Late night talk shows have been a boys club since, well, forever. Pretty much everyone who interviews celebs on tv is a white dude named James. But there are some amazing women trying to change that, and we wanted to shine a spotlight on these trailblazers who are hosting late-night style shows. Most of them are young up-and-comers, but they’re already wisecracking and slaying at a mid-career level. Can’t wait to see ’em all hosting their own network shows!
Gilli Nissim
Writer and comedian Gilli Nissim hosts the wildly popular, sometimes surreal, always thrilling talk show We’re Gross at the UCB Theatre in Los Angeles. We’re Gross calls itself ‘an interactive, feel-good celebration of all that is pathetic’, and it’s chock full of cathartic weirdness. It’s pretty impossible to describe, but if you get a chance to see it live definitely jump to it. The guests are amazing and the action is irresistible. We’re all a little gross, right? It’s up the third Thursday of every month at 9:30.
Mo Welch
Mo Welch hosts The Mo Show out of UCB too, but it’s a whole different beast from We’re Gross. Mo brings in some of Los Angeles’ best and brightest to do standup, improv, sketch, character bits, music, and whatever they feel like performing. In between, the show features animation and comedy from Mo herself, and her dark and subtle sense of humor isn’t like anything else you’ll see in LA. Plus the show has a pedigree – it’s been going strong since 2009. Catch it Saturdays at 10:30 once a month.
Emily Candini
Late Nightmare is the newest show on our list, but Emily Candini’s all-woman writing staff might as well be seasoned pros. The show is at The Pack Theatre, a comedy school and theater known for it’s off-beat whackadoo sense of humor, and the show is definitely off the wall in the best possible way. There’s no video for Late Nightmare yet since it’s still a baby, so it looks like you’ll just have to go and experience it for yourself!
And of course we have to end this article with a shoutout to the original bad bitch of late night, Sam Bee. Thank you Queen Bee for leading the way and showing us the light. Here’s to 12 more years of Full Frontal! And if you’re not in a city where you can catch one of these cool independent late night show, keep your ear to the ground for cool female comedians who host their own shows! Any day you’re supporting funny women is a good damn day.
