The Good Place’s Jameela Jamil is more Jason than Tahani

Jameela Jamil explained to Conan O’Brien why she is nothing like her character on The Good Place.

It can be easy for fans to assume that a favorite character and actor share some similarities. But The Good Place‘s Jameela Jamil wants to make it clear: she is no Tahani Al-Jamil.

That can be especially hard for fans to believe. Jamil has not only done a tremendous job as the character but The Good Place is also her first acting role. So with no other character to compare, it’s easy to see why some would thing there is a lot of Jamil in Tahani.

But those who think that need to pay more attention to Jameela Jamil’s interviews. The television presenter turned actress has become one of the best guests in late night. Her personality and sense of humor is far from that of Tahani’s. Jamil also routinely delivers a story unlike any other heard in late night.

That was the case once again on Conan. Jamil was out promoting the final season of The Good Place. Conan O’Brien asked Jamil about her early career and the actress explained why she is much more like Manny Jacinto’s character Jason Mendoza than Tahani Al-Jamil.

Now to start, “I talked my way into DJing Sir Elton John’s birthday party” sounds like a line pulled straight from The Good Place. But that is where the similarities end. Jamil explained she got the gig not for status but to avoid having to make small talk with anyone. Jamil may call herself “garbage” but that seems a little excessive. Persuasive, perhaps?

As if fans needed any more proof that Jamil is not Tahani, she drops a joke better suited for the Bad Place that left O’Brien speechless and Andy Richter howling. She even showed off some of the improv skills that led Mike Schur to hire her by taking the joke one step further with Richter.

According to Jamil, jokes like that one are the reason she typically appears alongside Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, and the rest of The Good Place cast. But with the NBC sitcom coming to end soon, Jamil is more likely to be on her own in interviews. Again, that’s a good thing as she has quickly established herself as a must-see guest.

The Good Place returns with new episodes starting Jan. 9, 2020. Hopefully fans will be treated to one more full cast interview in late night if only to get more evidence that Jameela Jamil is no Tahani Al-Jamil. Stay tuned.