--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For 'Pariah,' people were surprised Kim…" description: "\"For 'Pariah,' people were surprised Kim Wayans was there, but comedians have a dark streak; they're comedians for a reason.\" — Dee Rees" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec3/dee-rees-4528_comedians_for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-way_1421733.png" --- # For 'Pariah,' people were surprised Kim Wayans was there… ![“For 'Pariah,' people were surprised Kim Wayans was there, but comedians have a dark streak; they're comedians for a reason.” quote by Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec3/dee-rees-4528_comedians_for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-way_1421733.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec3/dee-rees-4528_comedians_for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-way_1421733.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec3/dee-rees-4528_comedians_for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-way_1421733.png) > “For 'Pariah,' people were surprised Kim Wayans was there, but comedians have a dark streak; they're comedians for a reason.” [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comedians often hide darker aspects behind humor, revealing deeper societal tensions. **In simple terms:** Comedians have a dark side. Key Takeaway Recognize humor’s hidden depths. Themes comedy identity societal expectations Mood reflective critical Type analytical observational When to use this quote - stand‑up performances - film analysis - social commentary Key Concepts psychology cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How does comedy reflect personal pain? - When does humor become harmful? A Different Perspective Humor can mask serious issues, limiting honest dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedians/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprised/) ## Related quotes > [It's famous that comedians have a very dark personal state of mind. I think, in my case, it's the same. The only way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/it-s-famous-that-comedians-have-a-very-dark-personal-state-of-mind-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [ Why do all these people want \[comedians\] to be serious? The reason they want that is these are people who aren't funny. Anybody funny… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovitz/why-do-all-these-people-want-comedians-to-be-serious-the-reason-they/) [Jon Lovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovitz/) > [Many comedians have a dark side that lets them take a negative thing and turn it funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-dratch/many-comedians-have-a-dark-side-that-lets-them-take-a-negative-thing/) [Rachel Dratch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-dratch/) > [Baseball died in K.C. - and other small markets - in 1994 when Bud Selig and the players' union stopped the season one week…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/baseball-died-in-k-c-and-other-small-markets-in-1994-when-bud-selig/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [“He jumped down, and then leaned across the table into my face, “And I’m tryin’ to make some girl….tell me, uh baby better come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/he-jumped-down-and-then-leaned-across-the-table-into-my-face-and-i-m/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [I've always had an idealistic streak about storytelling in that I believe we owe more to audiences than repeatedly bludgeoning them over the head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/i-ve-always-had-an-idealistic-streak-about-storytelling-in-that-i/) [Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/) > [Previously in my career, I went on a streak where I fought everybody in their hometown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-tavares/previously-in-my-career-i-went-on-a-streak-where-i-fought-everybody/) [Brad Tavares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-tavares/) > [“a twenty-knot streak looked like; if there weren’t”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-groom/a-twenty-knot-streak-looked-like-if-there-weren-t/) [Winston Groom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-groom/) > [I have an aggressive streak of my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-jenkins/i-have-an-aggressive-streak-of-my-own/) [Patty Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-jenkins/) > [I look at a streak as I don't lose - literally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/i-look-at-a-streak-as-i-don-t-lose-literally/) [Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/) > [Each Hank Williams has always had an independent streak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-iii/each-hank-williams-has-always-had-an-independent-streak/) [Hank Williams III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-iii/) > [In college, I probably lost a total of about 11 games, and then I came to the Celtics and in my first three weeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/in-college-i-probably-lost-a-total-of-about-11-games-and-then-i-came/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [I am an emotional and fragile person. I observe life, I am perceptive and can read a person's body language. I have a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madhur-bhandarkar/i-am-an-emotional-and-fragile-person-i-observe-life-i-am-perceptive/) [Madhur Bhandarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madhur-bhandarkar/) > [Every winning streak will have to end sometime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-winning-streak-will-have-to-end-sometime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was only a village doctor with a rebellious streak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/i-was-only-a-village-doctor-with-a-rebellious-streak/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) ## More by Dee Rees > [I want people to get from 'Pariah' that it's okay to be you and not to check a box as a parent or child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-want-people-to-get-from-pariah-that-it-s-okay-to-be-you-and-not-to/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I thought I'd get an MBA, and then I could be anything. And I'd write on the side. That was the idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-thought-i-d-get-an-mba-and-then-i-could-be-anything-and-i-d-write/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I thought that marketing was a way to be creative in business but quickly learned all creative stuff happens at the ad agency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-thought-that-marketing-was-a-way-to-be-creative-in-business-but/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [When I first started going out to lesbian clubs, I felt a very binary recreation of hetero culture. There are butches and femmes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/when-i-first-started-going-out-to-lesbian-clubs-i-felt-a-very-binary/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I was always going to direct. I wasn't going to hand my characters over to anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-was-always-going-to-direct-i-wasn-t-going-to-hand-my-characters/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [My ultimate dream was just to be an auteur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/my-ultimate-dream-was-just-to-be-an-auteur/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [For me, books were my source of affirmation. Alice Walker, Audrey Lord - it was these authors who wrote about their experiences. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/for-me-books-were-my-source-of-affirmation-alice-walker-audrey-lord/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [When I first came out, holidays were hard. I reached a point where I didn't go home anymore. I constructed my own, kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/when-i-first-came-out-holidays-were-hard-i-reached-a-point-where-i/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [You can't be limited by your own experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/you-can-t-be-limited-by-your-own-experience/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [We shouldn't be discriminating against each other. The whole 'light skin versus dark skin' is an idea we need to break down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/we-shouldn-t-be-discriminating-against-each-other-the-whole-light/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Going into a room and saying, 'I'm a black lesbian' - it's a strike against you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/going-into-a-room-and-saying-i-m-a-black-lesbian-it-s-a-strike/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Each moment is defined by a multitude of histories, the past constantly converging upon us, perpetually decaying and reforming itself on the steady pulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/each-moment-is-defined-by-a-multitude-of-histories-the-past/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [I'd go to lesbian parties. I felt like I wasn't hard enough to be butch, but I wasn't wearing heels and a skirt -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/i-d-go-to-lesbian-parties-i-felt-like-i-wasn-t-hard-enough-to-be/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [Before Charlottesville, it might have been easy to dismiss the plot of 'Mudbound' as no longer relevant. Now, I feel like audiences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/before-charlottesville-it-might-have-been-easy-to-dismiss-the-plot-of/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [For me, like, obviously, I want to see myself onscreen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/for-me-like-obviously-i-want-to-see-myself-onscreen/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) [Explore all 109 Dee Rees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) ## More Comedians quotes > [“Comedians and artists are some of the loneliest, self-destructive people on the planet. If you enjoy what they produce, take the time to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-inga/comedians-and-artists-are-some-of-the-loneliest-self-destructive/) Roz Inga > [I would say most comedians have a very cynical worldview of the way the world can work. It's almost like if you didn't, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-quinn/i-would-say-most-comedians-have-a-very-cynical-worldview-of-the-way/) [Colin Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-quinn/) > [At one point when I was very young, when I was first starting out, I thought, 'Well, one day I'll be able to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/at-one-point-when-i-was-very-young-when-i-was-first-starting-out-i/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [My mom is two people to me. She's my mom number one, and then she's this lady most comedians know as being a legendary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauly-shore/my-mom-is-two-people-to-me-she-s-my-mom-number-one-and-then-she-s/) [Pauly Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauly-shore/) > [There's a fallacy with stand up comedy, which is, people come up to comedians, and they go, 'You say what I think but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/there-s-a-fallacy-with-stand-up-comedy-which-is-people-come-up-to/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [At comedy festivals, we always get grouped with other musical comedians, so you can get to know them and see what everyone is doing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-micucci/at-comedy-festivals-we-always-get-grouped-with-other-musical/) [Kate Micucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-micucci/) > [A lot of female comedians will go up there in a sweatshirt and Converses, trying to dress themselves down, because it is sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-craig/a-lot-of-female-comedians-will-go-up-there-in-a-sweatshirt-and/) [Carly Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-craig/) > [I'd say Jon Stewart has remained funny the entire time. Jon always makes it funny first. And he's just, he's talking about serious things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/i-d-say-jon-stewart-has-remained-funny-the-entire-time-jon-always/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Oftentimes, the funniest comedians are people who've gone through personal torment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-sprouse/oftentimes-the-funniest-comedians-are-people-who-ve-gone-through/) [Cole Sprouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-sprouse/) > [Successful comedians are just as neurotic as I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-widdicombe/successful-comedians-are-just-as-neurotic-as-i-am/) [Josh Widdicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-widdicombe/) > [For me, comedians are like the epitome for everything great, and they terrify me. I just want to be them. I want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-maslany/for-me-comedians-are-like-the-epitome-for-everything-great-and-they/) [Tatiana Maslany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-maslany/) > [Comedians have to challenge the power. Comedians should be dangerous and devastating - and funny. That's the hardest part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-sahl/comedians-have-to-challenge-the-power-comedians-should-be-dangerous/) [Mort Sahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-sahl/) > [I don't want to follow comedians because I don't want to see what they're thinking about, 'cause then maybe I won't stumble across a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-thune/i-don-t-want-to-follow-comedians-because-i-don-t-want-to-see-what/) [Nick Thune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-thune/) > [As far as stand-ups go, I always loved Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, and Sinbad. Basically, I love black comedians because they're the funniest. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/as-far-as-stand-ups-go-i-always-loved-richard-pryor-chris-rock-and/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [Some comedians are silly or goofy or straight joke writers who avoid anything subversive or political. Others are drawn to it. The beauty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-alexandro/some-comedians-are-silly-or-goofy-or-straight-joke-writers-who-avoid/) [Ted Alexandro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-alexandro/) [Browse all 656 Comedians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedians/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For 'Pariah,' people were surprised Kim Wayans was there, but comedians have a dark streak; they're comedians for a reason.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dee Rees" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-wayans-was-there-but-comedians/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comedians" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-wayans-was-there-but-comedians/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec3/dee-rees-4528_comedians_for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-way_1421733.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec3/dee-rees-4528_comedians_for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-way_1421733.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec3/dee-rees-4528_comedians_for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-way_1421733.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For 'Pariah,' people were surprised Kim Wayans was there, but comedians have a dark streak; they're…” — Dee Rees", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dee Rees", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For 'Pariah,' people were surprised Kim...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-wayans-was-there-but-comedians/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/for-pariah-people-were-surprised-kim-wayans-was-there-but-comedians/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```