Fail Again: Failure-ish with Kenya Barris

Fail Better with David Duchovny

Grace Cohen-Chen

Society & Culture

4.6 • 534 Ratings

🗓️ 6 January 2026

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This episode originally aired February 25, 2025 Kenya Barris, the creator of "Black-ish", knows a thing or two about resilience. Eighteen failed pilots before he finally struck gold? That's dedication — and, as it turns out, a family value. I’d always been drawn to Kenya’s humor and storytelling, but during our conversation it really clicked how much his experience as a father — and, as he openly shared, navigating divorce — informs his work. We delve into the intricacies of comedic structure, the tightrope walk that is satire for Black creators, and the moral considerations of challenging the status quo. Plus, we reflect on our time on set together. I'm a huge fan of Kenya's, and if you aren’t already, I have a feeling you will be soon. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's morning in New York.
0:02.8	Oh, God.
0:06.2	Hey, everybody.
0:07.3	I'm Mandy Patinkin.
0:08.7	And I'm Catherine Grady.
0:09.8	And we have a new podcast.
0:11.7	It's called Don't Listen to Us.
0:14.1	Many of you've asked for our advice.
0:16.1	Tell me, what is wrong with you people?
0:19.2	Don't listen to us.
0:20.3	Our Take It or Leave a Adv Device show every Wednesday, out now.
0:24.7	A Lemonada Media Original.
0:36.1	I'm David Dukovny, and this is Fail Better, a show where failure, not success, shapes who we are.
0:43.2	Kenya Barris is a movie and television writer, a producer, a director, and an actor.
0:48.6	He is best known for creating the ABC sitcom Blackish, which ran for eight seasons from 2014 to 2022.
0:56.5	Kenya has been working his way up the ranks of the entertainment industry from a young
1:00.0	age, and now he has more projects to his name than I'm able to name right now.
1:04.7	One that's near and dear to my heart is the 2023 movie You People, which I acted in,
1:09.7	and Kenya co-wrote and directed for Netflix.
1:12.7	He also has a new podcast called The Unusual Suspects, which he co-hosts with the writer Malcolm Gladwell.
1:18.7	They talk to the world's most extraordinary individuals about their specific paths to success.
1:23.6	I'm waiting for a call.
	...

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