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W. Kamau Bell Laments “The Whiteness of Late Night”

Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers. What do all these names have in common? They're all currently, or are going to be, late-night talk show hosts. And they're all white guys. In a column for Buzzfeed, comedian W. Kamau Bell rails against "the whiteness of late night," and comments upon the opportunities for change that have been passed up, in recent months especially.

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Liz Raftery

Jimmy FallonConan O'BrienStephen ColbertJames CordenJimmy KimmelSeth Meyers. What do all these names have in common? They're all currently, or are going to be, late-night talk show hosts.

And they're all white guys.

In a column for Buzzfeed, comedian W. Kamau Bell rails against "the whiteness of late night," and comments upon the opportunities for change that have been passed up, in recent months especially.

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"Every time a late-night job becomes available, people on social media and websites like this one get to play Fantasy TV Exec! And we toss around overqualified, non-white guy candidates like Aisha TylerMaya RudolphWayne BradyTina FeyMargaret ChoEllen DeGeneres, andChris Rock," Bell writes. "Occasionally, I even get thrown into the mix. And for a little while it is exciting to think of the possibility of these shows... until we actually hear the announcement."

Bell also addressed CBS' recent confirmation that James Corden would take over from (fellow white guy) Craig Ferguson as host of The Late Late Show. "There was a collective same as it ever was from those same people who made all those fantasy lists. Look, I'm sure he'll be great. CBS seems to know what they are doing over there in late night. Nobody predicted Craig Ferguson's success. ... And even if Corden isn't great right away — and this is what usually separates white guys from the rest of us — he'll get a chance to work out the kinks and get it right."

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While he's certainly not the first person to notice the trend, Bell argues that pioneering black late-night hosts like Arsenio Hall were forced off the air — but not before some innovations Hall brought to the table (i.e. having hip-hop groups and rappers as guests) were poached and assimilated into talk shows hosted by white men.

In order to find diversity among interview shows, Bell notes, viewers have to look online, where Aisha Tyler hosts her podcast "Girl on Guy," or to Netflix, where Chelsea Handler recently inked a talk show deal.  

"We diverse voices, as usual, have to create our own boxes and continue innovating America's pop culture... like always," Bell says. "And then we have to try to act not surprised when "mainstream" (read: white and male) steal it... like always."

What do you think of Bell's comments?