To Mark Her Recent 30th Birthday, Ayo Edebiri Answers 30 of Our Most Pressing Questions

[bright music]

[person knocks] [door opens]

Oh.

Oh, hey Vogue.

Happy birthday, Ayo.

To mark your big 30,

we ve hidden 30 questions around this hotel.

Can you find em all?

I don t know, let s see.

Do you wanna come in? [bright music ends]

All right, well cake is nice, thank you.

Questions, yeah, no, yeah, sure.

Should have figured.

What excites you most about turning 30?

Being alive another year is pretty sick.

Did you ever participate in a school talent show?

No, I was a very [indistinct] child.

Three movies you have to watch before turning 30.

13 Going on 30,

Happy-Go-Lucky,

and The Watermelon Woman, yeah.

Quote your favorite movie line.

The only two that are coming to mind right now

are, Turn the wig around,

and You wouldn t know baked beans from Boston`.

The first CD you owned.

Probably like gospel, like Fred Hammond

or Hezekiah Walker Essential, yeah.

If you had to title your autobiography,

what would you title it?

Hopefully, that never has to happen.

All right, we ve got a present in the drawer for you.

So I guess I m gonna go there,

but it feels really disrespectful to this cake,

which honestly looks really expensive, so.

[upbeat music] [lips smack]

Okay, it s A.J.A braided, it s A.J.A braided.

[upbeat music continues]

Okay, scavenger hunt time, leggo.

[upbeat music]

What s the biggest skincare lesson you ve learned so far

and the one hack everyone should know?

I feel like I ve just learned to leave my skin alone.

I just...

Anytime I try to pick or use a pimple patch

or do some sort of peel, it ends in personal disaster.

What makes someone a good writer?

Practice, true.

Okay, we ve heard you re a fan of Midsomer Murders,

if you were the victim of an episode,

what would the plot be?

How much time do you have?

Okay, we have to get Detective Inspector Barnaby, the OG,

played by John Nettles back, first of all.

And then I think it s like,

you know, classic like village Fete,

multiple affairs and, like an old country house,

I don t know.

I would be honored to be the victim

is what I would say ultimately.

Okay, one thing you wish everyone knew.

The plot of that Midsomer Murders episode

that I clearly am having a hard time cracking.

What item from your childhood bedroom do you still own?

I have some VHSs I ve stolen from my childhood bedroom.

Shout-out the movie Mighty Joe Young.

Okay, how did your parents react

when you told them you wanted to be a comedian?

Ultimately, wished me luck,

and told me that they would not be able

to financially support me. [laughs]

Time for a lie down after all that work, sure.

[upbeat music ends] [Ayo laughs]

What s the one smell that always takes you back

to a good memory?

Honestly, wow.

I was gonna say my mother s mac and cheese. [laughs]

What s more authentic, the North End or Venice?

Okay, well if, yeah, if you re from Boston,

I m not really going to the North End.

So I m gonna abstain from this question

for geopolitical reasons.

Something that used to stress you out,

but that you couldn t care less about now.

Homework? [bright music continues]

If you could relive one year of your life now,

which would you choose?

Whoa, deep.

When I was in fifth grade,

my mom won an iPod Nano in a raffle at work

and then she gave it to me for Christmas,

and lowkey just to experience that high of having

like a green iPod Nano.

Yeah, probably might do that.

Okay, you open your own restaurant,

what s the signature dish?

Like creme brulee.

I just think I just really started craving that now,

so that s why I said that.

And the one show you watch over and over again.

Monk, or Psych, [bright music continues]

or Midsomer Murders. [laughs]

Well, we think it s time you got some fresh air.

True, here I go.

This way.

[bright music]

Well, you know, fresh air time

in the beautiful Italian gardens.

Roses, guys mowing lawns.

[mower humming] [bright music continues]

Okay, and also my questions.

What song always makes you cry?

Right now, probably Crash the Car by KNOWER.

If Gromit could talk,

what s the first conversation you would have with him

and what does he sound like?

I think he sounds like either Luis Guzman or Bob Balaban,

and I think he would probably just ask me for human food

and tell me to start leaving my house.

What is the best time to leave a party?

Depends on the party.

Okay, top three songs of your personal soundtrack so far.

Honestly, don t know, but I DJ d a set for NTS,

so you can listen to that.

Rank these.

Donatello the painter, Donatello the turtle,

and Donatello the designer.

Honestly, all three even legends to me.

Okay, well...

Oh, I don t have any more questions.

Sick.

[bright music ends] [ducks quacking]

[bright music] [footsteps clicking]

Okay, let s see.

More questions, we knew, we knew.

What s a habit you have now

that would ve made younger you cringe?

I don t know.

Because I think younger me would just more be like shocked

at the general circumstances of my life.

But something that I would say might make

younger me proud would be that I ve started

like reading again. [laughs]

I ve like stopped using my phone

and I ve started reading again,

and my friends have started doing this.

We ve been swapping books with each other

and it is like the most childish thing,

but it s like, it s the best, it feels really good.

Like you have a book, your friend has a book,

and then you re like, well,

it s like we re hugging or something, but with our minds.

Okay, what s your go-to formula for building a great outfit?

I would say just truly wear whatever you want.

Some days, I feel like dressing like a 12-year-old boy

in a FUBU ad from 2002,

and some days, I feel like dressing like a 14-year-old boy

in a FUBU ad from 2002.

Look in the camera and blink twice

if you ve ever lied to get out of plans with friends.

I m honest, I ll tell you the truth.

If I need to go to bed, you re just not gonna see me.

As a native Bostonian, give your best [indistinct].

I mean, it doesn t get any better than that for me, so.

Where can you find the best jollof rice in America?

If I don t say my grandmother s house,

there will be problems, so.

Name three things in your closet

you think everyone should own a version of.

Ooh, like pants, and a shirt, and a jacket, I don t know.

Have you seen the time?

Haven t you got somewhere to go?

Okay, no, I ve been talking to you.

Okay, I gotta go, see you.

[bright music]

Okay, Vogue, thank you so much for my amazing

and slightly convoluted present,

but now I m off, got a birthday party to attend to, so.

[bright music continues]

Grazie. [footsteps thud]

Of course, yeah.

Congrats Ayo, you ve nearly made it to 30.

One last question.

Can you drive this taxi? [boat beeps]

Oh, shit, all right, cool. [laughs]

See you later. [laughs]

I don t know what I m doing.

Yeah. [laughs]

So how long you been driving boats?

Nice, cool. [boat revs]

[bright music continues] [Ayo laughs]

[boat revs] [bright music continues]