Niecy Nash-Betts Got In Trouble For Being Funny | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

well first of all when I I first knew. you and a lot of people knew you as. someone who's just really naturally. funny you were just you know you're very. gifted you're very naturally funny and. that is how I first knew you and you'd. come on the show and I thought I'm. always fascinated to figure out when did. you realize you were funny did you. always know where you went is when you. were a little kid that's usually when. people figure it out they figure out a. very early age that I've got this power. I've got this thing I can do I always. knew knew that I was.

funny but it wasn't I didn't know that. comedy was a gift because I got in. trouble for it I got pinched in church. you know for clowning around you know. what I mean like a nun or uh by my mama. oh by your mom yeah okay so you knew. you're you knew you're a salent that's. the important thing you could identify. your a salent yeah yeah so and I would. get talks too much on my report card and.

my mother's likewell what are you in. class talking about I I me I I sometimes. I tell jokes she's like I got a joke go. get the belt you know what I mean and. and so I got in trouble for it so I. didn't know it was a gift. until um. 1993 um my brother was murdered on a on. his high school campus and my mother. says I'm getting in the bed and I'm. never getting back out so I'm like well. what could I do and I was like 20 2 2 23.

and I'm like I don't know what to do but. I do know I can make my mama laugh so I. started performing at the foot of her. bed every day I would come over there. and do my bit and do my jokes and do my. voices and one day I came over and she. wasn't in the bed and I said mama she. said we're in here I'm like who is we. well I went across the street and got. Miss Brown and Miss s and I told him you. was funny get that karaoke microphone. and stand up there and tell these people. some jokes I was like what what is.

happening and so in that moment I I. tapped the karaoke mic is is this thing. on how's everybody doing in the living. room I don't know what I'm saying like. what am I doing up here be good to your. waitress she works hard and so I I. started as I'm telling my things and. doing my bit that's when I realized that. comedy was healing yeah I realized it. was a gift and and that voice said to me.

cuz I was trying to get jobs as a very. serious actress I'm like listen are they. doing part six of roots I would love to. be the lead slave you know I wanted to. cry and fall all out on camera couldn't. get a job anywhere in town who was your. role model as a kid for the actress that. you wanted to be do you think oh um when. I was younger probably more like Sicily. Tyson you know like that that kind of a. Vibe Diana Ross and mahogany but. Majestic these are Majestic people you. know yeah and so when I'm standing there.

saying these jokes in the karaoke. microphone the voice as audible as my. own says ni don't be a selfish heer it's. a lot of people suffering go outside and. spread this joy around and I went. outside and I said my name is n Nash and. I'm funny and they were like yes you are. little girl let us give you a job and. that was you know when I knew it was a. lot more to it but it's interesting that. for me it was a revel.

that this thing I can do to cheer up my. mom or make people laugh in a tense. situation there's a job that you could. it's actually a job I didn't know it was. a job I mean I grew up in you know. Boston in the 1970s there's there's no. one I wasn't bumping into people in Show. Business I didn't know that it was a job. yeah for the longest time which was kind. of a cool thing to find out yeah I. thought this is just something you do. with people for fun and I mean even the. way son and I sona's my assistant and we.

were just we would always mess with each. other screw around and then people would. would laugh and then we put it on camera. now it's like this mini industry I know. it's. true you didn't know that this would. happen when you signed up to be my. assistant no I didn't I didn't you. thought you'd be getting me like foot. inserts you know for the rest of your. life yeah I did that too but yeah and by. the way I need them again oh okay well I. don't assist you any.

Janu new guy yeah we need the new foot. insert my. orthotics but but I mean that that was. just something that was natural and real. and then you realize that's all there is. is just if we can put it on a put a. camera on a microphone yeah but I didn't. know it took me a while to know that. yeah and you just seem to you knew you. get into it well I knew I was a lover. first M and then funny second I mean I. remember I liked a boy when I was in. kindergarten and I knew something told.

me doll up look nice huh so I wore my I. begged my grandmother to let me wear my. my Sunday dress which was a purple. velvetine so I and my long socks and my. patent leather shoes and my rabbit. jacket you know back then they used to. you know in the 70s they used to take a. little pieces of rabbit and and make you. a little jacket out of it my rabbit. jacket and I put a piece of candy in my. sock.

wait a minute you put a piece of candy. where in my sock so in your sock so I. could offer him a a piece of candy in. your sock cuz I didn't have pockets no I. understand that you but so you'd say. would you like a piece of candy and then. and pull it out of my side and then put. it out your and that way that draws. attention to the leg and the ankle come. on I never thought of that me neither. I'm going to try that and now when I. talk to people and say I got some candy. in my sock.

it's got a different vibe going to have. a way different vibe go to my van I got. candy in my don't do it Coco not the van. do it the van doesn't work it's a bun. block come on I got a Marathon bar in my. sock it's not good it's not good no in. kindergarten it works now not so much. yeah uh so many things were looked cool. back then and now we're just. [Laughter]. creepy.