On this bonus episode of Black and Snerdy, Ode (@thatsod.e / @thatsod_e) and Mo AKA Kid Licorish (@licorishislegit) welcome award-winning stand-up comedian, writer, and activist Sampson McCormick for a conversation that moves from his upbringing in Southeast D.C. to his role as one of the first openly Black queer male comedians, working alongside Andre Kelly. He traces how growing up in Washington, D.C. during its "Chocolate City" era shaped his commitment to community, and explains why building an authentic stand-up career meant creating his own path in film and content creation rather than waiting on late-night television bookings. They revisit an old side project called The Comics You'll Love, a short-lived comedy group that once, complete with a half-remembered museum photo shoot. Sampson also breaks down his film work, including A Different Direction alongside Miss Laura from Queens of Comedy and Daryl Stevens from Noah's Ark, and Love the One You're With on Amazon Prime.

The conversation turns to Sampson's YouTube series profiling Black gay love, created to fill the absence of a blueprint for Black queer men navigating relationships, family, and identity, and to address representation gaps left by media that centers mostly white or interracial gay couples. He names Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and Issa Rae as creators he would want to collaborate with going forward. The episode closes with a mental health check-in where Mo discusses managing bipolar II with therapy tools, a Big Mad segment covering everything from crowded midday grocery stores to unsanitary buffet habits, and a Big Happy segment where Sampson credits Black resilience and Mo credits reconnecting with an old friend as sources of joy.

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