Larry Wilmore says Comedy Central’s cancellation of The Nightly Show must mean one thing: racism is no longer a problem in the U.S.
In an opening monologue that kicked off the final week of his show, Wilmore addressed the news by thanking Comedy Central and the show’s viewers, but he also offered a more tongue-in-cheek response.
“On the plus side, I must say, our show going off the air has to only mean one thing: Racism is solved,” Wilmore quipped. “We did it.”
The Nightly Show began in January 2015 as a late-night show centered largely on the subject of race. Low ratings and the show’s inability to connect with audiences contributed to its cancellation, according to Comedy Central.
Wilmore said that his only regret was that the late-night show would not be around “to cover this truly insane election season.”
The final episode of The Nightly Show will air Thursday at 11:30 p.m. Chris Hardwick’s @midnight will air in the timeslot for the time being.
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Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com