How Leslie Jones Became a Comedian

Comedian and actress Leslie Jones has lived a lot of life and she wants you to know it. The Saturday Night Live alum and veteran stand-up comic returns with a new special, called “Leslie Jones: Life Part 2.” In this interview, Jones traces the long road to discovering her comedic voice. She speaks candidly about family life and the comedians like Richard Pryor who influenced her at a young age. We talk about the time she first fell in love with comedy in college and the many years she spent honing her craft. Jones contends that our current generation needs to accept the struggle, and not try to shortcut the process. We learn about what that creative process is for Jones as she developed her newest special. She offers her take on whether comedians have a responsibility in our culture to provoke thought or if simply getting a laugh is enough.

You can listen to How Leslie Jones Became a Comedian online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

How Leslie Jones Became a Comedian is an episode from American Masters Podcast by American Masters | PBS.

This episode is 31:00 long.

This episode was published on Dec 19, 2025.

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