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But she is also (until Robin ThedesThe Rundownreturns) the only black woman helming a late-night show.
It could not be more timely.
It is one of many hosting gigs Tyler has had over the years.
She came to national attention throughTalk Soupand co-hosting the live daytime talk showThe Talkfor six years.
She is still hosting the latest incarnation ofWhose Line Is It Anyway?
Your show is live, and it touches on subjects that tend to get people heated and occasionally profane.
But we havent had any really combative conversations.
We give everybody a lot of time.
We want it to be a conversation that advances dialogue, not a conversation that somebody wins.
And so it really hasnt been problematic.
You build in lots of room for dynamism and for unexpected things to happen.
And then you let them unfold and then you manage what you’re free to.
It made me a really good observer.
It just becomes kind of a natural state for you, so its not as disruptive.
Being the only black kid made me more of an iconoclast.
Especially as a comedian.
My comedy is very personal and it doesnt really follow any of the common stylistic schools of comedy.
I came up whenDef Comedy Jamwas really popular, andQueens of Comedy.
Those performers do that beautifully, and I cant do that.
Ill never be able to do that if I tried all my life.
Because I had always been that that had always been my state as a kid.
And so it translated into bravery.
OnThe Talk,it was always our job to verify that the guest won.
There are a lot of talk shows that arent like that.
That was our job.
They came out of that place feeling good about the visit.
We werent a news show, we werent there to press people.
We were an entertainment talk show.
We were there to make everybody look good, and that meant we looked good.
I want you to speak freely.
Now onUnapologetic,I really tell people to speak freely.
Were a cable show, we can bleep you.
We want this to be a conversation.
And people arent there to promote a project or prove themselves, theyre there to have a conversation.
What they all say afterwards is I have never had a conversation like that on TV before.
So I think a part of making people feel comfortable is telling them theyre safe.
But then you also have tomakethem safe.
Were not there to capture anybody.
Its not a gotcha show.
Its not a lecture or a grilling.
Im part of the conversation to make it less like an interview.
Because when people smell that energy, they shut down.
But in my podcast specifically, because it was long-form interviews, I always still got them.
I still got em!
But they were a willing participant in the getting.
So I always still had my gotcha moment, but it came from a place of support and safety.
We recently had Charlize Theron onUnapologetic.
Shes typically very polished, because the job requires it.
So shes very good at deciding what shes going to share with people.
On my show she was wildly open, talking about her childhood and growing up in South Africa.
But for me, that was the moment.
And thats because Im letting them know that its safe to be vulnerable here.
So I get my bees with honey and not with vinegar.
The show is so often deeply political and deeply personal.
Especially now for women and people of color in this country; both are in peril.
The political and the personal cant be divided.
Im driven by conscience.
Different people carry around different loads of guilt.
I grew up in a working-class family.
My father didnt make it past the eighth grade.
He was a construction worker, a meat cutter, and a deep-sea fisherman.
My mom cleaned houses when I was young.
And everything that I have, I worked for.
You spoke on the showabout the Chris Hardwick situation.
Was that difficult, in the moment?Very difficult, very difficult.
Chris and I have been friends for a very long time.
Hes never been anything but kind and generous to me.
Hes a friend, and I said it on the show.
I consider him a friend, and Ive considered him a friend for a long time.
So people couldnt say that I have mixed loyalties or a hidden agenda.
And so I think that story and that situation is still evolving.
But I have always considered Chris a friend.
We all felt like we knew that guy.
And he was someone very, very different.
And I think its hard to reconcile.
But the evidence was overwhelmingly there.
Its indisputable that Bill Cosby was a predator.
Its not fair toanyof the parties.
Other ex-girlfriends have come forward with support for him.
And that doesnt negate another persons experience with him.
It just paints a larger picture?It does.
Unapologeticis only one of, let me check my notes, 97 million shows youre currently on.
How … when do you sleep?I dont.
I really like working hard.
I am lucky that I am able to do all the stuff I get to do.
And I really am fueled by, not chaos, but by intensity.
I have a go at run on intensity and dynamism.
But it is overwhelming at times.
Theres Robin Thede withThe Rundown,but thats a news-based show.
Im the only one doing a comedic talk show.
So it requires a bit of stamina.
I think diversity is not about quotas.
Diversity is about depth and breadth of perspectives.
It cant just be six white guys in suits talking about the same stuff.
Its a paucity of imagination right now.
It just improves the quality of content.
So yeah, it was important to me.
And I do say, confidently, that there is no show likeUnapologeticon TV.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
