John Mulaney admits he 'was kind of ripping off’ Chris Rock for his variety show
The eclectic collection of guests on "Everybody's in L.A." was inspired by "The Chris Rock Show."
John Mulaney is not shy about citing specific inspirations for his recent Netflix variety show, Everybody's in L.A.
In a new interview with IndieWire, Mulaney says the show's oddball constellation of guests (from former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark to Jerry Seinfeld to a coyote expert) reflected his own personal interests, and was inspired by what he saw Chris Rock do on his own talk show in the '90s.
In particular, Rock's show featured an interview with the late Johnnie Cochran, the criminal defense attorney who successfully defended Simpson's case against Clark in the highly-publicized '90s murder trial. Simpson's death in April has inspired reflections on the legacy of that trial.
“I was kind of ripping off The Chris Rock Show,” Mulaney tells IndieWire. “He had Cochran on and I remember watching that as a kid and going, ‘Oh, he’s having on who he thinks is interesting.'”
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Steven Ferdman/Getty; Adam Rose/Netflix
As a child of the '90s, Mulaney says that the Simpson trial was "an all-consuming experience for me as a kid," and that he could talk about it endlessly. But that's not the only reason he likes talking to Clark, who appeared on Mulaney's Broadway show Oh, Hello even before Everybody's in L.A.
"Beyond that, the legal work she does now pro bono is really cool," Mulaney said. "Also, she’s a very good writer and [her] new book, Trial by Ambush, is really interesting. She’s writing about former Los Angeles district attorneys, of which when she started, they’re the big name in the office. And she’s now going back and actually examining the legacy of these other DAs. I just could talk to her about anything.”
You can see Clark on the "Helicopters" episode of John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's In L.A., which is now streaming on Netflix after originally premiering live on the platform back in May.
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