Five Black Stars Could Be Late Night Television Hosts
Recently, Madame Noire asked the question: Why aren’t there any other black late night talk show hosts other than Arsenio Hall? It’s a really good question–apart from him, there’s no one else really holding it down for the POC in entertainment. The person of color that did have their own late night talk show in recent memory–George Lopez–was let go in kind of a suspect fashion, if you ask me. But anyways, if there were more black late night talk show hosts, who would they be? With this question in mind, here’s my small list of five black people in entertainment that could be a successful talk show host.
Sommore
Type of show: More like Chelsea Lately
Sommore is a comedienne, so naturally, she’ll have the woman’s perspective on the issues of the day. But more than that, she seems to really speak to the women who have colorful, fast, city lives. This viewpoint will give her theoretical talk show plenty of zing, for sure. She seems like someone who would be a natural at having a roundtable-type show that discussed the hot topics of the day. I think that type of show for her would be a hit, since it’s in keeping with her personality and comedic style.
Anthony Anderson
Type of show: More like The Tonight Show (with either Jay Leno or Jimmy Fallon) or The Arsenio Hall Show
Anthony Anderson is a versatile comedian and actor. He can go from raunchy adult comedy to hard drama to family-friendly comedy with ease, so it’d be easy to see him take the path of the consummate showman, the type of person generally thought of to host a “traditional” talk show. Anderson would be equally successful telling monologue jokes, doing skits, and interviewing guests.
Jay Pharoah
Type of show: More like Late Night (when it was hosted by Jimmy Fallon)
Jay Pharoah is one of the funniest in the current Saturday Night Live cast, and his impersonations of popular figures like Kanye West and Denzel Washington are hilarious. I think his hip hop-infused comedy would be better suited to a later show, since younger audiences are generally thought to gear more towards the typically “edgier” late night shows.
Sway
Type of show: More like Last Call with Carson Daly
Sway, currently doing well on his radio show, became a household name due to his VJ stint on MTV. His love of music and pop-culture would make him a great host of a late night show that caters more towards hardcore music fans and the latest in undiscovered or indie talent.
Charlie Murphy
Type of show: More like The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Charlie Murphy became known to a lot of us through narrating his crazy stories of the ’80s for Chappelle’s Show. I think a lot of us can recite the Rick James and Prince skits by heart. His surreal ’80s stories and his offbeat celebrity status could make him a good candidate to have a surrealist, party-infused show, garnering legions of fans while making critics excited.
Which black stars would you like to see host a late night talk show? Talk about it in the comments section!
