Will Packer on Tiffany Haddish, Girls Trip 2 and Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

look at Tiffany there are some. allegations that were made that since. been dropped you feel comfortable you're. going to be able to go to a studio and. says look we're going to do this movie I. need I need the original cast I do I do. girls trip too I can't make it without. her yeah. all my life grinding all my life. sacrifice hustle baby price wanna slice. got to roll a dice that's why all my. life I've been grinding all my life. [Music].

all my life. foreign. I am your host Shannon sharp I'm also. the proud of Club Che and the guy that's. stopping by today is one of Hollywood. Blockbuster hit makers he's grossed over. a billion dollars worldwide 10 of his. films have debuted at number one at the. box office executive producer. entrepreneur Hollywood record-breaking. filmmaker will Packer my guy.

I'm in the club what you talking about. but you talk to you about the security. had to show my ID like twice yeah I'm. over there I'm like hey man but I know. [ __ ] and they said everybody knows yeah. but you can't you can never be too. cautious you know I see you getting. crazy after dark out here tough to get. ahead Club Shay Shay we we're best we. got similar rules you live in a I still. have a home and a yeah how they been. HBCU HBCU famine FAMU. absolutely absolutely how's they. treating you I like it man I like you.

know I shoot probably half of my stuff. in Atlanta the other half literally. around the world right. um so I shoot in Atlanta every chance I. get I was a part of the group that. actually lobbied to get the tax credit. there correct a lot of people don't know. that's why so much production is. happening in Atlanta it's going crazy. George is crazy George is number one. yeah we don't we don't pass Cali they. don't pass for for on location filming. it past Cali and New York wow meaning. like if you're shooting out in the world. now La still got the stages right so. more people shooting stages in La New.

York but until terms of being out in the. world right is Georgia so you know like. myself and uh Tyler Perry and uh Turner. we all were part of a group to Lobby to. get the tax credit and it has gone crazy. so I love it man what made you decide to. come to L.A you originally excuse me go. to Atlanta Atlanta you're a Florida guy. born in Florida yes what made you decide. to say you know what I'm gonna set up. roots in Atlanta because I was. graduating from FAMU right me and uh my. partner at the time guy named Rob Hardy.

had made our first little movie it was. called Chocolate City okay it was a. movie about black college life okay and. we said okay we got this little movie. right we had an audience that cared. about it at our school right Hollywood. didn't care right okay people watching. this don't think you're just gonna make. a movie and all of a sudden you know the. chairman of Paramount and Universal. gonna be calling you it don't work like. that right you got to hustle your way. into the game right so we had this movie. and we said you know what we could move. to New York we could move to L.A we're. going to be another fish in a big pond. right or we looked at Atlanta the music. industry was popping when we came in.

this is back when you talking about the. face records and Rowdy records was so so. deaf yeah organized noise all that was. really starting Atlantic scene was. really starting to to burst and so we. moved to Atlanta thinking you know what. while we trying to get our film hustle. on we'll shoot music video right and. we'll have like a a symbiotic. relationship with the music industry. okay we couldn't get one music video bro. we couldn't get nobody hired because. everybody knew each other we were the. new guys right so we were kind of not in. the in the clinic yeah but you know what. that did for us it forced us to.

independently shoot our own stuff right. and so we moved to Atlanta and shot our. first independent movie outside of. college it was called right starring. Kenya Moore's erotic Thriller. um and it did well man pop for us. what made you decide you know and I tell. people all the time I think everybody. that goes to a pwi yeah predominantly. white institution should have to spend a. quarter or semester at a historically. backed institution to get that to see. what homecoming is like that experience.

to see the step show the sorority in the. park in the student center yeah you you. playing dominoes and you're playing. Spades or whatever the case may be man. playing in the background of. fraternities and sororities coming. through the set step in you got to feel. that it's different is that is that what. you wanted you when you shot the movie. chocolate city is that what you wanted. to portray on film you wanted to give. people a sense of what it's like to be. at a historically black Institute 100. because we were there I shot it while we.

were still students at FAMU okay we. wanted to uh get people to feel that. culture okay same thing you're talking. about because they really are you know. colleges are communities yes so imagine. especially if you African-American the. safest space face the most competitive. space in an area where you can really. feel. um at home challenge love and push to be. the best you you can be right that's my. experience on the HBCU campus we wanted. to Showcase that and Chocolate City to. this day is still the first uh. historically black first movie shot on.

an HBCU campus by its students right. right. it also was a precursor for my first. number one movie which was Stomp the. Yard oh yeah I made Chocolate City then. went off and made some other movies and. I always wanted to go back and set. another movie at HBCU so my first kind. of big mainstream hit was Stomp the Yard. which took me back to my hbcules. you majored in engineering got a degree. in engineering how the hell do you go. from engineering to shooting film yeah. it's different yeah yeah I asked myself.

engineer like I would build a bridge I'm. gonna build a building on your road yeah. no I'm gonna get behind the camera and. shoot yeah I did a lot of math and. science physics thermodynamics and I'm. sitting on set right now like why where. am I using this what was the point with. all those late hours exactly here's the. thing I'll tell you though it actually. helped me to hone my analytical mind. okay and you kind of can't overstate how. important that is even in a creative. industry right I think that it gives me. a leg up on my peers the fact that I use. my analytical skill set that I got from.

that engineering degree now in a. majoring in engineering because I got a. scholarship coming out of high school I. was strong in math and science right and. there was a push to get more. African-Americans in the stem program. science technology engineering uh. mathematics and so I got a scholarship. to go there I didn't want to go to. family you wanted to go to an Ivy League. I was accepted into an iPhone Shannon. sharp I was like listen I got the grades. yes I got accepted okay I'm not going to. fam you kids trying to go to fam you was. cheating off me in high school I'm not. going over here with y'all what happened.

was. we had a president who was a Visionary a. family at the time his name was Dr. Frederick that's Humphries God bless him. he's passed on but he said I want the. top black students in the country to. come to the school and you know how you. do that money he went out and he went to. corporations and he got major. scholarships right right he came and sat. in my living room at my house like I was. a D1 athlete wow and recruited me to go. to fam you right he said listen I know. you want to go to Penn I know you got. accepted to Yale I know you want to go.

to these other schools but let me tell. you what we do at FAMU we're going to. make you excellent we're going to care. about it and you are going to do things. that you could never do at those other. schools because we're going to care. about you as a person not just a number. not just a student. I still didn't want to go. now here's what happened a funny thing. happened on my way to the ivy league. okay Dr Humphries came and dropped a bag. of cash in that living room I mean. literally but with the scholarship right. scholarship stipend full room and board. everything my parents said oh that's. nice hey what they giving you over at.

that uh that Hawaii League that you want. to go to how much they give you I said. well you know they're not they're not. giving me they're not giving me nothing. but but they let me in they said guess. what your little black self is gonna go. to the top. best decision that was ever made for me. and it really is about that cycle of. Excellence you know here you have. somebody that said listen we can do as. as well as anybody else and we can get. the top students in the country and I. happen to be one of those students at. the time right got recruited to go there. and it and and did it because it we did.

have that Financial incentive and I. didn't have that elsewhere my parents. said listen you can go to an ovulator. and get your MBA if you want but this is. where you're going to start on right it. was the best thing that ever happened to. me man what is it about historically. black institutions it's like like. homecoming is a big giant giant cookout. with like five thousand ten thousand of. your closest friends but they're the the. sense that you mentioned the sense of. community yeah is that you know you. you're standing out everybody is suited. and booted because I don't know how you. up I mean when I go to my when uh I. would go to my brother he was at the.

University of South Carolina and I'm. seeing people in sweats and they like. pajamas I was like where they do that at. yeah we suited and booted clean baby we. got old lead jeans we got on camera. Cloud we got on Izod we got on Dark Side. of the week to the nine the fashion show. yeah come on man stop playing you know. how we do we had to absolutely but it's. like you said everybody needs to. experience that yeah everybody I got a. lot of friends that went to PW I got. friends that play ball all of that yeah. and they all say man I wish I'd had just. a little bit of that experience and. here's the thing it stays with you in a.

different way that's taking nothing away. from any others no no but you know like. I know when you go to an HBCU that is. your family for Life yes for life. what is it that you think that makes. Atlanta. so many blacks successful gravitate. there you mentioned yourself you. mentioned uh Tyler Perry Steve Harvey. has a home there absolutely so many of. of today's Hollywood and and celebrities. entertainers migrate to Atlanta yeah why.

success beget success you see other. people doing it there and you go you. know what I can do it too right I know. that's what's happening in entertainment. right you know I know that that that I. was there very early Tyler was there. very early now you have other people you. know you name it from from you know Ryan. cougar with black panther right to. um a lot of the big movies are shot. there because people see what we've been. able to do there's a true Community. there there's an environment not just an. entertainment but you look at politics. you look at business it is a place where. you do have a lot of high achieving.

African-Americans that are succeeding. and then they're bringing other people. along to work with them and to help and. so it becomes a network and it becomes a. positive cycle right Cycles don't always. have to be negative you talk about. cyclical things right it can be positive. as well I think we're seeing that in. Atlanta you I mean I'm looking at you. your ti was in your movie takers. ludicrous had a project uh dancing. through the snow yeah. when you when you produce getting ready. to shoot a movie do you have an idea of. who you like to star in the movie or do.

you how how far along is the movie. before you started said okay I think. this guy would be perfect or I think she. would be perfect yeah that's a good. question I mean you always know you. always have an idea who you want right. in the movie right. right. um I made the movie girls trip right I. knew for a fact Regina Hall was the. absolute first person we went okay love. Regina one of my most frequent. collaborators I knew we wanted her right.

had a conversation with Latifah and Jada. and they said man we have not worked. together in so long we would love to. work together now I got my three right. we were not thinking about Tiffany. haddish for that final role right so I. went in knew that I wanted actresses on. a certain level so I knew I wanted. Regina had a great conversation with. Latifah and Jada that worked out now I. got to finish out that that final role. right and then we went out and we cast. it she came in and killed the audition. right so it's like you know better. producer is like being a project manager. right you really have to know how to put. all the pieces together that's my job.

right to say what does a producer do. because people get confused they think. it's like a director you yelling action. and cut right I always use the analogy. that if you look at at the Oscars right. the final Award of the night is best. picture right who gets best pick future. that's the producer right that's after. Best Director best cinematography best. sound best editing all of that the. producer was responsible for hiring all. those other people right putting all the. elements together and ultimately the. final product is what the producer is. just. now that we started off with go girls.

trip we're going to get to that later. you're thinking about doing a sequel. yeah man. um. original cast or a different direction. now I gotta had a cast in there I gotta. I gotta take them because they because. because people love those ladies yes. they love those characters yeah that was. my first time seeing Tiffany had it I. had no idea who she was really and she. she she stole this actually she stole. the show to be honest yeah all of them. were great yeah I love Latifah uh love. Jada or Regina Hall she's one of my.

favorites but Tiffany haddish it was her. mannerisms and and everything was just. like she was a breakout I mean because. she was everybody else that came in and. auditioned for that role they were. playing the character that I read on the. page but that's her Tiffany that came. the character yeah she took what was on. the page and took it to the next level. every now and then you have a a actor. that's just made for a robe Kevin Hart. Kevin had been in the game for for years. right right he hadn't had that. mainstream breakout success and we did.

our movie Think Like a Man right and he. needed just that platform and if you see. things like a man he's kind of the. maestro right he's in there you know. what I mean all the guys are around him. he's our narrator right it was the. perfect platform for his talent his. skill set right and yourself but another. one of my freaking collaborators his. first movie after the wire was a little. movie I made called The Gospel and it. was a faith-based film right it just. came in and played a southern preacher. yes and it was just the platform at that. time that helped introduce them to new.

audiences that didn't know them right. right so it's that's what it's about as. a producer you're just trying to put the. pieces together right it's like a puzzle. man and everything got to fit if it. doesn't the movie doesn't work you look. at Regina excuse me not Regina but you. look at Tiffany there are some. allegations that were made that since. been dropped you see the situation that. happened with Jada and will at the. Oscars we're touching that a little. later uh and Tiffany says everything. that I had is dried up. you you feel comfortable that.

that she you're gonna be able to go to a. studio and says look we're gonna do this. movie I need I need the original cast I. do I do I certainly hope so. um I think that you know we are in a. time period where there's not a lot of. um there's not a lot of nuance right. it's just black and white and the. reality is that we live in a gray World. um and I think that you know she's very. talented obviously very remorsefulness. come out and apologize and so uh I. certainly hope so and I certainly would.

advocate for her you know girls trip too. I can't make it without her you know. because I don't know who I don't know. who you can cast in that role it would. feel very obvious that you didn't have. her right you know so we'll see how. these things go but um you know it is it. is I always tell people that it becomes. a tricky conversation when you align the. art with the artist so much and you. don't have a separation between the art. and artists right and that doesn't mean. that you justify bad behavior it just. means that sometimes I'm even talking. about Tiffany I'm talking about in.

general you have to look at um at the. art right and you have to judge the the. art and then you can also judge the. artist and sometimes one doesn't work. you know what I mean you can't enjoy the. Arctic art because you don't like the. artist that's fine right but you do have. to have a separate conversation between. art and art so when you talk about the. art girls trip 2 I would definitely want. those four layers where where are you on. cancer culture it seems that we're now. that if somebody makes a mistake it's. unforgiving no matter no matter how. small it is now we done with you you. can't do this anymore and and and like I.

said we're going to talk about the the. incident later but I'm still going to. buy if Will Smith does a movie I'm gonna. go see it yeah if somebody does. something I'm gonna go see it y'all I'm. not I'm not gonna let that happen yeah. yeah. you have to it's like I said Nuance bro. um you know listen you in the public eye. yes you are in media you are every day. yes right yeah microphone in your face. yes and you got a whole bunch of people. waiting for you to say just one little. thing right yeah please wait you got the. Shannon sharp haters yes that's like.

please say something yeah jump on right. that's the world that we live in now. unfortunately I love what social media. can be at its best right it's the. democratization of power to the people. right everybody has a voice your voice. can be heard you don't have to be a. Shannon sharp you don't have to be a. will Packer right the other side of that. is that you have a lot of people that. weaponize it man yes you have a lot of. people and there's no room for a. conversation other than you did wrong. you have to be canceled you're out of. here we don't deal with you we're gonna.

do everything we can to stop you from. here on out right well there's no room. for growth or Redemption when you do. that because no room for a conversation. for people to learn also right my. opinion I think uh intentionality. matters yes what was your intention what. is your intent does it make it right you. can still do wrong while attending. positive but we have to take that into. account in my opinion so I think that. um it's a pendulum that swings you talk. about cancer culture there's been a lot. of things that you know you look at.

African-Americans and medium. a lot of opportunities we haven't had. that we should have had right. however. um I think that you do have a pendulum. that has swung so far that you do have a. group of people that say once there's. anything that we can take issue with. that's it right that it's over for that. person and very frequently I don't agree. now I work in this industry I know a lot. of these imperfect people just like you. do right now a lot of times their intent. is strong right in the right place it's.

a it's a it's a process it really is. that pendulum is swung one way it'll. swing back the other way we just got to. figure out we can all do better and be. more Progressive as a society but it. doesn't always mean that we throw out. every person that makes a mistake right. I'm looking at comedians because I think. it's getting harder and harder for them. to do your their job now we know there. are certain things that like Eddie. Murphy I don't know if Eddie could have. in today's time joke that he told them. delirious and raw Bernie Mac.

different time it's a different time. yeah how do you how do they work walk. this fine line because what they do they. take actual true things that have. happened and they make them funny yeah I. watched Dave Chappelle's monologue on. Saturday Night Live it might it was the. greatest monologue yeah the way he woe. and hey he's like they're lamb they're. laying I mean it's full of land yes yeah. so Deft just stepping absolutely and get.

it one time not one time it matters how. you say it because you said some of the. same types of things that others have. said. but the way that he said it he is an. expert Storyteller yes and that's the. answer to your question. comedians right and I've had this. conversation with with Kevin Hart I've. had this conversation with rock it. matters how you delivered and how you. say it. you can say a lot of stuff right right. but the way that you say it matters even.

if you look at the other other side. somebody like a Donald Trump I don't. care where your politics are he's not a. comedian he has said some things that. ninety percent of the people could not. say right but the way he says it in a. charismatic way which speaks to a. certain segment of the population allows. him to get away with it okay that is the. reality right so when people say well. you just can't be a comedian these days. I disagree I think you have to work very. hard to get harder though you have to be. careful you have to be real really good. but what does that mean Shannon does. that mean that the bar is higher like. only like because the best you know you.

got to get better the cream will rise to. the top yes you know like Chappelle. hadn't gotten in a bunch of trouble yeah. with a certain you know group of people. for sure he has but I also think it's. the way that you say and there's a. deafness and and DFT uh to the way that. he handles controversial subjects and. situations and he's a master Storyteller. right you know if if it because it's. sometimes that when you can make. something funny and it takes the edge. off of it for sure because it's people. are laughing people like and he kind of.

saying something the same thing they got. the other guys in trouble you do realize. that he's saying this right but the way. he said it it didn't feel like he was. talking down to someone he pulled out a. note yeah and he apologize. that's how you buy some time that's all. yeah you buy some time you mentioned. your politics you're very you're very. political person obviously you care we. should we're citizens and people think I. think sometimes people think. if you're famous you're an athlete that. you're unaffected you're unimpacted by.

what's transpired I'm I I care right I. care about the economy I care about. inflation yeah I care about you know uh. uh the hunger and things of the the. homelessness yes I care about those. things yes yes having money doesn't. exempt you from world problems at all. maybe give you a better Avenue to be. able to deal with those but it doesn't. exempt you right. um you're a big Stacy the Abrams. proponent are you surprised I mean the. last time she ran she lost by 80 000. votes this time it wasn't even close are. you surprised that it was such a blowout. this time around.

um. I wasn't because uh I think it just. speaks to where Georgia is right now. yeah. um I think that there was first of all. Stacy's incredible yes she ran an. incredible campaign the first time uh. and a lot of people thought because in. 2020 and then 2021 when we had the. Senate runoffs we got two Democratic. senators a black man and a Jewish man. correct right yeah the state of Georgia. yes but what people didn't really. understand is that was a very unique.

Confluence of events that allowed that. to happen okay you were coming off 2020. where you had Georgia Republicans and. Republicans Nation why they just said. I'm not going to vote for Trump right. okay you said you had people that. literally voted all the way down the. ticket and did not vote for him they. said I'm just I'm tired and normally for. the most part you're both down ballot. from top to bottom that is correct you. got a lot of people that did not vote. there then in that runoff you had him. and a lot of other people saying well. the election is red right it's fraud. everywhere so you had a lot of. Republicans that stated they did not. come and ossoff and were not benefited.

from that because those of us that work. very hard to energize the Democratic. base we got our folks out right this. time around there was a big push amongst. Republicans you see that every midterm. depart is not in power usually comes out. and come strong right and so in Georgia. ultimately you still do have a lot more. Republican registered voters and so. their base is bigger than the Democratic. base there Stacy was up against that now. it speaks to. um when you look at Senator Warnock uh.

it speaks to the fact that he was up. against a very flawed candidate because. just about every other Statewide race in. Georgia the Republicans won correct but. that one they couldn't get it there. right A lot of people that said I can't. do that right I can't hold my nose and. punch that Walker ticket right so what. not obviously we're gonna have a runoff. I think it's December 6th it is between. uh Senator War not and uh Herschel. Walker yeah and look I don't have. anything I don't want to come out here. and speak bad about Herschel but I think. what is for me my problem is is that.

babe A lot he's allowed them to make him. a caricature of the worst stereotype. that's been portrayed on us right for. hundreds of years yeah and it's. embarrassing yeah the way that he's. taught he is like he had I mean to hear. him talk about certain things and I'm. like seriously yeah serious I'm like. people seriously yeah. here here's a challenge and and I'm. saying this to you black man the black. man successful black man to successful. black man high profile media black man. is somebody that also works in media. right here's the challenge Shannon.

it hurts us. to see a black man in that position now. if Herschel Walker was doing almost. anything else selling cars or hosting a. late night show anything right I. wouldn't have any issues and I would. have a problem with people you know uh. making fun or demonizing or. characterizing right in a negative way. right. but you're talking about running for one. of the most powerful positions in the. country yes it has to matter yes and we.

know for a fact that you've got people. on the other side that said we're going. to prop up somebody that is unqualified. qualified we are very intentionally. going to put somebody in a position who. does not have the qualifications right. qualifications have to matter when. you're talking about the U.S Senate. brother yeah it should that's what's. painful I don't I don't I hate the fact. that we have a black man running for. Senate who is so severely unqualified. and is so very clear right and he's. happens to be running against another.

black man right happens to be a pastor. and you have a lot of evangelicals in. the south in Georgia that are like well. I'm a vote for for Walker right I'm not. going to vote for the past I'm gonna. vote for the other guy that's just about. you being in your own Echo chamber and. just following along with the political. divide right it's not about the most. qualified candidates you can't take. nobody of any intelligence is going to. argue that correct right but it just. shows where we are and so you feel we do. and a lot of people like we know they. are are using this brother right he's. allowing himself to be used but you know.

what sometimes the hardest people to see. that is the person that's being used. you know we've all seen that man she. using him or he's using her yeah. absolutely they don't see that but. you're on the outside you're sometimes. you're so close you don't feel or you. can't sense what's actually going on. man like and we're watching all these. the voters tied themselves up in. pretzels they ask you know they're so. this Republican base is so against. abortions where Herschel played for. abortions well that's different yeah.

hold on what do you mean yeah I thought. you said killing an unborn child is. murder but if he's driving the lady to. the to the place and paying for it what. is that well it all depends on what is. God that's between him and his God oh. really yeah so what about the woman in. her God yeah yeah you can justify him. when you want to you don't want to look. at the truth you want to justify you can. right you know and that's what's. happening there I just and by the way. you said it if you think he he is going. to these rallies and looking at these. people and thinking I'm qualified I got.

a chance to win I might win I should win. right right that's how he's thinking of. it he's not looking at it as there is a. structure that is using you right right. to try to undermine something that's. happening right with another political. party not because you are qualified or. we want your ideals or we want your. skill sets right no we just need a body. we need somebody that's popular and you. know like I know in Georgia God football. family and that that order switches. depending on the day of the week still a. legend a legend absolutely people look.

at him and they say some of the most. definest memories I have of herself or. with him running the ball you know. taking Georgia Across The End Zone yeah. I I will always love him I'll always. have a fondness That's The Power of. sports right nothing wrong with that. nothing but when you blur the lines and. you talk about putting somebody in a. position of real power that's where it. gets disturbing that's what we got a. responsibility to do the right thing. were you always a big sports fan yeah. man you play sports growing up I did I. did play football. um you know I was the small fast dude. you know what I'm saying so you know I. don't know about Shannon Sharpton.

you know I played in Florida so we. played we you know before the. footballers yeah the football is it yeah. what you mean is I know you're a Georgia. Boy but you know we right there we go. yeah the South the football is King in. the father's King in the South yeah I. played football baseball I was an. athlete growing up I got a son who. played college ball. um at Harvard incidentally so yeah I got. I got a little DNA in me did you wanna. did you want to play professionally or. did you or did you I knew I didn't have. that one in the car okay that was never. I mean you know if if it was in the. cards you know what I mean I would I.

would have done it but uh that was. definitely not in the cars I didn't have. to frame the stature uh or the athletic. ability to be being honest I've been. moving things turned out okay though you. graduated magna [ __ ] laude I graduated. thank you lordy. you know I mean. I majored in eligibility I just need to. stay in for the football season. two boys two point seven five it is. I mean bachelor's last degree in. electrical engineering yes sir yes sir.

yes sir did you when you're growing up. you like hmm what did you want to be. what did Will Packer want to be when he. was growing up a boss. that's the truth I wanted to be a boss. okay I didn't know what kind I didn't. know I wanted to be in charge right you. want to tell somebody else what to do I. did I wanted to have my own company my. own business right so my parents explain. to me well that's entrepreneurship right. that's what you want to go out okay but. it really was this ideal of I want to be.

the person that's calling the shots. correct I didn't know how I didn't know. exactly the industry or the field okay. but they said all right well what you. got to do is bust your ass right you got. to work hard that was instilled in me. very early right you got to go out there. if you put your name on it you better be. given 110 and so that's why ultimately I. made a grades in high school went to. college major in engineering didn't want. to be that was not my dream right but. that was where you know I got the. scholarship right magna [ __ ] laude as you. said bust my ass working very very hard. in engineering right I still use that. mindset as I mentioned the analytical.

mindset even in making my movies today. right A lot of people think you can just. you know decide to wake up and work hard. Nah if you haven't been honing a work. ethic if you're not the person that's. been working hard and learning how to. work card you're not going to just all. of a sudden be like oh I want to do it. well you work hard for a couple of days. or a couple of months and then you'll. turn it back off because working hard is. in you it has to be in you and you have. to be doing that at a very young age. that's right that's right absolutely and. by the way sometimes doing it in areas. that you know may not be your passion. correct I tell people that all the time.

you'll find your passion right but while. you're in whatever you're in bust your. ass with that right be the best whatever. you can be when I came out of FAMU the. first uh movie I interned on I was the. lowest lowest lowest on the totem Pro. right I was a uh under the Pas I was an. intern in the camera Department. I was the absolute best camera intern. that anybody on that said had ever seen. I showed up early I stayed late I did. everything they wanted me to do I was. around there wrangling the cables got. them right my cables never got Twisted I. did whatever I needed to do right. because my name was on it now I looked.

and I said well I want to be the. producer I don't want to be doing this I. don't want to be getting coffee to this. person that person but you got to do. what you got to do put in the time. sometimes in this generation with the. instant gratification you have a lot of. people not willing to put in that work. right but I'm somebody that got to where. I am by learning how to grind from an. early age and it's paid off of that's. what I tell kids I said I think you. should have it's kind of like you know. Sports people do guys do one thing now. they just play football they just play. basketball they just do one thing and I. say I applied this to life and jobs I.

say do a lot of things because it'll. tell you what you don't want to do once. you get older because I can assure you. if you don't want to do that as a kid. yeah you damn sure not gonna want to do. it as an adult things are easy as a kid. I mean I did a lot of jobs like okay I. know I don't want to catch chickens I. don't want to crop tobacco I don't want. to clip on you I don't want to pick up. pecans I want to load watermelon to bail. hey I don't want to do field labor so I. that early on in my life I like I don't. want to do that yeah and then I started. playing sports and then I found that you. can make money playing sports.

that's how I want to get my family but. you also were extraordinarily gifted yes. yes you found something that you like to. do and that you could do really well so. a lot of people I don't want to be. Shannon sharp don't have the skill set. or the work ethic but sometimes you. you're good at one thing you don't want. to do it and you deny that gift trying. to go to a gift that's that you're not. blessed with that is very true that is. very true I agree so what you got to do.

find the thing that you are good at okay. do that yeah sometimes you'll find your. passion along the way you're absolutely. right you have people that are good at. one thing and say but right I think I. want to do something else is there a way. for you to combine it is there a way for. you to do this until you got enough. resources well then you can step out and. Chase something else right but don't. give up what you're good at right. because if you're really good at. something I believe everybody has a. talent you good at it go for it and go. hard right. how do you go into an HBC you help you. in your movie career. you gave me a different perspective than.

a lot of my peers. um number one it taught me who I'm. making my movies for okay when I made my. first movie Chocolate City uh we it was. starring other kids that went to school. but there was a nobody in that movie we. barely you know knew what we were doing. we were trying to keep the shots in. Focus yeah right you shot on camcorder. we shot it super 16 millimeter film I. see you it's a little Savannah State. shade in there brother I didn't have a. camcorder okay I had some film all right. y'all see him over here I knew I knew.

when I was at the line trying to get in. here was going to take some shots at me. so I had this movie that we shot and. nobody in Hollywood could give a damn. about chocolate city right right but. guess what we had our world premiere we. were in uh Lee Hall which is our. Auditorium on campus we had a formal. Premiere we made everybody go out and. rent tub you know these students yeah. yeah they barely got money that we make. go to casino and Son rent you a tux you.

know what I'm saying rent you a ball. gown because we taking this very. seriously right now I invited everybody. all the big dogs in Hollywood right I. invited everybody if you had a studio. the chairman of fox Universal Paramount. so I invited all of them okay uh my mama. was like did you invite Oprah I said Mom. she said you invite all them other. people invite Oprah I said okay Mom I'm. invite Oprah on the day of the premiere. I'm standing on stage getting ready to. introduce my movie and the whole front. row is empty because I had saved seats. for all these Hollywood people right now.

none of them rsvp'd mind you right no. not one person had the decency to even. say I'm not I'm not gonna be able to. they didn't let me know they got the. invite right that front row was it. because Shannon sharp what if a whole. Fleet of private jets that showed up at. Tallahassee Regional Airport the day of. my Premiere had to be ready for him. right I had saved a seat for Oprah with. a plus one she could have brought. stabbing or Gail it didn't matter right. right whole front row is empty but guess. what every other seat in that Auditorium. was packed wow and that's when I learned.

I'm not making my movies for the front. row I'm making them for everybody else. that's what I learned at an HBCU and I. have been making movies for an audience. and then expanding beyond that audience. ever since wow. did it make did it leave you a little. like damn could nobody show up they. couldn't send they couldn't send like a. gopher they couldn't send a sister they. couldn't send anybody a little bit. because I thought you know we had gone. through all this trouble and worked hard. and made this movie like you know.

probably what's gotta care right no they. don't you know what made Hollywood care. after we made that movie and we sold uh. t-shirts hats soundtracks we convinced. the second run theater that was uh. showing movies for like a dollar fifty. after they would lead the main theaters. that was a thing back in the day yeah we. convinced them to show our movie over. and over again and for the kids in. Tallahassee that family it was a big. deal right and they would go see the. movie every weekend right right we ended. up taking that we we had brought about.

20 grand to make that move we end up. making about a hundred thousand dollars. wow as broke college students right. that's when I realized oh this is my ivy. league training this is my NBA level. education and Entrepreneurship right. here and I also realize that there's. power in understanding your Niche and. who you're making your movies for okay. that's what I learned at in HBCU I. learned that I need to make I need to. know my audience make my movies for a. specific audience and by the way make.

money without Hollywood that's the only. reason Hollywood started returning my. calls because I was making money without. them they'll leave you out there on your. own if you're not doing nothing and. making no noise right but if you want to. get Hollywood's attention you go out. there you make money without them right. then my phone started ringing how did. someone from an HBCU. with no connections to Hollywood none no. inner workings right. like all of a sudden they started taking. you serious it was that you made movies. that made money without their help and.

it's like well hell you making money let. me give you some of that absolutely. Hollywood is good for that but now let. me just break it make it clean make it. clear it wasn't just that we made we. started making money we were willing to. do and out hustle other people right so. even after that movie Chocolate City. that movie trois that I made right we. literally drove from City to City to. City we rented a Ford Excursion we print. up a bunch of Flyers we would drive to a. city hand out flyers and say our movie.

is premiering this weekend in your. theater in your town we would go I would. hand out flyers at churches I would hand. out flies at strip clubs I would go to. the radio station and say hey can I just. get on for 30 seconds after you come out. of your next commercial break just tell. people about my movie we hustle we drove. that Ford Excursion from Birmingham to. Charlotte to Memphis to Jacksonville. Tennessee to uh Columbus Georgia drove. it all the way up to uh to Chicago I. know every city I went to 19 markets. because I drove to every single one got. a a little room at a Motel 6 Super 8.

wherever we could afford to stay in and. we drove City to City to city and. ultimately we were able to make a. million dollars in the theaters with. that movie wow we were willing to do. what others weren't now today you got. YouTube you can push a button you can. put it out yeah yeah you got to work. harder you got to figure out another way. because a lot of people can get views. but back then we had to go to every. single City so that's how we really got. put on the map. what gave you the idea to do Stomp the. Yard you mentioned Chocolate City with. the first one shot exclusively on on.

HBCU campus and then you came with Stomp. the Yard Columbus Short unbelievable. movie loved it you remember that I do. remove it come on. I did I did yeah you know where I shot. most of it more bro Mo Brown Moby Moby. was there it was available you know. Unfortunately they were going through. some challenges right and so their. campus wasn't active right we shot. stomped the yard right there at Morris. Brown College in the AUC and it was. inspired by my I'll tell you exactly. what happened I wanted to make a movie.

about black college life okay I made our. first in chocolate City I went out to. Hollywood and I was like hey I got this. movie I want to make it about. fraternities and step in and hbcus them. people looked at me like I was crazy. Shannon sharp they didn't know anything. about fraternity or stepping or hbcus. they said y'all going to black college. they say y'all know y'all can go to. White colleges right we we gotta we can. accept y'all now but they don't they. don't step I said first of all they. don't do a lot of things they don't and. y'all don't call it the yard.

homecoming ain't homecoming is different. you know what I mean love to my pwi. folks [ __ ] I don't do it like y'all. putting y'all putting raisins in the. potato salad that's why we could ask why. we can't do that standing over here. Throwing Shade Club Shay Shay talking. about that unseasoned chicken that was. Shannon yeah. straight out the pack to the grill so I. had to go and convince them that this. was not a movie about all that stuff. they didn't understand right I said you. know what it's a dance move right it's a. really good dance movie take a style of.

dance you've never seen before we're. gonna combine two different styles of. dance and make a movie around right. that's how stomp y'all got green lit and. then I made it my movie around black. college campus okay around black college. life. do you help me I'm looking at you think. like a man Think Like a Man Ride Along. obsess takers No Good Deed the wedding. uh the wedding ringer I mean you know. girls trip yeah uh. I mean I'm looking at things like a man. gross 96 million uh worldwide 12 million. dollar budget right along 150 million 25.

million budget and you exactly reduced. Straight Out of Compton do you I mean. actually probably the one that. put will Packer on the map stop the yard. something y'all because I I went out and. I pitched it to every studio and they. all passed on it and then it came out of. nowhere and open number one and then. everybody started calling me and saying. why you didn't bring us that movie and I. said I did bring you that movie right. she said no you know that's the one that. made people say oh we have to take him. serious right because that's what. Hollywood reacts to right they they.

follow the numbers they don't care about. like if you make dollars it makes sense. period period it's a bottom line. business it's a bottom line business and. so once I was able to come out and I was. the number one movie in the country for. two two weeks in a row right and people. said who the hell is Will Packer right. what is this movie Stomp the Yard that. we didn't know about but I had an. audience I had a demographic that was. going to come out like I said it wasn't. the front row I was making that movie. for is everybody else right got people. excited about it right that's how I got. on the map be honest with you the movie.

Think Like a Man is from the book Steve. Harvey yeah uh what was it like working. with Steve and then you like Steve bro. you giving all the secrets away bro come. on now something we just got to keep we. keep that amongst ourselves there's a. saying I know you don't know about this. the game is to be uh sold not told. exactly Steve sold the game. Steve uncle Steve said I'm gonna sell it. yeah y'all whether y'all appreciate it. or not you know I was one of the first. people to call him about that book.

I called him and this is what like you. asked about me living in Atlanta versus. living in L.A right I'm in L.A a lot. working Hollywood but Atlanta's home it. puts me in a different uh circle of. people right and what happened was I saw. uh sisters in the hair salon and they. were passing around copies of Steve's. book right and you would have people. like hey bring my copy back I didn't get. to finish it's my turn uh hand it to me. and I saw that happening I said you know. what. you're not seeing all the sales they're. passing this around right so this book.

has a buzz and has a relevance that is. hard to quantify right you know what I. mean the publisher may not even realize. that you sold one copy of the book but. 10 people read it so I called Steve very. early I said man I want to turn your. book into a movie so I it's not even a. narrative he said I'd never imagined it. as him right then it hit bestseller then. he went on all the morning shows then he. went on Oprah twice now everybody in. Hollywood started calling him to Steve's. credit he remembered the first dude that.

called him about that book and he said. you know what everybody calling me to. turn into a movie because the books are. hit now I'm going with Will Packer I'm. gonna go with the guy who called me. first and said he wanted to turn this. into a move I said Steve I'm not gonna. let you down I got you and we open. number one with that movie too put Kevin. Hart on the map in a different way 96. million dollars later we did a sequel. and and got other stuff in the works as. well. man what's that grinding that Hustle Man. but that you know what that's that says. something that Steve like all these. other big movie studios yes came in yes.

and he could have been like you know. what but the Bro man came to me early on. yeah he did because you didn't think it. was gonna do anything until all of a. sudden I had Pete see I started going. here now you want when I was here you. weren't hollering at your boys that's. right right back then didn't want me but. he definitely was that's that's who he. is you know what I mean that was a. loyalty there he said I'm gonna get his. brother a chance he was one of the first. people to call and then I went with his. Blessing now I was able to go get a. major Studio on board we made that with.

Sony put an amazing casting yeah I'm. looking at Kevin Hart Taraji P Henson. Gabrielle Union Chris Brown Wendy. Williams yeah. like I said when you when you're like. okay I want to do this movie got Steve's. Harvey's blessing Studios have signed on. now. how do you start to go about the cast. you got to get a good script right we. had a script and then it was who can be. in it who can bring this to life first. person I wanted was Kevin Hart okay I. knew similarly Hollywood won checking.

for Kevin at that time but similarly to. the way I knew about Steve's book in. places like in Atlanta right off the. Hollywood grid all people were talking. about was Kevin Hart they were. bootlegging his DVDs like crazy right. watching that's when YouTube was just. starting to really pop watching his. videos and his and his stuff over and. over and I watch my kids watching Kevin. I was like this dude is having a moment. but it's not like he's selling so many. you know units of his comedy special. right so Hollywood doesn't really know. how hot he is right now right he was one.

of the first people I went after ran. into him at the airport I said brother. I'm making the same thing same man this. day I said I'm making a movie he knew a. couple of my movies before but we didn't. really know each other I said give me a. shot let me work with you to make this. movie I want you to star in my new movie. that I'm making based on Steve Harvey's. book he said I'm in I'm in and he gave. me that chance right because at that. time Hollywood wasn't coming after him. but he was hot in the streets right. I made that move I said I got you put. him in the middle and then it was about. how do we put a great ensemble cast. around I'm so proud of that cast man you.

talk about Gabby and you talk about. Taraji you talk about Regina Hall you. know talk about Michael Ealy and Romney. Malco and Terence J Terence J got that. role he wasn't even supposed to be in. the movies he showed up at the table. read I didn't have anybody cast for that. role we were reading it right you do a. table read everybody sits around and. actually acts out the script while. you're reading it right and Terence Jake. came in I said listen I don't know if I. can get you in this movie but sit in for. this part of Regina Hall's love interest. in the table read he was so prepared he.

had studied so hard he came in everybody. else was reading their scripts Terence. Jaden needed script because he had. memorized the whole thing he knew all. his lines he was completely off book we. call it and he was acting his ass off in. that table read and that's how he got. the wrong wow he was willing to do what. it took you also work with Oprah how are. they working with Oprah because. it's Oprah yeah it's Oprah it's like. yeah. like there's certain people like well. you gotta go by one name Oprah yeah. Denzel yeah Sam yes.

period yeah I read here she said hey. don't have me looking crazy she did she. did I went uh I went I went to Promised. Land that's Oprah's uh Estates yeah okay. and uh I got invited I got called up to. the estate I went to promised land and I. pitched her you know my show ideas for. her network for OWN Network and one of. the ones I pitched was this uh dating. show called Ready to Love right and she. liked it I said listen Oprah one of the. things that dating uh reality scene is. missing is a show where you have grown.

folks adults right who are not in their. 20s in your 20s you don't really know. what you're looking for anyway right I. said let's do a show where people in. their 30s and 40s who have experienced. some things live some life maybe where. they were divorced maybe they have kids. and also by the way African-Americans. that's not a Viewpoint that you. typically see she loved it but she. definitely said listen now you know I. ain't done a lot of this real reality TV. will right it's my name all of it don't. have me looking crazy you told me that. right there Promised Land I say oh Queen.

oh I got you yeah she said she didn't. want black people uh she wanted black. people done right yeah you didn't want. the true uh no mess no negative. stereotype that is correct she's serious. about that because her name is on it you. know. it's also who she is right Tyler Perry. yeah man um he was one of the first I. mean he started out with these these. DVDs. and I think I've got all every last one. of his DVDs yeah and I'm like man I. remember bringing him home and showing. them to my sister my sister laughing my.

mom my mom was laughing my grandmother. thought they were were hilarious and he. takes him a deal and turns it into what. it became and we see what he has become. what's it like I mean you shoot at a. studio right yeah yeah I've shot at the. studio I've had officer Studio you know. he's he's my brother and my friend you. know what he has done is really changed. the game right because before Tyler. there was not a filmmaker that owned a.

studio outside of Hollywood that. Hollywood had to take seriously right. black white or other. and for him to create and in Atlanta he. has a studio that is on par with any of. the Hollywood Studios big so we're. talking hundreds of Acres right if you. ain't been there we got to get you down. there to check I gotta check it out. because it's on the old uh that's right. it was an Army base that was not being. used and he took over the army base was. like 400 plus acres he has 300 of them. right as his Studio he build it. everything is top-notch top of the line.

and he did that as you said off of Medea. yo aunts and and family sister because. y'all they weren't the only one laughing. he touched the nerves right within the. black community people saw themselves. and the family members they knew. everybody had a Madea an uncle look. crazy and that's how they talked to. that's right he said I'm not sugar. coating it but give it to you straight. you said something and I heard you said. you know I realized that I wasn't making. movie for the front row I was making a. movie for back there yes he's learned. that early on yes that blacks okay. that's what I'm making movies for them.

yeah they go they they love this and. everybody was like man. I'm sure Hollywood at the time didn't. take him serious at all like ain't. nobody go a six foot four man dressing. up dressing up and nobody's gonna buy it. yes and then before they knew it yes yes. he was wildfired he had caught fire yes. and it the blaze was too big to put out. that's correct so now they got to take. himself now they now they want to do. business with it absolutely that's how. like I said Hollywood calls when you. make money without him.

he did something that um that I admire. and that I have done also in my career. which is put people in positions that. they haven't seen themselves right call. it underserved audiences and underserved. experiences and people saw themselves. and people they knew on screen in a. different way with Tyler's movies and. and some of my movies as well and that's. an opportunity that traditional. Hollywood did not care about right until. it became profitable right they weren't. making movies you know the the thing. like a man's and girls trips no and.

Tyler's stuff and some of these they. weren't that wasn't something Hollywood. had done frequently right because they. didn't see the value in it right but you. had big audiences that said we want to. see ourselves right we want to laugh cry. and everything in between correct and so. it's up to filmmakers like myself to go. out there and make force Hollywood to. pay attention by showing that there's an. economic viability right to that. audience that our audience is one of the. most uh persuasive loud influential art.

audiences and especially black women. right that's what they do and other. people follow them because they have to. because they're so loud they're like. what are they talking about over there I. got to go find it you know girls trip. wouldn't have made the money it made off. of just black people yeah. yeah. you can't be doing that I can't say. nothing because my wife is one of the. worst offenders how do producer's wife. gonna be in the movie I took her to see.

uh there was a movie called um uh uh uh. be quiet what's the movie don't quiet. place. quiet place the whole point of the movie. Shannon sharp is you have to be quiet or. the aliens will hear you and kill you. right so we in the movie and everybody's. nervous on the edge of their season you. can barely hear the popcorn cut to Mrs. pack oh no don't go get out of there. don't go in there baby Jesus Christ I'm.

selling bad babies. my wife is a stereotypical black woman. in the movie I can't take her I just I'd. be like baby we're gonna watch it on. streaming up. Idris Elba yeah man he was in the movie. The Beast beast yeah. South Africa check it out I did thank. you. um I can't say that I was terrible I. wasn't but see that dude. they killed they killed a live brother. they killed his brother well they did.

and so you know he was gonna get that. get back he wanted to get back and by. the way he got a lot of get back ate. like 10 people yeah what did you want. you wanted the lion to eat Idris. that would be good yeah but he could. have got one of the kids though. said it sorry you know what this is but. we do our Packer shop Productions we're. gonna have to have a lot of meetings. because your movies gonna go dark yeah. to get the kids. you want to eat one of the kids with two. girls and it was a father and two.

daughters. okay you know we will have to have a. meeting before me and you going to. produce it together we're gonna have to. have a talk about how dark your movie is. gonna be brothers. somebody got I mean like Denzel and. training date yes Denzel got killed off. in the ear and they were beautiful he. deserved to get killed Denzel was the. antagonist okay the antagonist in this. movie was the lion not Idris he was just. trying to defend his family what time is. the production meeting of a pack of.

shark Productions because we need to we. need to have a meeting over here at the. end of Club Shay his daughter yes. actually. interviewed for the role how difficult. was it to say. I'm sorry you didn't get it. it was it was it was it was not easy. eson is her name Eastside Elba she's an. amazing young actress and you're going. to be hearing more about her right. here's what I'll say. um he didn't really true that he really. didn't want her to. to like be in it yeah no that's not true.

okay that's not true that's not true I. can tell you for a fact. um to Idris his credit he said I want. the best person for the role right he. wasn't like you got it no no have my. daughter and he wasn't like I'm not. gonna have her because she's my daughter. right she went through the same process. as everybody else came out auditioned. did callbacks the whole thing. um and ultimately at the end of the day. there was somebody else right for that. role right that was better Idris. accepted it I I called her myself. because I've known Easton for years man.

it just go back right so I've known her. and as I said she's Italian young. actress right she's very mature about it. she was disappointed obviously but she. worked and earned that I will tell you. it is somebody else who's like that is. Ice Cube a lot of people think that. O'Shea just got the role in Straight Out. of Compton because he was Cube's son. yeah had auditioned callbacks had to. beat out people like had to work hard. one thing I will say is that those are. two people interesting Cube who uh. they're not giving anything to them. because they want them to be stronger.

right you know some of that's cultural. too right our parents say you got to. work for it right I want you to have it. but you're going to be stronger if you. have to work for it and that's what. happened with with Idris but I don't. know who else could have played Q. because because uh uh O'Shea looked just. like a dad he put that curl on it yeah. yeah you produce obsessed uh with. Beyonce and Adrians uh would you like to. do another movie with Beyonce for sure. absolutely you know she um um did the. Oscars she she doesn't she doesn't do. the Oscars yeah she that's not that's.

not her thing right and it was really. only because of of the relationship that. I have with her herself my producing. partner Shayla Cowan we called her and. um you know and B made it very clear the. only reason I'm opening the Oscars is. because of you so it's that relationship. she is I would work with her in a. heartbeat right you wanna talk about. work ethic yeah you're not gonna outwork. B you are not going to outwork Beyonce. whatever it is she's doing she goes a. thousand percent she has earned her. position rightfully so because she.

outworks everybody she's extremely. talented she is she has all the good she. has the skill set she has the look The. Sound she has all of that but none of. that would matter if she didn't work as. hard as she did so she has a lot of of. fans I don't mean Phantom I mean people. like me that are advocates for her. within the industry right because we. know how hard she works and she always. delivers you work with Neil long and. Uncle Buck yeah and obviously we know. what transpired her relationship uh have. you have you spoken to her. I haven't spoken with her.

um I wanted to definitely you know give. her give her some time. um she and I are good were close. um you know I've known her for years. obviously you know know he made through. her. um and you know just you just you just. you just keep somebody like that in your. prayers you know what I'm saying you let. that be a personal thing I think he will. ultimately you know land on his feet and. they'll they'll they'll figure out what. they're gonna do right. uh if there's somebody that you haven't. worked with that you like to work with a. lot I I haven't worked with dens you. mentioned Denzel okay you know um.

Sam Jackson yeah put it out there we're. gonna make it manifest that yeah yeah I. know and by the way big supporters like. it's all love like when I see them they. they like hey brother we see you yeah we. see you doing your thing keep going. right you know very encouraging so um. Sam and I got close a couple times but. just hadn't happened yet so it'll happen. when it's right I mean you know it's. kind of like I look at like Denzel and. I've met him um his son used to work out. with the Savannah Houston I mean. Savannah he trained with our training we.

worked out together. but Denzel seems mythical. yeah I mean that that voice and the. Annunciation and the Cadence yeah he. don't miss. you don't miss. nope it ain't a bad Denzel Road. you may not like the movie but you. Denzel did his thing in that movie yeah. whatever it is you know from Glory they. film glory in Savannah we had a lot of. people that went out there and it was. extra in glory yeah and then uh Cry. Freedom yeah Bantu Stephen Biko.

absolutely. unbelievable you know one of the movies. that I like that don't get a whole lot. of credit wow I like Devil in blue dress. yeah yeah. Walter Mosley uh uh book yeah Harlem. Blues yeah I mean but like you said. Denzel can't miss no he can't he got me. from Malcolm. Training Day training day was great what. about John Q Man. like I said I mean what what I mean what. movie did we say oh man whether it's.

date what kind of movie can we say oh. Manville was bad in that movie not gonna. see him okay she takes it very seriously. but he'll be on it he gonna come hard. fences yep yep absolutely no he's a. legend let's just give it to him I mean. that's that's the goat if there's such a. thing you know what I mean when you talk. about acting you know black or white. right on any Martin Luther stand on ten. toes but I think I think Blue Devil in. blue dress is probably the only movie um. Man on Fire. yeah you know the hurricane I mean it's.

like I think for me Malcolm Malcolm X. was the movie really because he looked. like him yeah he spoke like in the. Annunciation the phonetic and the. Cadence in which he spoke yes many. played that part how he not with how he. did not win the Academy Award for that. well you know back there but we already. know but anyway we're gonna move around. I was gonna say I think if you want to. get into that Academy Award and what. should and shouldn't have happened uh. okay so I'm looking at girls trip girls. trip two you shot the first one for.

about about 12 19 million dollars. obviously the budget will be a lot. bigger this time what how I mean what so. where are they going now they went to. New Orleans so where they going now we. trying to figure it out man with a. suggestion what you what you think with. this Packer sharp first of all you. probably want to kill everybody. no you know girls they go to Miami yeah. they go to the Dominican okay they go to. uh uh Jamaica yes uh well if they go is. Dominican really that popular with the. ladies though I know the fellas go to.

Dominican all the time why do you think. they going well. golf like okay let you tell it ain't. nobody gonna do that I never heard a new. golf course in the Dominican Republic. Shannon sharp with an e on me yeah I. mean I mean that's what I'm thinking I. mean what else they go we gotta go. somewhere Miami yeah but y'all can do. better than that you don't think you got. to be so we don't want to go exotic I'm. telling we having a little Obsession. right Dominican Dominican is good I just.

don't know if that's like when you talk. about girlfriends and they say okay. we're gonna do a girlfriend's trip where. do we most want to go is Dr on that list. baby it is yeah okay Jamaica okay uh you. spend a lot of time in Dr no oh no you. broke your voice got real high on that. answer uh you dead no I've never been to. the Dr I've never been to why are you. stuttering no I haven't you've never. been to Dominica I have not seriously. nope really never been to Jamaica what.

no oh we got to get you in the Caribbean. come on what you doing what's what's. wrong with the Caribbean I'm trying I. got great uh I'm trying to get I'm. trying to get and stay in a relationship. that's what I'm trying to do and the. Dominican is not going to help them. I see you not trying to help. [Laughter]. you. produce the Oscars I did and. that moment happened.

when did you did you think like when. Chris Rock said the joke. and then as well got up. did you think it would go the way it. went and when it happened what went. through your mind. um so when you do a big live show like. that yes you have many rehearsals okay. you do the whole show yes and you run it. through multiple times yes I know yeah. it's live you want very little room for.

error so you rehearse every aspect of. the show so we had done Chris's part of. the show right right in there on the. stage he had done his monologue his. little you know his his jokes he had a. section already worked out and when he. got up almost immediately he was off. book from the monologue that we had. rehearsed right right and so I didn't. think much of it at all because it's Rob. right so if it's anybody you want to go. off book that's right you know he got.

this he gonna play to the crowd. when he made the joke. um the first thing that the director did. was was Panda Jada no question right and. when Jada made that face that clearly. said I am not amused and this is not. funny to me right. I cringed I immediately went ugh. because if she had kind of laughed at it. right it still would have been kind of a. you know okay Rocky going there but if.

she laughed at it we would have just. kept it moving right when she made that. face I said oh okay I said all right. Rock bring it back this is me I'm I'm in. the back you said United there but you. you said I'm not in his ear he's not. here you don't have to you know I'm in. my director's here right and we're. talking to our camera people because. we're trying to decide where to go. meaning with the camera right right so I. said oh bring it back come on Rock bring. it back all right you know. then you see will starting to come. towards the stage right when I tell you. nobody in that room knew what was about.

to happen other than will and I'm not. even sure we'll knew what about that bro. he's stood up right so no I did not know. and when he got up. I wasn't sure that it had actually been. a slap right I thought this was some. kind of hurt bad joke okay that the two. of them right yeah but wasn't that funny. so I said okay well you got to clean. this up right you gotta y'all gotta. bring it back or make a joke or. something and it went to will got back. in the seat and he started yelling what. he yelled to the stage that we all knew.

oh it's just real we got a problem did. you ever think about Fade to Black. here's the thing it's a good question. I've been asked that right. so here's what happened when you do a. live television yes you are literally. it's like a tennis match you're. following the ball. so he made the joke we cut to Jada. because it was about Jada we got cameras. all through the audience right will went. on stage we still did not know it was. serious until will start yelling what he. was yelling right right we're covering. him because that's what you do you're.

following and you don't want to miss the. joke if it's some kind of a joke right. once we realized that he was dead. serious about it we had nowhere to cut. to okay we're in the middle of. presenting the award for documentary. which Quest love ended up winning. I didn't have anywhere to go but to. follow the action in that room right and. it happened so fast that we didn't know. okay we need to fade to black go to. commercial no it was like okay how do we. get out of this right all we could do at. that point was follow the action I. didn't have some people asked why didn't.

you cut to somebody else in the room get. off a whip I'd have a person in that. room I could cut you because everybody's. faces was right. shock a gas right right so did they know. did they know it was for real because. you said you thought it was a joke none. of us knew it was for real until will. got back to the seat and started saying. start yelling I told you to leave my. that is correct at that point it was. clear this ain't a joke he's serious we. could tell by Chris's reaction by the. way Chris saved the rest of the show. I know I know I already know what you. about to because this you know what.

y'all about to get right now in club. Shay Shay y'all about to get up you. better be glad it wasn't me that's what. you're about to get from Shannon shots. what would happen if you was up there. Chris is the ultimate first of all will. you and I both know ain't nobody running. up he'd have never done that. hey I don't want Will Smith cancel but I. felt that there are a lot of people. that's made jokes about Jada I didn't. think I didn't think it was such an. egregious joke that warranted that type. of reaction that's not my wife so I. can't maybe somebody say if I'm married.

and somebody said something uh but I. think this was a build up that wasn't. that that joke wasn't what caused that. there's a build up that people have been. taking and saying things about will how. he the first guy to win a Grammy for rap. how he the first got to do and this it. kept building it kept building and it. reached that Crescendo that night I hate. that it reached that Crescendo that. night because that was his night and. unfortunately his night is going to be. overshadowed for perpetuity for that. incident that is correct that is correct. it will always be remembered by that I.

also hate it because it was a good. shovel it was great I'm just going to. tell you and then yeah you know I I did. it me Shayla we made you know we made. the show I'm proud of it but even if I. didn't we had more people watch that. show than had in years my goal was to. reverse the trend of the ratings going. right we did outside of the slap I I. ain't a lot I will go watch it I just. tuned in and it just it took what. happened when I tuned in that happened. you tuned in for the slap you were. supposed I had Beyonce I had Megan a.

stallion come on I had a good show for. you I know but why did you not watch. this I would go watch the whole show but. then after he did that I like when Chris. Rock will get some get back. get back you know we got to get back we. gotta see you still me I got. he got off stage I went back talked to. him had a conversation I can't believe. that you know what did that he said man. I'm out of here he said this is stupid. he said I'm out I said you sure you're. good what you want me to do he was like. man I'm I'm he was on his way to Guy.

Fieri's uh after party I'm about to go. get me a drink I'm I'm this is stupid he. was he was so kind of disgusted with it. all he just wanted to get out right did. you talk to will after the show did you. talk to I talked to everybody I talked. to everybody he was very remorseful. still is very remorseful yeah yeah and. he felt very bad he had a personal. conversation with me because. um this was the first Oscars that was. produced by an all-black producer yes. this is the first time in Oscar's. history yes. um everything everything was black.

catering service were black the catering. mac and cheese yeah everything. everything we had black conductor yeah. yeah people that were bringing out the. Oscar for HBC y'all gave him the black. church man I had D nice spinning we. gonna have some Flavor now you know what. I'm saying it was a good show I'm proud. of the show I wanted to have. representation you don't normally see on. right on that stage I hate that. ultimately that night when we had so. much black accent yes and just diverse. Excellence right right I don't care if. you're talking about blacks.

um Latinos uh uh deaf the first deaf. actor to win an award win an Oscar all. of that I'm very very proud of first. first. um uh non-binary queer uh actress Ariana. Dubose at the end of the day I think the. show you know of course that is. something it'll be remembered by but I'm. very proud of the substance of the show. and a lot of people tuned in even though. you didn't help thank you I did not you. watched too late no no you tune in with. the slap the ratings are already in. there's no that was too late what I'm.

telling you did Ray I went up 60 before. the slap by the time you get there that. was in the third hour of the show but. what were you watching on Sunday night. other than the Oscar in February. football went on what was you doing I. don't remember huh I don't remember see. he's probably playing that trip to Dr. that's the problem. oh yeah now I got to stay now I can't. leave now you gotta see what's gonna. happen you know look you know how people. watch television they watch television. increase okay I watch a little bit I. flipped with something else I come back. I flipped but once I saw that yeah you.

had to see what was going on. [Laughter]. come on man any time brother thank you. for my life and grinding all my life. sacrifice hustle baby price wanna slice. got the roll the dice that's why all my. life I've been grinding all my life all. my life been running all my life. sacrifice hustle pay the price wanna.

slice got to roll a dice that's why all. my life.