Photo credit: Janet Donovan
“We’re going to have move to the larger room so we can start the program, ” quipped Nick Schmit, “unless you’re buying the book. “In that case,” to paraphrase, “then by all means – stay right where you are.” Guests were asked to take your time, no rush. Buy the book. For everyone else: yes, it’s loud, you’re mid-conversation, someone just refilled their wine—but he wants us to channel that energy down the hall. We did.
MSNBC and Nick Schmit hosted a book party for Jonathan Capehart’s book: Yet Here I Am at Ned’s in downtown Washington, DC. “The last few days we’ve been scrambling up and down the road to New York and back, but we’re here and we’re excited. We’re really proud of Jonathan. Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassadors – thank you for being here. Also, we’ve had a number of members of Congress in and out already – Senator Klobuchar, Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, maybe Speaker Emeritus Pelosi, and Congressman Garcia.”
“So I’m going to be very brief and then I’m going to let Jonathan and Eugene Daniels come on stage for a quick little interview,” he added. “Three questions – no more than that – it’s going to be 10 minutes. I think Jonathan has an incredible story to tell. As all of us know, he is one of the most earnest and genuine people and I think that comes through all the pages in the book – hearing about his childhood, hearing about his wonderful mother Margaret Capehart. I am excited for him. I’m excited for you guys all to read it. And without further ado, I will let Eugene come up and interview him.”
Nick Schmit Jonathan Capehart Eugene Daniels
Jonathan is like the stylish diplomat of DC’s chattering class—equal parts journalist, political sage and Beltway bestie. He is the host of The Saturday/Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC and that rare voice who brings both gravitas and grace to the national conversation, without ever losing his cool.
In the Washington community, Capehart is more than a media figure—he’s a trusted neighbor, a dinner-party regular and a fierce advocate for inclusion. Whether he’s moderating a panel or speaking truth to power on TV, his presence feels like a warm, witty pulse running through the capital’s sometimes too-stiff social and political scenes. Professionally, he’s the guy you call when you want thoughtful analysis with a little sass, a velvet glove with a truth-telling punch. And in a town built on appearances and alliances, Capehart has built something rare: authentic respect across aisles and communities.
Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels
“When Nick asked me if I would do this, I jumped at the chance because, and I’ve said this publicly before, there’s no Eugene Daniels being able to be where I want and being on TV and doing the things that I want to do without a Jonathan Capehart. Being able to work together now all the time on television for six hours a week is just a joy. I read the book way before most of y’all, and it is as vulnerable and insightful and beautifully written as anything you’ve ever read from him. And I know most of you have read everything that he’s written. And if you are looking for a book for a friend who’s struggling with race, a friend who’s struggling with being queer, a parent, people who just want to understand the world better, someone who just wants to read beautiful writing, this is a great book for that.
So much of your life is about NBC, uncle McKinley. Many of us don’t have access to an uncle or a cousin or a mom’s friend who works in some highfalutin job in New York or in the industry that we want to be in. But you kind of took a side door with your Uncle McKinley, and I’d love for you to tell people a little bit about him and you of into getting into NBC that really kicked your journalism career off.”
“Uncle McKinley, he didn’t have a highfalutin job,” replied Jonathan. “My uncle was an electrician at 30 Rock. He worked for NBC, and then when NBC was taken over by General Electric, he was the guy you called when you needed a new light bulb, or if you had a short in a lamp or you needed something electrical done, he was the person you called. And one time I was staying with my aunt and uncle, they live in the Bronx, and he said, ‘I’m going down to The Today Show. They’re doing something on the plaza, so I’m going to try to find where the cameras are.'” So Jonathan went with him.
Jonathan talked about his internship at NBC, Bloomberg News, the socioeconomic ladder and what blackness means in America.
“What blackness means when you’re in America. What I write is, throughout my life and my career, I have encountered, and I’m sure you have too, I am too black or not black enough,” said Jonathan. “And there’s some who don’t want me to be black at all, or at least not acknowledge it. And it doesn’t matter how old you are, where you live, where you are in the socioeconomic ladder, we are constantly figuring out not how black to be, but how black we are in the eyes of someone who isn’t. And that is, at this point, it’s second nature. But when you sit back and think about it, just imagine how exhausting it is to walk a tight rope high above the earth with no net in the fog at night, in the middle of a rainstorm with a gun to your head and a hurricane.”
Mignon Clyburn and Kimball Stroud
“Tell these folks a story that didn’t make it into the book, but you really wanted to and for whatever reason, whether it’s scandalous or interesting, you were like, ‘You know what? It doesn’t fit the themes.'”
“There were way too many. When I handed in the manuscript, I handed in 16,000 extra words. But what I will say is this, the best story however, is still in the book. I’m not going to give it away. I’m just going to tell you it is in chapter eight.” On it.
