Award-winning comedian and actress Tumi Morake recently sat down with podcasters MacG and Sol Phenduka on “Podcast and Chill”.
The interview was nothing short of funny and Morake spilled her tea like nobody’s business.
The actress is in the country to promote her upcoming film, “The Honeymoon”, in which she stars alongside Minnie Dlamini and Kajal Bagwadeen.
She is also promoting an alcohol brand and taking care of other clients.
Morake now lives in Atlanta in the US with her husband and three children but says that if it was up to her, she would move back to SA.
“I actually didn’t want to relocate to be honest, but my husband wanted to, it’s a conversation we had from before we even got married. He’d been to New York and he’s like America is the place to be.
“So we where going to move to New York and then the pandemic happen, and then the budget was like....”
Settled in Atlanta, Morake said while her family is thriving while she, on the other hand, is finding it harder.
“Comedy is not a joke. The industry is so huge in America. In New York I know I can play, I get on to stages I want to get on, I get the time I want, but in Atlanta it’s still hard, it’s very cliquey, so there I am a little but miserable ... to be honest I would have been back here by this year ... but because the kids are doing well, I’m like okay, I’ll give this thing a damn chance,” said Morake.
When MacG asked how she managed financially without work for a year during lockdown, Morake shook fans with her epic response.
“Oh no honey, see I don’t play... Let me tell you something, I am not a celebrity, I am not here to shine on a red carpet.
“I was very clear about why I wanted to be in this industry ... The first thing I said to myself was that I will never be a starving artist, and I have never been a starving artist.
“When I make money, the reason I don’t drive fancy cars, 10 of them parked outside my house is because I am building here. I want a comfortable life.
“What other people see, I don’t care. It’s about what am I enjoying. I like a nice life. I like to pour petrol without having to check how much it costs ... that’s how I treat my money,” she said.
During the almost two hour long chat, Morake spoke about her 2018 book, “And Then Mama Said”, which was not as successful as she would have liked it to be, followed by her being raped in her younger days and also reflected on a time when she and her partner stepped out of their marriage.
Watch the full interview below.
On Instagram, Morake said she was hesitant to do the interview, but is glad she did.
She wrote: “I was a little hesitant to do this but I am SO glad I did. Such a dope hangout. Such a tight unit. Respect to you @macgunleashed and @solphenduka Le stoutu and le vibe.
“Check out episode 440 of @podcastwithmacg on Youtube. ENJOY 😁🎧#podcastnchill #tumibathong #andthenmamasaid #hauweng.”