Owning Your Story: Comedy, Identity & Truth with Zainab Johnson

This week on Let’s Try This Again, I’m your host B Simone, and I’m sitting down with the hilarious and inspiring Zainab Johnson. From the moment I discovered Zainab on social media—rocking her Bantu knots and dropping truth with every punchline—I knew I had to have her on the show. In this episode, we get real about what it’s like to break into stand-up comedy as a Black Muslim woman, and how sometimes the things that make us different become our superpowers.

Zainab shares how she never saw women like herself represented in comedy or on TV growing up, and how that inspired her to become the role model she wished she’d had. She opens up about her first time on stage, admitting she thought she’d fail but wanted a good story to tell—only to discover she was actually good at it and wanted to try again the very next day. We laugh about the wild journey from open mics at hookah lounges to touring internationally, and how being brutally honest about her life—like growing up with 13 siblings, wearing a hijab as a kid, or experimenting with hair—became the heart of her comedy.

We also dive into real talk about identity, faith, and self-acceptance. Zainab breaks down why she chose to stop wearing her hijab as a teen and how, as an entertainer, she’s on a mission to affirm the existence of young girls who don’t see themselves reflected in the media. We even get into the stigma around Black women and hair, and how owning your truth—whether it’s a flip-over weave or a shaved head—can be freeing and funny.

If you’ve ever felt like the odd one out, doubted your path, or needed a reminder that your story matters, this episode is for you. Tune in for laughter, wisdom, and a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep showing up and trying again, no matter what the world expects. And don’t forget—every Monday we drop audio on all platforms, and every Tuesday you can catch the visuals on YouTube. Let’s grow together!

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