Statement: Trevor Noah & The Future of Comedy Central’s Late-Night, And Constance Wu Opens Up About New Book & Recent Struggles On ‘Red Table Talk’
Lynette Romero - NBC Universial
Broadcast: The Jennifer Hudson Show debuted its first season with an impressive lineup of guests. The daytime talk show premiered on September 12 on Fox and has been long anticipated. The guest lineup includes Simon Cowell with Magic Johnson, Viola Davis, and Mickey Guyton, the first Black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nomination in a country category.
Fox26 premiered an alternative-style talk show with The Nightcap, hosted by Carolina Sanchez. The half-hour program features interviews with newsmakers and celebrities on the set’s pink couch to discuss controversial topics over cocktails poured by a rotating cast of bartenders. Sanchez states the show will discuss topics, lifestyles, and cultures not typically shared on television with an open mind. The show premiered on October 10.
Lynette Romero joins the Today in LA team as an anchor and reporter. The journalist will report the weekday newscast from 4-7 a.m. alongside her co-anchor Adrian Arambulo. Romero previously worked with KTLA for 24 years before leaving abruptly to the shock of her fans and colleagues. In a statement, Renee Washington, Vice President of News at NBC4, said, “She is a dynamic anchor with an upbeat approach to help our viewers kick start their day, and I am happy to welcome her to the NBC4 family.”
Natalie Morales joins CBS Mornings on CBS News. The journalist was recently named a permanent co-host and moderator for The Talk and will join CBS News as a correspondent. Morales previously worked for NBC News for 22 years and appeared on Dateline and Today. “It’s a privilege to contribute to the CBS News programs, and I’m hoping to tell the stories that matter and to talk about issues many of us face,” said Morales in a statement.
Circle City Broadcasting will begin a program at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis for students interested in news production. Dujuan McCoy, owner, President, and CEO of Circle City Broadcasting is partnering with Tina McCoy and the JP Morgan Chase Foundation to open the one-year certificate program. The program will be available to students of all backgrounds but focuses on ensuring multicultural and underserved communities have access to it. The partners said, “We believe this program can become a model for other colleges and broadcasting companies in America.”
Trevor Noah - Comedy Central
Cable: An era in Late-Night Talk closes—Trevor Noah stunned viewers after announcing his departure as the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Noah has hosted the show for seven years and is helmed the most prominent non-white host late-night, but he plans to expand his impressive resume with other projects outside of daily hosting. Sources close to the host state Noah intends to dedicate more time to touring, writing, and producing. In 2016, his memoir Born a Crime became a New York Times bestseller, and he is currently working on his next comedy special for Netflix titled Trevor Noah: Back to Abnormal Tour. No date or timeline for changes has been announced, but the show will continue after Noah’s exit. The news surprised audiences and the staff at Paramount Global, owners of Comedy Central, who had no indication of the host’s upcoming departure.
Disney temporarily brings back channels to Dish and Sling TV while negotiations continue. Late September saw the disruption of major channels owned by Disney on Dish and Sling TV after failing to reach a distribution agreement. However, steps forward were made when Disney announced they had agreed to return their channels, ESPN, FX Networks, Nat Geo, Freeform, and The Disney Channel, back on a temporary basis while the companies continue to finalize a new deal.
The second half of season two of Ziwe, Showtime’s late-night talk show, will return to streaming and on-demand on November 18 before making its on-air return on November 20. The first half premiered in May, with the first six episodes now available to stream on Showtime. The upcoming six episodes will include guests Drew Barrymore, Julia Fox, Michael Che, Amber Riley, Blake Griffin, Joel Kim Booster, Bob The Drag Queen, DeRay Mckesson, and Wayne Brady.
Streaming: Allen Media Group’s free streaming app, Local Now, will carry twenty-seven of Hearts Television’s Very Local news channels. The ad-supported streaming channels serve 26 U.S. media markets in thirty-nine states and provide news and local content produced by Hearst’s TV stations. Byron Allen, the founder of Allen Media Group said, “We are thrilled to bring best-in-class local programming from Hearst Television to the Local Now platform. Our users value premium local news channels that they know and trust.”
The Grio, owned by Allen Media Group, launched a new series, Masters of the Game, on September 30. The series is an interview-style talk show where the host, Touré, asks guests about their success. The first guests were Jennifer King, the first Black female NFL coach, and tennis player Frances Tiafoe. Future episode guests include Tyler Perry, Doc Rivers, and five-time Emmy Award-winning actress Debbie Allen.
Constance Wu addresses struggles and a new book in an upcoming episode of Red Table Talk hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow, and her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris. The Hustlers actress states her memoir, Making A Scene, published on October 4, details her struggles of feeling the pressure of being the symbol of Asian representation on cable TV, harassment on the sitcom Fresh Off The Boat, and her breakdown following it all.
