Stephen Colbert Promises to Create a Late Show That “Celebrates the Voices of Women”

In an article over on Glamour, Stephen Colbert addressed the current lack of diversity in late night TV, explaining:

It has been pointed out to me that I, like other late-night TV hosts, am a man. And while I’m happy to have a job, I am surprised that the world of late-night TV lacks a female presence, unlike sitcoms, which are packed with smoking-hot wives who teach their doughy husband a valuable lesson when he slips on a pizza and falls headfirst into a porta-potty full of beer. Check your local listings.

While there are many talented female comedians out there, right now the world of late-night is a bit of a sausagefest. Perhaps one day it will be just the opposite—which I believe is called a Georgia O’Keeffe retrospective.

Colbert says he hopes to rectify that gender divide when the Late Show begins on November 8th:

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. 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. But I’m going to make a show that truly respects women, because I know that there’s more than one way to be one. Maybe you’re a woman who likes women. Maybe you like women and men. Maybe you’re a woman who’s recently transitioned. Maybe you’re a guy who’s reading this magazine because your girlfriend bought a copy and it looked interesting.

It’s exciting to have Colbert at least acknowledging that the media he works in is incredibly dude-saturated–here’s hoping his reign at the Late Show will herald a new era of gender and racial diversity on late night TV.

(via Pajiba)

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