Veteran TV Writer Moves in Front of the Camera

Oct. 10, 2007— -- Fans of "The Daily Show" are used to hearing host Jon Stewart introduce Larry Wilmore as the show's "senior black correspondent." In fact, Wilmore is the show's only black correspondent, a joke he plays to the hilt.

Wilmore's character suffers repeated indignities, from being asked to expound on the meaning of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday to being told he can't cover Wall Street stories -- a situation Wilmore feels isn't too far form reality.

"Most of the time, your black anchors are on the weekend, I've noticed," he said. "We don't want to see them during the week, you know. We can take black people on the weekend. But one of the things I noticed, too, when a really bad thing happens in a black area, the black correspondent's going there, and they're going to report on it."

When asked if that represents a cliché, Wilmore said, "It definitely is. Without a doubt."

Wilmore is a veteran of television comedy, but until recently, he worked behind the camera, not in front of it. He was a writer for the groundbreaking comedy series "In Living Color," working with future stars like Jim Carey and Jamie Foxx.

He helped create "The Bernie Mac Show," winning an Emmy award for writing its pilot episode. And he's an occasional producer and writer for "The Office," where he also made his onscreen debut as Mr. Brown, enforcer of office diversity.

Wilmore was born and raised in Los Angeles, drawn at an early age to the hometown industry, and he has thrived. He gave "Nightline" a spirited tour of tony San Marino, where he now resides with his wife and children.

"Every time I drive in this neighborhood I drive like this, "Yo, yo what's up white people! You got a brother in the neighborhood!" he said. "Oh, they love it."

But "The Daily Show" is based in New York, so every few weeks, Wilmore flies across the country to match wits with the best fake journalists in television.

Wilmore: Yo, yo what's up my n---er.

Oliver: A verb.

Wilmore: Hey, man, don't n---er those potato chips.

Oliver: An adjective.

Wilmore: Oh, so now you're n---er rich.

Oliver: An adverb.

Wilmore: Man, that's some n---erly sh--.

Oliver: Would you say goodbye to all of this?

Comrie: I think all of those usages are vile and just need to be stopped.

Oliver: What do you say to rappers who need that word in terms of their rhyme scheme?
Comrie: Need the word? I don't think you need the word.
Wilmore: I'm not sure about that, Leroy. Finish this phrase: 'I'm not sayin' she's a gold digger, but she ain't messin' with no broke --.'"
Comrie: Um … I'm not sayin' she's a gold digger, but she ain't messin' with no broke … fool.
Wilmore: Do you understand how rap works, councilman?