Bisexual YouTube Superwoman Lilly Singh Is Replacing Carson Daly on NBC’s Late Night TV

It’s been a busy 2019 for YouTube star Lilly “Superwoman” Singh. In February, she came out as bisexual on Instagram and last night NBC announced that she’ll be taking over for Carson Daly in their 1:35 a.m. slot with a new series called A Little Late with Lilly Singh. That makes her the only woman, the only queer person, and the only person of color to currently host a late night show on broadcast network TV. It’s a big forkin’ deal! NBC has already branded her their “late night comedy queen.”

The show will follow the traditional late night model of in-studio interviews and pre-taped comedy segments, plus some “signature elements.”

Singh rose to internet stardom on YouTube starting in 2010 when she created her channel, IISuperwomanII. Her first video had 70 views and she now has 14.5 million followers. Forbes named her to their list of top 10 highest paid YouTube stars in 2017, estimating that she made $10.5 million that year. Singh has also received a variety of accolades for her channel, including Streamys, People’s Choice Awards, MTV Fandom Awards, and Teen Choice Awards. She’s also starred in a couple of music videos, most notably with Maroon 5 and Cardi B in last year’s “Girls Like You.”

Doug Vaughan, NBC’s executive vice president of special programs and late night told Variety, “Lilly is truly a star and we’re thrilled to welcome her to our NBC family. 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.”

Singh stopped by Fallon last night to make the announcement in person.

Several of your faves are also very excited!

Happy 20BiTeen, everyone!

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!
Related:

Heather Hogan

Heather Hogan is an Autostraddle senior editor who lives in New York City with her wife, Stacy, and their cackle of rescued pets. She's a member of the Television Critics Association, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer critic. You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Heather has written 1718 articles for us.

8 Comments

  1. …I wish I were more excited about this as a queer South Asian. Instead, I’m bracing myself for more of this: https://wearyourvoicemag.com/race/can-brown-anti-black-lilly-singh-modern-day-blackface

    Here’s another good article about how Singh can be disrespectful to Carribean (and Indo-Carribean) cultures specifically: https://www.acolourdeep.ca/blog/politics-brown-mutuality-reflections-lilly-singh-cultural-appropriation-and-queer-amnesia

  2. @livethequestion My exact feelings! My little sister loves her and I wish I could be excited about her having a desi role model but Lilly makes me cringe so much. I really resonated with this quote about her depiction of from the second article you linked:

    “Even if this is truly what our parents are like, is it acceptable to use their likeness for comedy? Is it acceptable to make the world laugh at them while we benefit from not acting like them at all so that we can schmooze with white people and get ahead?”

    On top of that, I am really trying to be generous and have (imo well-earned) faith that coverage of the Christchurch attacks is coming and that it is not out yet bc AS is taking the time to get it right, but damn does it hurt that this is the coverage on South Asians that came out more quickly from last night.

    • “On top of that, I am really trying to be generous and have (imo well-earned) faith that coverage of the Christchurch attacks is coming and that it is not out yet bc AS is taking the time to get it right, but damn does it hurt that this is the coverage on South Asians that came out more quickly from last night.”

      I hear you, and I think they are taking their time to get it right. With you at this difficult time. <3

      • Thank you for offering that reassurance, Riese. I’ve just read Creatrix Tiara’s piece and as expected in was exactly what I need in this moment. It speaks volumes to the work you and the team have done over the past 10 years that Autostraddle is the site that I have been continually refreshing since the news broke to help me articulate this complicated pain and feel less alone. Thank you also for your article “On This Tragic Shabbat,” whose rereading provided much comfort as I waited. May all our dead’s memory be a blessing.

Comments are closed.