Kym Whitley thinks her alter-ego is much nicer than she is.
"She's a little different from me because she's humble," Whitley quipped to E! News about the character of the same name she plays in her new Audible Original comedy Kym. "She's caring—not that I'm not, but 'Kym' is way nicer than me!"
And, the actress noted, the scripted version of herself "taught me patience. And to believe that everything can work out for the best."
Series co-creator Lena Waithe concurred. "It is about patience and acceptance," the Emmy winner told E! "And embracing what you didn't expect."
After batting around the idea for more than three years, Whitley didn't even know if the series—which premieres Oct. 20 on Audible—would jell until they were in the studio making it.
"You see things on paper, you talk about it," Whitley said. "But when you're actually in the room recording? Magic started happening. And you know, I just looked at Lena and I was like, 'You're right. This is absolutely beautiful.'"
Let's just say, Waithe—who "grabbed on and said she wasn't going to let it go until she saw it come to fruition," Whitley said appreciatively—recognized that there was comedic gold to be mined from her pal's very relatable experiences.
"I just thought it was naturally funny and I didn't have to do too much there," Waithe said of the podcast, which is "loosely" inspired by Whitley's life as an entertainer and single mom. "That's what usually gets me excited, when there's a story that's already entertaining and there's just so much humanity there. That's really what we wanted to bring out."
Of course, when given the choice between a teachable moment or a spit take, Kym will always strive for the laugh.
"I would say a lot of it went to the edge. And then sometimes we go over the edge, but just because it's entertaining!" Whitley said, noting that there was nothing that made it into the series that she was overly concerned about sharing. "I don't think there was anything that I really shied away from."
Because more importantly than worrying about giving away TMI, she continued, Kym is "about family and love—and even if it's not a family that is made through blood, it's a family made through love."
Rounding out the cast is Sherri Shepherd ("She brought it," Whitley said of her longtime friend), Cynthia Erivo ("absolutely honored to be working with her voice"), Jenifer Lewis, Jess Hilarious and, as Waithe put it, the "late, great David A. Arnold," who passed away unexpectedly Sept. 7 at the age of 54.
"It was just an embarrassment of riches, really, to have all these folks come together to just help tell the story," Waithe reflected. And having the memories of working with Arnold, who was cracking them all up, "I think that's what makes it mean so much more to all of us. Because we had no idea that we would lose him this suddenly."
But they're happy that he was a part of Kym and people will get to hear his voice. "He's phenomenal in it," Waithe said.
There are "definitely" more stories to tell should they get the opportunity to make another season, Waithe said. But for now, she's hoping—first and foremost—that people laugh, and that the characters' conversations "feel familiar and fun and honest and real."
And while audiences are cracking up—"As you're driving or in the kitchen or wherever," Whitley suggested—maybe they'll also "feel less alone in whatever journey they're on," Waithe explained. "Because I think that's what this show really is. It's a combination of characters that are all on their own journey, and trying to find their way, like most people."
Whitley agreed, telling Waithe, "Well said."
So much so, she added with a laugh, "I was trying to write it down so I can copy it!"