And in closing, Colbert turns the balance from jokes to a brief moment of sincerity: “Point is, I’m here for you, and that means I’m going to do my best to create a Late Show that not only appeals to women but also celebrates their voices”. That has left late-night network TV hosting, once again, a mostly white and male bastion, although a few exceptions exist, such as Comedy Central’s Larry Wilmore.
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While there are many talented female comedians out there, right now the world of late-night is a bit of a sausagefest. “Jimmy Fallon has a boyish charm, and for the ladies who are into ladies, if you squint, Jimmy Kimmel kind of looks like a rugged Mila Kunis”, Colbert writes. And he likes guests “who just have something to say, so I can play with them”.
Brown-Getty Images Stephen Colbert speaks onstage during the “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” panel discussion at the CBS portion of the 2015 Summer TCA Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 10, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California.
“These days TV would have you believe that being a woman means sensually eating yogurt, looking for ways to feel confident on heavy days, and hunting for houses”, he said. And while men are cool and all, with 157 million women to the 151.8 million men living in the U.S. “One of the reasons why I most wanted to drop the character is that I felt I had done everything I could do with him other than have my honest interest in my guest”, Colbert said (via the New York Times). Maybe you’re a woman who’s recently transitioned…
Colbert and the “Late Show” staff (or whoever actually wrote that essay) also wants to remind viewers that theirs isn’t the only TV genre skimping on diversity.
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These old Colbert traditions – having fun and lively spots with diverse feminist thinkers, and foraying into gender politics with a good sense of humor – could be easily updated for his new show.
