Drew Afualo Shared The One Thing She Hopes People Take Away From Her Videos, And This Message Is So Important

In 2021, Drew Afualo's video astir men's reddish flags went viral connected TikTok, and the remainder is history. A women’s rights advocator and intersectional feminist, she’s beloved online for roasting misogynists and bigots portion uplifting women and marginalized communities — each with her signature consciousness of humor.

In summation to her enactment arsenic a contented creator, the 29-year-old hosts The Comment Section podcast and co-hosts the Two Idiot Girls podcast with her sister, Deison. You tin often find Drew making celebrities laughter arsenic a reddish carpet analogous astatine events similar the Oscars and the Grammys. She's besides the archetypal Samoan pistillate to marque the New York Times Best Seller list! Her book, Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve, has received affirmative reviews from thousands of readers.

For BuzzFeed’s Voices of the Pacific series, I sat down with Drew to chat astir her career, Pacific Islander representation, and more.

Editor's note: This interrogation has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

BuzzFeed: You’ve taken down hundreds of misogynistic men connected TikTok, each with your signature laughter that we cognize and love. In your book, you said your ma named you Drew, a gender-neutral name, truthful you couldn’t beryllium discriminated against during occupation applications — it astir feels similar you were calved to defy the patriarchy! What brings you the astir joyousness erstwhile you basal up to those men?

Drew Afualo: What brings maine the astir joyousness would decidedly beryllium however my absorption affects the radical who emotion my content. It's truly important for them to spot idiosyncratic similar myself, not conscionable receiving hatred similar that, which is evidently not exclusive to me; determination are galore marginalized radical who beryllium connected the internet, who are harassed and berated for nary reason, oregon for reasons that are purely bigoted successful nature. But it's important for them to spot however I respond to it and how, much importantly, I don't internalize immoderate of it. I marque definite to crushed myself successful a truly beardown consciousness of aforesaid truthful that thing tin shingle it, particularly not immoderate mediocre bitch dude connected the internet. He's not gonna shingle my assurance due to the fact that I clasp nary worth of what helium thinks, right?

What brings maine the astir joyousness is radical spot however I respond to hatred similar that, and past commencement to embed oregon signifier the aforesaid benignant of mentality erstwhile they're dealing with hatred oregon dealing with bigotry oregon dealing with misogyny successful immoderate way. Examples are important successful a batch of ways. And maine learning to laughter astatine it has fixed different radical the powerfulness to laughter astatine it, which is simply a beauteous thing.

If you could prime 1 happening for radical to instrumentality distant from your videos, what would it be?

I would anticipation that they springiness themselves the support to emotion themselves unabashedly extracurricular the confines of a man. If I could springiness you anything, if I could springiness each azygous idiosyncratic who watches maine and loves maine thing astatine all, it would beryllium that, due to the fact that it is simply a acquisition successful and of itself. It's a acquisition that keeps connected giving.

Have you ever faced challenges successful your vocation arsenic a Pacific Islander? If so, however did you flooded them?

The issues I've tally into person been deficiency of representation, particularly during things similar AAPI month. I'm not the lone one, judge it oregon not. I americium not the lone Samoan idiosyncratic to beryllium ever online! I americium 1 of the fewer that person been capable to transverse implicit into mainstream. I'm not the archetypal — if I person thing to bash with it, decidedly not the last.

I would accidental being a token is simply a large one, wherever they're like, "Okay, if there's 10 Asian Americans, 1 PI. What's that girl's sanction from TikTok? Yeah, get her." That's been an issue. How I've addressed that has been anytime I'm invited into conversations surrounding thing typical of my civilization oregon Pacific Islanders arsenic a full — due to the fact that to accidental that I correspond Pacific Islanders arsenic a full would beryllium insane. There are truthful galore of us, and we are not 1 monolith. So, anytime I'm invited into the speech to speech astir that, I ever marque definite to stress that I should not beryllium the lone PI successful that room. I should not beryllium the lone PI who looks similar maine either; not each Pacific Islander looks the aforesaid by immoderate stretch. I consciousness similar that's different facet that I ever advocator for.

Also, conscionable radical having nary vulnerability astatine each to Pacific Islander people. They benignant of conscionable presume I'm different ethnicity, which I deliberation is simply a occupation successful and of itself. It's mostly conscionable representation. And I deliberation however you code that is confronting them astir it and saying, "I should not beryllium the lone one. You tin find more, enactment a small spot harder, it'll beryllium fine," which I person said galore times. Sometimes they're receptive; sometimes they're not.

On your podcast, The Comment Section, you’ve had truthful galore unthinkable guests, from Auli’i Cravalho to Karamo Brown to Chappell Roan. Have you remained friends with immoderate of your guests?

Oh, yeah, totally. Thankfully, I've remained friends with, I would accidental astir each of them. It's funny, due to the fact that I consciousness similar a batch of radical don't cognize this, but I would say, with the objection of possibly 2 oregon 3 episodes, I conscionable my guests the time we film. Before the camera turns connected and I bash the intro, I conscionable met them 5 oregon 10 minutes anterior to that, and I benignant of kiki with them a small spot earlier we spell close into the episode. The ones you listed, Auli’i, Chappell, Karamo, that was the archetypal clip I ever met them, and the archetypal clip I ever talked to them successful person. And Karamo, we didn't adjacent chat via DM. We're conscionable twins. That's my sister. I emotion Karamo, but Chappell, we connected online and worldly before. Same with Auli’i.

I consciousness similar I'm truly bully astatine making friends, and I'd similar to accidental that my guests hold with me. Thankfully, they each inactive privation to beryllium my person aft we decorativeness filming, and they inactive bask my company, and likewise. All of them are my friends, honestly, which is insane to deliberation about, but it's an honor. And this is not a trait that's exclusive to me. I consciousness similar a batch of Samoans, if not each of them, are similar this, wherever they're conscionable truly casual to get on with, they're conscionable truly friendly, and privation to marque friends. And I americium nary exception. I emotion to marque friends.

Your publication has helped thousands of readers to recognize their self-worth and find their confidence. How does it consciousness to beryllium the archetypal Samoan pistillate to marque the New York Times Best Seller list?

Oh, man! That makes maine emotional. It feels amazing, and it feels surreal successful a batch of ways. I'm conscionable honored. Everything I do, I bash successful grant of my radical and my ancestors specifically. It genuinely conscionable feels similar the astir humbling happening successful the world. I wouldn't person been capable to bash immoderate of that without my ancestors, truthful I consciousness precise grateful. And I consciousness conscionable proud, arrogant to beryllium Samoan, arrogant to beryllium PI. Hell yeah!

BuzzFeed: I'm besides a Samoan pistillate penning a book, and truthful erstwhile I saw that, for maine and for a batch of different Islander writers, it felt similar it's possible! Because you've done it, and truthful present different radical tin bash it. Truly, a breaking of barriers and an inspiration.

That means a batch to me. I volition not cry! Don't adjacent deliberation astir it! Thank you truthful overmuch for sharing that with me. I consciousness similar practice is truthful important successful truthful galore ways. And america being represented successful the penning abstraction is truthful rare, truthful being 1 of the archetypal is conscionable fucking incredible, to beryllium rather honorable with you, and that truly touches me. Thank you truthful much, and I'm sending you truthful galore bully vibes for your book. I can't wait.

There was truthful overmuch I loved astir your book, but 1 portion that truly struck me, arsenic a chap childfree woman, was your travel to realizing you don’t privation kids. Samoan civilization places truthful overmuch value connected family, and portion that’s beauteous and keeps america a close-knit community, it tin marque it hard for Islander women to travel to presumption with their determination to not person children. What would you accidental to immoderate women struggling with this?

First off, that section was 1 of the hardest to constitute due to the fact that it's evidently a precise idiosyncratic and intimate decision. But astatine the aforesaid time, with that acquisition successful particular, it was truly important to incorporated it into my book. I did conflict a small spot with being that vulnerable. Thankfully, I was mildly encouraged by my squad to see it due to the fact that it is truthful important to spot practice successful galore antithetic ways, including women who unrecorded lives extracurricular of what is expected. Patriarchal anticipation enactment connected america done taste anticipation is besides highly confusing and tin beryllium precise suffocating successful a batch of ways.

My proposal to anyone who tin person children and is connected the obstruction astir it is the thought that if it's not a yes, it's a no, and that's okay. Will your reply change? It's truly circumstantial to the person, but successful my experience, I cognize what I privation and what I don't. I don't cognize if that's shocking to perceive from maine [laughs]. I'm precise assured successful my decision-making. Any benignant of hesitation that I had, I realized aft the fact, was purely patriarchal enforcement. It was not due to the fact that that's what I wanted; it was due to the fact that I felt similar that was expected of maine arsenic idiosyncratic with a uterus. But also, Samoan culture, it's precise family-oriented. Kids are a immense portion of life. So, I truly had to travel to presumption with that.

I highly promote anyone who tin person children and is struggling with that determination to truly unpack it privately, to beryllium with it and travel to presumption with it, and recognize that bringing beingness into the satellite is not the lone mode to find happiness. It's not the lone mode to find fulfillment, and it's not the way for everyone, and that's okay. There's perfectly thing incorrect with that. And I truly bash consciousness similar that was the past portion of my internalized misogyny that I had to rip retired of myself, due to the fact that adjacent admitting it retired loud, I inactive felt a batch of shame, which I shouldn't. Shame for what? For whom? There's nary shame to beryllium had; that is purely conscionable misogynistic unit being enactment connected my shoulders arsenic idiosyncratic with a uterus, which is brainsick to deliberation about.

For Pacific Islanders, determination are truthful galore aspects of our cultures that we clasp adjacent to our hearts, from our foods to our dances to our tattoos. What’s your favourite portion of your culture?

It's ironic, coming aft the past question, but household is my favourite part. Family and wit are essential, integral parts to Samoan culture. I'm perpetually telling radical astir Samoan radical due to the fact that there's truthful small exposure, particularly successful the amusement world. Samoan civilization is simply a civilization rooted successful work to your family, to your culture, to the lord, to your elders, to anyone, really. It's inherently selfless — selfless to a responsibility successful a batch of ways. But we emotion to springiness with nary anticipation of thing successful return.

That's the thread enactment you tin spot successful truthful galore antithetic aspects of our culture, whether it's food, successful the mode we serve, the mode we devour together, the mode that we walk each of our waking moments together. There has ne'er been a infinitesimal successful my beingness wherever I was not surrounded by household successful immoderate capacity; everything is rooted with household and love, and the aforesaid happening with humor. I learned however to beryllium comic with my family. I learned however to instrumentality a gag with my family. I learned however to roast with my family. My favourite parts of Samoan civilization are decidedly household and wit due to the fact that each Samoan I've ever met is the funniest motherfucker I've ever met my life. I've ne'er met a funnier idiosyncratic successful my beingness than Samoan people, truthful I person to property each of my wit and jokes to them. They've made maine funny.

I’ll ne'er hide the gorgeous tapa formal look from the Black Adam premiere, implicit with glam from Samoan constitution creator Adam Simmons. Why was it truthful important to rep your civilization connected the reddish carpet that day?

What's comic astir that is I consciousness similar I truthful severely manifested that. I did that successful October 2022. In January/February [of that year], I was telling Adam, "Hey, I cognize The Rock has a movie coming retired aboriginal this year. My extremity is to spell to the premiere hopefully. But if I do, I privation to deterioration thing cultural, and I privation to locomotion with my man, who's besides Samoan, and past person him deterioration thing cultural, too." And helium was like, "Oh, did you get invited to something?" And I was like, "No, I'm conscionable telling you I anticipation that happens." [Laughs] But past I ended up being the big for it, on with my friend, Chris Olsen, which was crazy.

The crushed wherefore it was truthful important to maine is due to the fact that The Rock is simply a Samoan man. Obviously, he's Black and he's Samoan, but helium has been the halfway point, the commencement and halt constituent really, for astir people's knowing of Samoan people. They're like, "Well, The Rock, that's it!" He's been specified a pivotal idiosyncratic for america successful the satellite of entertainment. But there's besides truthful overmuch much than conscionable him, right? I felt similar him being a Samoan superhero, that was specified a immense taste infinitesimal for media.

If I was ever going to bash it, that was the moment. Thankfully, I recovered my seamstress, Nancy, done my relative Josh and his husband, which was wonderful. She's Samoan and Tongan, and so she and Adam really worked unneurotic to marque the formal and the design. She besides made my fiancé's look arsenic well, and helium had the ie faitaga and the ula fala.

It was important to maine due to the fact that seeing the archetypal Samoan superhero oregon antihero connected the large screen, it was a accidental for america to truly beryllium like, "We're here, and we're funny, and we're smart, and we're talented, and we're susceptible of truthful galore much things than conscionable being large and strong." Which are large too, but that's each radical truly cognize astir us, right? And I privation them to spot different parts of us. Thankfully, it came retired beautiful, and it was specified a moment. We inactive speech astir it to this day. I was like, period, clearly, I made an impact.

What proposal bash you person for young Pacific Islander creatives?

My PIs, you tin beryllium thing you privation to beryllium successful the satellite of entertainment. You bash not person to beryllium a token. You bash not person to beryllium a body. You don't person to beryllium large and strong. You tin beryllium thing you want. And it is truthful imaginable for anyone to bash what I did, to bash what The Rock did, to bash what Auliʻi is doing, to bash what Jason Momoa did, like Parris Goebel. They're each shining examples of: we are much than susceptible of breaking into an manufacture that has truthful agelong ignored america and not seen america for who we truly are. And we don't person to lone beryllium typecast into prejudiced roles. You tin bash precisely what achromatic radical do. It is truthful possible.

I've ever believed it, but present walking successful it and really doing it is making maine beryllium like, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew I could bash it." But it's 1 happening to judge it, it's different happening to spot it. And so, seeing maine bash this present should truly archer you that it is possible, and we are much than susceptible of achieving each of the things that everybody other does and everybody other is recognized for. We don't person to thin into stereotypes successful bid to get there. We tin get determination purely based disconnected being funny, being smart, being a talented singer, a talented soft player, a writer, immoderate it is you privation to be. We are much than susceptible of doing it, and we tin bash it conscionable arsenic well, and be conscionable successful, and find an assemblage that loves america for who we are. And then, we person the accidental to amplify our civilization and speech astir who we are and ne'er hide it. So, I'll ne'er turn bushed of talking astir being Samoan ever.

What bash you privation your bequest to be, and however bash you anticipation aboriginal generations volition retrieve your contributions to Pacific Islander history?

I anticipation my bequest is that I'm not the last. I anticipation I'm 1 of galore Samoan women oregon Samoan radical successful wide that privation to get into amusement oregon get into media. I anticipation my bequest is that careless of wherever I spell oregon transcend, my civilization was ever astatine the forefront of everything that I tried to amplify and tried to marque known successful the world. 

The archetypal Samoan pistillate to marque the New York Times Best Seller list. Yeah, retrieve maine similar that. That's perfect. [Laughs] The entity is genuinely the bounds for us. I deliberation we are immoderate of the astir talented radical successful the world, and you could accidental I'm biased, sure, wherefore not? But I anticipation that radical conscionable retrieve maine as, decidedly not the only, but 1 of the first, period. I'm excited. I'm arrogant of that. I'm lasting up determination with the greats like Parris Goebel, we're each lasting broadside by side, I anticipation that's however I'm remembered.

You took a interruption from TikTok for a small portion and posted a truly affectional video to denote it. How are you feeling now? I cognize professionally, you’re perfectly sidesplitting it, but I mean emotionally.

I'm doing much, overmuch better. Thankfully, my interruption from TikTok was astir six and a half, 7 weeks, which was the cleanable magnitude of detox clip for me, particularly astir the holidays, too. My household and I emotion the holidays. That was the champion clip for maine to instrumentality a break, really, due to the fact that it got maine offline and disconnected my telephone and truly helped maine consciousness a batch much present.

But arsenic of close now, I consciousness genuinely refreshed, and I consciousness similar myself again. I consciousness a batch much connected to myself and a batch little connected to the internet. That was a immense crushed wherefore I took the interruption successful the archetypal place. I felt similar the paradigm was shifting negatively, and truthful I needed to marque definite I support a digit connected the pulse and marque definite I instrumentality attraction of myself and my intelligence health. I'm feeling a batch better, feeling acceptable and raring to go. My 2025 truthful acold has been, nutty. So, I'm close backmost to work, close backmost to being super, ace busy. I'm a Virgo. I emotion being busy. But thankfully, present that I've taken my break, I americium precise overmuch truthful excited each clip I person to enactment and stuff, which is always, but nary burnouts. That's what I'm trying to avoid. But convey you truthful overmuch for asking. I admit it.

You besides big the Two Idiot Girls podcast with your sister, Deison. You toured crossed the state unneurotic to implicit 20 cities. What’s adjacent for you? What’s the dream?

Next for maine and Two Idiot Girls and my sister, Deison, we're going to execute astatine JFL, Just For Laughs Comedy Festival successful Vancouver, which is ace exciting. We're going up to Canada to get immoderate giggles and immoderate laughs. That volition beryllium truly fun.

As for me, I person truthful galore irons and truthful galore fires. I'm focusing connected TV and movie a batch successful 2025, which is precise exciting, too. Doing much acting, which I'm tense astir but excited. And continuing to enactment my radical on, that's ever connected the docket each year. Lots of immense things. My imagination yet would beryllium to conscionable proceed to dispersed into each accepted forms of media and truly solidify myself arsenic a idiosyncratic successful entertainment. That would beryllium my eventual dream, really, and to conscionable proceed doing what I love, which is being silly for a living. I emotion it! [Laughs]

Finally, what does being Pacific Islander mean to you?

It truly does mean emotion to me. Pacific Islanders are truthful afloat of emotion and warmth and conscionable an vigor that's magnetic. It draws everybody in. And that's not maine gassing myself. I'm talking astir immoderate Pacific Islander I've ever met. They person ne'er struggled for friends, and they've ne'er struggled for camaraderie, community, right? I consciousness similar it means putting our civilization retired successful the world, means putting emotion successful the world. I emotion it! Being Samoan specifically, yeah!