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Michelle Buteau Is ‘Too Cute to Be Mad’
The comedian discusses her memoir, ‘Survival of The Thickest’
Talking to Michelle Buteau is like talking to a longtime friend. Watching her onscreen, Buteau radiates a warmth that hums alongside her comedic performances. And offscreen, she exudes the same energy. Buteau and I connected via Zoom just two days after the U.S. election, and Buteau, with her signature grin, tells me she celebrated by buying a bottle of prosecco from a nearby gas station.
These days, Buteau has much to celebrate. Her stand-up special, Welcome to Buteaupia is streaming on Netflix and she’s recently starred in BET’s First Wives Club, and Netflix’s Always Be My Maybe. She also hosted season one of the reality competition show, The Circle.
Now Buteau is stepping into new territory with her literary debut, Survival of the Thickest (Simon and Schuster) out December 8. The memoir delves into the comedian’s childhood and her start in stand-up comedy. Buteau also writes about dating in New York, landing her first television role, and often being the only Black woman in the room. She also gets honest about her journey to motherhood and the chaotic joy of raising twins. For now, Buteau not only seems to be doing it all, but she’s having a damn good time doing it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
ZORA: I loved reading about your childhood, growing up in New Jersey, the daughter of a Haitian father and a Jamaican mother. You write about one of your first relationships that ended because of a dream you had that he was cheating, which turned out to be true. I feel like island women are always having these dreams and premonitions. We have very strong intuition. So how has your intuition guided you in your career?
Michelle Buteau: I feel like it’s helped because if I’m thinking something, I have to listen to it. I have to say oh this is what instinct is. This is what a gut feeling is. Because if I’ve thought about it, even subconsciously, and I dream about it and I end up being right, I just say it. Say what you mean, say what you feel. That’s really helped me do that in speaking up for what I want.
I also watched your stand-up special Welcome to Buteaupia and you talked about…
