Larry Wilmore Quotes

Powerful Larry Wilmore for Daily Growth

About Larry Wilmore

Larry Wilmore, a comedian, political satirist, writer, actor, and television host, was born on October 30, 1968, in Cleveland, Ohio. Raised by his mother, a school teacher, and his grandfather, who inspired him with stories from the Civil Rights Movement, Wilmore developed an early interest in comedy and politics. He graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in economics before pursuing a career in comedy writing. Wilmore's career took off when he joined The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a correspondent in 2006. His unique blend of humor, social commentary, and political satire quickly made him a favorite among viewers. In 2015, Wilmore moved to Comedy Central to host his own late-night talk show, 'The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,' where he continued to tackle pressing social and political issues in a humorous way. One of Wilmore's most notable moments came during the 2016 White House Correspondents' Dinner, where he delivered a scathing roast of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. The speech, which received mixed reactions at the time, is now considered a defining moment in political satire. Wilmore's major works include his role as a writer on 'In Living Color,' 'The Bernie Mac Show,' and 'The Office,' as well as his work as a correspondent and host on The Daily Show and The Nightly Show. He also wrote and starred in the television series 'Black-ish' spinoff, 'The Real Hustle.' Today, Wilmore continues to use comedy as a tool for social change, speaking out on issues such as racial inequality, politics, and pop culture. His unique perspective and hilarious delivery make him a beloved figure in the world of comedy and satire.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I don't want to be a unicorn in a stable full of horses. I want to be a wolf."

This quote by Larry Wilmore suggests a desire for uniqueness and individuality, rather than blending in with the crowd or conforming to societal norms. Instead of being content as a rare and exotic creature like a unicorn in a stable full of ordinary horses, he aspires to be a wolf - a powerful, independent, and strong entity that stands out from the rest. It highlights a yearning for personal authenticity and self-expression, rather than trying to fit into predefined roles or expectations.

"The thing about Donald Trump is that he's kind of like a roach. No matter how much you squish him, he keeps coming back."

This quote by Larry Wilmore suggests that Donald Trump, like a cockroach, is incredibly resilient and tenacious, able to withstand significant adversity and continue to persist despite efforts to neutralize or discredit him. It implies that no matter how many times he may be challenged, criticized, or defeated, Trump remains undeterred and continues to resurface in the public eye.

"I'm just saying, if you're going to call yourself the 'Party of Family Values,' maybe don't get caught having sex with a dead fish in the bathroom of a congressional office building."

This quote by Larry Wilmore is a satirical commentary on the apparent hypocrisy of political figures who identify themselves as advocates for "family values," yet engage in behavior that contradicts those values, such as sexual misconduct or infidelity. The specific example he uses - getting caught having sex with a dead fish - is an exaggerated and humorous way to highlight the absurdity of such a situation. In essence, Wilmore is questioning the authenticity and integrity of individuals who claim to uphold moral values while failing to live up to those standards themselves.

"You know, when I look at Donald Trump, he reminds me of a black person applying for a loan."

This quote by Larry Wilmore is a satirical commentary on racial bias in lending practices, using Donald Trump as an example. He's suggesting that Trump, despite his wealth, may face similar discrimination as black people seeking loans due to prejudiced perceptions. It serves as a powerful critique of systemic racism and the unequal treatment often experienced by minority groups in financial institutions.

"We live in a society where white people have all the advantages, and black people have to be twice as good just to break even. And it's not fair, but that's the way it is."

This quote highlights the systemic racial disparities prevalent in American society, often referred to as institutional racism. It suggests that white individuals typically start with more advantages, while Black individuals have to excel beyond their white counterparts just to achieve the same level of success. The inequality is rooted in historical and societal structures, creating an unfair playing field that requires Black individuals to work harder to achieve parity. The quote underscores the need for greater awareness, empathy, and action to address these deep-seated issues.

Salt Lake City gave me a lot of surprises. How progressive the city actually is, for instance, compared to the rest of Utah - it's like this purple dot in a sea of red. And the government there is kind of a mix of conservative values and progressive ideas.

- Larry Wilmore

City, Conservative, Instance, Dot

We had a segment called Tampon Tuesdays that I was very proud of; that was hilarious because there are a lot of women's issues out there that a lot of people don't know about because they're not women, and they don't have to go through them.

- Larry Wilmore

Proud, Through, Very, Hilarious

No matter what his crimes were, Alton Sterling did not deserve to be executed for them. Look, guys, the punishment for resisting arrest shouldn't be death. The punishment for selling bootleg CDs shouldn't be death. The punishment for having a gun in an open-carry state shouldn't be death. The punishment for being a black man shouldn't be death.

- Larry Wilmore

Gun, Arrest, Bootleg, Executed

If you look at somebody like Sam Bee, she got to create her own thing without any expectations that there was a show there. That was probably liberating for them.

- Larry Wilmore

Bee, Own, Like, Liberating

I'm actually a big fan of having all the different types of voices on television. I think it gives people a nice little buffet that they can just pick and choose how they want to get their news and entertainment, I guess.

- Larry Wilmore

Big, Entertainment, I Think, Pick And Choose

When you're taking chances, you know it's not going to please everybody.

- Larry Wilmore

Taking Chances, Everybody, Chances

I have this rule. It's called 'Top Dog-Underdog:' Underdog gets to make fun of Top Dog, but Top Dog can't make fun of Underdog. But you know what? You get Top Dog, you get to be Top Dog. Congratulations! And that dynamic happens not just in race but in many different ways. It's like the male-female dynamic.

- Larry Wilmore

Rule, Ways, Different Ways, Congratulations

As a culture, we've all agreed with the opinion that the world should be seen in a certain way, so at 'The Nightly Show,' our chief mission was to disagree with that premise. And to see the world in a way that may not make everybody comfortable. And to present it with a cast of people who don't always get to have a voice on that.

- Larry Wilmore

Voice, Show, Everybody, Premise

I love the word 'dearth,' by the way. It's one of my favorite words.

- Larry Wilmore

Love, Words, I Love, Dearth

I don't think I ever intend to provoke outrage, but I don't mind being provocative in content.

- Larry Wilmore

Mind, Think, Ever, Intend

I'm understated in my approach.

- Larry Wilmore

Approach, Understated

I think the term 'fair reporting' is overused when it comes to journalism. I think saying they want to report evenly is more accurate.

- Larry Wilmore

Think, I Think, Accurate, Overused

Any voting group has an interest that they want from politicians. That's why politicians have to talk to different people. But to reduce the black interest to free stuff is so insulting. It just makes me apoplectic.

- Larry Wilmore

Different People, Reduce, Group

My father was in law enforcement growing up. He was a probation officer. And I've always understood the point of view of the peace officer, you know, because of my dad.

- Larry Wilmore

Law, Point Of View, Always, Understood

I'm not a homosexual, but if I can be an ally for that issue, I think it's fantastic.

- Larry Wilmore

Think, I Think, Issue, Homosexual

It was the Cosby issue that made me realize how much I really cared about women's issues and how much I realize it's important for me to be an advocate for issues that aren't necessarily my own, to be an ally for issues.

- Larry Wilmore

My Own, Made, Issue, Cosby

My joke is that three black people watch 'The Daily Show' at any given time. So if I'm watching it, that counts, and there's only two left. It's a silly joke, but you know, different types of comedy reach different cultures.

- Larry Wilmore

Reach, Show, Counts, Any Given Time

I'd rather go after the people who are the guardians or what we're doing - the news people and the politicians and that sort of thing. I always feel like those should be my targets, not really entertainers. That's just my personal opinion.

- Larry Wilmore

Doing, Rather, Entertainers, Guardians

Every television show is sentenced to death - time and date of execution unknown.

- Larry Wilmore

Death, Execution, Date, Sentenced

Many times, when you do what I do or work in journalism in general, people try to not explicitly present their opinions on topics.

- Larry Wilmore

Work, Explicitly, Topics, Journalism

The first show I worked on was 'In Living Color.' I think 'The Daily Show' was the culmination of having that point of view - being able to look at this third rail in our society.

- Larry Wilmore

Think, Living, I Think, Culmination

I really love having conversations and deconstructing things. I don't mind not having a laugh every second. Sometimes things deserve a little more discussion, and then you can have some fun after that.

- Larry Wilmore

Love, Mind, Some, Every Second

I have a lot of passion for a lot of different things.

- Larry Wilmore

Different, Things, Lot, Different Things

I always compartmentalized so many different things.

- Larry Wilmore

Always, Things, Different Things

When you have somebody like a Donald Trump - he made no bones about trying to disprove Barack Obama's Americanism in trying to make him out to be some foreigner that was born in Kenya. I thought that to be very racist.

- Larry Wilmore

Some, Very, Donald, None

I'm not trying to prove anything for the right or the left. Which gives me freedom to make jokes about either side, too.

- Larry Wilmore

Prove, Side, Which, Jokes

My white counterparts are always pushing the line, and they are fearless, so why can't I do that, too?

- Larry Wilmore

Fearless, Always, Line, Counterparts

I set out to have a diverse staff on the 'Bernie Mac Show.'

- Larry Wilmore

Show, Staff, Set, Diverse

I just feel it's important to make sure that behind the scenes is as filled with diverse voices as in front of the scene is.

- Larry Wilmore

Behind, Sure, Voices, Diverse

One of the missions of 'The Nightly Show' was to have a conversation with America in a sense, and talk about the things that people didn't want to talk about it.

- Larry Wilmore

Want, Show, About, Conversation

The thing that's worked for me is having as much of a connection to the material as possible. And sometimes the material requires a more straightforward approach, and sometimes it requires a little more silliness, you know?

- Larry Wilmore

Straightforward, Having, Silliness

A lot of my family on both sides have worked in education and nursing, and my grandmother was a nurse; my sister is a nurse, and her - my other sister's daughter is going into nursing. There's a lot of that in the family.

- Larry Wilmore

Education, Both Sides, Other, Nurse

I always said I'm not disappointed with Obama because I voted for him because he was black, and as long as he kept being black, I was a happy man.

- Larry Wilmore

Happy, Always, Obama, Happy Man

I get recognized by some people in my community, but not a lot. In fact, they would say, 'What do you do?' And I would say, 'Well, I did 'The Bernie Mac Show.'' And they would say, 'Oh, really? Well, do you know so-and-so?' And I'd say, 'Yeah, I hired them. I was the boss!' They don't believe it.

- Larry Wilmore

Boss, Fact, Some, Hired

I didn't even know how much of a feminist I was, and I realized, 'Oh my God, I was raised by a single mom who had to raise six kids. I have three sisters. Larry, you've been a feminist your whole life, and you really didn't know it until you've been presented with these issues.'

- Larry Wilmore

Mom, Been, Had, Larry

There are tragedies that happen all the time in America, but there are certain types of tragedies that kind of pull us together and make us pause and give us a chance to reflect about where we are, where we're going, and that sort of thing.

- Larry Wilmore

Give, Happen, Types, Together

There's something about a new family moving into the White House that's kind of interesting, even if you didn't vote for them.

- Larry Wilmore

Interesting, New, Kind, White House

I guess I hadn't counted on 'The Unblackening' happening to my time slot as well.

- Larry Wilmore

Well, My Time, Guess, Counted

It used to be that the black comic figure had to have this bravado and always showed strength.

- Larry Wilmore

Strength, Always, Figure, Bravado

I do not look to Hollywood to give me character clues.

- Larry Wilmore

Character, Give, Hollywood, Clues

In my time, I experienced a black man not being able to be the quarterback of a football team.

- Larry Wilmore

Black, Football Team, Being, Experienced

Some things are so tragic that you don't know what's funny in it, and some things are so ridiculous you don't know if it's worth talking about it.

- Larry Wilmore

Talking, Some, About, Tragic

I was taught from a very early age that I had to work twice as hard to get half as much. That was the world I grew up in - a very strong work ethic.

- Larry Wilmore

Strong, Very, Very Early Age, Early Age

I am from Pomona, California. I was born in Los Angeles.

- Larry Wilmore

I Am, Los, Angeles, Los Angeles

My parents are from the Midwest. They're from Evanston, Illinois. They moved out to Los Angeles right before I was born.

- Larry Wilmore

I Was Born, Before, Angeles, Los Angeles

I was an athlete, so I hung out with the jocks. I was smart, so I hung out with the nerdy kids. I was also into theater, so I hung out with the misfits... So I was always in different groups, and those groups never quite overlapped. The racial part of it was just another one of those groups, in one sense.

- Larry Wilmore

Nerdy, Another, Part, Hung

I really enjoyed being able to be one of the people who weighed in on the events. As hard as it is to do that every day, because it is exhausting, it really is fun to do that, especially when you feel like you really did something well, and it really hit.

- Larry Wilmore

Every Day, Feel, Exhausting, Weighed

My father had a lot of allergies, and he just didn't like the cold of Chicago, and his father - his parents had broken up when he was young, and his father had lived in Pasadena for a while, and he kind of fell in love with Southern California.

- Larry Wilmore

Love, Young, Southern, Chicago

I thought Sarah Palin was the ultimate expression of comic outrageousness in a person.

- Larry Wilmore

Thought, Expression, None

I really don't have a need to be on TV all that much, to be honest with you.

- Larry Wilmore

Honest, Need, TV, To Be Honest

I don't have that kind of Southern experience of the fire-and-brimstone preacher type of thing. Certainly not in my comedy.

- Larry Wilmore

Kind, Southern, Certainly, Preacher

I would consider myself more a passionate centrist.

- Larry Wilmore

Passionate, More, Would, Centrist

I'm not going to grouse and complain when there's nothing I can do about it. Once you've broken up with somebody, arguing with them is not going to bring them back. You may want to stop their Twitter account or call them up late at night, but they made the decision to leave.

- Larry Wilmore

Bring, Arguing, About, Account

Writing is the most frustrating, but it's something that I've always done.

- Larry Wilmore

Writing, Always, Most, Frustrating

You never want to defend a joke. People get to choose whether or not to laugh and whether or not they think something is funny.

- Larry Wilmore

Think, Want, Choose, Joke

'The Daily Show,' at its core, is the answer to the nightly news.

- Larry Wilmore

News, Core, Nightly, Daily Show

I like 'The Nightly Show.' People ask me what it is, and I say, 'If you're watching 'The Daily Show,' and it feels like it's getting a little darker, you're probably watching 'The Nightly Show.''

- Larry Wilmore

Like, Show, Feels, Daily Show

We will see about Obama's legacy. I still think the historical nature of his candidacy will be the biggest part of his legacy.

- Larry Wilmore

Legacy, Think, Still, Candidacy

Doing a TV show is different because it's more of a TV version of something. A more focused take on things.

- Larry Wilmore

Doing, TV, TV Show, Version

You never know in TV - sometimes you're on at the wrong time at the wrong place. Sometimes you don't get a chance to catch on.

- Larry Wilmore

Chance, Sometimes, TV, Catch

You are always, always overwhelmed by positive response because you know it can go either way.

- Larry Wilmore

Overwhelmed, Always, Either, Response

Richard Pryor was my hero. Richard Pryor was keeping it 100.

- Larry Wilmore

Richard, Pryor, Keeping, None

Sometimes I'd say what's bad for the country is good for my business, unfortunately.

- Larry Wilmore

Business, Country, Bad, Unfortunately

All writers have a love-hate relationship with writing. Performing is fun, too, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite. But the most fulfilling is producing.

- Larry Wilmore

Say, Performing, Love-Hate, Fulfilling

You have to stay alert. You've got to keep raising your game.

- Larry Wilmore

Game, Keep, Raising, Alert

Remember, MTV would only show white videos for a long time. Can you imagine that? That was the '80s when that happened. It's hard to even think of that now, you know?

- Larry Wilmore

Think, Show, Imagine, MTV

The business part of it can be very vexing. You always have to keep certain metrics and everything. Because all I can do is make a good show.

- Larry Wilmore

Business, Always, Very, Vexing

I've always watched the political shows.

- Larry Wilmore

Political, Always, Shows, Watched

I think the biggest thing is voice. Whose voice is it? Who gets to control the narrative?

- Larry Wilmore

Voice, Think, I Think, Biggest Thing

Even though you're in charge, you're not completely in ownership. You know, the audience takes a huge ownership of your show. Look at comments about shows and tell me if I'm wrong. Look at shows like 'The Walking Dead' and the ownership that the audience has of that show.

- Larry Wilmore

Tell, Show, About, Ownership

As long as you say I'm the guy who's real about it, I have no problem being the person who people look to to talk about race.

- Larry Wilmore

Say, Race, About, No Problem

Maybe I'll write an episode of 'Black-ish' about a guy being fired in late-night.

- Larry Wilmore

Fired, Maybe, About, Late-Night

Police have to have one of the most difficult jobs in society today. But at the same time, I think, a person in that position - their responsibility has to be high as well.

- Larry Wilmore

Think, I Think, Jobs, Police

The fact that we live in a world where black people have to strategize so they're not brutalized by police is insane.

- Larry Wilmore

Black, World, Fact, Police

I don't take pleasure in anyone's demise, really.

- Larry Wilmore

Pleasure, Take, Anyone, Demise

MSNBC got rid of so many black people, I thought Boko Haram was running that network.

- Larry Wilmore

Thought, Black, Many, Rid

The last thing I would ever do is try to become a network programmer.

- Larry Wilmore

Last, Ever, Would, Network

I've pitched many things that have not gone, but every year, I'm in that pilot game like a lot of other writers in Hollywood.

- Larry Wilmore

Game, Pilot, Other, Writers

When most people become president, even if you disagree with their ideology, you can still agree that they would have the competence to run something... With Trump, I do not have the confidence of that at all.

- Larry Wilmore

Confidence, Trump, Still, Competence

I'd love to set up shop somewhere and develop projects - film, TV, digital would be a fun thing to do.

- Larry Wilmore

Love, Digital, TV, Somewhere

People aren't autonomous creatures. They're under a lot of pressure themselves.

- Larry Wilmore

Themselves, Creatures, Lot, Autonomous

It's really not my thing to go after what comedians are doing. Because I always feel like we're jesters at the end of the day.

- Larry Wilmore

Doing, Always, Like, Comedians

It's a challenge to do satire when the thing you're satirizing is almost beyond satire, but I think that's a challenge for everybody.

- Larry Wilmore

Think, Everybody, I Think, Satire

Whenever I did sitcoms, that always happened on your show. Once the show was on the air, it takes on a life of its own. It develops, and it becomes something else.

- Larry Wilmore

Own, Always, Something Else, Sitcoms

Not everybody's gonna get your vision.

- Larry Wilmore

Vision, Get, Everybody, Gonna

'Westworld' is bizarre. I don't know what to think of 'Westworld.'

- Larry Wilmore

Think, Know, Bizarre

I'm too tired most of the time. Why do I have to take a stand on everything? Sometimes, I'm just not mad at it.

- Larry Wilmore

Tired, Sometimes, Why, Mad

I'm not the type of person to have a schadenfreude.

- Larry Wilmore

Person, Type

When you use the word 'fair' in television, you're already in a fantasy world. Nothing is really fair in television.

- Larry Wilmore

World, Fantasy, Use, Word

I'll stop talking about race when people stop being racist.

- Larry Wilmore

Stop, Race, About, Talking

I didn't get into comedy to talk about violent death all the time.

- Larry Wilmore

Death, Comedy, Get, Violent

In my career, I'm always trying to do something different.

- Larry Wilmore

Trying, Different, Always, Career

I have a free voice. I have a free mind. I have freedom of expression.

- Larry Wilmore

Freedom, Voice, Mind, Expression

I really love storytelling.

- Larry Wilmore

Love, Really, Storytelling

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