Larry Whitmore on The Nightly Show cancellation: 'I guess racism is solved'
'Our show was at its best when the news was at its worst'
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On Monday night, The Nightly Show host Larry Wilmore spared no time in addressing his show's cancellation.
"So, how was your day?" he asked an adoring audience, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "As many of you have probably heard, this is our final week of The Nightly Show."
Comedy Central announced the show would close earlier on in the day, the last episode of which will air on Thursday.
"When we started the show, we wanted to have a conversation of some very tough subjects,” Wilmore continued. “Our show was at its best when the news was at its worst. I'm just proud we were able to take on such issues [and make some people laugh] during some very dark days.
"My only regret is we won't be around to cover this truly insane election season. Though, on the plus side, our show going off the air has to mean one thing: Racism is solved. We did it.”
The network’s president, Kent Alterman, said of the cancellation: "We just didn't feel like we had enough traction to sign up for another year. It wasn't about the election; it’s about another year of the show.
“As much as we like Larry and the uniqueness of the show and the voices that are on the show — not just in terms of ratings — it hasn't resonated in terms of our fans engaging with show.”
When The Nightly Show launched, it benefitted from being slotted directly after The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. However, since Trevor Noah took over The Daily Show, ratings have fallen.
Wilmore informed staff of the decision early on Monday, revealing his disappointment, saying the network was “unblackening”.
"I'm really grateful to Comedy Central, Jon Stewart, and our fans to have had this opportunity," he said in a statement. “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.”
Other late night shows in the US have been poking fun at the current state of politics in the US, particularly Donald Trump who has been on the receiving end of numerous jokes.
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