Stewart & Wilmore, late night comedy’s new power hour begins. Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” premieres on Monday, January 19 at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT and air weeknights following “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”
Continuing in Comedy Central’s grand tradition of producing groundbreaking late night formats, “The Nightly Show” (twitter: @NightlyShow) will provide viewers with Larry Wilmore’s deconstructive point of view and comedic take on current events and pop culture. Hosted by Wilmore, the series will feature a diverse panel of voices including Contributors Shenaz Treasury, Ricky Velez, Mike Yard and guests who will participate and offer a perspective largely missing in the late night television landscape.
“The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” was created by Jon Stewart and will be produced by Stewart’s Busboy Productions with Stewart, Wilmore and Rory Albanese serving as Executive Producers, Amy Ozols as Co-Executive Producer and Sue Fellows as Supervising Producer. The series’ Head Writer is Robin Thede.
Well-known to fans of “The Daily Show” for his role as the “Senior Black Correspondent” on “The Best F*&#ing News Team Ever!,” Larry Wilmore (twitter: @thelarrywilmore) joined “The Daily Show” in 2006 after an award-winning career in television writing and producing in the early 90s. Wilmore created the critically-acclaimed and award-winning “The Bernie Mac Show,” which won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2002, and co-created the animated show “The PJs” with Eddie Murphy. He has also written for shows such as “In Living Color,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “The Jamie Foxx Show.” Wilmore was a consulting producer on NBC’s “The Office,” also appearing in a few episodes. Most recently, he served as executive producer/showrunner for the launch of ABC’s hit comedy “black-ish.”
Wilmore, who started his career as an actor and stand-up comic before transitioning to writing and producing, has also appeared in “Dinner for Schmucks,” “Love Bites,” “Traffic Light,” “Accidentally on Purpose” and “Happy Endings.” His first book, titled “I’d Rather We Got Casinos and Other Black Thoughts,” was released by Hyperion Books in 2009. In addition to receiving an Emmy, Wilmore has been nominated for and received numerous other awards including a Peabody, Humanitas and NAACP Image Award.
Shenaz Treasury is a popular Bollywood actor, writer, TV host, and travel and cultural reporter who has lived and worked all over the globe. She began her career with MTV Asia and became a household name in India at the age of sixteen. She was nominated for a Filmfare Award for her first Bollywood film “Ishq Vishk,” which went on to be an Asia-wide box office phenomenon. Her film “Delhi Belly” was the biggest hit of 2011 in India, and was one of the top ten films on iTunes that year. She also wrote, produced and hosted the series “Culture Shock” on the Travel Channel. Four years ago, she immigrated to the U.S.
Ricky Velez is a stand-up comedian who was born and raised in Queens. Last month he was named “New York’s Funniest” by the New York Comedy Festival and one of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch.” He is repped by UTA and 3Arts.
Originally from St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mike Yard is a New York City based stand-up comedian who regularly headlines at clubs across the country. Yard was also the stand-up winner of Comedy Central’s “Get Up Stand Up” online competition and performed with Greg Giraldo in Jamaica. His television appearances include Comedy Central’s “Inside Amy Schumer” and “Live at Gotham,” HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” produced by Russell Simmons, “The Apollo Comedy Hour” and BET’s “Comic View.”
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