David Alan Grier, George Wallace, and Gina Yashere visit Friends Like Us

05/27/20 • 108 min

George Wallace By the age of six, George Wallace knew he wanted to be a comedian. He always enjoyed making people laugh, but he also knew the importance of an education. He attended the University of Akron, Ohio and upon graduating with degrees in Transportation, Marketing/Advertising, plus advance studies in Radio and Television from Columbia School of Broadcasting. Literally, a rags-to-riches story, Wallace went from selling rags to VP of Advertising. Still, his dream of being a comedian had a strong hold on him. Within a week of leaving the advertising field, he began to perform stand-up comedy and was offered a job writing for “The Redd Foxx Show.”

Wallace is currently pursuing dual coursework at University of Phoenix and DeVry.

With his writing and stand-up experience, Wallace began landing television appearances. Wallace was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Soul Train/Centric Comedy All-Star Awards; and won Best Stand Up Comedian at the prestigious American Comedy Awards after four consecutive nominations.

As a veteran radio personality, he has also made appearances on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” and is a charter member of “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.” In 2004 Wallace appeared as the headlining star of his own show at The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas for a 30 day run. Sin City showed its admiration by extending Wallace’s contract indefinitely and nicknaming him “The New Mr. Vegas.” Unlike any other comedy show in Las Vegas, Wallace gave away a number of prizes every night including CDs, DVDs, diamond necklaces, dinner at prestigious restaurants, gourmet chocolates, tropical cruises and even a new car. He celebrated his 10th Anniversary headlining at the Flamingo in March 2014, announced he was closing the show to head back out on the road. Wallace regularly performs in comedy clubs across the country and is an ambassador for the United States government, performing at military bases all over the world. His first book, LAFF IT OFF (Chaite Press) was published in 2014. A tome of life wisdom, humor and insight from a lifetime of observation, the book is in its third printing.

Wallace’s most recognized material is his “I Be Thinkin’” lines and jokes about everything from conversational thoughts to political aspirations. Each show he engages members of the audience in comical banter. If provoked, he might even throw out a few of his signature “Yo Mama” jokes. He shows his gratitude to the audience by signing autographs and taking photos after every show. Audience members never know what will happen at the George Wallace show. Wallace is an evolving comedian, which is why his show is different every night. He’s always thinkin’. Fans can now get a taste of what Wallace be thinkin’ on Twitter @MrGeorgeWallace.

David Alan Grier -Countless theater, television, film and comedic endeavors have pushed David Alan Grier's career to remarkable heights and his ability to excel across all mediums and contexts is a testament to his inherent sense of comic timing and creative drive. The three-time Tony and GRAMMY Award nominee was trained in Shakespeare at Yale where he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Grier has enjoyed many accolades and awards throughout his career, not the least of which was his inclusion on Comedy Central's list of the “100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.”

On the big screen, David Alan Grier was recently seen starring in PEEPLES, produced by Tyler Perry, opposite Kerry Washington and Craig Robinson. Grier made his film debut in STREAMERS (1983), directed by Robert Altman for which he won the Golden Lion for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. He also appeared in the Wayans Brothers' spoof movie DANCE FLICK (2009).

Grier's television work is highlighted by a turn as principal cast member on the Emmy Award winning In Living Color (1990–1994) where he helped to create some of the show's most memorable characters,

Wallace is currently pursuing dual coursework at University of Phoenix and DeVry.

Previous Episode

Protective Face Masks With Wrapperoo

P.J. McGuire - as a child, P.J. McGuire dreamed of creating new products and selling them on television, much like the home shopping shows she watched while spending time with her grandmother. In 2016, she made that dream come true when she appeared on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) as a finalist for the HSN/Good Housekeeping “American Dreams” contest. She introduced her invention, the Wrapperoo®, a unique all-in-one T-Shirt Hair Towel & Protective Styling Cape, selling out the product on the first show. HSN customers loved the Wrapperoo so much that PJ was invited back to appear on the network a second time.

Before she came to realize her entrepreneurial dream, P.J., a native of Lima, Ohio who holds a degree in biological sciences from Ohio University, worked in the corporate sector in sales and management roles. In 2006, she founded her first independent business venture, Modet Inc., a professional development, business etiquette, and international protocol consulting firm. P.J. also developed the P-to-P Success Skills training program, which she taught to employees at Procter & Gamble, The Boston Consulting Group, Kraft Foods, Marriott, and Miller Coors, along with students from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, as well as numerous small businesses and individuals.

Fueled by her annoyance with the mess of her hair and beauty routine – and the final straw being the morning she ruined her favorite silk blouse with hair product – P.J. created the Wrapperoo in 2015 by cutting a towel and gluing on some Velcro. After tinkering with her idea for a single product that would be useful for multiple hair, skincare, makeup, and other grooming tasks, she secured a patent on her invention in 2017.

Today, the Wrapperoo is a favorite among a diverse customer base that includes natural hair and curly hair advocates, hair and beauty digital influencers, professional makeup artists, hair stylists, barbers, and DIYers. P.J. and her products have been featured on Good Housekeeping, ABC’s Good Morning America, MSN.com, Entrepreneur, Forbes.com, and WGN News, among others.

After initially sourcing materials in China and beginning the process of moving her manufacturing operation there, changes to international trade agreements negatively impacted P.J.’s ability to create product, forcing her to rethink her entire supply chain in 2018. While turning to alternative materials sourcing and resuming production in Chicago with a small home-based sewing team, the COVID-19 global pandemic hit, slamming micro businesses like Wrapperoo especially hard. Pivoting once again, in March 2020 P.J. started home-sewing and donating protective face masks, using leftover Wrapperoo fabric and N99 filters she had on hand. She was spurred to action after hearing the anguished stories of her healthcare professional friends treating COVID-10 patients in Chicago-area hospitals. To meet soaring demand for both donated and for-sale masks, P.J. launched a “buy one, give one” sale that has generated donations of more than 1,000 high-quality, multifunctional, reusable masks to medical workers in the Chicago region.

Danielle “Diva” Williams -media personality, stage 4 lung cancer warrior as a non-smoker and a motivational speaker.

Danielle's "Divafied" stage presence captivates the audience. In 2013 Danielle stepped on stage at an open mic in Arizona and she never looked back. Audiences have embraced Danielle through her unique take on wearing wigs, being a Diva and her search for a good man, the struggle is REAL! Danielle brings an upbeat best girlfriend bubbly kind of fun to her stage performances. Audiences have taken notice of Danielle with performances in Arizona, New Mexico, Salt Lake City, Ohio, Florida and California. Danielle has performed at some of the top comedy clubs including Funny Bone, Tempe Improv, Stand up Live, The Comedy Spot, Crack Ups Comedy Club, ACES comedy club, Stir Crazy and Rick Bronson's House of Comedy. Danielle's stage presence, comic timing and enthusiastic energy has made her a popular comic among audiences.

Hear how Diva is beating cancer with a positive outlook, hiking, laughter, and dressing flawlessly for chemotherapy because she's single and there are hot, available doctors at the hospital. Check Diva Williams out online, she's making funny videos to inspire others battling cancer! Diva Danielle Williams:

Next Episode

America Can't Take Four More Years of Stupid

Subhah Agarwal has brought an honesty to her comedy that is refreshing, and at times a bit disturbing... but in a good way. Trust me. Subhah has written for"The Jim Jefferies Show"on Comedy Central, and "Comedy Knockout" on TruTv, amongst others. You can also catch her jokes live at stand up comedy clubs across the country. If you don't want to leave your couch, you can see her late night debut on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh." She will also be appearing on season three of HBO's "Westworld", as Ichtaca on TruTv's sketch comedy "Friends of the People", and as herself on MTV2, Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy Live.

Dr. Christina Greer is a writer and professor of political science at Fordham University Lincoln Center, and was the 2018 McSilver Institute Fellow at NYU. She is the author of Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream, and has been published in several print outlets and academic journals. She is the featured educator in six Ted-Ed lessons, one of which, “Does Your Vote Count? The Electoral College Explained,” has over two million views, as well as videos on Ida B Wells Barnett, James Baldwin, and Bayard Rustin. She is the host of The Aftermath and The Counter on ozy.com, and cohost of FAQ-NYC, a NYC centered podcast. She also makes appearances on MSNBC and NPR's WNYC.

Pat Brown has been seen on CBS’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Fuse’s Uproarious, Axis’s Gotham Live, NBC’s Comic’s Unleashed and BET‘s ComicView, TVOne’s made for TV movie-WHITE WATER, the independent film SOMEBODIES, and the web series UNREQUITED. Pat has won both the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and the She Devil Competition. She has been featured in Time Out Magazine, After-Ellen, Splitsider and Punchline Magazine. Her critically acclaimed album “The Pat Brown Sex-Tape” has been described as “provocative and conceptual” by Laugh and is streaming on all platforms. You can watch her on the new season of Two Dope Queens on HBO!

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime), Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf