YouTuber Lilly Singh is making late-night TV history as the first female Canadian-Indian late-night talk show host on TV among an array of white, male hosts. However, Lilly Singh didn’t initially start off on her path to become a late-night host, let alone a Youtube creator. After graduating from Toronto’s York University in 2010 with a degree in Psychology, Singh turned to Youtube as a creative outlet under the alias “Superwoman.” Channeling her feelings of depression and anxiety into funny and empowering videos, Lilly Singh has accumulated over 14 million subscribers over the past 8 years she has been posting on YouTube under IISuperwomanII and 2.92 million subscribers on her second channel, Lilly Singh Vlogs. Some of her most popular videos are consist of exaggerated imitations of her parents, gender norms, and collaborations with other celebrities. Ever since her start on digital media, Lilly has dived into authoring her The New York Times bestselling book “How to Be a Bawse” and started her own production company, Unicorn Island Productions, among many other creative ventures.
Image Courtesy of @lilly on Instagram
As of September 16, Lilly Singh joined NBC’s late-night cast, in the sleepless 1:35 a.m. slot, previously held by Carson Daly. Now that Singh is hosting her own show, she has been very vocal about straying from traditional avenues of late-night hosting. First of all, while building her extremely diverse writing team, Singh made efforts to hire a unique set of writers and producers. “I want them to feel comfortable bringing their point of view because that’s why they’re in the room,” she said in an interview with CNBC. However, Singh’s half-hour monologues and interviews aren’t completely uncharted territory. Still, she’s hoping her new ideas and unfamiliar face in the scene will make waves. Lilly Singh has also discussed straying from discussing political news, such as updates from the Trump administration, much less compared to the various other late-night hosts that do. Instead, she hopes to discuss important issues and matters that she feels passionately about, creating a sense of authenticity and originality. Lilly Singh also hopes people become comfortable with new styles of comedy, rather than those Americans who watch late-night TV are used to. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Singh explained, “I want my show to be for everyone. And I know sometimes my jokes can tend to lean into more Indian things because that’s my experience. And I don’t want to isolate an audience that won’t understand that. But at the same time, I have been raised in an environment where I’ve dealt with that. I grew up with comedy that I couldn’t relate to at all. But I enjoyed it, and it was funny”. Despite her new hosting job, Singh says her YouTube fans will always remain a focus for her. “They will not lose me. I will still upload, but it won’t be so rigorous. It won’t be forced by a schedule. It’ll be when I’m sparked by an idea. I also plan to capture the creation of my show, and my online community will be with me as I build it. By no means will they be abandoned. I love them way too much,” she told fellow talk-show host Trevor Noah in a Q-and-A for Interview Magazine.
Image Courtesy of @lilly on Instagram
For the past 8 years, Lilly Singh has been an unstoppable force, using her platform on YouTube to create amazing content, speak up about important issues in the world, and helping others embrace themselves. Growing up, I never really had anyone of my race or ethnicity to look up to until I started following her content a few years ago. I really like how she has embraced her South Asian culture in her videos, and watching her made me more confident about my identity and my cultural background. I am so glad that Lilly Singh has rightfully earned her spot in late-night television, and I can’t wait to see how she succeeds.