Hosted by actress Yvette Nicole Brown and featuring kid contestants, the Disney+ comedy game show The Big Fib shares fibs and facts on a variety of subjects with its audience, while encouraging its young guests to just have fun. Each episode features a fascinating topic and individuals who are either experts or fibbers, as the kids utilize visual clues, props, rapid-fire questions and their own instincts to unmask the expert.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, Yvette Nicole Brown talked about talked about her desire to help create something that families can watch together, the podcast that inspired the series, her robot sidekick C.L.I.V.E. (brought to life by Rhys Darby), why she didn’t want to be let in on who was the expert and who was the fibber, what she most enjoys about guiding the kid contestants through it all, and the topics that she found most interesting. She also talked about the recent Community reunion and how it came about, what the chances are that they’ll get to do a movie, the TV shows she’d love to do a guest spot on, and what attracted her to the Disney+ original series Big Shot, which they were shooting when TV productions were shut down due to COVID-19.
Collider: This game show is so sweet and fun and delightful.
YVETTE NICOLE BROWN: Thank you so much. We worked really hard to create something that families can watch together. It’s been in my heart and mind, and it’s been a long wait for it to come out, but I’m so excited that it’s finally coming out and that you enjoyed it.
When and how did this idea come your way? How did this happen and what was the appeal of doing something like this, for you?
BROWN: The Big Fib is based on a wonderful podcast, called Pants on Fire, and Deborah Goldstein created that. Haymaker Productions, working with Deborah, called me and said, “So, we’re gonna turn this into a kid’s game show,” and before they could say, “Do you think you’d wanna?,” I was like, “Yes! Yes, please! Can I?” I love kids. I love Disney. I love education. If I wasn’t an actress, I would have been a teacher. So, everything about this rings my bell. I came on board, also, as a producer, and we decided to make it as playful, fun, and colorful as possible. And then, you add in Rhys Darby as C.L.I.V.E., and you literally have a playground of foolishness and education that I think kids and parents will enjoy.
I love that not only are you the host of this show, but you also have this really odd sidekick. How did that whole idea come about, having him be a robot, and what does that add to the vibe of the show?
BROWN: It’s actually a take on what’s in the Pants on Fire podcast. Their robot is LISA. We have C.L.I.V.E., but no one else has Rhys Darby. That’s a whole other level of foolishness. Anyone that’s seen Jumanji knows that there’s no joke that he won’t go for and no bit that he won’t play, and when I say that he fully commits, he fully commits. I would come out there and talk to him as Rhys, and he would only answer me as C.L.I.V.E., so he was in it to win it. It adds another level of something interesting to the show because he brings a lot of the information and a lot of the jokes. Anytime we have a visual aid for the kids, and for the expert and the fibber, it usually comes from C.L.I.V.E. He’s the cruise director, so to speak, which is really a lot of fun. The make-up team and the hair team did an amazing job. For the first time, a man was in hair and make-up longer than me. That has never happened before.
Were there ever times when it was hard to look over at him and not crack up?
BROWN: No because I leaned into the cracking up. I enjoy Rhys, as a human being, but I really enjoy him as a robot, so I just let the fun live. The great thing about The Big Fib is that I played along. I didn’t know who the expert was, I didn’t know who the fibber was, and I didn’t know what C.L.I.V.E. was gonna give me. I was in the same position as all the babies, who were guiding the ship. It was an immersive experience for me. I’m hosting it, but also getting to play and have a good time, as well. It was great.
Was there a conversation about whether or not to let you in on it, or was it an intentional choice for you not to know?
BROWN: They asked if I wanted to know and, as a producer, I felt that it would be a better show if I didn’t. Also, I don’t trust myself enough. If I really was rooting for one of the kids, I didn’t trust that I wouldn’t give something away. I know that I wouldn’t, in my heart, but I just wanted to be safe and not even risk it. So, it was an easy decision for me to say, “I’d rather play along.”
What’s the percentage of how many times you guessed right versus guessed wrong?
BROWN: Oh, I’m 99.7% wrong. That’s not a scientific number, but I know that when the foam fell, I was always like, “Really? Oh!” I was never right. One of our producers was with me, giving me the cards between each segment, and right before the last segment, every time, she would come up and go, “Do you know who it is? Who do you think it is?” And I was like, “No idea,” or I would say, “It’s person A,” and she’d just smile and go, “Oh,” and I’d be wrong again. So, I can’t do what kids can do. For the people and families playing at home, I hope that will be another layer to the game. Aside from learning things, you also get to figure out whether you can tell a fibber.
I was so bad at it that I wondered if the kids had some trick for it all.
BROWN: They’re just newer on the planet. They just don’t have all of the stuff clouding them, that we do. During the game, I asked them, “Do you think you can spot a fibber?,” and they were all like, “Absolutely!” I was like, “How do you?” And most of them said things like, “They fidget. They say um a lot. They don’t look at you.” There are little things that we come here knowing and, as we get older, we forget. If you ask someone a question and they avert their eyes, nine times out of ten, they don’t wanna answer because what they’re gonna say is not exactly the truth. Kids can see that, but as adults, we miss it.
I love how empowered and in control the kids on this show feel. They just seem comfortable playing the game, asking their questions, and coming to their conclusion, without being judged for getting the answer wrong. What did you most enjoy about guiding them through the experience and just making sure that they had fun?
BROWN: I love kids. That’s the first thing. I was so happy that they brought this to me because I knew that I could be a safe place for the babies. Every time I walked out, I would go, “How are you doing? How are you feeling? Are you excited?” They were like, “I am!” I was like, “So, what do you think you’re gonna do?” We would just have a nice little conversation, before the show even started. So, by the time the show started, we were buddies. They knew that I didn’t know who the person was either, so there was no way I could judge them because I didn’t know either. Also, if you noticed, and this is by design, I don’t have a chair. Everyone else is sitting, but I am leaning on a stool next to the kids, and that lets them know that they are the leader and this is their experience. I’m just there to help them through it, but it’s all about them. It was important for us never to make it about whether they got it right or not. Life is not like that. Life is a journey. You learn things, and you grow. So, my hope for all of the kids was that, when they left, whether they won or not, they learned something, they had a good time, and they felt empowered. That is what you can take with you, for the rest of my life. Whether you win or lose is totally out of your hands, most of the time.
I also love that this has an educational element to it, as well. I felt like I was learning so much about the topics that I didn’t know anything about. Were there any topics that you found most interesting?
BROWN: Anytime we dealt with anything that was sports-related or under the sea. I will never have anything to do with the ocean. It will never happen. I’ve heard there’s a thing called the beach. I’ve heard people go in the water. I know nothing about it. I don’t want to know anything about it. I will never scuba dive. I’ve taken one cruise, in my life, and that was under duress. Water and me will never happen. So, anytime they were talking about an undersea creature, a shark, or anything else, that was really exciting to me ‘cause I will never see it for myself. And I don’t know anything about sports, so it was always interesting to find out something about a particular coach or player, or the game itself.
What was it like to also have the Community reunion that you just had? It seems like you guys have kept in touch and that at least some of you are on a group chat together, but that’s not the same as seeing everyone and talking to them, all at once. What was that like?
BROWN: It was amazing. We all laughed at how quickly we fell back into doing bits and stuff. From our 80-hour work weeks and our 16-hour days, we have so many inside jokes and so many bits. Whenever we’re together, we immediately fall back into that rhythm of finishing each other’s sentences. It’s just the luck of the draw that people that are put together are actually compatible and like each other. It doesn’t always work out that way. I’ve worked on lots of sets, in my career. I’ve worked with wonderful people, but there’s been times when not everybody was wonderful, or not everybody vibes with each other, in the way that we did on Community. We did that The Darkest Timeline podcast for Joel [McHale] and Ken [Jeong], and you got to see a little bit of what it’s like when we’re together. It’s really mayhem, in the best way.
It’s just so delightful to watch you all together. At the same time that we’re going through all of this craziness right now, it’s also allowing for things that never would have or could have happened because everybody would have been too busy. Whose idea was it to do the reunion and who chose the episode to read?
BROWN: The reunion decision was Jim Rash. He and Danny [Pudi] have the biggest hearts. Because Community is on Netflix now, he was like, “There’s a way that we can use the new fans that we’re getting to celebrate the show, at the same time that we do good. Would you guys want to?” It went from that question in the group chat, to Jim reaching out to Sony, to everybody getting together, and it’s just become a big thing. It was as simple as him saying, “Would you wanna?,” and all of us saying, “Absolutely!”
Community was the little show that could, as it continued, season after season, and it got to that point where it finally fulfilled the six seasons. So, what are the chances of ever actually getting that movie?
BROWN: I think it’s a hundred percent that we’ll do the movie. The question has always been when. When can we? Now, we have the pandemic, but I don’t know a cast member that would not say yes, from Joel McHale down to Luke Youngblood, who played Magnitude. Everybody I know, that was on the show, is like, “Yes, please. I’d love to.” I don’t know how it doesn’t happen, eventually. I just don’t know when, either.
You’ve also previously talked about how talented you think Donald Glover is. Have you ever tried to hint at him to repay those kind words that you’ve said about him with a role on Atlanta?
BROWN: You know what’s so funny? I’m so busy begging Dan Harmon to let me do Rick & Morty that I didn’t even think about begging Donald to be on Atlanta. I have missed out on my begging. With that suggestion, I’m on it. I will do that now. I never have asked. It never crossed my mind. Rick & Morty was the nut I was trying to crack. But now, Donald’s in trouble. I’m coming for him. I would love it. I’m gonna ask them. I always ask to be on his albums. He always says, “Okay,” and then I never hear from him and the album comes out. So, I’m gonna push for Atlanta. I adore Donald. It was so funny, the group chat snafu. That’s such a me thing to do. Donald is so easy going. He made it seem as if he was more offended than he actually was. He totally gets it. It was hilarious. He may be in the group chat now. I apparently am not the one that was know because I thought he was in it before.
As a big fan yourself, is there a current TV show that you watch that you would love to do a guest spot on, aside from the ones of your former Community family?
BROWN: Oh, that’s good. I love Insecure on HBO, so I would love to pop over there. I would love to play a teacher on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney+. I can sing a little bit. I can do a little ditty and get up in there, and be a drama teacher, or something. More than anything, I would love to just go back and finish my season of Big Shot with John Stamos, for Disney+. We were halfway through our order when the pandemic happened, so I would love to finish my own show on Disney+. That would be awesome.
What made you want to do Big Shot and who are you playing on that?
BROWN: It’s John Stamos, and Bill D’Elia is our director, and David E. Kelly, Brad Garrett and Dean Lorey are our producers Everyone involved is at the top of their game. It’s set in an elite girl’s school. I play the headmistress, Sherilyn, and John plays a hot-headed basketball coach. We butt heads because the way he wants to things at my school, I do not like. That’s Big Shot, in a nutshell. We have five amazing young women, who play the basketball team. They are all talented, beautiful, funny, and great actresses. And we have another great actress that plays John’s daughter on the show. It’s an amazing group of people. Jessalyn Gilsig from Glee is on the show. She plays Holly, the assistant coach. Big Shot is funny and heartwarming. It’s got sports, which I’ve already said that I don’t understand, but as the headmistress, I’m behind my desk, just cracking whips. That’s all it takes for me, in this one.
The Big Fib is available to stream at Disney+ on May 22nd.