THE stubborn curfew barring female hosts from late-night network TV is about to be challenged, as NBC’s “A Little Late With Lilly Singh” will debut Monday.

Singh is attempting the leap from YouTube sensation to broadcast headliner in a single bound, doesn’t plan to dwell on the late-night staple of politics and is only the second woman of color to host a nightly show on a major network since former VH1 VJ Cynthia Garrett was in charge of NBC’s “Later” for a year — two decades ago.

It’s been more than three decades since Joan Rivers’ equally brief tenure as the first woman to host a daily late-night show on Fox.

Singh, born in a Canadian immigrant family of Indian origin, established herself online with “Superwoman” as her nickname and was the only woman on Forbes’ 2017 list of highest-paid YouTube stars with estimated earnings of US$10 million.

Mindy Kaling, Kenan Thompson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Chelsea Handler are the debut week guests, with Rainn Wilson making an appearance, NBC said Friday. “A Little Late,” taking over at 1:30 a.m. EDT for “Last Call With Carson Daly” after its 17-year run, will have the familiar talk-show elements of a monologue, guests and comedy bits. Less familiar is the approach Singh describes, one that echoes the blend of pointed humor and personal candor that earned her 14 million-plus YouTube followers and contrasts with other male hosts. In a recent tweet, she casually noted she’s bisexual.

(SD-Agencies)