Photo By Dave Jones
For the September feature, Four® tweets with Saturday Night Live alum, Finesse Mitchell about his touring stand-up review, his first serious role for the new film, “Loving The Bad Man” and a new pilot he’s working on. In addition, Finesse also talks about his budding writing career with Essence Magazine as an advice & relationship expert. A job that became the influence for the award winning book, “Your Girlfriends Only Know So Much.”
TWITTER INTERVIEW SEPT. 5, 2009
mushiikloth - thank you for spending time on this busy weekend
Finesse Mitchell - … what’s crackin.
mushiikloth - I hear your busy in general, what’s big for you right now?
Finesse Mitchell - A bunch of traveling doing Stand-up Comedy. Denver is Sept 10th 12th @ The Comedy Works. Edmonton Canada is 17th-20th @ The Comedy Strip…
Plus I just finished writing a TV PILOT for myself that’s pretty damn good.
Shopping the pilot around. Still writing for Essence Magazine giving ladies relationship advice and starting my second BOOK.
** Live Show Sept 10 – 12 in Denver at
Comedy Works / Edmund, Canada 17 – 20, The Comedy Strip**
mushiikloth – so far I know about your upcoming show on Sept 10 – 12 in Denver at Comedy Works but I hear you were on set for a new movie [tv show]?
Finesse Mitchell – The new Movie is called Loving The Bad Man … Its about a woman who gets raped and ends up preggers. She decides to have the baby and goes to the jail to learn to forgive her attacker so she can heal and move on with what happened to her.
mushiikloth - …wow. that’s um Deep lol, is this a new direction or new avenue ur starting?
Finesse Mitchell - its my first serious role. I play a thug in the prison, and I get to whooop some azz! I can fake fight now!!!!!
The TV pilot is coming and I can’t wait to get it to the next step. Nobody is working so finding actors should be EASY LOL
mushiikloth – I think your too true on that on lol, outta work actors might be the easy part.
thats good to hear, something I did want to get ur take on, Black shows on primetime, seriously what is going on with that?
Finesse Mitchell - Hollyweird is really trippin right now. There is only so much space for TV shows and they seem to lock it with just a certain types of stories. None of them being black. So we as black actors have to get in where there is a role for blacks on”certain” shows…. We have to create our own. I love working with everyone. But the jobs are very limited for Black folks 
mushiikloth – yeah, lets just say I can completely cosign w/ u esp w/comedy. But, on the plus u seem to be doing well with writing
Finesse Mitchell - I took a break from writing and I don’t know why… Yes I do. i was playing too much POKER! LOL But I’m grinding now. I am writing some good stuff that will hopefully employ myself and others. We all have stories, I was l just lucky that my stories broke through. Essence mag had a big hand in that!!!!
mushiikloth – So ur potential new show, half or full hr?
Finesse Mitchell - My show is half hr. Cable tho becuz there are bad words. Through Comedy I am very observant and repeat stories I hear on stage…. My last season on SNL….Essence ask me to do a Q &A on women’s luv questions and my answers were a hit and funny
mushiikloth - hey, cable is where its at right now. i imagine more freedom to discuss certain this. so that’s great
Finesse Mitchell – YES CABLE TV has the best SHOWS!!!!! New comics are breaking through. i love the old ones but I am ready to laugh at new people!!!
mushiikloth - how did u end u writing for @ESSENCEmagazine? Like has the discussion of love & life just been ur thing. My guess ur hella observant
[Did it] rehashed some old relationships and memories?
Finesse Mitchell - I use to date a lot so when I finally was ready to settle down, I just used everything from my life and some of the things my my boys complain about and put it work! Then the comedy makes the advice more “refreshing” or topical.
Now, its been three years and one book later. “YOUR GIRLFRIENDS ONLY KNOW SO MUCH” is the title of my book…
Written By Finesse Mitchell Available On Amazon
” YOUR GIRLFRIENDS ONLY KNOW SO MUCH is the most informative, funny and quick to read (because I don’t know any big words, plus there are charts and quizzes) – finessemitchell.com “
mushiikloth - yeah your book, it won an African-American Literary Award for Best Comedy Book, wow did that catch u by surprise or what?
Finesse Mitchell - When my book won that award. I couldn’t believe it. I knew it was good but not like that. So now I’m cocky. LOL I am ready for the next one. I learned alot about the book business. Its hard work to move a book if you don’t have a radio show or Oprah
mushiikloth - oh so the dating variety help give you a bunch of references.
it seems for a lot guys like ur self [and] writing, its either reach the women, to help the men or just speak directly to men
Finesse Mitchell - Our generation is socially confused. We were all raised differently so we value different things. People get hurt becuz they are trying to give there ALL to the wrong person. The right person often gets overlooked and then it’s one divorce and two kids too late! Men and women are both getting abused out there!!!
mushiikloth - yeah, unhappy people can never be happy with someone else, so yes we have a lot of broken ppl who need help..first
So of course SNL, was a huge break but what was ur breakout 2 even get to that point?
Finesse Mitchell - my biggest break came when I did B.E.T.’s Comic View. I new if I did good, they would play me over and over. And they DID!
So I rode that little TV fame and moved from Atlanta to LA..Three years after that. I heard about the SNL auditions. WOW!!!!
mushiikloth – So for SNL, there is a scene that I don’t think ppl r aware of that stuck out 4 me
Starkisha, this scene with the “Patented Pouch” [ & Kenan]
Finesse Mitchell – go back to the Starkeisha sketch for a sec.. Patented Pouch.. remind me of that. My memory is bad! LOL
mushiikloth – Um it was Weekend up date & I’m not sure if it was scripted but Kenan made note about Men in women’s clothes & ur comment was basically what u had mentioned on, “its better to be in woman’s clothes that no scene at all” *robot dance*
Finesse Mitchell – YEEEESSSSS! I said something like. If I wanna be on TV, I gotta wear a dress! LOL Something like that. Those days were the best. but very stressful for me. I miss those guys! We should have spread the ball a little more though. Live TV is no joke
mushiikloth – u had some excellent scenes about race that I always felt SNL got wrong b4 u came & it was refreshing 2 see a diff take
now r u from Miami or from Atlanta originally?
Finesse Mitchell – I’m from Atlanta! All damn day Shawty! But I moved back to Miami becuz I love South Beach. I graduated from THA U! that’s UM (University of Miami) 4EVER I love The A… I am doing my next comedy special there. The folks in the want me to do it there so I can’t wait and, i met my Lil’ Mama down here. She made me change up my game and go into the next phase of my life.
My Standup Comedy is what I do best!!! People don’t know that about me. So I gotta change that and make sure they KNOW!
mushiikloth – now speaking of Kenan, what’s this running Snap famous joke you have?
Finesse Mitchell - when I got to NY.. People already new Kenan.. so when we went out to club or lunch… they thought I Kel… LOL
or Derek Fisher from the LA Lakers
mushiikloth – so Univ of Miami, u had a talented class & football team from what I hear
Finesse Mitchell – Dwayne THE ROCK Johnson and Warren “Twinkle Toes” Sapp was in my Freshman Class at the U… They have made Millions!
mushiikloth - so twitterland that buddy action film with the Rock and Finesse…just saying, but seriously would you work with Dwayne?
Finesse Mitchell – If they tweet… SEND A BROTHA 200,000. That’s it. I’m not greedy
I would love to work with Dwayne!
mushiikloth - now we’re just about done and I have a just two more questions to ask you
What would be your dream opportunity? I’m guessing a 10 yr run for your pilot?
Finesse Mitchell – God YES! SPEAK IT!!! I would to have a run that long. Syndication. I would retire and do Standup in Vegas like Seinfield.
mushiikloth – and last, Four Ideal things in your life, albeit something you’d want to maintain or gain
Photo By Dave Jones
Finesse Mitchell - 1) Healthy Wife and Kids 2) More Money 3) Good friendships 4) The motivation to keep going in this business!
mushiikloth – Well thank you so much for your time and much success to that new pilot, your upcoming shows at Comedy Works. Thank u!
Finesse Mitchell – Thank YOU !!! It was fun. I hope I wasn’t boring! LOL I will keep u posted on the progress. Good luck to you as well!
******* End of Interview *******
Visit the following links for news on Finesse Mitchell’s upcoming shows, books and projects
Finesse Mitchell Official Site | Myspace | Twitter | iMDb