About this episode

Janelle James discusses her journey in comedy and her role in 'Abbott Elementary' during a live interview.

Comedian Janelle James became a star after playing the selfish, scamming, yet hilarious principal Ava Coleman in 'Abbott Elementary.' She’s since been nominated for five Emmy awards for the role. But Janelle spent years grinding through the standup scene before finding television success. She told Sam about what inspired her to try comedy years ago, and what she’s learned about herself from playing a larger than life character in a sitcom. Plus, Janelle breaks down her forthcoming Hulu show inspired by her own childhood in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  This conversation took place in front of a live audience at KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio in Santa Monica. Sign up for  Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.  

People in this episode

Host: Sam Sanders

Guest: Janelle James

Topics covered

• comedy
• television
• Emmy awards
• personal growth
• sitcoms
• live audience

Keywords

• Janelle James
• Abbott Elementary
• Emmy awards
• comedy
• Hulu
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• sitcom

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: KCRW, Hulu

Books & works: Abbott Elementary

Places: U.S. Virgin Islands

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