Put down your drink — unless your want to do a spit-take! In April, comedian Scott Rogowsky had the brilliant idea to film himself on the subway reading books with fake titles to see how people would react. The video — which featured covers such as 101 Penis Lengthening Tips You Can Do at Home, the Office, or On the Go, and How to Hold a Fart In — went viral with more than 4.6 million views. Now, the host of Running Late With Scott Rogowsky is back with Part 2, and he’s got a sidekick: fellow Brooklyn-based comedian Akilah Hughes.
The sequel shows Rogowsky and Hughes engrossed in titles including Tinder Training Your Toddler, Math for Non-Asians and Ever Been With A Black Girl? Call Me: 473-551-9918. Other timely gems: How to Fake Your Own Death, by Prince, and I Am Becky with the Good Hair, which is a spoof on the bestselling memoir I Am Malala. (Watch the hilarious video above to see subway riders reacting to the titles.)
“No one reported me to the MTA police as I initially feared,” Rogowsky, 30, tells Us Weekly. “So much for ‘if you see something, say something.’”
The biggest surprise for Hughes: “Definitely all the dudes saying they tried to call the number on the Ever Been With a Black Girl? book,” says the 26-year-old writer, who runs the Smoothiefreak YouTube channel. “It’s not a real number, and I probably wouldn’t date someone who called a hotline about dating black girls anyway.”
As for books that didn’t make it into the video? Rogowsky tells Us he ended up cutting How to Steal iPhones on the Subway, French for Convicted Felons and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Shooting Unarmed Black Teenagers, by George Zimmerman.
Rogowsky is performing live on Monday, May 23, at Union Hall in Brooklyn, New York, with Mindy Project actor Adam Pally.
