I think the biggest thing is voice. Whose voice is it? Who gets to control the narrative?

I guess I hadn't counted on 'The Unblackening' happening to my time slot as well.

My father had a lot of allergies, and he just didn't like the cold of Chicago, and his father - his parents had broken up when he was young, and his father had lived in Pasadena for a while, and he kind of fell in love with Southern California.

I thought Sarah Palin was the ultimate expression of comic outrageousness in a person.

I was taught from a very early age that I had to work twice as hard to get half as much. That was the world I grew up in - a very strong work ethic.

If you look at somebody like Sam Bee, she got to create her own thing without any expectations that there was a show there. That was probably liberating for them.

I didn't even know how much of a feminist I was, and I realized, 'Oh my God, I was raised by a single mom who had to raise six kids. I have three sisters. Larry, you've been a feminist your whole life, and you really didn't know it until you've been presented with these issues.'

The first show I worked on was 'In Living Color.' I think 'The Daily Show' was the culmination of having that point of view - being able to look at this third rail in our society.

Sometimes I'd say what's bad for the country is good for my business, unfortunately.

I would consider myself more a passionate centrist.

Doing a TV show is different because it's more of a TV version of something. A more focused take on things.

It's a challenge to do satire when the thing you're satirizing is almost beyond satire, but I think that's a challenge for everybody.

Many times, when you do what I do or work in journalism in general, people try to not explicitly present their opinions on topics.

In my career, I'm always trying to do something different.

When you use the word 'fair' in television, you're already in a fantasy world. Nothing is really fair in television.

In my time, I experienced a black man not being able to be the quarterback of a football team.

Whenever I did sitcoms, that always happened on your show. Once the show was on the air, it takes on a life of its own. It develops, and it becomes something else.

You have to stay alert. You've got to keep raising your game.

I'm not trying to prove anything for the right or the left. Which gives me freedom to make jokes about either side, too.

I'm too tired most of the time. Why do I have to take a stand on everything? Sometimes, I'm just not mad at it.

I just believe what I believe.

My father was in law enforcement growing up. He was a probation officer. And I've always understood the point of view of the peace officer, you know, because of my dad.

I'm not a homosexual, but if I can be an ally for that issue, I think it's fantastic.

'The Daily Show,' at its core, is the answer to the nightly news.

I always compartmentalized so many different things.

I was an athlete, so I hung out with the jocks. I was smart, so I hung out with the nerdy kids. I was also into theater, so I hung out with the misfits... So I was always in different groups, and those groups never quite overlapped. The racial part of it was just another one of those groups, in one sense.

I don't have that kind of Southern experience of the fire-and-brimstone preacher type of thing. Certainly not in my comedy.

It used to be that the black comic figure had to have this bravado and always showed strength.

The fact that we live in a world where black people have to strategize so they're not brutalized by police is insane.

It was the Cosby issue that made me realize how much I really cared about women's issues and how much I realize it's important for me to be an advocate for issues that aren't necessarily my own, to be an ally for issues.

I'm not going to grouse and complain when there's nothing I can do about it. Once you've broken up with somebody, arguing with them is not going to bring them back. You may want to stop their Twitter account or call them up late at night, but they made the decision to leave.

People aren't autonomous creatures. They're under a lot of pressure themselves.

It's really not my thing to go after what comedians are doing. Because I always feel like we're jesters at the end of the day.

I'd rather go after the people who are the guardians or what we're doing - the news people and the politicians and that sort of thing. I always feel like those should be my targets, not really entertainers. That's just my personal opinion.

You are always, always overwhelmed by positive response because you know it can go either way.

'Westworld' is bizarre. I don't know what to think of 'Westworld.'

We will see about Obama's legacy. I still think the historical nature of his candidacy will be the biggest part of his legacy.

My joke is that three black people watch 'The Daily Show' at any given time. So if I'm watching it, that counts, and there's only two left. It's a silly joke, but you know, different types of comedy reach different cultures.

I like 'The Nightly Show.' People ask me what it is, and I say, 'If you're watching 'The Daily Show,' and it feels like it's getting a little darker, you're probably watching 'The Nightly Show.''

Maybe I'll write an episode of 'Black-ish' about a guy being fired in late-night.

I have this rule. It's called 'Top Dog-Underdog:' Underdog gets to make fun of Top Dog, but Top Dog can't make fun of Underdog. But you know what? You get Top Dog, you get to be Top Dog. Congratulations! And that dynamic happens not just in race but in many different ways. It's like the male-female dynamic.

I didn't get into comedy to talk about violent death all the time.

The thing that's worked for me is having as much of a connection to the material as possible. And sometimes the material requires a more straightforward approach, and sometimes it requires a little more silliness, you know?

I set out to have a diverse staff on the 'Bernie Mac Show.'

I've always watched the political shows.

All writers have a love-hate relationship with writing. Performing is fun, too, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite. But the most fulfilling is producing.

I'd love to set up shop somewhere and develop projects - film, TV, digital would be a fun thing to do.

I really love storytelling.

I'm actually a big fan of having all the different types of voices on television. I think it gives people a nice little buffet that they can just pick and choose how they want to get their news and entertainment, I guess.

I love the word 'dearth,' by the way. It's one of my favorite words.