The late-night world got a much-needed shake-up last Thursday when NBC announced that Lilly Singh — a bisexual women of color — would be getting her own talk show. The Indian-Canadian, best known as popular YouTube star Superwoman, will be taking over the 1:35am spot previously held by Carson Daly come September with “A Little Late with Lilly Singh.”
Singh told the world on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” revealing she’s “so excited because I truly get to create a show from scratch. You know, I get to make it inclusive, I get to create comedy segments and interview people and really create something that I believe in, and I’m so honored and humbled….” She went on to say it will be similar to what she does on Youtube, and even did a test run with Fallon as her guest, asking him for advice. (“Don’t get sick,” he semi-joked.) Singh gave “a huge shout out to all the women who have been before me and are currently in this space, because I couldn’t have done it without them paving the path.” Those women include the late Joan Rivers, Wanda Sykes, Samantha Bee, Busy Philipps and Chelsea Handler; however, the gig means Singh will be, as Variety pointed out, “the only female to currently host a late-night talk show on one of the Big 4 networks.” When all is said and done, Singh will be making a huge mark in a field that for too long has been unwelcome to women, especially queer women of color.
Of course, Twitter was abuzz with the news, with almost 12,000 folks liking Singh’s tweet that went out just to them: “My heart is so incredibly full. Thank you so much for all the love and positive energy. I’m speechless.”
It’s official. Ya girl is getting her own @nbc late night show… A Little Late with Lilly Singh. Thank you so much for being here. I am truly so grateful. ❤️
Thank you @jimmyfallon @sethmeyers pic.twitter.com/h44HoPRtel
— Lilly Singh (@IISuperwomanII) March 15, 2019