Like the rest of the country, Ziwe was gripped by Oprah Winfrey's interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
"That interview influenced the first season of my show so much," the Ziwe host told E! News. "Honestly, like the structure was really inspired by that. I thought it was really, really brilliant and one of the best interviews of the 21st century."
The comedian has long been a fan of Oprah, going way back to when she was a "wee little baby," but stopped short of saying that she's emulating the iconic journalist, saying, "No one can do Oprah," she says. "All I can do is do Ziwe."
However, that doesn't mean Ziwe isn't going to try to land impressive guests, including the Duchess of Sussex. Ziwe pointed out that she and Meghan both attended Northwestern University, so perhaps a collab is in their future?
Ziwe has previously made the most of her college connections. She asked fellow Northwestern alum Chet Hanks—son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson—to appear on season two of her eponymous Showtime series. The two are friends, so she simply shot him a text and he agreed on one condition: He wanted to talk about his fitness program.
That's how Ziwe found herself doing a workout with Chet in the middle of the Ziwe studio, as featured in the May 8 episode.
And while Chet isn't always popular among social media users, Ziwe said that her crew became fans after he appeared on the show. "The interview doesn't even capture how the crew turned on me in favor of Chet Hanks," she said. "To the point where they were cheering 'Chet! Chet! Chet!' Like they were so beyond excited."
Chet is just one of the many guests to appear on this season of Ziwe, with Emily Ratajkowski, Ilana Glazer, Hannibal Buress, Nicole Byer, Mia Kalifa and Adam Pally booked for upcoming episodes.
And Ziwe is already bursting with ideas for next season. Regarding her dream guests, the host said she has an "endless list," which includes Kim Kardashian, Doja Cat, Ellen DeGeneres and even Elizabeth Holmes. So, if any of you are reading, hit your girl up.
Ziwe airs Sundays on Showtime.