If there’s any world more overwhelmingly white and male than comedy, it might be podcasts. (Is it any coincidence that there’s so much overlap between the two?) Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams have already done their part to change the former with their monthly show, 2 Dope Queens, a showcase for both themselves and comedian friends who, for the most part, are not the white dudes who dominate New York’s comedy scene. And now they’re shaking up the latter, debuting 2 Dope Queens as a podcast with WNYC Studios. The first episode launches April 5.
“We just wanted some way to catalogue it and have it, and show off how fun we are,” says Williams, speaking in a conference room at WNYC’s offices. “We thought that the podcast would be a really fun way to do that.” A condensed version of the monthly show, recorded at Brooklyn’s Union Hall, the podcast will be exactly what has made the show a sell-out favorite and subject of a glowing New York Times profile last fall. “We really wanted to feel like the listener is in Union Hall with us, whether they are on the train to work or if they’re working out,” says Robinson. “2 Dope Queens, it was just a way for us to showcase female comedians, showcase comedians of color, showcase L.G.B.T. comedians, and shake up the landscape and be like, Hey, there is more than just what is out there.”
The bi-monthly shows generally run about two hours, and the podcast will be an hour long, what Robinson describes as “really just a perfect nugget. Which I think will hopefully intrigue more people to come out to shows.” Robinson and Williams take the stage to start every show, but unlike their guests, who do more traditional stand-up, their performances are more freewheeling and off the cuff—much more like a chatty podcast than a traditional live show, really. “Maybe like five minutes before a show, we’ll be like, ‘Hey, here are things that are happening,’” Williams explains. Only five minutes? “Maybe 5 or 10 minutes,” she allows. “Usually we’re running late,” Robinson adds.
The rest of the show features guests comics; Robinson and Williams are loath to pick favorites but are excited to introduce a broader podcast audience to Naomi Ekperigin, Nore Davis, Aparna Nancherla, and Michelle Buteau. And, yes, there are some white guys in there, too. “But we really try and make a concerted effort to make sure that people of color are represented and people from different orientations are represented on our show,” Williams emphasizes. “I think you have to just try a little bit. I think there was some quote from Samantha Bee from her new show, where they were like, ‘How do you have a diverse writers’ room, Sam? How do you manage this?’ And she was like, ‘You just do the thing! Like, do it!’”
For those who want to watch Robinson and Williams do the thing live and in person, 2 Dope Queens tickets are available at Union Hall’s Web site. For everyone else, the podcast will be available weekly via your podcast service of choice.
