Move Aside White Men, There’s a New Face in Late Night Television

Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers. What do  these late-night tv programs have in common? They’re all hosted by white men. Since the early 2000s, late night talk shows have had the same type of host and content. However, this changed just about a month ago, with the creation of A Little Late with Lilly Singh on NBC. Not only is this the first late night talk show to be hosted by a woman, but a woman who is both Indian and bisexual. Her first guest on the show, Mindy Kaling, who has had a huge impact on changing the game for women of color in the media, stated how, “If I had, growing up, seen you on tv, it would have been, I mean I was already obsessed with late night tv, but it was like loving something that didn’t…love me back.” 

Not only is a women’s perspective on the world and society different, but a women of color can give a different viewpoint about social, economic, and political issues that, quite frankly, we haven’t heard about or seen in the media in a while. At the beginning of her show, Singh is in a board room full of white men, who suggest an “opening monologue where you cover headlines, news of the week, presidential tweets.” Singh responds, saying “I was thinking I could actually share my perspective, especially being a woman and all.” 

YouTube- “Lilly Singh Knocks Down the Doors of Late Night”

Some of the monologues in the show include: “Parents! Talk to Your Kids About Sex!”, “Lilly Singh Puts Problematic Brands on Blast with the Step Buddy,” “Lilly Singh’s Wage Gap Workout,” “Social Media Is Destroying Our Brains,” “A Monologue Written Entirely By Little Girls,” and “Learning About Sex from Women’s Magainzes.”

Singh tackles issues that a lot of the other late night hosts, who are men, stay away from because either they are afraid to talk about sensitive issues that could be offensive, because of their gender and social status, or they simply aren’t educated enough on the matter. These issues include: sexism, fat-shaming, body-image, sex, the wage gap, and social media.  

A writing staff of, “more than fifty percent women and people of all races,” adds to the diverseness of the show, taking ideas and opinions from all different types of people, rather than just one biased group. 

She is also the first ever host to identify as bisexual. Sexuality and the LGBTQ community are topics that aren’t discussed too often on the other late night shows. Especially having a host who identifies as being part of the community will welcome in more viewers of not only different races, classes, and religions, but sexualities and gender identifications.   

Being the youngest late night host, Singh brings a modern, young, and fresh personality to the network, making it easier to connect with a younger audience, unlike some of the other talk shows, like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert or Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which are meant for older viewers, whose main focus is on politics and the news.  

Checkout A Little Late With Lilly Singh on NBC, every Monday to Thursday at 1:35 a.m. 

Late night television will never be the same. So watch out white men, Lilly Singh’s coming for your throne. 

• female empowerment
• host