Transcript

JENIFER LEWIS on Healing, Fame, and Self-Worth: "I Did the Work" | IMO

From Michelle Obama · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 15 min · 10,536 words · 102 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "JENIFER LEWIS on Healing, Fame, and Self-Worth: "I Did the Work" | IMO", an episode of Michelle Obama published December 17, 2025 (1 h 15 min, about 10,536 words). It mentions 51 people, works and ideas, including Jennifer Lewis, Cologuard, Loretta Devine, CeraVe, nervous breakdown.

What this episode is about

Jenifer Lewis discusses her journey through healing, fame, and self-worth, candidly addressing her past struggles with sex addiction and her decision to maintain independence despite being engaged in the past. She emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and personal growth in her life.

Key takeaways

  • Sex addiction ages like a fine wine—or maybe just a persistent houseguest.
  • Airbnb: 'Tis the season to stuff guests like holiday turkeys without the hotel drama.
  • Rivian: The electric chariot of LA; Midwest still prefers their horses gas-fueled.
  • Jennifer Lewis: Mother of Hollywood and HBO’s unofficial therapist.
  • Bipolar disorder: Diagnosed in 30s, turned turmoil into Hollywood Gold.

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Jennifer Lewis, nervous breakdown, Alloy Women's Health, Alloy Women's Health
  2. – 20:00: Jennifer Lewis, Amazon last minute deals, Black don't crack
  3. – 30:00: Amazon last minute deals, Amber Heard, Jennifer Holliday, Loretta Devine
  4. – 40:00: myAlloy.com, Alloy Health, Alloy Health, American Cancer Society
  5. – 50:00: Loretta Devine, La Jolla, Lori Peetock, Seychelles Islands
  6. – 1:00:00: A Diamond Is Forever, Aga Khan University Hospital, Anthony Anderson, Desert Tone Diamonds
  7. – 1:10:00: Nairobi, Robin Roberts, WebCon
  8. – 1:14:30: Black don't crack, Diane Carroll, Jennifer Lewis

Notable quotes from "JENIFER LEWIS on Healing, Fame, and Self-Worth: "I Did the Work" | IMO"

  • This episode is brought to you by Alloy Women's Health.
    about Alloy Women's Health · at
  • Because I have met Jennifer Lewis on several occasions.
    about Jennifer Lewis · at
  • The AIDS epidemic had happened, and I had so many friends that died, and I had a nervous breakdown.
    about nervous breakdown · at
  • I say after I sing this song, Black Don't Crack, I say to the audience, you know I wasn't always this arrogant.
    about Black don't crack · at
  • So you can shop for everyone with Amazon last minute deals.
    about Amazon last minute deals · at
  • And said, Pastor Heard, do you think I can be a star?
    about Amber Heard · at
  • Me and Loretta Devine, me and Loretta Devine were taking dance class, Shirley Ralph, all of us.
    about Loretta Devine · at
  • Came to rescue me and air vaced me from Tanzania to Nairobi, Kenya.
    about Nairobi · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

Books & papers

Companies & orgs

  • CeraVe — Company · 3 mentions
  • IMO — Company · 2 mentions
  • Alloy Women's Health — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • In Living Color — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Like the people from Living in Living Color, they came to see the shows and they moved, they put some of my characters on in Living Color.
  • Alloy Health — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • American Cancer Society — Company · 1 mention · first at
    The American Cancer Society now recommends that if you're at average risk, you should start screening for colon cancer at age 45.
  • Doctors Without Borders — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Doctors without borders came to rescue me and air vaced me from Tanzania to Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Aga Khan University Hospital — Company · 1 mention · first at
    I underwent a 12 hour surgery at Aga Khan University hospital.
  • A Diamond Is Forever — Company · 1 mention · first at
    As you are. And a reminder that you have so much ahead, and that's why a diamond is forever.
  • WebCon — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Let's hear what And let's hear the question from WebCon.
  • adiamondisforever.com — Company · 1 mention
  • Cedars-Sinai — Company · 1 mention
  • Dreamgirls — Company · 1 mention
  • Fresh Prince — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

  • Cologuard — Product · 8 mentions
  • myAlloy.com — Product · 2 mentions · first at
  • Desert Tone Diamonds — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Only getting stronger, bolder, more confident than you were yesterday. That's why desert tone diamonds are the perfect way of celebrating all that you are and all that you are still becoming.
  • R1S — Product · 1 mention
  • R1T — Product · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

Places & events

  • Nairobi — Place · 2 mentions · first at
  • La Jolla — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Well, Loretta Devine was doing a show down in La Jolla, I think, and I went down there. it's my girlfriend.
  • Seychelles Islands — Place · 1 mention · first at
    So the next stop was supposed to be the Seychelles Islands.
  • Kenlock, Missouri — Place · 1 mention · first at
    So I thought a little colored girl from Kenlock, Missouri, would go out and take in the fact that she had returned to the motherland.

Sponsors

Full transcript with timestamps

But I wanna know, you know, you love sex, but you have never decided to settle down. Yeah. Why? Why is I've been engaged and I should not that not that that is tied together. That was No, I'm gonna tell you right now. No, I'm gonna tell you right now, I I had the sex addiction in my twenties thirties forties fifties, and early sixties. Yeah. And yesterday. Oh, twenty minutes ago. You missed it. So anyway, listen. You gotta love this.

This episode is brought to you by Alloy Women's Health. Howdy. Hey, we are back. We are back in studio. I am O with Craig and Michelle. What's going on, dude? You know I'm staying at a Airbnb. You know You are a guest. I am a guest. Mm-hmm. But what you know what I was thinking about the holidays, 'cause we're gonna have people with us on the holidays and more than we can fit in our house. Oh you you guys gonna have a big Well, we're gonna have more than the people we can rooms in your house.

Yeah yeah. So that they don't have to go to a hotel and 'tis the season for Airbnb. And everybody can enjoy the holiday cheer without having to worry. And then you can send them home. And then you can be like, have breakfast at your Airbnb. Don't come over here. Well, I still I'm still gonna be hospitable. Okay. You know? Mm-hmm. Yeah. And did you rent a car this time or are you driving a Rivian? No, no, I'm not driving a Rivian here, although I would love to have my Rivian out here in the in the wonderful LA. We're in LA. There are a lot of Rivian owners in LA.

That's because the electric cars efficiency is key in in this area. And and and you know, Rivian outfitted Meesh and I with R one S, but I see a lot of R one Ts out here, which I don't see many of those in the Midwest. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I am excited to get started because we got we we have a l th our guest today who I love dearly. And this will be the first time that I get to talk to her talk like Mm-hmm. Because I have met Jennifer Lewis on several occasions. But it's always in passing. It's always hi soon it's good to see you and But we are going to have some conversation.

We are with Jennifer Lewis, y'all, the mother of Hollywood. She's about to come on, but it's not. Not yet, Jennifer. So the this it's this is great. This is great because you've gotten to meet her. You've got you've gotten a meter. And I feel like I know her. Yeah. Not through you, but just through all the body of work that she has done. It has been just I mean All right, let's do the official intro so folks know. So Jennifer Lewis is an actress, an author, and an activist. And she has appeared in over 68 movies and 650 episodic TV shows, four Broadway shows, and concerts all over the world.

And I out of the 650 episodic TV, I wonder how many I've seen. It's probably 600 of the 650. Yeah. Well that's why she's the mother of Hollywood. Yeah. Because she has mothered her way through Hollywood. On show after show. And she has is coming off of a a tremendous recovery story that we're gonna talk to her about, along with I would I love to hear her origin story, but she lives to be of service and her she walked into this building and you could feel the energy. Change the energy. They just change the whole place.

For the good. For the good. For the good, by the way. So now you can come out. Everybody Jennifer. Lewis! Thank you so much. It's so nice. My brother, big brother Craig. Oh Lord have mercy. Thank you, Greg. Thank you. Pleasure. Hi everybody. Hi everybody. Oh, I'm so excited. Welcome welcome welcome. What do I call you? Jennifer, Mrs. Lewis? You can call me Jennifer. Okay. I only have my assistant call me, Miss Lewis, so we can keep Yep. Right. Yeah. She's new and she has fit. Oh my goodness. Girl, she came in the first day of six.

I was laying up in the bed, you know, Diva in the Yeah. You know, saying I need to call this one and that one. And then I went off. I said, you know, when I was a child, and she said, Miss Lewis, before you go into that side story, we've got four emails to do. Oh, oh. I never knew they were side stories. She scared the shit out of me. I said, What? I said, Is that what they are? Is that what they are? Yeah. Oh. So you Now we asked Fabius, how old is your assistant? Thirty-three, I think. She's a baby. Oh no, and but and she is so efficient. She she seemed efficient.

I'm so grateful to have her, you know, because I'm an independent woman. I wanna do it myself. But honey, I turned 68. It's like have a little help. I need little mama, they do a hell I'm so scared. Well, it's good to see you. Fabulous. I feel I am happier. Than I have ever been in my life. Yeah. Yeah. I'm in my skin. I know who I am. I'm far from perfect. Okay maybe. V very close. So close. So close. Oh my girl, just two more inches. But I'm just happy because I did the work. I went and took care of myself. When did you feel this?

Cause I'm 61 now. And there, and I've talked about this a lot. There's something about a woman, a black woman in her 60s, where I feel like I am sitting in my wisdom and my confidence in a way that I just never so it's it's starting for me. When when did you feel that that groundedness in yourself? Yeah. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Mm-hmm. Read about that. When I was in my early thirties. And I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my labor, and I wasn't. Mm-hmm. You know, I came out with that, Michelle. I came out with hope.

My whole childhood was, come on in here, Jenny. Come on, show it. And I was born with it. It was a gift. The gift of leadership, the gift of joy. My job, my entire life, was to make people laugh. Mm-hmm. But I wasn't happy. Yeah. And I wanted on my face what I left with everybody else's face. I wanted to be happy. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So because I went and stayed in therapy, I had to be re raised. When did you start therapy in earnest? I think I was thirty-two. Okay, right at right before The AIDS epidemic had happened, and I had so many friends that died, and I had a nervous breakdown.

That's what we used to call it. You knew. More than two. Two hundred people who died. 200, you know, everybody's gay on Broadway, and those were my friends, and I was on Broadway at the time, and Craig and Michelle they dropped Like slums. That was a pandemic. We were too young to see all that. We weren't prepared to experience that. So when my best friend and so many others just boom, boom, boom, I had what they call a nervous breakdown. I couldn't hold myself in. And a very good friend of mine who was a social worker, she looked at me.

She said, Jenny, you need help. I said, I don't need help. I'm Jennifer Lewis. Yeah. And life is good. But guess what? I went twice a week for 20 years. To the to therapy. To therapy. And it was worth every second. Oh, I just love myself. We I say that's all the time. You know, but it's we do love you. I say at the end, I'm gonna read some of my one moment show to you. I say at the end of this show, the show is what is me telling everybody what that fall taught me, the recovery taught me. And just so that we clarify 'cause we're gonna get in to it, for those of you who don't know, it was it two years or has it three years is three months.

On a trip and we will discuss this. You've I do wanna say that that the end of the show says to the world, I just told you what it taught me, but I wanna thank everybody because it was you that caught me. That's why I'm still here. Talk to 'em. Yeah no. I like that. Everybody else taught you, but it was you. I never sat down a day in my life, but I got sat down. Yeah yeah. So let me go back to Misha's point about you g getting therapy. Yeah. I got so many stories. No, and and we want to hear as many of them as we can.

But you said for the very first time when you were 32, you went to therapy. Anytime before that, did you did it every year? It is everything. I knew something was wrong. Yeah. I knew something was wrong. Please. All of my shows in New York when I did clubs, the titles were Jennifer Lewis in the cosmos. Jennifer Lewis broke and freaking out. Jennifer Lewis on the couch. I knew something was wrong. I was too manic. А а кун гарміт. And it was the dream, and that's what I want to express today to the people. It was the dream that sustained me. I had to get up.

Though I was manic and depressed, and baby, that depression was thick. I was sick. Yeah. But I didn't know it. Nobody knew it back then. Nobody knew no bipolar. I told somebody the other day, girl, I was tripolar.

But it was the dream that sustained me. You've got to find a passion in this life. I had to get up and go to dance class. I had to get up and go to voice class. I had to get up. And you pushed that get knob. Because I had a dream. Yeah. And I was the vision was narrow. Can we talk about where that dream came from? Can we talk about little Jennifer? Because, you know, I mean, you you said you were always this this p person. You were born with the desire and the ability to bring joy to people. But you also say in your memoir that life was hard.

Yeah. Yeah, it was. I'm gonna read something to you. Okay. From your one woman showing. So let me just let people know Jennifer Lewis is working on a one woman show. And we are kind of workshopping here too. So you you you all listeners are gonna get a treat because we're not even we're not just gonna learn about Jennifer, but we're gonna learn about how she processes and creates her her gift. And bingo. So one woman show is coming, which is gonna talk about the experience of the fall and what it taught you. Absolutely.

So we are gonna be referring in and out throughout this conversation. Absolutely. Things that are happening. So please. You know, I am not a shy person. No. But this is a master. It's a master. A piece. This is my life's And you are not modest. You are not shy or modest. You know, there's enough people that are modest. I know. So after I sing a song about you and some other divas in the world And I'm not shy either. I wanna hear my song. It says Well, if anybody's co cares, I'm shy. Oh, you're so cute. No, I'm just so cute.

Thank you. Okay, here it is. I say after I sing this song, Black Don't Crack, I say to the audience, you know I wasn't always this arrogant. I came from great poverty and experienced all the dysfunction that comes with it. Yeah. I laid it all out in my memoir, The Mother Black Hollywood, the addictions molestation abortions childhood abuse, all of it for the next generation to use and hopefully learn from the Gen Ws, X, Y's, and Z, mostly Ys. You gotta love Well. Well, let's go to the beginning. Yes, tell us about it.

Little Jennifer, you were the youngest of seven. Yes ma'am. To a twenty-six year old mother. Yes ma'am. In M Missouri, a little bitty town. Tell us more. I'm gonna tell you more because it's right here. Okay. I wrote this. Yeah. And my my mother was alive when I wrote it and she heard it. I'll just sing it down. Mm-hmm. In these two rooms we called a house where we lived for three years. Mama was 26 with seven kids, but all alone with her tears. We were just too young to understand why my daddy left in 59. Not enough food.

Not an No. So how do you learn to dream in that environment? I mean, what is it that you see? We come in here from those circles. From those circumstances, yes. It's the parents that gotta bring 'em out. Yeah. You gotta tell your kids they can they can be whatever they want. Did your Did your mother do that for you even at her age and in her fear and her trauma? I think she was a little scared of I bet. She was Although she wasn't scared of much. I sang my first solo in church when I was five years old. And from the reaction of the congregation.

This wasn't a shout in church. Yes. But baby, when I opened my my mouth, they stood up. My mother cried. I'd never seen her cry. The preacher was going crazy. I was standing there with my thumb in my mouth, going, Did I do that? I said, Oh. This is life. Yeah. And I never looked back. So the dream being the baby, my life was see me, mama. Yes. I was the baby. You know, there were six ahead of me. See me. So my life went like this. See me. See me. See me. Y'all better see me. And then it came into this. See me. Oh, you'll see me.

Yes. And then you see this position, your arms will. Eventually get tired. Yeah. So they went down. So maybe you don't need to be seen so much. Look in the mirror and find out who you are, little girl.

Amazon has everything for everyone on your list. So you can shop for everyone with Amazon last minute deals. So Mish, what were some of your favorite holy h holiday memories? When we were kids, the holidays were all about what we wished for. Yes. Right. We spent our time going through this list catalog. It was the wish book. And we waited for it to come and that catalog the big thick catalog. Mm-hmm. Full of all the toys that you could ask for for Santa. And I think we spent months and months combing through that that that catalog.

And people should know it was a catalog that just had toys. It wasn't clothes, it wasn't appliances. But there were some special holiday things. Like you could get Christmas ornaments there. You could in the catalog. So it was all holidays. It was holiday. It was a special double edition toy section. Yes. That was just magical to go through. But that's the beauty of being a kid. You're in the position of doing the wishing. Yes. But as we became adults and parents of our own, we learned that we were the wish granters when it came to the toys that Santa didn't buy.

Right. And that changed the whole memory of Christmas. Because then Christmas became standing in long lines. You know, being frustrated that you forgot the battery for the toys. You know, that's the the other thing. You think that all these toys should come with the batteries, but they do not. And then at the last minute you gotta rush out and stand in a long line, or at least we did. We did, yeah. It was it was crazy. And the thing about Christmas back then is that if you happen to forget someone Or forget something, you ended up in that long line.

And if you wanted to avoid the long line, then that person just didn't get anything. But now Amazon has everything for everyone on your list. Like my kids and my wife, who wait until the very last second to tell me what they actually want. My wife out of nowhere drops hints about the latest tablet. I'm standing there thinking, really, y'all? Now you tell me. And let's not forget, every year it's the same story. We are approaching Christmas and suddenly we forgot to get our neighbors a little gift. What do you get your mailman?

Simple. An Amazon gift card. Amazon's got me covered with their last minute deals. I can still save big on toys electronics beauty for the women in our life, and all of that good stuff. I don't even have to break a sweat running around the mall. Gifts show up right on time, wrapped up and ready to go under the tree. So this year, I'm not stressing. Amazon makes last minute shopping feel like I planned it weeks ago. And that, my friends, is a holiday miracle. Amen. Shop gifts for everyone with Amazon last minute deals.

Well you as as you would learn you had a lot going on in that fabulous mind of yours. Were there any indications when you were that young that you and I know bipolarism shows up later in life, but Pomania made me I was I became a leader. Yeah yeah. Captain of the cheerleading squad, president of my class. When I got to college, I didn't look at the callboard. Look at the callboard to see if I had been cast. You knew you would be cast. You needed me. See, the arrogance, the omnipotence, the delusions of grandeur came with the mania.

Yes. Yeah. You're you're you're unstoppable. Mm-hmm. Bipolar disorder ain't no joke. Yeah. I would run down the streets of New York. Anybody that came to town to visit, I'd take them right down to the World Trade Center. And I had this one little spot where I would make them stand and look up. They were beautiful. Yeah. God, they were beautiful. But I would stand down there with my crazy self and say to them: Behold the only thing bigger than me is sin. But then And I would be rageful and out of control. I wouldn't get the job because they would see.

Mm-mm. Hard talented. But No, she's not. Yeah. She's a bit much. Good. This is a bit slightly. Can you talk more about those those times, those those those hard times? Because there's mania, there's deep depression, and there's a whole lot in between there. The depression, you know, the sex addiction started in college. And do you think it was tied to the molestation? Oh, absolutely. For sure. Absolutely. You run around. Once somebody touched you like that, you either withdraw and start eating everything you can see.

Yeah. Or you see, I had a friend that she became an introvert. I became an octrovert. Yeah. That's why I was shocked that he touched me. Right. Because it's like quiet. I'm telling you. Yeah. You fool. But he didn't care. Girl, I I confronted him. What did you say? Tell us. Please. Well, I when I started talking about the molestation in therapy, it all came back. And because he was a man of God. Yeah. Yeah. He had been taught to revere him. It's so many sick. Mm-hmm. People out there saying I got the power and only God can come through me. Yes. And here, come and let me touch you.

Yes. So anyway, You confronted him. Yes. I called him. I got drunk. Mm-hmm. I have an Wait, you got dr how old were you when this con confrontation happened? Third in my later third this is later in my peak guy. I had a third guy. This was in my early third. This is later in my later third gas. Oh no, no, no. I didn't drink back then. Oh, yeah, no, she wasn't drinking it there. She literally got it. You know how choirs will visit each other. And I got to ride with the pastor. Mm-hmm. Ciao. Anyway, I called him. There's a chat a chapter in my book, my memoir, and it's titled, It Ain't That Kind of Call, Motherfucker.

He thought. I got drunk. Because it was hard to confront him. And he answered the phone, and I said, It's Jennifer. And he said, Oh, Jennifer. And you like, it ain't that kind of thing. Yeah, absolutely. We're so proud you're on television. Jennifer, I said it ain't that kind of call motherfucker. Ended that way, just like that. And I asked him why he did that to me. Girl. Because the question I ask him in the car before he pulled over and touched me. And said, Pastor Heard, do you think I can be a star? In seven seconds after he Touched me.

He took my entire life from me in seven seconds. He tried to kiss me and he felt my breast. Mm-hmm. And I pushed him back. It was so Mm-hmm. Oh God, it was the worst. And he took God from me. Yes, he did. He took my mother from me. Yes. And he took my career. Mm-hmm. In seven seconds. Oh, I got it back. Yeah. But Yeah. Snatch it from you. Yes he did. What it is. Yeah. And when I said to him in the confrontation, I said, why'd you do that? He said, Well, I was just you know, trying to guy said, shut up. He was what he was just trying to what? Trying to prepare me for what, you know, being a star would eva in involve. Oh yeah.

Girl, I went true predator. I cussed that man. Poor man. I cussed that man. I said, and if you hang up this phone, I will fly back to St. Louis and blow that fucking church up. And he's still the head of the church. Oh no. Yeah. No. Oh well you good during the time you when you made the call, he was still Oh yeah. Yeah. Oh yes. So how did it feel for you too? Because that's one of the things that It did feel good. But you know, they take everything when they touch you. Yeah. I got over it because, you know, I had another incident where a guy came into my apartment in New York and put a knife to my throat, for God's sake.

Just a break in? No, he came in. Yeah, he saw I was in the I was in the New York Post in a bikini. I was young. I was doing a show. I got great reviews. And he must have seen me in the paper. I never knew. Oh my goodness. But he came into the he said he had a package. And I had just ran a bath. And I used to put just two drops of peppermint oil in the hot water. Well, that day my little puppy hit my arm and a whole lot of peppermint oil went into this hot water. Yeah. So when he came to the door, and he the peppermint oil girl messed him up.

He couldn't even, he was like, Drake, it closes off. Wait, could I know? That stupid fool. He was like, I was like, you came into the wrong apartment today. Craig, can you believe it? Look Craig. He said, Look, Craig, look. Now I'm all in dance class. Me and Loretta Devine, me and Loretta Devine were taking dance class, Shirley Ralph, all of us. You know, we were all in shape. We were skinny in our 20s. Because you know we all did dream girls, but Jennifer Holliday got the part. And hold on. So he's like, take your clothes off.

And I'm standing there like, what are we doing? I wish I could say the word. You know what I want to say. I'm like. But yeah, it was horrible. And I ended up talking myself out of it. I told him that was medicine. I said, I'm sick. Oh my God. Girl, it was a scene. It was the greatest performance of my life. Wow. You have to read the book. The whole the details are in the book. But I talked myself out of it. I told him I was sick. Mm-hmm. That was medicine he was smelling. Yeah. I said, Sophie. Oh, honey. Yeah. Like I said, it was the greatest performance of my life.

And escorted him out. It's like. And be well. Yeah, I said, I'll help you, Jane. Here's your knife. Girl, here's your button. And he was up with Oh my goodness. I was like, boy, you ain't gonna cut me to that. And you ain't gonna rape me either. Well and they're you know, to the extent that your your mania help you with that was unafraid that that bravery. I was just unafraid I wasn't afraid of him. I wasn't afraid of New York City. I belonged there. The mania belonged in the city. I would walk down those streets, girls, so fast.

I'd have a coat flinging behind me. The diva. It was a mask. Yeah. And you were in the perfect perfect place to wear that mask as New York. You probably didn't even stand out. Yeah. People were crazy, girl. It was the eighties. It was the eighties. It was the eighty. Here you are flying around. Dry. Singing to the Empire State building. You know what I You know when I had a show, there was a place called Tickets, you go get your Broadway tickets for a discount, you remember? I used to go over there, all those all those tourists would be in line waiting for their tickets.

And I'd go down the line. I lived right up the street on 55th Street. I'd go down there and do my hot kicks up and down the streets. Up and down kicks. Michelle, I'd go come see my show. You don't wanna see that shit. You come see me. Do you know I was sold out? They were like, yes. We're gonna see her. We'd like tickets to that. But I was I was out of control. Yeah. But what could not be denied? Talent. Yeah. Oh well. Because guess what? People wouldn't put up with it if you weren't. It's a lot. It was a lot. As it is right now, I don't know.

My shrink is gonna see this interview. She said my poor brother. He's a big thing. Wait wait. You pumpkin. I'm sorry, Pumpkin. I'm sorry, pumpkin. This is not who I see on TV. Bobby baby, I'm telling you right now, I got so many stories. And I want these young kids to go and take care of themselves. You go take care of yourself. Where's my close-up right here? You go take care of yourself. That's right. If something's wrong and you're depressed, come out of those dark rooms. Well said You can Do it. Can we talk about your the beginning of your career?

Because you mentioned Cheryl Lee Rolfe and Loretta Devine and Dream Girls. Was that your first big well I was Tired. I had already right quickly when you first got to New York. I got my first Broadway show. Show within eleven days. For graduating from college. And you know what? We are not surprised because this person walks into New York and is like, It is mine. It's all mine. Mine mine mine mine mine mine. I think there's something to be said about and and without y you had to have some That's bad. I had so much confidence.

I had no fear in me. I I went from Broadway show to Broadway show. And then when I got to Hollywood I'd had the breakdown because of the AIDS epidemic and I didn't know who I was. Is that why you came to LA? For what? Because you didn't know who you were and you had to get away. No, I came to LA to be a stop. I can't about LA. I can about no I didn't know I didn't know who I was until that camera came close. See, I had been trained in the theater to hit the back row and you can kind of fake your way through that. That was the diva.

That was the mask. But when that camera comes in. Mm-hmm. You gotta tell the truth. And I didn't quite know what the truth was. And I'd get in those auditions and go, listen, girl, they go, cut. Honey, you go. It had to be, now listen girl. Yeah. And I didn't know that comes from here. Mm-hmm. So you struggled. Yes. Probably for the first time in the girl. Yes, I did. Yes, it was the first time because I had to find out who I was and how I could continue that passion. See, if I wasn't working, but here's what I did, and I say this in a very famous interview.

I created my own jobs, darling. That's why this is a masterpiece. Because I wrote my own woman Michelle's. If I the phone didn't ring, I created something. I was always on stage. Girl Nina Simone, Lena Horn, the greats came to see me. I'm telling you, Ruby D, they were all there because my shows became underground. Everybody, it was a well, I can't think of the word. It was almost, you knew it was something like a speake. Yes. You gotta go see Jennifer Lewis. And this was all Well, yeah. You were doing it in LA, yes. In LA, yeah.

LA before the TV shows. Like the people from Living in Living Color, they came to see the shows and they moved, they put some of my characters on in Living Color. So what was happening is the industry would come to these clubs to see me. This new girl. Yeah, was the new girl in town. She's the new girl in town. And and there was the sex addiction. Yes. Oh, the sex addiction. Y'all have to have sex addiction. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right after the show, honey. Right. Something had to tap that electrifying standing ovation. See, I didn't get standing ovations.

My standing ovations were electrifying. Thank you. People would jump up and I'd be almost instantly so knowing that the depression that I had to drop from the high see. Yeah. Polar. Oh This episode of In My Opinion is brought to you by Alloy Health. Aging happens to all of us, but that doesn't mean you have to live with hot flashes, brain fog, poor sleep, or weight gain. These changes aren't random, they're hormonal. At Alloy, everything starts with science. Their mission is to make evidence-based menopause care accessible with real doctors who specialize in perimenopause and menopause.

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And it it took you some time too because once you started taking the medication, you had to find your Find your balance. Yes. When you get on the meds now, if you if you get on meds, I ain't pushing meds. Yes. You find your story. It's what I did when I way when I finally agreed to do medication because I thought it was gonna take my edge. Sure. I needed my edge was Jennifer Lunds. Mm-hmm. Mania. When I took the meds the first time, I got side effects, dry mouth. And my sexual desire went away. I wasn't having that.

You just like it. But anyway, yeah. But anyway, we can't do the end of the man. Yeah, we have to fix that. Yeah, we have to fix that. So did you find that the work led help you in your did you see the success? Oh girl, I started working. Yeah. I got fresh prints. I got this one. I got that one. As soon as I could just breathe, but it took a long time. It took a long time for me to get it. I remember the day I got it. Talk about that. Well, Loretta Devine was doing a show down in La Jolla, I think, and I went down there. You know, it's my girlfriend.

We've known each other since I was 19. And I was with a girlfriend who was a shrink. Mm-hmm. And that night at her party, I got drinking. That was a days of drinking. Got up on the table. Up on the table. At her party. Doesn't surprise me, Jennifer. I mean I'm just like that's a Tuesday. You say that like can you believe it? That's like I wanna I want to say something to you before I finish this. Do you know how funny you are? Girl, you are right there with me. Poor Craig. Like I ain't fan. But you're right there with me.

I'm glad. Good for you. I'm scared of you too. Michelle is going, why do you think you're late? Why do you think you slept with it? But where am I? What story? Well we the ratter. The table on the table. You're I'm paying attention. She's telling jokes, I'm paying attention. On top of the table, you lunatic. Yeah. She's not going to be able to do So, and I put a song and I'm like, and I call everybody, you know, cuss everybody out, but but in a play way, but drunk. Yes sure. And naughty. It was it was Loretta's night.

Oh yeah. But my girlfriend, who was a shrink. The next morning at breakfast, she said. Ooh. I'll never forget it. She said, Jennifer, what's wrong with you? She said, What's wrong with you? I said, what? Ooh. She said, that was Loretta's party. I said, Loretta, Loretta wanted me to sing. She said, Jennifer, it was inappropriate. What you did. She said, I don't think she appreciated it. See, it was that kind of thing. Yeah. I just didn't know. And then the medication had to calm me down. Yeah. Now I just get on top of a tree.

Yeah. Yeah now Jennifer isn't calm. Yeah. Yeah, Ladies and gentlemen. So now you you talked about that you started getting fresh prints and a living color. Yeah and and rock and oh I just started going Go on. And were you able to enjoy that? Yes. Okay. But I was also having sex in the dressing room. Can you talk about some of the fun Fun times. The addiction was still there. Yeah, yeah. Until I I woke up one day and and I actually called my therapist. She was on a train. I'll never forget this moment. It was after I addressed my behavior at Loretta Devine's party.

And I called her. And what could I journal? Yeah. That's why the memoir is so good. Because I've been journaled since I was in seventh grade. And guess why I journal. Why? Because I knew I was gonna be a movie star one day and I would need my book. Right. And you know what she said to me, she said that's what saved your life. Yeah. 'Cause you would journal. But I wanna know, you know, you love sex, but you have never decided to settle down. Yeah. Why? Why is I've been engaged and I should not that that is tied together.

That was No, I'm gonna tell you right now. No, I'm gonna tell you right now. I I had the sex addiction in my twenties thirties forties fifties, and early sixties. Yeah. And that's in the yesterday. Twenty minutes ago. You missed it. So anyway, listen. You gotta love me. Oh now that's in the show. Yeah yeah. That's good. Everything is in the show. Believe me.

Girl, I didn't know it was a s an addiction. I thought everybody was doing everything every night. No. But after the molestation, yes. You run amok because you're looking for something that's not so ugly. But I didn't know where to look. So I looked everywhere. Okay. And because of the mania, I wasn't afraid to bring a stranger to my apartment. Yeah. And that's often true. That's often

But why n you just never found the one? Oh, or did you love with Miguel? Okay. Yeah, he was the love of my life. He was the first one. I met him in college. He was a mathematician. Why didn't you all get married? He I was too young. Oh, okay. He asked me when I was like 19. Yeah. Honey, I was like, baby. Yeah. Mama's gonna be a star. Yes, I do. I don't want to get married, have no kids. Yes. Because I wanted my mother to love me Michelle. Mm-hmm. Well, let's talk about that. Let's the phone. Here it is in a nutshell.

The itinerary on this vacation. Lori Peetock had helped me write my second book. And she wouldn't let me pay her. My dear friend and Lori is here. Come on down here, Lori, she's watching. I said, come on, go to Africa. I never travel with anybody. Lori wouldn't let me pay her. She said, you put money in a friendship, the friendship's over. I'm like, but you're old, I don't want your money. Now she's a white woman of leisure, but anyway. Mm-hmm. You gotta love me. I say that in the show too. And then we it was Safari.

We've done that so a girl. You see the face of God. And doing it during the Great Migration. Oh Yes. I was in the middle of that migration. W and that's the thing to point out that being there at that time, the Serengeti is full of wildlife. Millions, millions are there. Prey, lions, everything all four they're there in the peak court halls. There are times you can be in the Serengeti and it's empty. Mm-hmm. Right? The the animals have moved on. That's right. So you had this incident when and in these camps of the migration.

The animals are everywhere. And at nighttime is the time they're the most active. So anyway. They're out of the heat of the sun. So the next stop was supposed to be the Seychelles Islands. But let's just say I never got to sell Seashells by the seashore on the Seychelles. That's in there too. So we checked in, girl, into the, you know, the four seasons and the Serengeti, hot mess, you know, money. Don't ask me for not. So anyway, I love that one. Okay, girl, let me calm down. You're making me laugh. So Laurie checked out, went to her room.

I ran out to the water hole to see the elephants. Oh, it was so majestic and prehistoric. You know, I had been before, but you're different when you go back, you see. So the sun went down. I stayed and watched the sunset, and we all know that when the sun goes down in the serengeti, ain't no street lights. So my little young African butler escorted me to my room with a very large flashlight. Yeah. Anyway. Oh girl, I'm a mess in the show. Yeah. I said it when he left, I undressed for bed. Well, good. And I sleep night.

And I sleep at least you let him leave. Yeah, I let him go. Sure, you do you doing the whole show? I love you. I love you. So Let him leave. And here I go, after he left. Oh, he was a cutie patootie, but he was mad. All right. It's never stopped you before. But anyway, you love that line. So I took off all my clothes. Oh, you know you've imagined it. Where is it? Yeah. And I'm about to submerge my soft, silky sexy skin onto the silk sheets. But then I see an infinity pool out on the deck. So I thought a little colored girl from Kenlock, Missouri, would go out and take in the fact that she had returned to the motherland.

So I'm just walking on the deck. Out in the savannah. And a little light, little bitty light, that if there had been a sign, I would have seen it. But I'm like, la-di-dad-di-da. Alita Alita Prabh ten feet down. Oh. Tot totally unbraced too, because that's like But thank God, because had I known I was falling, I would have tightened and broke something. Right. The right But Talk. Took the impact. The shoulder hit a stone. But the head, the shoulder Shoulder protected the head. Girl, how I didn't hit my head. It was boulders and rock.

It had to be rocky, right? Oh, and that grass that the cat stalked through that ain't soft. No, it's not. That was all in the back. Lori had to put Oh Lord. So I'm down there. I'm like pitch black. And you didn't lose consciousness, which was I was in and out. In and out. Okay. So, girl, let me read this thing to you. It's brilliant. Hold on. Because here it is. Let me just read it. All right. It says, here it goes. I fell 10 feet from an unsecured deck off my hotel room into a pit of wild animals. And no, Anthony Anderson, I was not drunk.

That's in the show. Is that good? That's so good. Isn't that good? Doctors without borders came to rescue me and air vaced me from Tanzania to Nairobi, Kenya. I underwent a 12 hour surgery at Aga Khan University hospital. Not Chaka Khan, but Aga Con. So stupid.

Now from the helicopter, now while I'm I mean in one of your videos there's a huge water buffalo roaming. There was a big buffalo just feet away from where you Yeah. And there was a little there's a antelope. Oh girl. They are, you know, this isn't just, you know. Yeah, no, I was down there. I mean, these are wild, very aggressive buffalo who will charge. Oh, they will charge. Now, And you said you heard a lion roar. Oh yes, the lion roar. So you're sitting there alone waiting for help. Dark. The hippopotamus comes over.

Is this for real? No, it's not for just checking. You know, I mean they're really. My sister's getting in the way of the story here. It's hysterical. Okay. All right. What I've done, guys, if I I've taken the biggest tragedy of my life, and I'm gonna make you laugh.

Craig Robinson here. And as the holiday season comes closer, it's time to plan our holiday travel. And you know, as our family gets older, it makes it harder for all of us to cram into one hotel room for an extended period of time. So we have six or seven adult-sized people traveling simultaneously now that the kids are getting older. So we need a little more space. We need a little more freedom. That's why booking a stay on Airbnb makes so much sense for our family. You know, imagine heading to South Carolina with friends for a cozy fall weekend or taking the family to Orlando over the Thanksgiving break.

Instead of being stuck in a hotel lobby or eating takeout food on the bed, which can be kind of fun, you've got a living room to gather in, a kitchen to cook these great holiday meals and make memories. You even could cook out outside, which I love doing in the fall weather. It makes the trip feel warmer, more personal, and way more memorable. It's those little things, more space, more privacy, and staying in the coolest parts of town that make an Airbnb trip better than a hotel. We here at IMO are big believers that people never stop growing, that we're all in a state of continual becoming. So much so that Michelle even wrote a book about it.

Because you are not one thing, you are all the things, constantly growing and changing into the next version of you. And every day and in every stage of your life, you're only getting stronger, bolder, more confident than you were yesterday. That's why desert tone diamonds are the perfect way of celebrating all that you are and all that you are still becoming. They come in a range of unique, unexpected colors, colors that reflect your unique and unexpected journey. Warm whites, pale champagnes, deep ambers, smoky whiskies, natural colors that are truly unlike anything else, just like you. So this holiday season, discover desert diamonds and gift yourself something as unique as you are. And a reminder that you have so much ahead, and that's why a diamond is forever.

Visit a diamond is forever dot com to learn more. But then I heard them, the animals grazing and munching and crunching and You know, and we're having sex. Girl, I got a joke in this show about. You are good, Mr. Everything you say is in the show and I'm trying to be nice. And then I say, now I couldn't see the animals, but I know what happens to sex sounds like. Okay. I feel like I'm in your brain now. I said that that there were two there were two little pink booty baby baboons that came and swung out of the tree.

They said, if you're gonna fall this close to our tree, you need to be properly groomed. No It's like let's help. And then there's a little antelope in the Tanzania. It's officially called a dick dick. D-I-K-D-I-K. Now you can't make this up. What do you think I did with the dick dick? And I didn't have any clothes on. So the dick dick was grazing. Listen here, Craig. No, no, no. I'm I was exhausting. Look, it was animals. The dick dick was grazing nearby. And he mistook, you know, my private area for grass and began to graze.

I grabbed him by the back of his neck. You didn't expect that, did you? Listen here. I grabbed him by the back of his neck. I grabbed a little dick dick by the back of his neck. I said, now you listen to me, Mr. Dick Dick. Under any other circumstances, I would enjoy what you're doing. Is that good? You can't make it good. But anyway, Dr. Oroco, because I'm gonna tell him to watch this. When I got to Cedar Sinai here in Los Angeles after they brought me home. The doctors there saw the x rays. I fractured my asset tabulum, by the way.

And that's it is the So when my right buttoc hit, you s this is what happened. Oh God. Don't ever fracture your acidum. It was horrible. So when we got to Nairobi and he said you fractured your acid tabulum, I said, Yeah, I broke my head. It's like the last thing. And he says, we have to get you to the theater, Mum. Mum. I said, the theater? Broadway where? And he said, no, that's what we the room we performed the surgeries in, Miss Lewis, is called the theater. I said, well then get me to the theater. But they did.

They did a 12-hour surgery. I didn't call my family, Michelle. What were they gonna do? Fly down there? Yeah. And and I When did you tell them? When did they know? I told them. Thank you. About thic. Couldn't you know? Well you talked about that. Because I shared that with Craig when I heard you say that you needed all of your energy for healing. I came out of that first MRI or X-ray, whatever it was, and the gurney rounded a corner. I said to myself, you ain't telling nobody. You're gonna need all of you. And didn't nobody push you, Miss Lewis?

You pushed yourself. And now you get up. And I didn't want none of y'all to know I had fallen. And no one until I was able to tell you how I got up. Mm-hmm. I had to wait a year and a half before I called Robin Roberts. Mm-hmm. I had to be able to tell y'all how I got up. Anybody can fall. Yeah. You can fall out of love, fall out with your parents, fall on the ground. But how do you get up? How do we get up? I couldn't separate my knees for four months. Talk about karma. I know you were coming in, girl. No, you were coming in.

I couldn't walk for 13 months, Michelle. You see, I'm walking, and I got the high kickback. Oh, you see that? There you go. Where's that angle? I want a good angle. That's you see that? We got a girl that could not separate her knees. She's back, y'all. The bitch is back. That's right. No, and that's the that might be the name of the show. But I'm very excited. I'm very happy. I'm very happy in my life because I didn't know how not to come. We we try to help our listeners with your stories and the stories that we have on hand.

And you've been doing that throughout this entire conversation. You have really bestowed on us a lot of people. You know, guys, I've had a lot of energy. I shouldn't have drank this coffee. My shrink's gonna kill me. But listen when you look at the Look at death in the face. If you come back, you're different. Cause you ain't scared no more. I wasn't scared that scared before, but now I'm unstoppable. Yes. But with love. Yes. And with grace and gratitude. I filled every, I took an imaginary water hose and filled every room in my house with liquid gratitude and swam in it.

Thank you. Throughout that Physical therapy. Yes. You gotta hold on to life. You gotta know something's coming. Be ye ready. Well, we have a listener question and I think it it sort of speaks to we have a young woman who is asking for advice and Lynn from Illinois. Let's hear what And let's hear the question from WebCon. My land girl. At twenty three, I sometimes feel like I climb forward only to fall back to rock bottom carrying burdens and responsibilities heavier than most my age because of where I come from. How can high achieving young people from disadvantaged backgrounds keep fighting the strengths and hope to chase their dreams when life feels overwhelming and the systems feel like barriers?

Lynn My Love Love for people is tough love as it is for myself. You might have heard At the beginning Yeah. Conversation. You heard me say There's no time for despair. Nobody stopped me or kept me from all the The horror. That I experienced in life. But I say to you, have yours.

Because they will make you stronger. They will give you courage. Life is hard, baby. That's what life is. It's lesson after lesson after lesson. And if you hold on. Promise. You. I give you my word, and that's a word, darling. It's right around the corner. It's right around the corner. You gotta get up. And and it and it starts there. Like you said, it's the b the belief in herself. Yeah. You know, and understanding that you know she's gonna run into people who don't believe, who don't have her best interests at heart.

But in the end, all of that is noise if she can hold on to the light that she knows she has. I mean, just like Jennifer said, she was born knowing that she had a light, a gift. I believe that all of us are born knowing that. You've got that light. Yeah, it's it's there. It's there. Nobody, everybody was given. We're all God's babies, whatever that means to you. You keep that light on. Nobody's better or worse than you. The day I became a true star was the day I realized everybody was one. And you also talked about the importance of having a d a dream.

A passion. A passion. And people say, how do you find your passion? What makes you smile? What in a day if you're walking around, not laugh? Mm-hmm. Laughing and smiling is two different things. You can't fake a you can't fake a smile. Mm-hmm. You can fake some laughter, but not as much people who go, you can see that. You know that you know they full shit. Right. Come on. Bitch, please. That nice nasty smile. What made you smile yesterday? But more important, what's making you smile at this moment? That's your passion.

And that's part of the journaling process too. Absolutely. Because if you're writing down your experiences, you know, and if you're paying attention 'cause writing it down means you're paying attention. And the other thing one other thing I say is and especially in these days right now, what we're living in. You have only one weapon. There's one. What One weapon know thyself. What are you gonna do when they come to the door? And it's coming to the door. Well you gonna do you're gonna run? There's nowhere to run. I tried to run and I got money to run, but you meet yourself.

You will meet yourself when you get there. So there's no running. So go in here. Go in here and and and straighten your spine. You sit up. And when you walk in a room, you hold your head up. Yes. Sit up, stand up, get up. You can you can be you can have despair for two minutes. And get up. Go on, Craig. Craig, Craig, we talk too much. I am I just wanna thank you for the wisdom. I didn't get to say nothing. No, that's okay. Hey, listen, I get to say clinic. No No, I you're you are welcome back here all the time. And she is laughing because she talks too much.

I love it. But when she t you know what? And that's another thing about you. And you, I've watched the show. Everything y'all say, ain't no frivolity going on. Ain't no like some dumb shit. It's like they said something. That's a word. All right, I'll tune in next time. Thank you. That's really nice of you. Has been fun. Yes. It's it's been heartbreaking. It has been true. And It's been entertaining. Yes. Yeah, yeah. We are we are we're part of the audience. My drink. My Drake is gonna say, Did you take your medication?

You know, I did. That was Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. Why didn't you take the extra man? But this is what IMO is about. You know, it's it's you know, it's like and I said at the outset, we've met on several occasions, but this is the beginning of knowing. Okay, I do still wanna hear, but before we before we go, I wanna hear my song. Which one okay, here it is. It's so good. It's so good. This is the best one. Here it is. And it goes a little bit like this. Now don't clap because I'll go off rhythm. Because I'm just pleased I've written some people.

Baby when the white people chime in on the rhythm about I want you to know something now. We'll cut this part out. We wanna keep our white audience. Wanna keep our white audience? Listen, I love my white people, I do. But y'all just when we start doing things, just sit still. Ha ha ha. Da ch ch ch ch ch ch ch dun ch ch ch Now there's Miss Diane Carroll. Lena Horn and Earth a Kit. They stayed on top for ages, but their looks never quit. Now, when white women get older, their skin gets creased in line. But because of my race, look at my face.

Soft as a babies behind. Because black don't cry. I tell you, black, don't crack. Now Cardi B and Beyonce certainly know how to make a buck, but being sued for fights or on Grammy nights, they don't need no nip and tuck.

Now Harriet's got her railroad. So Journal's got her truth. So Kamala Harris and Jasmine Crockett could be a choice at the voting booth. Oprah Winfrey's got her billions. And Michelle's got Obama. And I still look good out in Hollywood, playing everybody's mama. Oh, so white girls, get your facelifts to your foreheads on your back. Cause I'll be having fun. Out in the sun, cause baby. Black don't waaa and then shaka con That's the orca should have gone. Shut up. All right, we that way. Yeah. That was. Yeah. Yeah. Woo!

Whoa! Woo! Yeah. Jennifer Lewis. We are stay tuned, staying tuned for that one woman show. Yeah. I will I will be right there. Thank you. Oh, I hope I will be right there. Love you. Thank you for thank you so much. For being here, for sharing. And thank you for doing the work. And then Craig don't talk so much next time. I didn't enjoy this because I didn't get a word. No.

Questions about this episode

What is "JENIFER LEWIS on Healing, Fame, and Self-Worth: "I Did the Work" | IMO" about?

Jenifer Lewis discusses her journey through healing, fame, and self-worth, candidly addressing her past struggles with sex addiction and her decision to maintain independence despite being engaged in the past. She emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and personal growth in her life.

What is mentioned in this Michelle Obama episode?

51 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Jennifer Lewis, Cologuard, Loretta Devine, CeraVe, nervous breakdown, Black don't crack. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "JENIFER LEWIS on Healing, Fame, and Self-Worth: "I Did the Work" | IMO"?

The episode runs 1 h 15 min; the transcript is about 10,536 words in 102 timestamped sections.

More from Michelle Obama

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated December 17, 2025.