Leslie F*cking Jones

"You are Black; you are female," Leslie Jones’ father once said. “But if you work harder and you're better than everybody else, they can't f*cking deny you.” 

Leslie Jones is a warrior. Raised by a tough dad and a loving but often sick mom, her father’s military career meant she bounced around as a kid—fighting off bullies because she was tall and loud, sticking up for her troubled kid brother, and generally causing mayhem wherever she went. In the end the family settled in Lynwood, Los Angeles, where in high school she was a star basketball player, heavily recruited for what everyone thought would be a stellar college career.

Then, one day in college, she discovered comedy instead, and everything changed. Eventually hitting the road as a working comedian, and holding down regular jobs to fund her dreams, she found herself fighting prejudice, tough crowds, stupid bosses, and people who thought a Black woman could never be funny enough. But she proved herself time and again to be undeniably funnier than most, and in Leslie F*cking Jones, we finally get to meet the woman behind the laughs: tough but full of love, uncompromising but wise, honest, revealing, challenging, and always completely hilarious. From clubs across the country, through hit TV specials, to six years at SNL; through the hell that was the Ghostbusters remake, and on into Twitter and Olympic-commentary stardom, guest hosting Ellen and The Daily Show, and beyond, Leslie F*cking Jones reveals what it took to become one of America’s most beloved and plain-speaking superstars.

In this audacious memoir, Leslie Jones opens up for the first time about how she faltered and triumphed on the road to success and, in doing so, encourages others to let go of the fear and self-doubt that has holds them back. Leslie F*cking Jones is a love letter to regular people just trying to make it day to day and proof that if you fight for yourself, you can live a bigger life than you ever imagined, and you too can be undeniable.

About the Author

Leslie Jones is a three-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee as well as a Writer’s Guild Award and NAACP Award nominee for her work on Saturday Night Live. She has also been honored as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Jones recently wrapped production on season two of the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death. The week of January 17th, 2023, Jones kicked off a new era of The Daily Show as the program's first guest host. In 2021, she starred opposite Eddie Murphy in Coming 2 America for which she won an MTV Movie Award and was nominated for a People’s Choice Award. Jones will next produce an untitled Christmas comedy for Lionsgate which she is currently developing as a potential future starring role. Additionally, Jones co-hosts the podcast THE FCKRY with comedian Lenny Marcus. Each week, Jones and Marcus interview guests and answer listener questions, while exposing “the fckry” of any given topic.