Phoebe Robinson is a black comedian born in Cleveland, Ohio who has become well-known thanks to her podcast 2 Dope Queens alongside her comic, Jessica Williams. Phoebe's been in the industry for a while now and recalls "a lot of tears" when looking back on her days being broke before her successful break, and now the What Men Want actress tells NPR that there's simply no excuse when it comes to a lack of diversity in the industry.
"A lot of times you would just hear in the industry, 'Oh, they're just, like, aren't any funny black women,' " she told the publication. "That excuse doesn't fly with me anymore. There are so many talented, amazing people and if you're not booking them, it's either out of laziness or the fact you really don't care."
She added: "It's hard being in an industry where if you're not the mainstream sort of thing you're just not going to be considered. ... But I think on the flipside, what's great right now is that this is an industry where creators shine, where they can swim [..]"
Phoebe then recognized Issa Rae (creator and star of Insecure) Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer (creators and stars of Broad City) for being forces in the industry who created "their own opportunities in their own lanes."