trips in school on SEPTA. except as the public transit. And, you know, because they were like, we're not paying for no school buses. We are getting tokens and getting these kids on the bus. Yeah. And we're going to the park today. And so teachers would come out of their pockets for that. And I don't expect, Philly is, I think, maybe like the fifth poorest large country, a large city. And so people are not, they don't have money.

1:25:54Craig Robinson:Yeah. They don't. These parents are working multiple jobs. They don't have the extra. They don't. Multiple jobs, just trying to get the kids to school. If we can alleviate one thing for them, it'd be nice. So I launched it and put$20 ,000 in and just told the public, like, hey, if you guys want to donate to this, you can. This is going to be here forever. in only two months we had over a hundred thousand dollars i was i could not i could not i was in disbelief i thought they were telling me the wrong amount yeah because we we didn't do that much press for it you know what i mean i kind of announced it once with a video and that was it but people were so motivated like i was to learn in philly and i also just wanted to start small.

1:26:50They were like, do we want to do this nationwide? But I do believe in watering your own garden first. And I don't know the situations in other cities. So I didn't want to assume that I did, but I know what's going on in Philly. So we, and it just keeps growing right now. We're hitting, we would like to hit a marker where at that point, basically over time, this money will continue to be there forever. It will always be there and always grow for these kids to be able to go. And it'll start next year and teachers will be able, they don't have to apply, they don't have to prove they deserve a field trip.

1:27:35It's going to be there for them to grab what they need and go. And that's what I wanted to. I don't want to do the thing where you have to add more paperwork. Thank you for that. You have to prove how good a school you are, how good your class is, because that was a thing that that was becoming a thing. And I didn't like that either of like prove that your class deserves it. And. What? Like what? It's just some kids that need to do something. That used to kind of get on my nerves with like scholar. I don't know. It was a thing I had, too, as a kid where I'm like, why are they better than me? Because they made a better collage.

1:28:11Like, okay, we deserve to go. It would be like sweepstakes where it'd be like, went a trip to Nickelodeon Studios and proved that you're the best class. And it was like, shouldn't all kids get to go? So I'm so excited about it. Anyone here can donate. Basically, we are going to reach$200 ,000, and then it will self-fund, so to speak. I will be continuing to contribute to it for the rest of my life and making sure that these teachers can just pull and these kids can never have to worry about a field trip. They've got a lot to worry about, but they won't have to worry about being able to get somewhere.

1:28:54And we're not trying to send kids out of the country.

1:28:57Craig Robinson:We just go to the museum. To the museum, to New York. I actually met someone in Philly recently that, 30 years old, never been in New York. It's right there. but that's the importance of like being shown you can do it once is it it never seems scary again yeah that's the thing well that's beautiful thank you congratulations so proud of you

1:29:23so we tried something new a couple episodes ago where we had like this rapid fire yes round so we would love to do it with you let's do it actually actually my my sister this was my sister's idea.

1:29:37Craig Robinson:No, no, it wasn't. I think rapid fire is for the staff. It wasn't. But you're going to do rapid fire. Let's do it. So, Philly cheesesteak or Chicago deep dish pizza? Philly cheesesteak. Yeah, that's a... Well, what about you? Deep dish. I mean, you know, because I just have to. But certain kind of deep dish. Gino's East. Not Giordano's. It's hard to get into it. The crust is so good. And that sausage layer. To die for. You just need a sharper knife. Okay. Good to know. Good to know.

1:30:21Reality TV or sitcom? The other answer. Sitcom.

1:30:25Craig Robinson:Hate reality TV. I mean as much as I love reality TV there's nothing like a good... I know. I didn't talk to you about this. I know. What? Is it a problem? It fascinates me. It is. That's the thing. I would like to have judgments, but I would never judge you on that ever. I consider it part of my major is sociology. It's just a study of people. Fascinating. And they are fascinating to me. She's trying to get me, because we're doing this podcast, into reality TV. He's got to know more about popular culture. I mean, we're talking about that. He doesn't see anything. I watch Survivor. Yeah. The competition show.

1:31:05Craig Robinson:Yeah, yeah. But still, it's a sitcom. Do you watch Love Island? Yeah, I do. Yeah. Malia and Sox, that's mother-daughter time. Okay. You know, because, and they're behind. They got me hooked. And I was like, have you started the next season? And they were like, no, we're busy. It's like, oh, you need to. Okay. you need to get some more free time. I rewatch old reality TV. What's the point of that? I don't know. I'm fascinated by that time. Like the early 2000s reality television was the purest I think it was ever going to be. Yeah. So every now and then, I'm loving this guy clapping in the hat like preach.

1:31:49But I rewatch, very often I rewatch Flavor of Love,

1:31:53Craig Robinson:I Love New York. Well now all those characters are coming back on the new reality. What's her name? Wasn't this supposed to be Rapid Fire? I know, I'm sorry. Oh, sorry, I'm sorry. What's up with the name? Rapid Fire. Sorry, we digress. Okay, well, you just got to keep going. Yes. Because we both talk a lot. Yes, we do. And no. Wawa or Patillo's? Wawa. I don't know what Patillo's is. Oh, Patillo's. We're in Chicago, y 'all. Let's be nice to our guest. She's from Philly. Be nice to our guest. Philly's, I'm being set up. No, no, no, no. No. Portillo's is a locally, regionally famous hot dog and Italian beef place.

1:32:33Craig Robinson:But it's got beefs and it's got everything. Sounds lovely. I would love to try it. And Wawa, for the Chicago fans, Wawa is like a... A magical... Convenience store. Yeah. See, but that's why I don't think the two... It's like a small Buc-ee's. Yeah, it's like Buc-ee's. I don't think the two... The Wawa, we had, all they had was sandwiches. Okay, so not anymore. Not anymore. Not anymore. Not anymore. It was way back in the day. You can get a... It's a lot there. You can get everything there. Iced tea. I think you can get a pashmina there. I know. I haven't been to a Wawa like that ever. Aspirin.

1:33:02Okay, wrap it. Wrap it. Wrap it. All right, all right. One week teaching at Abbott or one week at the White House?

1:33:13Respectfully, one week teaching at Abbott. There you go. Respectfully. Yeah. Yeah. All right, last one. Tasty Cake or Garrett's Popcorn?

1:33:27Craig Robinson:I don't even know what a Tasty Cake is. So Tasty Cake is like Hostess, but on the East Coast. But better. Oh, no, no, no. I'm sorry. Quinta said, but better. It is. Let me just say, I do love Garrett's Popcorn. It is legalized drugs. What's your go-to Garrett's order? The straight caramel. Someone, one of my writers brings me a bucket. You don't do the mix? The caramel and cheese? Yes, I do that. Okay. His name is Garrett, and he brings a bucket. He does. He brings a bucket to the room every year, every time he visits home. And you can't stop eating it? Can't stop eating it. However, I'm going to have to go Tasty Cake because it is just so good.

1:34:11I'll bring you one at some point so you can taste it. You would think you didn't go to school on the East Coast. You don't know Tasty Cake? I don't remember, but I don't remember much, y 'all. It's very Northeast specific. Yeah. It's like Hostess. Yeah. Okay. But I think people on the East Coast feel like it is much better than Hostess. Okay. That's the reason we feel that way is because it is.

1:34:34Craig Robinson:We're going to be nice to you because you're our guest. Quinta, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me. Thank you. Thank you. You really don't seem like you're working on two hours sleep. So we thank you for that. It was the energy in this room. It really was. Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. We're so proud of you. Thank you. Keep it going. We are watching everything you do. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. Thank you, guys. You got to come back and visit us again. I will. Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody.

1:35:18Thank you.