Singh takes on late-night challenge
Lilly Singh isn't yet tired of being asked how it feels to be one of the only women hosting a late-night comedy show. But she's a bit tired of feeling that she has to answer that question on behalf of all women in comedy.
"There's some weight to it," the star of "A Little Late With Lilly Singh" told NBC News Now this week, fresh off the debut of her new show. "I'm super humbled. I'm well aware of what an amazing opportunity it is. But that question carries the weight of 'if the show doesn't do well, or if it fails, or is this the only shot.' It kind of has that essence to it."
Singh, a Canadian woman of Indian descent who made a name for herself as an irreverent YouTube star, tries to approach the question a little differently, honoring her late-night predecessors such as Joan Rivers, former VH1 VJ Cynthia Garrett and comedian Chelsea Handler. But she's also looking to the future. ("The Daily Show" alum Samantha Bee is the only other woman hosting a late-night series, and it runs on cable network TBS.) Her talk-show debuted early Tuesday on NBC and has already hosted writer-actress Mindy Kaling, whom she often jokes she's mistaken for; "The Office" alum Rainn Wilson; and "Saturday Night Live" veteran Kenan Thompson. Handler and "black-ish" star Tracee Ellis Ross are also scheduled this week.
Singh's 96-episode first season will be taped, two shows per night, four nights a week, over the next three months. The episodes air on weeknights, with repeats on Fridays, in the 1:35 a.m. time slot previously held by Carson Daly.