Amber Ruffin makes history as first female writer for a late night talk show
For the first time in the history of late night talk shows, a black woman will grace the writers’ room. In fact, Ms. Amber Ruffin will be the first woman of any color to write for a network late night talk show. Ruffin will join Late Night with Seth Meyers as an official member of the show’s writing staff.
Let that sink in for a moment.
As Kate Dries on Jezebel points, the only late night shows that have ever featured a woman of color on their staff have been either premium cable or off-network, including Totally Biased, The Chris Rock Show and Real Time with Bill Maher. (In other news, Totally Biased was canceled??)
The Daily Show hired Jessica Williams in 2010, but her official role is correspondant, not staff writer.
Read more at The New York Observer
On Tuesday, Saturday Night Live announced the addition of Sasheer Zamata, the first black woman since Maya Rudolph left in 2007 to its lineup, and LaKendra Tookers and Leslie Jones as staff writers.
Ms. Ruffin, who trained at Chicago’s Second City, was part of a mid-season audition for SNL. The audition was a casting call specifically for African American women in response to criticism the show had been receiving for its lack of diversity.
Congratulation Ms. Ruffin!
Thoughts on the news?
What’s up with women not being writers for late-night television? Does the world believe that men are funnier?
Sound off below!