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Source: Q on CBC. “In this clip from her feature chat in Studio Q, Aisha Tyler explains to Jian how she navigated her path to success while contending with critics who argued she wasn’t ‘black enough’.”
Archer star Aisha Tyler made some interesting confessions during an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday – admitting that she’s been talking dirty to President Barack Obama and doing a lot more drinking than usual.
The 6-foot comedian certainly has an interesting life, but her latest exploits may be some of the most intriguing ones yet.
During her interview with The Washington Post, she opened up about the first time she made President Barack Obama laugh.
“I did tell President Obama a joke the first time I met him when we kicked off the second surrogate program and, um, I actually can’t repeat it,” she said, hinting that the joke was a dirty one.
When the interviewer asked Tyler if she indeed told the president a dirty joke, she jokingly explained that it wasn’t too dirty for the president’s ears.
“It wasn’t really dirty,” she exclaimed. “It was just kind of inside baseball, a little bit, about television.”
Regardless of how dirty the joke was, it was enough to earn some presidential laughter.
“And I made him laugh, and I have a photo,” she continued. “I put it up on my Facebook for a while. I was very pleased with myself.”
Now that she has gotten comedic praise from the current leader of the nation, Tyler is ready to take on the type of high pressure situation that left comedy veteran Kevin Hart feeling quite intimidated – the White House Correspondent’s dinner.
“Kevin Hart told me at the White House Correspondent’s dinner this year that the whole thing seemed super intense,” The Washington Post’s Helena Andrews told Tyler. “Would you be up for that challenge?”
“Oh my God, in a heartbeat,” Tyler said. “It’s obviously a lot of pressure. But I think figuring out the math, like the right comedic algorithm for that night, would be a really fun problem to unlock.”
She admitted that many comedy stars haven’t been able to figure that algorithm out, but she’s totally up for the challenge.
It’s no surprise that Tyler is so eager to take on the challenge either.
Earlier in the interview, she explained that her greatest fear is to wake up one day without feeling challenged.
“I think two things scare me: not being challenged terrifies me more than being challenged,” Tyler said. “And trying to do everything as exceptionally as I can. I don’t believe in lay-ups. I always want to try and push myself to over deliver.”
For now, Tyler has delivered on the promise to challenge herself.
She’s currently juggling three TV shows – The Talk, Archer and BoJack Horseman.
In addition to dominating the comedy space on TV, she’s also still managing standup gigs, gamer conferences and other high-profile appearances like the upcoming USO gala on Friday.
Tyler will be hosting the gala, which is dedicated to honoring, celebrating and thanking the men and women in uniform who have dedicated their lives to protecting the freedoms of Americans.
For some fans, however, Tyler’s social media has them wondering if the star is battling with alcohol problems.
As it turns out, however, Tyler hasn’t been drinking for fun – she’s drinking for work.
“I’m actually starting a spirits company next summer, so now whenever I have a cocktail it’s research,” she said.
Tyler went on to say friends and fans have commented on all the pictures of her drinking and asked if she’s OK.
“Just know, like I order a drink, and I drink like this much of it [she indicates a thimble], and then I stop,” she told The Washington Post. “There’s nothing cute about a sloppy drunk.”
Rashida Jones
Jones went to Harvard University, where she studied religion and philosophy. She graduated in 1997. The actress, who is also the daughter of music producer Quincy Jones, is most famous for her role on the NBC TV comedy Parks and Recreation.
John Legend
The Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter went to the University of Pennsylvania. He studied English with a concentration in African-American literature and culture and graduated in 1999. His albums include Get Lifted (2004), Once Again (2006), Evolver (2008) and Love in the Future (2013).
Aisha Tyler
The comedian and actress went to Dartmouth College. She graduated in 1992 with a degree in government and environmental policy. She is most famous for lending her voice to FX‘s adult, animated show Archer and for serving as one of the co-hosts on CBS’s daytime show The Talk.
Tatyana Ali
The actress graduated from Harvard University with a degree in African-American studies and government in 2002. She is famous for TV role as Ashley Banks on NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996).
David Alan Grier
Grier went to graduate school at Yale University, earning a master of fine arts degree in 1981. He has been in many films and TV shows; however, he is most notable for being featured on Fox’s sketch comedy series In Living Color (1990-1994). The show was produced by actors, comedians and siblings Keenan Ivory and Damon Wayans.
Tyra Banks
The supermodel, film star and TV personality went to multiple universities. In 2012, she graduated from Harvard Business School. Some of her notable TV shows include The CW’s The Tyra Banks Show (2005-2010) and America’s Next Top Model (2003-current).
Alicia Keys
The Grammy Award-winning singer went to Columbia University in 1998, but she dropped out a month later. Her most recent album is Girl on Fire (2012).
Robert L. Johnson
Johnson, a businessman, attended Princeton University. He graduated in 1972 with a master’s degree in public/international affairs. Johnson founded the cable network Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 1980.
Angela Bassett
The Oscar-nominated actress went to Yale University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in African-American studies in 1980 and a master of fine arts degree in 1983. She is known for her portrayal of legendary singer Tina Turner in the film What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She is currently working on FX‘s upcoming American Horror Story: Freak Show. Produced by Ryan Murphy, American Horror Story is a series that focuses on horror tropes such as witches and serial killers. Bassett is married to fellow Ivy Leaguer Courtney B. Vance.
Courtney B. Vance
Vance studied at Harvard University. He graduated in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in history and went on to Yale to earn a master’s in drama in 1986. He is most famous for his role on NBC’s Law and Order: Criminal Intent (2001-2011). He is married to fellow Ivy Leaguer Angela Bassett.
Hill Harper
The actor graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater from Brown University in 1988. He went on to Harvard to earn a master’s degree in public administration in 1992. Harper has been in numerous films and TV shows. He is notable for roles on CBS’ CSI: New York and USA’s Covert Affairs.
Ryan Leslie
Leslie went to Harvard University and earned a bachelor’s degree in government and economics in 1998. He is a music producer who produced recording artist Cassie’s hit single Me & U (2006). A recording artist himself, Leslie released a self-titled album in 2008. He earned a Grammy nomination in 2011.
Sanaa Lathan
The actress studied at Yale University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in drama in 1995. She is most notable for films such as The Best Man (1999), Love and Basketball (2000) and Brown Sugar (2002).
Joy Bryant
Bryant studied at Yale University on a full scholarship. She left school in the late 1990s to pursue a modeling and acting career. Her films include Antwone Fisher (2002) and Get Rich or Die Tryin (2005). She currently stars in the NBC TV show Parenthood.
Brian J. White
White studied at Dartmouth College. He graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s in political science, psychology and theater arts. White went on to become an actor, starring in movies such as director Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds (2012) and The Cabin in the Woods (2012).
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, author and advocate of science literacy. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a research associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
From 2006 to 2011, Tyson hosted the educational science television show NOVA ScienceNow on PBS, and he has been a frequent guest on other TV shows, including The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Real Time with Bill Maher. Since 2009, he has hosted the weekly radio show StarTalk.
In 2014, Tyson began hosting a TV science documentary series, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, an update of late astrophysicist Carl Sagan’s Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, a 1980s television series.
Tyson has also appeared on television episodes of sitcom The Big Bang Theory and sci-fi series Stargate Atlantis.
Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes is a screenwriter, director, and producer, who is best known as creator, head writer, and executive producer of the medical drama television series Grey’s Anatomy, its spin-off Private Practice, and the political thriller series, Scandal.
In May 2007, the popular Hollywood writer was named one of Time magazine’s 100 people who help shape the world. Rhimes has a new legal series on ABC, How to Get Away with Murder, which will air in the 2014-15 season.
Rhimes, who describes her self as a “nerd” says one of her favorite activities is to watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee and to “nerd out” while blogging about the competition.
“I’ve been watching the bee forever. Way back, when it was first on ESPN is when I first started watching. I’ve been watching forever. I’m a nerd that way, but I was very into it and a bee nerd in school,” she said.
Rhimes attended Dartmouth College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree, and the University of Southern California where she received a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Cinema-Television.
Donald Glover
Donald Glover is an actor, comedian, rapper, writer and proud Black nerd, who first became popular for his work with the Internet comedy sketch group, Derrick Comedy.
From 2006 to 2009, he was a writer for the NBC comedy series 30 Rock. He was also cast in the role of Troy Barnes in the television series Community, and in 2010, he starred in a stand-up special on Comedy Central network.
Glover released his debut album as a hip-hop artist the next year, followed by a second release in 2013. The young star graduated from New York University with a degree in dramatic writing.
Melissa Harris-Perry
Melissa Harris-Perry is a professor at Tulane University, television host and political commentator with a focus on African-American politics. Harris-Perry hosts a weekend news and opinion television show on MSNBC.
Before working for MSNBC, she taught at Princeton University and the University of Chicago. Harris-Perry is also a regular columnist for the magazine The Nation, the author of Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America, and founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South.
Harris-Perry attended Wake Forest University where she received a bachelor’s degree in English, and Duke University where she earned a doctorate in political science.