It’s a sad day when a comedy institution comes to an end, no matter who it is. And while David Letterman‘s retirement is the end of an era within my generation, it provides an intriguing guessing game as to who’ll be the new host. While I’m waiting in anticipation for the announcement, watching Seth Myers‘ public access/Church Lady hybrid, I decided to create a wish list of ladies I’d be willing to stay up past 10pm to watch. Seems Chelsea Handler has a mysteriously clear schedule all of a sudden, and who wouldn’t want to see Tina Fey and/or Amy Poehler recreate their Golden Globe magic every night of the week? Instead of a Top 10 list, here is an arbitrary list of some funny ladies who’d kill at late night. With Carrie Brownstein as the bandleader, obviously. Ellen DeGeneres
We’ll get the captain obvious moment out of the way first. After recently revisiting Ellen’s HBO specials this past Friday night, I was reminded just how amazingly hilarious she really is. Yes, that is what I do on Friday nights, and no I didn’t need the reminder. I very much realize that there is a daily 3pm reminder of Ellen’s talk show prowess but late night would offer her the ability to reclaim the irreverence found in her stand-up days. If not, it’s cool, I’ll always have my Here and Now VHS. I can’t say the same for my VCR though. Cameron Esposito
There’s a good chance I’ve mentioned this more times than I can count, but after nailing her first late-night appearance and engaging Jay Leno in a denim-off, Esposito was invited to sit on the couch among both Leno and Craig Ferguson. The Late Late Show host assured her that she would be on TV plenty more times and Leno called her the “future of comedy.” Coming from an actual panel of experts, seems those sentiments might be prophetic. Julie Goldman
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been dying to see an audacious butch lady on late night TV for a while (AHEM SNL), or a butch lady on TV, period. I think the perfect compromise would be giving Julie Goldman a shot at the late-night desk. Her on-point impressions would revive the lost art of monologues, and her days on The Big Gay Sketch Show prove she is a sketch comedy natural. It’s about time we got this lady a regular TV spot. The only people I see disagreeing with me would be the censors. Liz Feldman
Does anyone remember lying in bed, holding their girlfriends hand while watching an endless loop of This Just Out? Oh yeah, uh, me either. If you’re like me and have no idea what I’m talking about, it might be time to revisit Feldman’s vlog, which ran from 2008 until 2010. I think her ability to interview celesbians like Kate Moennig, Clea DuVall, and Tegan and Sara more than qualifies her to be the next big late-night giant. That is, if she can pull herself away from writing for 2 Broke Girls and developing a yet-to-be-named lesbian-themed sitcom with Ellen. Janine Brito
Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell‘s success found the show going from weekly to nightly, no doubt because of it’s talent that included on-air correspondent, Janine Brito. On the Chris Rock produced FX series, Janine nailed the professional menswear look and proved her topical monologue chops. She was also named the “Best Comedian with a Message” by the East Bay Express, which is exactly the kind of person you want delivering news and interviewing celebrities. She was also called “a mean lesbian,” which I’m not gonna lie, I’m totally into.
Sara Gilbert
While Sarah Gilbert might not be the obvious comedic choice for late-night hosts, I seem to remember a little show called Roseanne where she nailed quite a few punch-lines as the sarcastic middle child on the 90s sitcom. In fact, that show was so controversial in my household, that I had to sneak watch it after dark. Seems I was on to something. The only thing that might keep Gilbert from making the switch to late night is her hit daytime show, The Talk, and her new wife, Linda Perry. Rosie O’Donnell
Do I even need to list reasons? BRING BACK ROSIE! Hannah Gadsby
Nothing like adding a little international flare to an American institution, and I think Hannah Gadsby would be perfect for the job. Quickly rising to prominence after winning the Raw Comedy competition, she has toured internationally and appeared on Australian and New Zealand television. She just ended her tenure as the co-star on the show Adam Hills Tonight, where she hosted regular segments and interviewed guests. She is delightfully sarcastic and heart-breakingly self-deprecating which make her endlessly relatable. She also takes every opportunity to make use of her art history degree, presenting comedic art lectures at festivals around the world alongside her stand up comedy shows. Hilariously cultured? Get her behind that desk! Kate McKinnon
Since late night seems to like poaching its hosts from SNL, it might be in their best interest to give the ex-founder of Vag magazine, Kate McKinnon, a try. Kate proves that hard work pays off, and if that’s not enough, her dead-on Ellen DeGeneres impression should land her the gig for sure. As the only out women in Saturday Night Live‘s history, I see no reason she wouldn’t be considered for another trailblazing position on late-night TV. Fortune Feimster
As a Chelsea Lately round-table regular, Fortune’s clocked quite a bit of late-night TV experience. Early in her career, she went from zero to sixty, quickly making a name for herself on the comedy festival circuit before she made her national TV debut on NBC’s Last Comic Standing where she finished as a semi-finalist. She auditioned for SNL, (WHY NO LIKEY?) but, instead, nabbed a job as full-time writer and performer on the E! Network’s Chelsea Lately. And now, with the show ending, seems Fortune might just be a free agent. (CALL HER) Jessica Williams
I just don’t know that I’ll ever stop singing Jessica Williams’ praises. As a seriously funny, and seriously young, correspondent on The Daily Show, Jessica has proven her familiarity with the comedy found in current events and conducting celebrity interviews. Performing regularly around LA, and making her television debut in 2006, her star is rising quickly, finding her making a guest appearance on the 3rd season of Girls. Someone should probably give this girl serious late-night consideration before her schedule fills up.
