The Indian-Canadian YouTube star and comedian will be the first woman to currently lead a late-night show on broadcast.
NBC is going outside the box with its new late-night star.
YouTube sensation and comedian Lilly Singh has been tapped to take over its 1:35 a.m. talk show slot, following Carson Daly's announcement in February that he was stepping down from Last Call after 17 years. Singh's new show, A Little Late With Lilly Singh, will debut in September, NBC announced Thursday.
Singh's appointment is historic, as it makes her the only woman to currently lead a late-night show on a broadcast network.
Like Last Call, A Little Late will be a half-hour program with Singh conducting in-studio interviews with a variety of guests. She will also create and star in pre-taped comedy sketches and signature segments.
Appearing on Thursday's Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Singh made the announcement official, telling the studio audience, who gave her a standing ovation, "I do have an announcement and that is that ya girl is getting her own NBC late-night show!"
"I'm so excited because I truly get to create a show from scratch. I get to make it inclusive... and create something I really believe in," Singh previewed, hinting that the series will be similar to her popular YouTube channel.
She also credited the women who have come before her for shaking up the boys' club that has long dominated late night. "A huge shout-out to all the women who have been before me and who are currently in this space, because I couldn't have done it without them paving the path. Truly, I couldn't have. But I do think it's a little awesome for an Indian-Canadian woman also to get a show."
Earlier in the day, Singh teased the "biggest announcement of my career," posting a photo in front of her Tonight Show dressing room.
“An Indian-Canadian woman with her own late night show? Now that is a dream come true,” Singh, 30, said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to bring it to life on NBC, and I hope my parents consider this to be as exciting as a grandchild.”
“Lilly is truly a star and we’re thrilled to welcome her to our NBC family,” said Doug Vaughan, Executive Vice President of Special Programs and Late Night at NBC Entertainment. “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.”
In February, Singh made headlines when she publicly announced she is bisexual. "Female. Coloured. Bisexual," she wrote on Instagram. "Throughout my life these have proven to be obstacles from time to time. But now I’m fully embracing them as my superpowers. No matter how many “boxes” you check, I encourage you to do the same."
Singh's YouTube channel has more than 14 million subscribers, where she writes, produces and stars in comedic and inspirational videos. As an actress, she appeared in HBO's Fahrenheit 451, opposite Michael Shannon and Michael B. Jordan, and has co-starred in Bad Moms and Ice Age: Collision Course. She is also a best-selling author of How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life.
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