MO AMER: I started writing [Season 2] in April 2023, and then [the Writers Guild] went on strike May 1.
And particularly my writing room, since the show is centered around a Palestinian family, this impacted it significantly; it caused us to have a tremendous amount of debate in the writing room itself.
And then outside of the writing room, in my actual life, there was a deep concern for what’s going on globally.
AMER: I’m sure you know better than anybody else.
AMER: That’s great.
Mo Amer and Dave Chappelle grew close during the pandemic after Chappelle built a bubble at his Ohio home to attract comedians to perform and secured a COVID testing machine. One of them was Amer. “We performed together for the entire summer of 2020,” Chappelle claims. We had a great time when the world’s top comedians arrived in Ohio. “”.
Every day, the comedians were put to the test in those early comedy shows, which took place in a cornfield. Apart from that, though, Amer spent most of his time holed up in his Airbnb writing Season 1 of his highly regarded Netflix series, “Mo,” which concluded this year after two seasons.
“Everything was so unsettling, so it was really nerve-racking,” remembers Amer. It was civil unrest, COVID, and personal matters. Additionally, all of my writers were emotionally balancing multiple tasks. It was very daunting. However, you truly saved my life. Many people probably felt that way because you provided us with a way to express ourselves while we weren’t working. “.”.
Amer recommended Chappelle as a conversation partner when he was asked to take part in Actors on Actors. As he flew from Ohio to Los Angeles, Chappelle, who hosted Saturday Night Live this year and hasn’t done an interview since he was embroiled in controversy for his jokes that made fun of transgender people in his 2021 Netflix special “The Closer,” agreed. “I don’t like doing press, as you know,” Chappelle says. But since it’s you, I wouldn’t have missed today. “.”.
DAVE CHAPPELLE: The big issue here is this. You signed a deal with Netflix to produce a series, and just as you were getting started on Season 2, Oct. Seven took place. And whether or not it was an artistic endeavor, you were going to have to deal with this. Moreover, I was interested in the procedure for undergoing that. You happened to be the only Palestinian voice at a pivotal moment in human history by some strange coincidence.
MO AMER: On May 1, [the Writers Guild] went on strike, and I began writing [Season 2] in April 2023. We returned in October. 1. . Hell breaks loose six days later. This had a big impact on the show, especially my writing room, because it revolves around a Palestinian family. It led to a lot of internal conflict. Then, outside of the writing room, I was deeply concerned about the state of the world. I felt like I was under constant pressure to “say or do something.”.
CHAPPELLE: Can you give me an example of the sources of pressure, such as friends, family, artists, producers, or executives?
AMER: The public and fans were more involved. I’m the only Palestinian guy with a show about the Palestinian family, so there was a lot of pressure on me to speak up right away. “What are you going to do to try to help to bring people together, for people to come to their senses, and to get to a resolution?” was the question that people asked me over the phone. It is actually October. 8. .
CHAPPELLE: Impressive.
AMER: I saw you all shouting at each other. In reality, no one was paying attention to anyone else. Furthermore, I believe it’s critical to comprehend the situation before speaking up. The ability to know what you’re talking about is absolutely essential. And it all depends on the way you say it. I’ve always viewed my art as [a] haven where I can express and be who I am. Right now, it feels strange to me outside of that.
CHAPPELLE: I completely understand your point.
AMER: You know better than anyone else, I’m sure.
However, do you address October in relation to the show? 7. Do you not? Every time I tried to incorporate it into the series, I would lose track of everything. It dominated the entire story, and I thought it did a great deal of harm. Additionally, this entire concept began in October. Seven is not true. People must understand what life was like there in order to put what has been happening over the past 75 years into context.
CHAPPELLE: It appeared to be a timing miracle to the audience. It reads like today’s paper, your show. The world is struggling with issues like immigration and Palestine, and then all of a sudden there is this moving work of art that humanizes and touches on all of those topics. And, dude, it’s funny.
AMER: Hopefully. It wasn’t always funny, after all. I was so emotionally spent that there were times when I thought, “Are we fucking making a comedy?”. I’m exhausted. However, I have never seen a series address all of these topics. I desired to enter a correctional facility. At the end of Season 1, I purposefully wanted my character to become stranded in Mexico so that they could learn what it takes to return [to the United States]. And to demonstrate the ridiculousness of a prison.
CHAPPELLE: I recall being on a tour bus with you years ago, and you told me the entire story of what it was like to escape Kuwait. And I saw the first season of your show, and every single shot was exactly as you had described it on the tour bus. Do you recall this exchange?
AMER: I do, in fact, recall this exchange. You are to blame for this entire series.
CHAPPELLE: How can I blame it?
AMER: At the House of Blues in Dallas, I was your opening act. You sat beside me as I just left the stage. You uttered, “Mo. As usual, a cigarette was in your mouth.
CHAPPELLE: Invariably.
AMER: “Mo, have you ever considered doing a short film before your stand-up special? If you do it well, it could win an Emmy.”. You also struck me in the shoulder. “Oh, shit,” I thought. “”.
This short film became my obsession after that; I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It simply came to me. I exclaimed, “Oh my God.”. “I began witnessing my mother embezzle the money—this actually occurred during our escape from Kuwait—by obtaining it and concealing it in key places within our suitcase. How she stitched it together. I had never seen my mother like this before.
We led a relatively typical life. And to witness her being so delicate as to sew the purse back together after grabbing a razor and cutting behind the zipper and inserting equal amounts of cash into the lining. As she was putting everything together to leave, I suddenly started seeing a younger version of myself wearing the Pelé soccer jersey, which was clearly going to change our lives forever.
However, this second season, boy. This “Mo” joke was the best. It went really well. It is the reason I am here. Working in the media is something I detest. You guys have no idea how incredible it is for me to be here at this moment, man.
AMER: I glanced over a few times while we were taking photos side by side. “Bro, I know you hate this so much,” was exactly what I was thinking. Additionally, he must be a huge fan of the show. “.”.
CHAPPELLE: I’m not doing this shit if this show was a bust and he asked me to do it. But boy, did I cry happy tears when the season came to an end.
AMER: You’ve got the longest sets on “SNL,” bro. Seeing a stand-up artist in action is, in my opinion, the ultimate form of stand-up. Although you freestyle, you’ve stated that it’s a joke recital or something.
CHAPPELLE: In particular, the first one was winging it. But you’re never really winging it because I’ve been doing it long enough. I have enough experience even if I don’t have any jokes. But it’s risky when broadcast live. Among other things, you have to navigate standards and practices. To Lorne Michaels’ credit, though, he is always surprised by my words. It is customary for me to never perform my actual monologue during rehearsal.
AMER: Excellent.
CHAPPELLE: I think rehearsal is just about “How’s the sound?” because live TV puts a lot of pressure on performers. The monologue, however, is what I enjoy most about performing that show. The ability to perform live on a prestigious platform like Saturday Night Live is a gift for a stand-up comedian. It’s always a rush. It is slightly frightening, but only slightly. It’s never that bad, but you never perform as well as you anticipate. The election of Biden was perhaps the most difficult since it wasn’t until Saturday morning that we found out he would be president. Consequently, I had a set for both the Trump and Biden predictions.
AMER: How do you feel about the 2016 monologues themselves, given the current state of affairs and the election victory of Trump?
CHAPPELLE: I have pleasant memories of it, but I haven’t seen it in a long time.
AMER: You mentioned allowing him a chance.
CHAPPELLE: I do recall that section. You know what, though? I view it as a picture. That was the sensation at that precise moment. I don’t get upset when I see a picture because it’s not from today, regardless of how well it ages. At the time, it was that way. Even though you might cringe when you see an old set, you might also cringe because of who you were at the time.
AMER: You’re such a cultural litmus test; everything you say captures the essence of the current event.
CHAPPELLE: A total wreck.
AMER: Total mishap? Hold on!
CHAPPELLE: I’m not serious.
What gave you the idea that your show would sound like the paper today?
AMER: I didn’t know.
CHAPPELLE: You had no idea El Salvador would be the setting for those scenes you shot in the detention camp.
AMER: No, indeed.
CHAPPELLE: It appears that the world stage caught up to your writers’ room while you were merely doing what seemed urgent to you.
Francisco Vargas was the production designer; BAUIE+RAD was the producer.
