ABC’s The View has never been a place for smart and informed discussions about politics. And that certainly wasn’t the case on Monday’s episode when Daily Show guest host and so-called “comedian” Leslie Jones openly admitted that before she joined Saturday Night Live in 2014, she seriously thought the Electoral College was a real place where politicians went to school. In 2014, Jones was 47 years old.
Appearing on The View to promote her new book, the cast heaped obsequious praise on their guest. “And you don't shy away from politics. You follow politics closely and you’ll hit either side,” faux conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin boasted. “What made you want to work that more into your humor the past few years?
According to Jones, she wasn’t into politics before moving to New York and that New Yorkers were “really smart about politics and stuff” compared to Californians:
Well, honestly, because I just learned about it. When I went to SNL – Okay. Before SNL, just New York, period, you guys are really smart about politics and stuff. Like y'all really are on that. Like California, we’re over there smoking weed, you know, swimming pools, sun tanning. We ain't really into it, right?
“So, when I got to SNL, there were so many things I listened about that I didn't even know. Like seriously, the Electorial [sic] College, I didn't know about that,” she recalled while mispronouncing it. She then admitted: “I did think it was a college-college. I thought, you know, people got to go there before they become a politician.”
Instead of drawing shock, it drew laughter from the audience and the cast members, who quickly backed her up by calling it a good idea and attacking Trump voters as being uneducated:
SARA HAINES: Oh, I wish that was the case.
FARAH GRIFFIN: That would be smart actually.
ANA NAVARRO: Listen, the people voting for Trump should go to college!
JONES: Exactly! Exactly!
Jones went on to insist that she spoke for the average American and shouted at politicians about how “There's a lot of people that don't understand what's going on,” and demanded people become Karens when dealing with politics:
You guys, there's a group of us th at don't go talk to the manager. You know what I'm saying? Like, there's a group of us that'll be like, no, manager, come over here, this didn't taste good. But there’s a lot of us just going to be, like, I'm not going to come back here no more. We need to start talking to the manager.
The “comedian” grew increasingly unhinged and started screaming at the top of her lungs about how “Only a third of this country is voting! Only a third of the country is voting! Only a third of the country is voting! ONLY A THIRD OF THE COUNTRY IS VOTING!!!”
The show promptly went to a commercial with Goldberg announcing that everyone in the audience would be getting Jones’s new book.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
November 6, 2023
11:47:46 a.m. Eastern(…)
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: And you don't shy away from politics. You follow politics closely and you’ll hit either side.
SUNNY HOSTIN: You’re so good on it.
FARAH GRIFFIN: What made you want to work that more into your humor the past few years?
LESLIE JONES: Well, honestly, because I just learned about it. When I went to SNL – Okay. Before SNL, just New York, period, you guys are really smart about politics and stuff. Like y'all really are on that. Like California, we’re over there smoking weed, you know, swimming pools, sun tanning. We ain't really into it, right? So, when I got to SNL, there were so many things I listened about that I didn't even know. Like seriously, the Electorial [sic] College, I didn't know about that.
I was just – Don’t – you're going to be mad when I say this. I did think it was a college-college.
[Laughter]
HOSTIN: You thought the Electoral College was a college.
JONES: I thought, you know, people got to go there before they become a politician.
SARA HAINES: Oh, I wish that was the case.
FARAH GRIFFIN: That would be smart actually.
ANA NAVARRO: Listen, the people voting for Trump should go to college!
JONES: Exactly! Exactly! So, that’s things like that to learn all that type of stuff.
I feel like when I'm commentating and live tweeting and stuff, I am talking from y'all perspective because there's lot of -- and listen to me very closely, politicians, because you know what's going on. There's a lot of people that don't understand what's going on.
You guys, there's a group of us that don't go talk to the manager. You know what I'm saying? Like, there's a group of us that'll be like, no, manager, come over here, this didn't taste good. But there’s a lot of us just going to be, like, I'm not going to come back here no more. We need to start talking to the manager.
HOSTIN: Yes.
JONES: You understand? Pay attention! Only a third of this country is voting! Only a third of the country is voting! Only a third of the country is voting! ONLY A THIRD OF THE COUNTRY IS VOTING!!!
(…)
