Late Show booker Eddie Brill has been let go, following a New York Times article in which he said a pretty dumb thing about female comics being less “authentic” than men. (Brill subsequently claimed that the quote was taken out of context, but the article’s author denied it.)
Sure, it’s a bummer to see someone lose their job over one or two sentences, but it’s also kind of awesome that the incredibly outdated and close-minded sentiment displayed in those sentences won’t fly in the comedy community today. Especially on the part of someone responsible for choosing which comics to showcase to a huge audience. Brill, who will stay on as Letterman’s warm-up comic, said that the booking will be taken over by “a small group of 25-year-olds.” He was probably just making a self-deprecating joke, but he might also be inadvertently giving some good advice to the Late Show: age aside, their booker should be someone who seeks to understand and appreciate the state of comedy today, not 40 years ago.