Lilly Singh’s late-night talk show will have a gender-equal writing staff, and we’re cheering
In March, we were pumped to learn that YouTuber and comedian Lilly Singh was getting her own late-night talk show on NBC. Seeing a woman—and especially a woman of color—get a late-night talk show on a major network was huge, considering that the vast majority are hosted by white dudes. Now, we know that Singh’s show will be progressive in another exciting way: It will have a gender-equal writing staff.
In a July 25th press release, NBC announced that the writing staff for A Little Late with Lilly Singh will include Sean O’Connor, Maria Cockenberg, Sergio Serna, Mona Mira, Jen Burton, and Jonathan Giles. That’s three men and three women. If only all TV shows could have the same level of gender parity.
"I’m literally counting down the days until the premiere. It's 53," Singh said in the press release. "I'm thrilled to be collaborating with this all-star team of writers as we work to bring a new, authentic perspective to late night."
A Little Late with Lilly Singh comes to @nbc on September 16th. Save the date. Tell a friend. pic.twitter.com/nnpyqIDjOj
— Lilly (Be A Triangle Available Now) (@Lilly) July 25, 2019
Women are still woefully underrepresented in late-night talk shows.
As the Los Angeles Times reported in June, only two of the top late-night shows come close to gender parity in their writers rooms. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee has a writing staff composed of 45% women, and Showtime’s Desus & Mero has a writing staff composed of 44% women. Following the May cancellation of Busy Philipps’ Busy Tonight, Samantha Bee is currently the only female late-night host.
When Singh’s new show starts in September, the number of women hosting talk shows will literally double.
We wish that gender-balanced writers rooms were more prevalent in the industry, but we’re excited to see A Little Late with Lilly Singh working to elevate women. Catch the premiere of Singh’s show on September 16th at 1:35 a.m. on NBC.
