Tuesday, February 25, 2014

IS IT REALLY 2014?  Seth Meyers just became the first network late night talk show host to hire a female staff writer of color. David Letterman has never hired a black writer in 32 years of late night tv.  Come on.

9 comments:

  1. Adam B.10:48 PM

    Also on Meyers' writing staff? John Lutz!

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  2. Guess they'll be eating a lot of Blimpie over at Late Night.

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  3. Joseph Finn9:05 AM

    Aw, I didn't know he and Sue Galloway (the writer on TGS with the long blonde hair) are married in real life.


    And man, Lutz's triumph involving Blimpies was one of the most satisfying things I saw on TV last year.

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  4. Jason Carlin9:53 AM

    I've always known late night writer's rooms tended to be white dude clubs, generally, but holy cow when you see it collected like this.

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  5. Adam B.9:59 AM

    That, plus all the other creepy stuff with Letterman and female staffers that seems to have been swept under the rug.

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  6. christy in nyc9:59 AM

    I didn't even know until I saw this post that Lutz's real name is Lutz.

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  7. Adam C.10:56 AM

    Yes, pretty appalling.

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  8. christy in nyc10:58 AM

    Real talk: sometimes I'm thrilled to have the chance to help make
    entertainment less sexist and less racist, and collaborate with others
    who want to do the same. Other times it feels like MY BRAIN IS ON FIRE.

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  9. Becca4:46 PM

    You know, in a way, this surprises me. I mean, in the TV segment that I work in, I work with lots of women and people of color. Not as many as I think should be here, but it's still more diverse than network. Most of my friends also work in the same area - cable/reality/docu-series, and they all say the same thing. Every once in a while you encounter an office that has a real gender or diversity problem, but it's not that often. And I know when I'm booking interviewees, I make a conscious effort to include diverse guests as well. It doesn't always work out, but I try. Most of my colleagues do, too. We're always aware of women/POC/minorities in our shows. So, for these guys to still be holding out and sticking to what they know, man. It amazes me. I feel like it must take some real effort. I am constantly encountering genuine talent in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

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