YouTube star to be first female US late-night talk host in decades

YouTube star to be first female US late-night talk host in decades

Major television channel NBC has tapped YouTube star Lilly Singh to helm a late-night talk show, making the Canadian the first woman to host on a US broadcast network in more than three decades.

Lilly Singh VALERIE MACON / AFP
VALERIE MACON / AFP

The evening talk shows have been a mainstay of American television for more than half-a-century -- but their hosts are generally white men.

The late comedian Joan Rivers did host her own show from 1986 to 1988 on Fox, but that channel -- unlike competitors ABC, CBS and NBC -- is not known for its late-night talk programming and no longer uses the format.

Comedian Samantha Bee also hosts her own evening satire news show entitled "Full Frontal," but it airs on the cable channel TBS and has a much smaller audience than the four national broadcast networks.

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Singh, 30, will take over the last of NBC's three slots that is currently hosted by Carson Daly and begins at 1:35 am EST.

A Canadian born to Indian parents, Singh gained fame for her YouTube channel "Superwoman," launched in 2010, which today boasts 14.5 million subscribers and nearly three billion total views.

She announced her new gig as host of "A Little Late with Lilly Singh" as a guest on NBC's "The Tonight Show, the network's most-watched late-night program that's hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

It will be "kind of like my YouTube channel," she said, adding that "I think it's a little awesome for an Indian Canadian woman to be on a late-night show."

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I can’t even believe I am writing this caption. This is so surreal. What is happening? I NEED TO SIT DOWN. Okay. *breathe* I’m THRILLED (and crying) to announce that ya girl is getting her own @nbc late night show! AHHHHHHH!! And not only did I get to announce this dream come true on @fallontonight but @sethmeyers came out and surprised me as well! I’m so grateful and overwhelmed to be joining this incredible family. I’m numb. I can’t even process. This has been SO long in the making and I’m so happy I can finally share this with you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! There’s so many people to thank and I will do so over the next few (or hundred) posts. Watch the segment live at 11:30pm est! And now... it’s time to work. It’s time to make magic. It’s time to hustle harder than ever before. Blessings 🙏🏽 #LillyOnFallon #TeamSuperAllDay

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