“I said, ‘Stephen, I’m going to be honest: I know I’m being asked to host this event because I’m black.'” To which he responded, “Let me stop you, Jerod. You are invited to host this show because you are talented. You’re being asked to host this show because you’re adorable. You are invited because you are one of the greatest comedians of your generation.”
To thunderous applause from the audience, the comedian continued: “But Stephen is also black, what does he even know? He’s producing the show because he’s black! They won’t tell him why he’s here either!”
Unsure of what to do, the comedian said he discussed his dilemma with a friend “who represents every dark-skinned person in America because of this monologue.” She asked how much the comedian will get for this job, to which he points out – it’s not about the money. “She said, ‘Jerrod, take it easy! How much will they pay you?” I said, “$500,000.” She said, “Boy, if you don’t put on a nice suit and take that white man’s money…”
In the end, the comedian agreed to the job and was proud of it, until he received an e-mail that the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association wanted to meet him face to face, to which he replied in the negative. “No thanks. I knew it was a trap. What can they do to me? Fire me? They haven’t had a dark-skinned evening host in 79 years and they’re going to fire the first one? I’m unfireable!”
