Ego Nwodim
Men's Journal|September - October 2020
Live from L.A.—where she escaped months of self-isolation in New York—the Saturday Night Live comedian talks about sneaking race into comedy and the digestive silver lining of quarantine.
By Anna Peele
Ego Nwodim

I’ve heard you talk about the sounds people’s mouths make. Do you have misophonia, the disorder where people are driven crazy by noise?

I have not been diagnosed with misophonia, but I was a biology major. That gives me no credibility as far as diagnoses go, but I’m going to just take it and say that means I can diagnose myself. This is not an exhaustive list, but I am bothered by noises from a person’s mouth that are not talking, singing, laughing, whistling. Like when people are chewing with their mouth open or people whose mouths make…mouth noises.

You created a sketch for the Phoebe Waller-Bridge episode of SNL where the Black anchors of a news show are visibly relieved when it’s reported that the perpetrator of a crime wasn’t Black. It feels like comedy can be a Trojan horse into uncomfortable but important conversations about race.

This story is from the September - October 2020 edition of Men's Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September - October 2020 edition of Men's Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MEN'S JOURNALView All
Fantasy League
Men's Journal

Fantasy League

Inflation, war and endless political campaign ads got you down? Hollywood wants to take you far away.

time-read
2 mins  |
August - September 2022
The Tug Trip
Men's Journal

The Tug Trip

Chasing grizzlies and pushing deep into coastal British Columbia aboard a uniquely Canadian touring vessel.

time-read
9 mins  |
August - September 2022
Death, Incorporated
Men's Journal

Death, Incorporated

How Putin's mercenary army known as the Wagner Group does the Kremlin's dirtiest work in Ukraine and in conflict zones around the world.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August - September 2022
Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Men's Journal

Cynthia Addai-Robinson

The British-born actor trades the Shire's misty mountains for a fantasy island in Amazon Prime's prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

time-read
3 mins  |
August - September 2022
Idris Elba – Been Around the Block
Men's Journal

Idris Elba – Been Around the Block

Superstar actor Idris Elba hits 50 in September. But we might have not seen his prime yet.

time-read
6 mins  |
August - September 2022
American Ruins
Men's Journal

American Ruins

This country's unmatched and unlimited industrial might helped define the 20th century. But that was then, and this is now.

time-read
10 mins  |
August - September 2022
NICK KROLL
Men's Journal

NICK KROLL

The comedic powerhouse and man of many voices behind Big Mouth and Human Resources returns to the big screen in the star-studded thriller Don't Worry Darling.

time-read
2 mins  |
August - September 2022
HAIL TERRY
Men's Journal

HAIL TERRY

Four-time Super Bowl champion, avuncular television football analyst and all-around entertainer TERRY BRADSHAW's secret to career longevity? Letting it rip.

time-read
3 mins  |
August - September 2022
EVOLUTION OF Z REVOLUTION
Men's Journal

EVOLUTION OF Z REVOLUTION

How Nissan reinvented the smart, soulful sports car.

time-read
2 mins  |
August - September 2022
PLUNGE RIGHT IN
Men's Journal

PLUNGE RIGHT IN

Mallorca's cliff-lined coast is the peak playground for deep-water soloing-as grippingly demonstrated by the emerging sport's top climber.

time-read
2 mins  |
August - September 2022