Lilly Singh apologizes for distasteful joke that backfires

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Jessica Alba was a guest on 'A Little Late with Lilly Singh'

ASAM NEWS

YouTuber Lilly Singh kicked off her new late-night talk show just a couple weeks ago, but she’s already under fire after a controversial joke in which she compared turbans to bath towels, reports Entertainment Weekly.

Singh recently featured guest Jessica Alba on A Little Late With Lilly Singh, when Alba was discussing a house visit during which Singh encountered Alba’s two young kids.

“They’re really good at being cool, especially with people that they geek out over like you,” Alba explained to Singh, according to People. “They’re trying to be cool about it. I was like, ‘Lilly’s downstairs,’ and they’re like, ‘Lilly’s downstairs?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, come say hi.’ They wear the towels, the turbie twists, so they like look super not cool in the turbie twists but it dries their hair really quickly, so it’s very practical.”

“They look like my Punjabi friends,” said Singh. “It’s fine.”

People took to social media to respond to the comment:

Singh posted the following apology to Twitter on Friday:

“This was the first episode of the show I ever taped and I was very nervous, doing improv that wasn’t well thought out,” part of the apology reads. “I’m incredibly sorry to those I hurt with that comparison.

“I don’t wear a turban and I haven’t lived that experience and so I really value people giving perspective. I’m grateful that this was a teachable moment instead of another opportunity to divide and attack.”

The apology was accompanied by a second Tweet containing an educational comedy sketch on turbans:

The Canada-born comedian was raised in a Sikh household to parents who immigrated from Punjab, India. According to NBC News, Singh is the first openly LGBTQIA+ person and the first woman of color to host an American major network late-night show. Singh identifies as bisexual.

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Don't forget to set your DVRs; Lilly Singh's first late night show premieres tonight

All the pre-show hype releases say Lilly Singh's debut show of A Little Late with Lilly Singh will air tonight, Sept. 16, at 1:30 a.m. What's weird is that 1:30 a.m. is actually Sept. 16, tomorrow morning.

That's a little late for those of us who have to go to work the next day, so I expect recording devices to be in full throttle tonight, or next morning, ... whatever.

Singh, a Youtube sensation with over 15 million followers, was picked to be the new late night talk show host for NBC, replacing Carson Daley, which ran for 17 years.

“This one’s for the culture… it’s not just about my own milestone — it’s about minorities, it’s about women of color, it’s about paving a path," she said on the Today Show this morning.

The Indian Canadian comedian/rapper is making history as the first Asian host for a nationally syndicated talk show and the only woman to host a late night talk show. No pressure there.

For her first show, comedian-actor-writer-producer Mindy Kaling will be her first-ever guest.

OK, so technically, the advance press releases might be accurate because NBC will stream Singh's first episode on YouTube at 10 p.m. ET Monday on the show's YouTube channel, about three-and-a-half hours before the on-air debut. For us West Coasters, that means we'll be able to watch the show anytime after 7 p.m.

Besides Kaling, the other scheduled guest will be Rainin Wilson, Kaling's costar on the long-running The Office.

Other guests scheduled for A Little Late's inaugural week are Saturday Night Live mainstay Kenan Thompson (Sept. 17) when I hope they talk about SNL's new cast member Shane Gilles, Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross (Sept. 18) and comedian Chelsea Handler (Sept. 19).

I include a touching video that introduces a fan known only as True, Lilly Singh's Asian Canadian super fan "True," whose appearance was made possible by the Make A WIsh Foundation. 

Singh, seeing the shuttered doors to Hollywood a formidable obstacle, like many Asians, used Youtube as a venue to introduce herself and gain experience. After a brief "mental health break" last year, Singh was picked for the late night slot.

Not forsaking her legions of social media fans around the world (as you might imagine, she's wildly popular in Asia playing to sold out concert venues), The Youtube stream will include the full first episode of A Little Late, along with some additional content airing directly before and after the show.

Singh told The Hollywood Reporter that in addition to the on-air content, the show will feature web-only sketches on its YouTube channel: "I think of the show as launching at 1:30 a.m. and then it has a life for the next 24 hours."

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