YouTube sensation and York alumna Lilly Singh (BA ’10) at York's spirit rally in September 2016.
A household name to the York community, alumna Lilly Singh (BA ’10) has become renowned the world over, and is about to make her big debut as a host on late-night TV. A psychology grad, Singh became an internet sensation on YouTube. She now has more than 14 million subscribers and her success is paying dividends.
As announced on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the comic and entertainer is replacing Carson Daly in September as the host of NBC’s late-night talk show, aptly titled “A Little Late with Lilly Singh,” which will also make her the only female to currently host a late-night talk show on one of the four major U.S. television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox).
A proud York U alum, Indo-Canadian Singh, also known to her fans as ||Superwoman||, has experienced phenomenal success. She is a YouTube personality, vlogger, comedian, actress and rapper, and since October 2010, her videos have received more than 1.4 billion views. In 2016, she was declared by People magazine as being “one to watch,” and was ranked eighth on the Forbes magazine list of the world's highest paid YouTube stars, earning a reported $3 million in the previous year. She was also recognized by Forbes as being one of the top 30 under 30. Her accolades to date include an MTV Fandom Award, a Streamy Award and two Teen Choice Awards.
“When you graduate from this school, you can be whatever you want”
She challenges students to adopt #GirlLove attitudes to defeat girl-on-girl hate, which Singh said she experienced in high school and thought was a normal part of life. She expressed that girl-on-girl hate and suppression of girls and women is a global issue.
“Horrible things happen to women in the world. They can’t go to school, they are forced into work at an early age, they are abused,” she said. “Girl-on-girl hate needs to end and everyone needs to come together."
In September 2016, as part of York’s Red & White Day activities and the on-campus launch of the Impact Campaign, a rally included a highly anticipated appearance by Singh, inspiring and reaching out to students, and speaking to her affinity towards her alma mater.
“When you graduate from this amazing school, you can do whatever you want to do,” said Singh. “I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be texting The Rock, going to the White House and doing all these incredible things. I’m going to encourage you in whatever you want to do to not just believe in it, but to work really hard to achieve it – I truly believe that you can do it!”