A biography for Janelle Jameshasn’t been written yet.
“One thing I always say about my mom is we were so poor, but she always made sure that we got whatever we were interested in. If I said I wanted to be a violinist, she would figure out how to get me one. She did it for all of us all the time.”
“I don't have a story about how when I was a kid I wanted to do comedy.”
“It's hard to play someone that could very easily be hated. I know some people hate me, but I feel like they always come around. In their hearts, they love me.”
“I feel like I have a superpower - making people laugh. That's not something that everyone can do.”
“Like most comedians, I started stand-up because of hardship. My dad was ill and dying, and then I found this thing that helped me refocus... It helped me process what I was going through.”
“I'm a quote-unquote public figure. But I'd just like to maintain my privacy for certain things for as long as possible.”
“I don't necessarily sit down like, 'I need to write jokes.' I try to live a lot of life so that things happen to me and that hopefully - on my knees, praying - something strikes me as funny that I can put it in my stand-up set.”
“I've taught Zumba; I've cooked; I used to make my own clothes.”
“No downsides to the bidet. Everyone should have one.”
“I read a lot of pilots and I've tried to write some of my own - it's very hard.”
“No matter what happens with acting, the fans who follow me because of comedy, or because of acting, those are the people that will be with me forever.”
“People with no sense of humor, I feel so bad for them.”
“Solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, both of which I am a proud member.”
“It's probably naive of me, but when I read this pilot of 'Abbott,' I knew it was gonna go. Whether I'm there or not, this is going to go. I knew immediately. It was so well written, I could see it in my head as I was reading it. It was hilarious on paper.”
“It always is easier to have someone listen to you if you disarm them with the laughter first. It seems like a 'duh' kind of thing, but it's hard to do.”
“I enjoy Chris Rock. Bill Burr. Wanda Sykes. I enjoy the legends. But no one is like Richard Pryor. Before I knew what a comedian's career was or could look like, he was just somebody I always listened to. He's always been hilarious to me, whether in stand-up or a movie - he was just the best.”
“Education shouldn't be only for people with money. That seems like a no-brainer to me.”
“Hosting a game show is like a novel way to watch relationships either blossom or fall apart in real time based on money. That's my favorite part, is just seeing people argue about not only what they will do with the money if they win but how much money they're going to walk away with.”
“Mostly, I watch YouTube.”
“I mean, I feel like everything I say is funny.”