Friends Like Us Friends Like Us

It's an Election year and so we are re-airing this important episode. 
Subhah Agarwal and Sharon Lavigne visit friends and discuss Sharon Lavigne's battle for clean air and justice, taking on the big industries that have created Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” -- nicknamed for the above-average rates of cancer within the 85-mile stretch of communities with the highest concentration of fossil fuel and petrochemical operations in the Western Hemisphere.
Sharon Cayette Lavigne, Times voted Sharon one of the most influential people of 2024.
A native of St. James, Louisiana, boasts a distinguished 38-year career as a devoted Special Education teacher within the St. James Parish school system. In 2018, she embarked on a transformative journey by founding RISE St. James, a faith-based grassroots nonprofit dedicated to advocating for clean air, clean water, and combating the proliferation of petrochemical industries in St. James Parish. Despite humble beginnings, Sharon's vision drew around ten passionate individuals to her inaugural gathering, hosted at her residence. Transitioning to retirement in 2018, Sharon's unwavering commitment to environmental justice remains evident, guided by her principle: "To love a community is to find ways to heal the community." Her tireless dedication garnered global recognition in June 2020 when she received the esteemed Goldman Environmental Prize for her resolute activism. Adding to her accolades, Sharon received the Mary Magdalene Award for Courageous Women of Faith from the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in February 2022, followed by the prestigious Notre Dame's 2022 Laetare Medal—a testament to her invaluable contributions as an American Catholic layperson. In August 2022, the Urban League of Louisiana's Annual Gala honored Sharon Lavigne's indomitable spirit, solidifying her legacy. Amidst her remarkable achievements, Sharon remains a devoted mother of six and a cherished grandmother to twelve—a testament to the unwavering support she receives from her loving family. Sharon Lavigne's story epitomizes tenacity, passion, and unwavering commitment to the environment and community, inspiring positive change.
Subhah Agarwal has brought an honesty to her comedy that will leave you saying "I didn't need to know that." Subhah has written for Netflix’s “Arsenio Hall” limited series, the "Plan B" movie on Hulu," and The Jim Jefferies Show"on Comedy Central, amongst others. You can also catch her jokes live at stand up comedy clubs across the country. If you don't want to leave your couch, you can see her late night debut on NBC's "A Little Late With Lilly Singh." She's also appeared on season three of HBO's "Westworld", "General Hospital," TruTv's sketch comedy "Friends of the People", and as herself on MTV2, Comedy Central, and Gotham Comedy Live.
Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf.

Hollie Harper and host Marina Franklin disuss the debates, ageism in politics, and the upcoming election. Don’t miss this insightful chat! 
Hollie Harper is a comedy nerd from South Jersey. She is currently the creator and co-exec producer of Hella Late! with Hollie Harper on BRIC TV and a co-host of the nationally trending Twitter Storytelling Chat “BlerdDating.” Hella Late! with Hollie Harper was recently in the 2021 NYC Web Fest where she was nominated as Best Actress. Hollie was a semi-finalist in the 2019 NBC Standup Competition and has been featured on NY1, and in Black Enterprise Magazine, Thrive Global, Confessional Magazine and Black San Diego Magazine. Her popular sketch comedy show AMERICAN CANDY has played the Comic Strip, Gotham Comedy Club, BAM Café as well as the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. Time Out Chicago named them one of the five groups to watch. Hollie is a regular host for West Side Comedy Club in NYC and works with Gold Comedy and Stand Up Girls, two programs that empower young women by teaching them standup comedy. She was recently the talent coordinator and casting for “Blood Lassi” on Spotify, written by Pratima Mani, and moderated the panel for the Emmy Award winning, WOC editing team of Black Lady Sketch Show for The Black TV and Film Collective. She is also the Creative Consultant for the very successful Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest.
Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf
 

Jourdain Fisher and Charles Mcbee visit friends and discuss comedy, social media, the tend commandments, and surviving breakups. Catch the laughs and insights now with host Marina Franklin.
Jourdain Fisher has got it all. He is a hilarious comedian, writer, and actor. He has performed on COMEDY CENTRAL and in 2018 he made his late night TV debut on THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON where he received a standing ovation. In fact, his performance on The Tonight Show went so well that Jimmy hired him as a staff writer! He has also written for VICELAND, NETFLIX and BET. He was a highlight at the prestigious Just For Laughs festival in Montreal as a New Face and was a finalist at Stand Up NBC, held in Los Angeles. Jourdain has also performed at festivals Laugh Your Asheville Off, Laughing Skull, and Riot Comedy Fest. Jourdain has gained attention on social media platforms with numerous viral clips racking up millions of views on TikTok and Instagram. His debut Comedy Album “Good For You” can be found on all streaming platforms. When he is not touring he resides in New York City where he is a regular at The Comedy Cellar and Gotham Comedy Club. 
Charles McBee is a respected NYC stand-up comedian and writer from Toledo, Ohio. He has made three national stand-up comedy appearances on Gotham Comedy Live and was a favorite on two FOX television shows, Laughs Seasons 1 and 2 and Punchline Seasons 1 and 2.  Charles has written for several TV shows, including Uncommon Sense and Uncommon Sense Live with Charlamagne Tha God, VH1's Hip Hop Honors 2017, and was also a creative consultant on Nick Cannon's Wild N Out.  He's most recently worked on the 2020 VMA's as well as the 2021 Golden Globes, hosted the 2021 Music Lives Festival for the Live X Live Network, and was the Head Writer for Comedy Central's Hell Of A Week, which was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. Charles has also gained a following on social media with his comedic commentary about growing up in the 80s and 90s.
Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf
 

Tamara Payne, Nonye Brown-West and Troy Laraviere visit Friends Like Us and discuss pulitzer prize winner's Les Payne's and Tamara's book : The Dead Are Arising: The Life Of Malcom X and more with host Marina Franklin.
Tamara Payne -Tamara Payne is co-author of The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X written with her father, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Les Payne, published by Liveright. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and NAACP Image Award.
Nonye Brown-West is a New York-based Nigerian-American comedian and writer. She has been featured in the Boston Globe's Rise column as a Comic to Watch, as well as in NPR, PBS, ABC, Sway In The Morning, and the New York Comedy Festival. Nonye made her acting debut in The Sympathy Card, now available for streaming on Vudu, Apple, Amazon, and Google Play
Troy A. LaRaviere is an American school administrator, educator and current President of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association. Prior to assuming his role as president, LaRaviere served as a Chicago Public Schools (CPS) principal. He began his teacher career at CPS in 1997. LaRaviere received both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education from the University of Illinois. LaRaviere served in the United States Navy in the late 80's. LaRaviere advocates for Progressivism, and has appeared in ads for Bernie Sanders and was a candidate for the 2019 Chicago mayoral election.
Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf
 

Rachel Feinstein and Keith Robinson share insights into their creative processes, the importance of resilience, and why they continue to push their boundaries. The episode is filled with humorous anecdotes, practical advice for young comedians, and an inspirational message to keep striving no matter the obstacles. Special appearances by rising comedian Nonyé Brown-West add fresh perspectives to this engaging and heartfelt discussion with host Marina Franklin.
Rachel Feinstein fresh off her new Netflix special “Big Guy” , if you have not seen it - go and check it out! She has appeared on LIFE & BETH for Hulu. Steven Soderbergh Amazon series RED OAKS, Judd Apatow’s HBO comedy CRASHING. Her past credits include TRAINWRECK, TOP FIVE, THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE, HBO’s LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, co-hosting THE VIEW on multiple occasions, and several appearances on INSIDE AMY SCHUMER for which she won a Writers Guild award. You may also remember Rachel co-hosting alongside Shaq on UPLOAD WITH SHAQUILLE ONEAL. As well Rachel has lent her voice to Adult Swim’s VENTURE BROTHERS and the phenomenally successful GRAND THEFT AUTO video game franchise.
Keith Robinson Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Keith Robinson, is considered a comic’s comic. He was a regular on Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd;  the co-host of The Wanda Sykes Show (Fox), His first hour special; 2014’s Kevin Hart Presents: Back of the Bus Funny can still be streamed on Amazon Prime, Peacock and Tubi. Keith has been featured in films such as Trainwreck and King of Staten Island. After two strokes, and an extended hospital stay, during COVID, Keith marched right back to the stage to create his latest and most personal work yet, “Different Strokes”; his second hour special on Netflix.
Nonye Brown-West is a New York-based Nigerian-American comedian and writer. She has been featured in the Boston Globe's Rise column as a Comic to Watch, as well as in NPR, PBS, ABC, Sway In The Morning, and the New York Comedy Festival. Nonye made her acting debut in The Sympathy Card, now available for streaming on Vudu, Apple, Amazon, and Google Play
Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf

Mugga, Rita Brent, and Joanna Briley visit friends and talk about the upcoming Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest , Rita Brent's new song: gospel version of  “Bleach-blonde, Bad-built, Butch body and more with host Marina Franklin! 
Rita Brent is an award-winning comedian, musician, and military veteran. She grew up in Jackson, MS where she played music in Baptist churches alongside her mother and singer-pianist, Angela. She credits her mother for single-handedly cultivating her talents and preparing her for the entertainment business. By 18, she joined the Army National Guard where she served as a drummer in the 41st Army Band, ending her time in service as a sergeant. She began her radio broadcasting career at WJSU 88.5 FM as a student at THEE Jackson State University from which she graduated, and later spent six years at Mississippi Public Broadcasting as a host and producer. In 2013, she made a big leap into standup comedy. 9 years later, she has appeared on Comedy Central, truTV, Epix TV, LOL Network, Circle TV, CNN, and more. She tours as an opening act with her mentors, Rickey Smiley and Cedric the Entertainer. She wrote for the 73rd Primetime EMMY Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, The People's Choice Awards, and Stand Out: An LGBTQ Celebration on Netflix. In 2023, she became a first-time Writers Guild Awards Nominee in two categories.
When she’s not on the road as a standup comedian, she’s an up and coming music performance artist. Her most popular singles are Kamala, I Deserve to Be Alive, and Can You Rock Me Like a Pothole. She recently released the hit song, “Do the Hoochie Daddy” , Check out her new song: GOSPEL VERSION of “Bleach-blonde, Bad-built, Butch body. She’s a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. 
Mugga is an American actress and comedian who was born and raised in Brooklyn. She is known for her roles as Dolores in The First Purge, Reema Pell in Orange Is The New Black, NBC’s Manifest as Bethany and Ambassador to the Black Women In Comedy Laff Fest. 
Joanna Briley. Brooklyn born, Connecticut raised. Hilarity ensued. Joanna’s work for the MTA made her one of the friendliest Token Booth Clerks and her love of stand up and being a token booth clerk aka Station Agent, allowed her to write and produce “Swipe This: My Life in Transit!” to critical acclaim. Joanna is also the proud creator of the Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest which was created in 2018 and will be presented this Juneteenth in various venues throughout NYC.
Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf