Larry Wilmore’s “Nightly Show” has been canceled by Comedy Central after 18 months of relevant and important but low-rated shows.
Roughly 100 staff and crew for the “Colbert Report” replacement were given the news Monday morning.
“It is really sad for us because we not only respect and value Larry, we really have such affection for him and what he’s been doing,” Comedy Central President Kent Alterman told TheWrap. “Unfortunately, it hasn’t been translating to our audience.”
Added Wilmore, in a statement: “I’m really grateful to Comedy Central, Jon Stewart, and our fans to have had this opportunity. … But I’m also saddened and surprised we won’t be covering this crazy election or ‘The Unblackening’ as we’ve coined it. And keeping it 100, I guess I hadn’t counted on ‘The Unblackening’ happening to my time slot as well.”
Wilmore’s final “Nightly Show” will air Thursday at 11:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.
“Larry could not have been more of a gentleman and exhibited more graciousness,” Alterman said.
Alterman’s interim plan is for Comedy Central to switch Chris Hardwick’s “@midnight” to from midnight to 11:30 p.m. (And no, the show’s name won’t change to “@eleventhirty,” but Alterman did admit, “It’s possible that ‘@midnight’ evolves a bit accordingly.”)
Alterman also said he would be surprised if Wilmore were surprised by the news because of ongoing discussions about the show not getting enough viewers, engagement, or social shares.
Wilmore is a “Daily Show” alum, the former showrunner of the hit ABC sitcom “Black-ish” and now the executive producer of the HBO series “Insecure.”
He’s also known for being one of the smartest and nicest guys in comedy — so what went wrong?
The answer is “nuanced and complex,” Alterman said, and isn’t an indication that his show failed to cross racial lines.
“I don’t think it’s about the racial point-of-view or the minority voice point-of-view,” he said. “At 11 o’clock we have an African named Trevor Noah who does a lot of that, and it is really resonating.”
He said “The Nightly Show” just didn’t have enough “traction” to justify another year, and a bunch of looming contract renewals — including Larry’s — were coming up.
“@Midnight” will be followed at midnight by a primetime rerun.
Meanwhile, Comedy Central plans to “aggressively develop late-night,” Alterman said.
As for the channel’s future relationship with Wilmore, there is nothing in development, but Alterman called it a “one step at a time” process.
“We’ll be happy to sit down with him afterward, of course,” Alterman said.
15 Stars Whose Blackface Blunders Backfired, From Ted Danson to Jimmy Kimmel (Photos)
Don't even think of mimicking these celebrities.
Joni Mitchell
The singer posed in blackface on the cover of her album "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" in 1977, and later went on to justify it by saying, "I have experienced being a Black guy."
The "Cheers" star appeared at a New York Friars Club Roast in 1993 with then-girlfriend Whoopi Goldberg wearing blackface makeup to perform an offensive N-word-filled comedy routine.
The Oscar-winning actor came under fire in 2012 when video surfaced of a 2004 school fundraiser featuring Hanks and another man wearing blackface and stereotypical African clothing. Hanks later condemned the bit as "horribly offensive."
Jane Krakowski
The actress appeared in blackface in two episodes of the 2006-13 sitcom "30 Rock," in one case dressing as a Black man while co-star Tracy Morgan, who is African American, appeared as a white woman. Series creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock pulled the episodes from circulation in 2020.
The host of "America's Next Top Model" took heat, as did her show, for a photo shoot in 2009 in which competing models were made to look "biracial." Styling techniques included the darkening of contestants' skin.
Paula Deen
Following the epicure's ouster from the Food Network in the wake of her infamous N-word controversy, Deen posted a photo on Twitter from her show's 2011 Halloween episode featuring her son, Bobby, dressed as Ricky Ricardo, complete with brownface makeup.
Beyoncé
The diva took heat for a 2011 L'Officiel Paris cover with an "African Queen" theme for which the pop star's skin was darkened.
Jon Hamm
In a 2012 episode of "30 Rock," Hamm teamed with Tracy Morgan to re-create a parody version of a dated old TV show modeled on the stereotype-laden "Amos and Andy." Hamm doesn't so much blacken his face as dirty it, but the episode proved so problematic that creator Tina Fey pulled it from circulation in 2020.
The singer/dancer/actress drew criticism over a 2013 Halloween costume for which she donned dark makeup to masquerade as Uzo Aduba's "Orange Is the New Black" character Crazy Eyes.
The YouTuber known for his outrageous characters in 2014 was forced to apologize for the use of blackface in some of his videos, including a parody of talk show host Wendy Williams.
Kylie Jenner
Fans of the reality star jumped all over a photo she posted to her Instagram account from a 2015 shoot, outraged that her skin appeared to be darkened. "This is a black light and neon lights people lets all calm down," Jenner responded.
Luann de Lesseps
The former countess and "Real Housewives of New York" star apologized for her 2017 Halloween costume as Diana Ross -- even though she insisted that she didn't actually do blackface. "I had bronzer on that I wear normally like the rest of my skin," she later told Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens Live." "So I didn’t add anything to or would ever, ever dream of doing a blackface. Ever."
Oliver Peck
The longtime "Inkmasters" star announced he was departing the show in 2020 after an old photo resurfaced of him wearing blackface while portraying an NBA player.
Jimmy Fallon
The late-night host came under fire for a 2000 "Saturday Night Live" sketch in which he impersonated former "SNL" cast member Chris Rock -- in full makeup.
NBC
Jimmy Kimmel
In June 2020, ABC late-night host apologized for a series of sketches from earlier in his career when he darkened his skin to impersonate Black stars such as NBA player Karl Malone and Oprah Winfrey. "I apologize to those who were genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke,” he said of the sketches from "The Man Show" which he co-hosted from 1999-2003.
Comedy Central
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These celebrities offer a timely reminder that it’s never OK — so don’t try it