WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW."

SHE IS A GRAMMY AND EMMY AWARD-WINNING HIP-HOP ICON AND

ACTRESS.

HER NEW DRAMA SERIES, "THE EQUALIZER," PREMIERED LAST NIGHT

ON CBS.

PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW," QUEEN LATIFAH!

OH, AND SHE'S STILL GETTING DRESSED UP.

YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL, FANTASTIC.

YOU'RE GLOWING.

>> THANK YOU.

OF COURSE, OF COURSE, THANK YOU.

>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU.

ALSO, I LOVE YOUR BACKGROUND.

I LOVE THAT BACKGROUND.

I LOVE THAT PAINTING BEHIND YOU.

IT GIVES YOU A NIMBUS MIND YOUR HEAD.

>> I LOVE THAT, YOU KNOW.

>> Stephen: A LITTLE GLOW.

THAT GLOW, THAT'S MY SOUL SISTER BACK THERE SUPPORT MEG,

YOU KNOW.

I GOT THE LITTLE FLOWERS, I'VE GOT SOME BOOKS SET UP HERE.

>> Stephen: DON'T GET TOO USED TO COVID BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO

COME OUT OF IT SOME DAY, I JUST KNOW IT.

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN PASSING THE TIME?

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN HANDLING IT?

>> LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, YOU KNOW, UPS AND DOWNS.

BUT, I MEAN, I'VE FOUND THE PAIN IN IT, HAVING TO TURN INTO A --

THE CHEF, THE HANDYMAN, THE YOU GOT TO FIX EVERYTHING, YOU'VE

GOT TO FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT, COOK EVERYTHING, CLEAN

EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST HAVE TO TURN INTO EVERY WOMAN OR

EVERY MAN OR, YOU KNOW, YOUR ROLES HAVE CHANGED.

WHATEVER YOU DO IN THE HOUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD TO, LIKE, TAKE

OVER AND JUST DO EVERYTHING.

BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, IT WAS, LIKE, ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

SPRINGS I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

>> Stephen: CRAZY.

IN L.A., THE SKY WAS CLEAR, THE FLOWERS BLOOMED, THERE WERE

HUNDREDS OF BUTTERFLIES AROUND MY HOUSE FLYING IN FROM MEXICO,

YOU KNOW.

IT WAS A VERY BIZARRE TIME.

YOU KNOW, IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AT THE SAME TIME.

THE COYOTES WERE COMING OUT EARLY.

( LAUGHTER ) WE GOOD?

I'M, LIKE, NO, YOU'RE NOT GOOD, AND DON'T THINK I WON'T SPRAY

YOU WITH THIS COYOTE SPRAY, YOU KNOW.

BUT THEY STILL -- IT WAS, LIKE, SO NATURAL, THERE WERE NO

PEOPLE, THERE WERE NO CARS, THERE WERE NO PLANES AND NOISE

AND IT WAS JUST VERY STRANGE, YOU KNOW.

IT WAS JUST SO MUCH LOSS GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME AS THIS

WEIRD NATURE'S BUTTE GOING ON, YOU KNOW.

SO -- BUT IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IT IS WHAT IT IS.

WE'VE JUST GOT TO STAY STRONG.

KEKEEP OUR HEADS UP.

>> Stephen: WELL, WE'RE TIPTOEING BACK TO CERTAIN

ASPECTS OF NORMALITY NOW.

LAST NIGHT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, THERE WAS THE, YOU KNOW, LAST

NIGHT OF THE EPIC TV EVENT, LOT OF DRAMA, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

TUNED IN, AND THAT'S JUST THE EQUALIZER, YOUR NEW SHOW ON CBS,

8:00 P.M. SUNDAY NIGHTS.

BUT BEFORE THAT, BEFORE THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THAT, WHICH

WE'LL GET TO IN JUST A MOMENT, THERE WAS THE SUPER BOWL.

YOU HAVE AN EXPENSE I'VE NEVER HAD.

YOU'VE PERFORMED AT THREE SUPER BOWLs, INCLUDING IN ONE OF THE

HALFTIME SHOWS IN 1998.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: WHAT DOES THAT ROOM FEEL LIKE?

OBVIOUSLY THE WEEKEND HAD A ROOM TO PLAY, BUT WHAT DOES THAT FEEL

LIKE TO BE THERE AT THE SUPER BOWL?

>> HONESTLY, IT IS LIKE NO OTHER FEELING IN THE WORLD.

I MEAN, I THINK MOST HIP-HOP ARTISTS WOULD LIKEN IT TO

PLAYING MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, YOU KNOW, BUT, OTHER THAN THAT,

THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN COMPARE TO IT.

THERE IS JUST THIS ENERGY THAT IS PALPABLE.

THERE ARE USUALLY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.

YOU KNOW, THE TEAM, YOU COULD SEE THE TEAM OUT THERE, AND THEY

LOOK NERVOUS, THEY LOOK EXCITED, THEY LOOK LIKE THEY WANT TO,

LIKE, GO TO THE BATHROOM ONE MORE TIME BEFORE THE GAME

STARTS, AND SOME LOOK LIKE THEY CAN'T WAIT, THEY'RE ITCHING,

CAN'T STAND STILL.

>> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT YOU RIGHT BEFORE YOU START TO

PERFORM, WHAT IS THAT FEELING LIKE?

A LITTLE PRESSURE.

>> I CAN'T STAND STILL, I FEEL LIKE I WANT TO GO TO THE

BATHROOM ONE MORE TIME.

YOU KNOW, IT FEELS LIKE -- YOU FEEL ALMOST THIS SORT OF

REVERENCE, IN A WAY, BECAUSE YOU NOT ONLY WANT TO ROCK THIS SONG

OR WHATEVER PERFORMANCE YOU'RE GOING TO DO, BUT YOU FEEL LIKE

AN AMERICAN AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE DOING IT IN FRONT OF THE

WORLD, AND, SO, YOU JUST WANT TO DO THE BEST YOU CAN DO, AND YOU

KNOW THAT THESE TWO TEAMS HAVE COMPETED AND GONE THROUGH SO

MUCH TO GET TO THIS POINT.

THIS IS A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, AND YOU

ARE PLAYING ON A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STAGE.

SO IT'S LIKE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE STARING

AT YU, SO YOU'VE GOT TO KIND OF LIKE -- YOU'VE GOT TO GET IN THE

GAME YOURSELF.

YOU'VE GOT TO STEP UP AND SHOW UP, AND I GOT TO TELL YOU, THE

PERFORMANCES WERE UNBELIEVABLE.

I WAS SO BLOWN AWAY, AND I WAS SO EXCITED.

MY FAVORITE PART IS ALWAYS THE FLYOVER, THOUGH.

>> Stephen: SURE.

YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SING YOUR SONG, AND THEN EVERYONE'S

STANDING THERE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THESE PLANES JUST FLY

OVER AND YOU CAN FEEL THE RATTLE.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

YOU ALWAYS SEE THIS STUFF ON TV, YOU NEVER USUALLY GET TO SEE THE

PLANES WE'RE ACTUALLY PAYING FOR, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

SO TO SEE THEM FLY OVER YOU SO CLOSE, AND DEPENDING ON THE

YEAR, MAYBE THE BLUE ANGELS.

IT WAS, LIKE, THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF PLANES AT THIS SUPER

BOWL.

SO IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING.

IT'S REALLY REALLY JUST SO MUCH FUN.

>> Stephen: BUT AS INTERESTING AS IT WAS, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS JUST

THE OPENING ACT FOR "THE EQUALIZER" LAST NIGHT.

I THINK IT GAME ON AT 10:30 LAST NIGHT.

NOW, THIS IS THE NEW CBS SERIES, YOUR FRIEND DENZEL WASHINGTON

MOST RECENTLY PLAYED THIS PART IN THE MOVIES.

>> RIGHT.

>> Stephen: HAS HE GIVEN YOU ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO PLAY "THE

EQUALIZER" OR IS HE PREPARED TO BE THE SECOND BEST EQUALIZER?

>> I DON'T THINK DENZEL WILL BE THE SECOND BEST ANYTHING

ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, AND IF HE DOES, I WOULD BE HIGHLY

DISAPPOINTED.

>> Stephen: THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE MADE HIS SON SUCH A GOOD

ACTOR BECAUSE HIS SON IS A REALLY OOD ACTOR.

>> YEAH, THAT'S HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.

YOU SUPPOSED -- THE LITTLE ONE IS SUPPOSED TO KNOCK YOU OFF

THAT THRONE.

YEAH, HE'S CLIPPING AT THOSE HEELS, BUT HE'S STILL GOT A

LITTLE WAYS TO GO.

YOU KNOW, DENZEL IS BY FAR ONE TO HAVE THE BEST ACTORS EVER ON

THE PLANET, AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST -- THIS IS A DIFFERENT

EQUALIZER.

I MEAN, WHAT HE GETS TO DO IN THE MOVIES IS WAY DIFFERENT THAN

WHAT I GET TO DO ON NETWORK TELEVISION EVERY WEEK.

HE DEFINITELY SET THE BAR FOR ME, SO THANKS A LOT, BRO, YOU

KNOW, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

>> Stephen: FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW, YOU'RE EX C.I.A.,

RIGHT?

>> YES, A FORMER C.I.A.

OPERATIVE WHO DECIDES THEY NO LONGER -- THEY HAVE BEEN BURNED

AND THEIR TEAM HAS BEEN KILLED AND THEY NO LONGER WANT TO WORK

FOR THE C.I.A., THEY DON'T WANT TO DO THINGS FOR POWERFUL PEOPLE

WITH MONEY WHO TREAT -- YOU KNOW, WHO SHE FEELS NOW TREATS

REGULAR PEOPLE LIKE PAWNS AND, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY'RE LIVES

DON'T MATTER, AND SHE'S TIRED OF USING HER SKILLS TO SERVICE

THESE MISSIONS THAT SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, JUST WRITES AWAY

SOMEONE'S LIFE WITH A STROKE OF A PEN.

SO SHE DECIDES SHE'S GOING TO USE HER EXPERTISE TO HELP THE

"EVERY MAN," YOU KNOW, THE EVERYDAY PERSON.

>> Stephen: DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS CLIP WE HAVE

HERE?

>> YES, I THINK, IN THIS CLIP -- NOW THERE IS A FRIEND OF HEARSE

PLAYED BY CHRIS NOTHE WHO IS KIND OF IN AND OUT, AND THEY'RE

GOOD FRIENDS AND SHE KIND OF EXPLAINS TO HIM WHERE SHE'S

COMING FROM AND WHY SHE CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT.

>> Stephen: JIM.

WELL, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?

>> GET A JOB AT STARBUCKS.

GET THE FREE COFFEE, JOIN THE P.T.A.

>> BECAUSE YOU'RE SUCH A PEOPLE PERSON, RIGHT?

OR YOU COULD COME WORK FOR ME.

>> BABY SITTING BILLIONAIRES AND OIL COMPANIES.

>> PRIVATE SECURITY IS JUST LIKE WORKING FOR THE C.I.A. EXCEPT IT

PAYS A LOT BETTER.

OH, HELL, IT'S ALL THE SAME CHESS BOARD, YOU KNOW THAT.

>> WELL, SEE, THAT'S THE PROBLEM RIGHT THERE -- EVERYBODY'S

PLAYING CHESS.

NOBODY'S THINKING ABOUT THE LIVING, BREATHING PIECES THAT WE

SACRIFICE ALONG THE WAY.

YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY, WHEN I CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT, IT'S NOT