Bisexual YouTuber Lilly Singh makes history as NBC’s new late night host
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lilly Singh attends the Seventh Biennial UNICEF Ball: Los Angeles on April 14, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Tommaso Boddi/Getty for UNICEF USA)
Out YouTube star Lilly Singh is getting her own late-night NBC talk show, A Little Late with Lilly Singh.
The comedian’s new show will replace Carson Daly’s long-running show Last Call with Carson Daly, which airs in the 1:35am slot.
A Little Late with Lilly Singh will launch in September
The new show, which launches in September, will make her the only woman to host a late-night talk show on a major network, the only woman of colour on late-night television, and the only LGBT+ person.
Singh announced the news on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday (March 13), explaining: “I’m so excited, because I truly get to create a show from scratch.
“I get to make it inclusive, I get to create comedy segments and interview people and create something that I really believe in, and I’m so honoured and humbled.”
Lilly Singh speaks at Room To Read 2018 International Day Of The Girl Benefit at One Kearny Club on October 11, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Kelly Sullivan/Getty)
Singh said the show would be “kind of like” her YouTube channel, IISuperwomanII, which has more than 14 million subscribers, “but now I have more than three staff members.”
The TV personality said she was “honoured and privileged” to be offered the role, adding in a press release: “An Indian-Canadian woman with her own late night show? Now that is a dream come true.
“I’m thrilled to bring it to life on NBC, and I hope my parents consider this to be as exciting as a grandchild.”
NBC’s Doug Vaughan added: “Lilly is truly a star and we’re thrilled to welcome her to our NBC family.
“She is a multi-talented performer who will surely have a great rapport with not only all her guests but also with our devoted late-night audience. We can’t wait to get started.”
Daly had already announced his exit in February, saying: “If you had told me in 2002 I would be a part of the historic NBC late-night family for 17 years, I would have said you were crazy!.
“Hard to believe it’s been so long — 2,000 episodes. It’s time to move on to something new and let someone else have access to this incredible platform.”
Lilly Singh came out as bi last month
The news comes weeks after Singh quietly came out as bisexual.
In the February 24 tweet Singh referred to herself as “female, coloured, bisexual,” adding: “Throughout my life these have proven to be obstacles from time to time. But now I’m fully embracing them as my superpowers.”
She added: “No matter how many ‘boxes’ you check, I encourage you to do the same.”
