Retta was not the only Parks and Recreation star to make an appearance at The Convo during her comedy set on Saturday night.
Hailey Kline, a freshman studying nursing, said she brought a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Retta’s on-screen boss, Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman on the now-cancelled NBC sitcom, to school with her specifically to bring to the comedy show.
“I was hoping she would acknowledge me,” Kline said.
Retta, who played Donna Meagle on the popular show, brought Kline on to the stage, signed the cut-out and featured Kline in images on her Snapchat account. Kline said it was “very exciting.”
Jacob Dawkins, a sophomore studying graphic design, said his favorite part of the show involved the Ron Swanson cutout.
“(Retta’s) reaction to the Ron poster was hilarious,” Dawkins said.
During her set, Retta tackled popular topics, including Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Retta also conducted a Twitter give-away wherein Jensen Tata, an undecided freshman, won a Bluetooth speaker containing a symbol from the show's fictional Indiana town, Pawnee.
Retta explained that the cast would exchange gifts at the end of every season of Parks and Recreation. The speaker was a gift from Offerman.
Tata, who is a big fan of the sitcom, said she “peed a little bit” when Retta called her name and pulled her up on stage.
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Before launching into her comedy, Retta scrolled through her Twitter feed and pointed out some students who had mentioned her on the social media website.
She drew attention to a group of medical students with floor seats who arrived early and were doing homework before the show began. She also recognized the fans that came to the show wearing Li’l Sebastian t-shirts, alluding to the miniature horse on Parks and Recreation.
After the shout-outs, Retta said she had not “done comedy in so f--king long,” but transitioned into her routine.
She covered a range of topics, including why she may be lazy, the struggles of growing up with little money and why “we’re all a little racist.” Retta also ventured into the topic of why she believes men should shave their armpits, saying that she had watched rapper LL Cool J on MTV, and when he raised his arms it was evident that he used stick deodorant.
“It looked like a double-stuffed Oreo was crumbled up in there,” Retta said.
Kline said her favorite part of the show was the way Retta delivered a joke about the fast food restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken being out of chicken.
“I had no idea (Retta) was that funny,” Dawkins said. “I will definitely see her again.”
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