This episode of Dinner's On Me was recorded on June 22nd, 2023.

Hi, it's Jesse.

Today on the show, you know her from Orange is a New Black, Mrs. America, and Clydes on Broadway.

It's Uzo Aduba.

We'll get into growing up in a Nigerian household in the suburbs of Boston, being in awe of

Cape Blanchet, as I am as well, and what it was like to be in one of Netflix's first hits as a

streamer.

House of Cards hadn't even come out yet, so like I would tell my friends, I think it's

a web series, and they're like a web series.

This is Dinner's On Me, and I'm your host, Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

So I was aware of Uzo Aduba through a few friends of mine who had worked with her on stage in and around New York.

And I remember her name because, I mean, well, Uzo's a hard name to forget, but also because there

was this common thread amongst everyone that worked with her. She was not only one of the most

kind and generous actors working, but she was also one of the most talented. I, of course, became more

aware of her at the same time the rest of the world did when I fell in love with Suzanne Warren, also known as Crazy Eyes, the character she created on the breakout hit, Orange is a New Black.

I always loved running into Uzo at these fancy Hollywood parties, because even though we had never worked together, it always felt like we had this secret connection in our love for musical

theater and our shared mutual friends back home on the East Coast. Knowing that Uzo had just announced

her first pregnancy, congratulations Uzo, I was especially eager to sit down and catch up with her

over a meal in our neighborhood. Hello, entrance applause.

So I asked Uzo to join me at the front yard in North Hollywood.

With a baby on the way I know Uzo is being super thoughtful about what she's eating,

and I thought the front yard would be a perfect place

...