“I’m black!” says Amber Ruffin, smiling at the camera. “And I’m gay,” Jenny Hagel adds. “And we’re both women!”
“And I’m not!” Seth Meyers chimes in. These are the opening lines in a recurring segment on Late Night with Seth Meyers, which airs on weekdays on NBC at 12:35 am.
There has been a long-standing issue with diversity in the world of late night television. The field has always consisted of mostly white male hosts, and although faces like Trevor Noah and Samantha Bee have added some much-needed representation, there’s still a long way to go.
The segment mentioned above, titled “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell,” is a result of efforts to diversify Meyers’ show and give minority writers a voice. The segment started simply because Ruffin and Hagel would repeatedly pitch jokes relating to their experiences as minorities, but Meyers would have to turn them down because the jokes wouldn’t be appropriate for him to tell.
They developed a structure for the segment where Meyers sets up jokes and Hagel and Ruffin take turns delivering the punchlines until they “convince him” to tell one at the end, and as expected, it ends poorly. Not only is it a great way for minority audiences to connect to the jokes on the show, but it’s also a hilarious segment!
Late Night with Seth Meyers may be more likely to use its strong writing team to its advantage because of Meyers’ experience as head-writer of SNL. In an environment like that, it makes sense that he would gain a greater appreciation for the merits of an ensemble cast.
Beyond “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell,” there are some other hidden gems that you should be sure to check out if you don’t watch the full show. “Day Drinking with Seth” is one of my personal favorites, especially when he did the segment with Kelly Clarkson and hilariously butchered her hit song “Since You’ve Been Gone” while extremely inebriated.
“Ya Burnt” is another fun segment where Meyers dishes out rapid-fire jokes about a list of things in life that he thinks are just begging to be roasted (pun intended). These lists are usually themed, like the Christmas version of “Ya Burnt” where he takes on Elf on the Shelf and the parents from Home Alone.
Lastly, “A Closer Look,” which is probably the show’s most popular segment, gives an in-depth look at a single current event or issue. This is unique because not many late night shows take the time to explore the complexities of current events.
In summary, if you aren’t watching Late Night with Seth Meyers, you’re probably making a mistake. Check out this hilarious late night talk show weeknights at 12:35 am on NBC or any time on YouTube!
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