Voices
and entertaining show each night.
However, last week I was referenced in a New York Times piece
(“Bullish on Boyish” by Bill Carter)
about Jimmy Fallon and his taking
over of The Tonight Show. Specifically, the piece was about Jimmy
and the expectations that have
been placed upon him as he takes
the reins of a legendary franchise.
Understanding all of that, I obviously didn’t expect or want to
be a focal point of the piece, and I
really just appreciated the photo of
me at the top of the article placed
alongside my late night contemporaries that featured my new haircut — the feedback has been overwhelming. What bothered me was
that when I was listed in a paragraph with the late-night hosts, I
was the only name put in parentheses. Mr. Carter wrote, “(The
only female host in late-night is
Chelsea Handler, 38, on E!).”
I wanted to confirm what a parenthetical suggests, so I looked
up the definition. The first few
definitions that came up were:
incidental, subordinate in significance, minor or casual.
The particular paragraph I was
mentioned in was about the competition Jimmy faces for younger
viewers. Depending upon whose
CHELSEA
HANDLER
HUFFINGTON
03.02.14
research you look at, I share the
distinction of having the youngest
average viewership with Colbert,
The Daily Show and Conan. So
from a purely statistical standpoint how, in this paragraph, could
I only be mentioned as an aside?
Was it because I’m a woman?
I don’t expect everyone to like
me or my show, or even watch
When I was listed in a
paragraph with the late-night
hosts, I was the only name
put in parentheses. Mr. Carter
wrote, “(The only female
host in late-night is Chelsea
Handler, 38, on E!).”
my show — most nights I’m my
harshest critic both professionally
and personally. And while much
of the press has kindly acknowledged my contribution to the
late-night landscape I feel over
the years, several media outlets
have marginalized my presence in
the late-night game. I imagined
my sustained on-air presence
would eventually triumph over
any possible gender biases. Plus, I
don’t have the energy or desire to