WELCOME BACK.

MY NEXT GUEST IS A STAND-UP COMEDIAN, ACTOR, AND WRITER WHO

CO-CREATED AND STARS IN THE CBS SITCOM, "BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA."

>> ABISHOLA, I DON'T WANT TO ALARM YOU, BUT I HAVE ALARMING

NEWS.

( LAUGHTER ) MY COUSIN CALLED ME EARLY THIS

MORNING THAT HER FRIEND WENT TO THE MARKET TO BUY A NEW DVD

PLAYER BECAUSE HER BABY WAS SLICES OF TOAST.

SHE WAS ON THE SECOND-TO-LAST EPISODE OF MATICO, SEASON TWO.

NOW, IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, THEY ACTUALLY SAY...

>> KEMI, CAN YOU PLEASE GET TO THE POINT?

>> YOU WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO BUILD UP THE SUSPENSE?

>> NO.

( LAUGHTER ).

>> FINE.

YOUR HUSBAND IS COMING TO AMERICA.

>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME, GINA YASHERE.

HEY, GINA.

>> HEY, NICE TO MEET YOU, KIND OF, SORT OF, IN A WAY.

>> Stephen: A LITTLE BIT.

IT'S ODDLY DISTANT AND INTIMATE AT THE SAME TIME.

THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

FOR THE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO KNOW YOU FROM "BOB HEARTS

ABISHOLA," BUT DON'T KNOW THE REST OF YOUR CAREER, YOU'RE

ALREADY A FAMOUS AND SUCCESSFUL COMEDIAN IN THE U.K., BEFORE YOU

CAME TO THE UNITED STATES.

WHEN I MEET A COMEDIAN FOR THE FIRST TIME, I'M ALWAYS CURIOUS

AT WHAT POINT DID YOU DIVE INTO IT?

A LOT OF PEOPLE DANCE AROUND THE EDGES OF THE DREAM OF BEING A

COMEDIAN BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY COMMIT.

WAS THIS ALWAYS WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO?

OR DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER PATH?

>> I HAD ANOTHER PATH.

I'M FROM A NIGERIAN FAMILY SO WE'RE VERY ACADEMIC.

MY PREVIOUS JOB, MY MOTHER, WHEN SHE'S HAVING US, IN EVERY

AFRICAN FAMILY, FIVE CHOICES-- DOCTOR, LAWYER, ENGINEER,

ACCOUNTANT, DISGRACE TO THE FAMILY.

THOSE ARE THE CHOICES.

WHEN MY MOM WAS HAVING US, SHE PICKED OUT ALL OUR JOBS IN

ADVANCE.

I WAS MEANT TO BE A DOCTOR.

I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DOCTOR.

>> Stephen: WAIT, FROM WHAT AGE?

SHE PICKED YOU OUT WHEN SHE WAS HAVING YOU?

YOU MEAN, SHE EMERGED AS A DOCTOR.

>> SOMEBODY SAID, "WHAT ARE YOU HAVING A BOY OR GIRL?"

SHE SAID, "I'M HAVING A DOCTOR."

THAT'S HOW LONG AGO SHE PLANNED IT.

SHE GROOMED ME TO BE A DOCTOR.

I GOT TO 18.

WE HAD TO CUT OPEN A RAT IN BIOLOGY, DISCOVERED I COULDN'T

STAND THE SIGHT OF BLOOD, SWITCHED TO ENGINEERING, AND MY

MOMMA DIDN'T MIND BECAUSE IT WAS FOURTH ON THE LIST.

THAT WAS MY JOB, I WAS AN ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEER

IN MY PREVIOUS LIFE BEFORE I DID COMEDY.

MY LAST JOB WAS WORKING FOR OTIS ELEVATORS, BUILDING AND

REPAIRING ELEVATORS.

I WAS THE FIRST FEMALE ENGINEER THEY EVER HAD IN THE OTIS U.K.,

IN THE HISTORY.

>> Stephen: WHAT'S WORKING ON AN ELEVATOR LIKE?

WE ALL NEED THEM AND WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW THEY WORK.

BUT WHAT DO I CO?

>> LISTEN, IF THEY BREAK DOWN, YOU GET UNDER THEM, YOU CLIMB ON

TOP OF THEM.

YOU RIDE ON TOP OF THEM.

SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT BE IN AN ELEVATOR, AND THERE'S AN

ENGINEER SITTING ON TOP OF THE ELEVATOR WATCHING I WORK TO

MAKE SURE IT'S WORKING PROPERLY.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

WE'RE IN THEM.

WE'RE ON THEM.

WE'RE UNDER THEM.

WE'RE IN THE MOTOR ROOM.

WE'RE ALL OVER THAT.

>> Stephen: WAIT, SO YOU'RE RIDING ON TOP OF AN ELEVATOR

WHILE IT'S GOING UP AND DOWN?

>> OH, YEAH.

>> Stephen: WHAT IS THAT LIKE?

>> IT'S LIKE-- IT DEPENDS ON THE ELEVATOR, BUT I RODE ON THE

ELEVATORS AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER-- OBVIOUSLY,

PREZ-TRAVAGANZA-9/11-- I RODE ON TOP OF THOSE BECAUSE I HAD

FRIENDS WITH AMERICAN ENGINEERS WHO WORKED WITH ME IN ENGLAND.

AND THEY TOOK ME.

IT WAS LIKE THE BEST ROLLER COASTER RIDE YOU'RE EVER GOING

TO HAVE IN YOUR LIFE.

>> Stephen: LIKE, IN MOVIES LIKE "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE" OR

"DIEHARD" OR SOMETHING YOU SEE THOSE GUYS RIDING ON TOP OF

THOSE?

IS THAT ACCURATE?

>> MOST OF THEM.

BEST FILM THAT DID IT, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, WAS "SPEED."

"SPEED--" BECAUSE I USED TO GO WITH MOVIES AND SIT WITH MY

FRIENDS, "THAT ISN'T ACCURATE.

THE SAFETY GEAR WOULD KICK IN AT 2.3 MILES AN HOUR.

THEY'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT."

AND MY FRIENDS WERE LIKE, "SHUT UP!"

BUT "SPEED" WAS THE ONLY FILM THAT DID IT PROPERLY.

EVERYTHING WAS CORRECT.

I WATCH THAT STUFF, EVEN NOW, EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT AN

ENGINEER.

I FELL INTO COMEDY HEAD FIRST.

I LEFT MY JOB AS AN ENGINEER.

IT WASN'T A FUN JOB.

I WAS THE FIRST WOMAN, AND IT WASN'T GREAT AND PUT UP WITH A

LOT OF RACISM AND MISOGYNY.

AFTER FOUR YEARS I'M LIKE I'M DONE WITH THAT.

I'M DONE.

I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING ELSE.

AND I LOWEST.

IN INTERRISM, I WAS LIKE, "LET ME TRY THIS STAND-UP COMEDY.

PEOPLE TOLD ME I'M FUNNY."

I CAME FROM AN ACADEMIC FAMILY.

AND I SAID PEOPLE SAID I COULD DO COMEDY.

AND HER MOTHER SAID, NO YOU'RE A DOCTOR.

I SAID LET ME TRY THE COMEDY THING.

THREW MYSELF IN HEAD FIRST, NEVER WENT BACK TO ENGINEERING?

>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A BREAK.

WE'LL BE BACK WITH MORE FROM GINA YASHERE.