Can You Win Three Emmys and Still Wonder If the Check Will Clear? with W. Kamau Bell

Past Due with Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle

Ana Marie Cox, Open Mike Eagle, and Andrew Steven

Society & Culture, Business, Performing Arts, Arts

4.6 • 6.4K Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2026

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

W. Kamau Bell, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedian and filmmaker, joins us to talk about what it actually looks like when the industry that rewarded you for doing the right thing quietly decides it's done doing that. We get into the real math of basic cable money, and what happens to a career built on diversity and inclusion when DEI becomes a liability. Three kids. Nine jobs. Every dollar, he has to go grab. Still making his own gravy. Get more at http://pateron.com/pastdue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	There's a version of success that looks great on Wikipedia and still leaves you doing the math every single week.
0:06.8	This week we're talking with W. Kamau Bell, comedian, filmmaker, and a man who describes his current life as three kids, nine jobs.
0:15.2	We get into what basic cable money actually means versus what you thought it meant.
0:20.5	What happens to your career when
0:22.1	DEI becomes a four-letter word while he's launching a podcast he's paying for himself rather than
0:28.0	let anyone else on it? And what it costs professionally and personally to be the guy who has to
0:33.4	write the thing that no one else wants to write.
0:42.6	The creative economy is broken, but some people are still making work.
0:44.3	We're here to find out how.
0:45.8	I'm Anna Marie Koff's.
0:46.9	And I'm open Mike Eagle.
0:49.1	And this is past due. W. Camel Bell.
0:56.4	Welcome to the show.
0:57.7	You are an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedian.
1:00.9	I don't need to tell you this.
1:02.6	No, it's just fun to hear.
1:04.0	It's fun to hear you say that.
1:05.0	It was like I could feel the Wikipedia entry, but it's fine.
1:10.0	It's funny.
1:11.0	Wikipedia has entered the chat. It's fine. It's funny.
1:13.3	Wikipedia has entered the chat.
1:19.4	It is fun to hear about my things, but it's also funny to hear about them from people who I feel like, you know me.
	...

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