Ziwe’s chat show axed after just two seasons – and fans are furious: ‘Loser behaviour’
Ziwe’s Showtime talk show cancelled. (Myles Loftin/Myles Loftin/SHOWTIME)
American comedian Ziwe Fumudoh’s late-night talk show, Ziwe, has been cancelled after two successful seasons – and fans are not happy.
The Showtime series saw Fumudoh tackle the hottest topics in the US, including race, politics and culture, through a biting satirical lens and with a host of celebrity guests.
Interviewing the likes of actors Amber Riley, Bowen Yang and Drew Barrymore, as well as musician Phoebe Bridgers, and comedian Nicole Byer, Fumudoh created more than one viral moment.
The show also included musical numbers and sketches, creating a loyal fan base. We need only look to her interview with Riley, where things got chaotic after asking her about Lea Michele’s alleged racism, to see her undeniable charm on screen.
Or that time she interviewed four Karens. Yes, really.
It is unclear why the series has been pulled, with the last episode airing in December, although the channel has seen an overhaul since Showtime chief executive, David Nevins, left last year.
The president and chief executive of Paramount Media, Chris McCarthy, has since taken over, leading to the cancellation of The L Word: Generation Q (although a spin-off is in the works) and the dropping of cult-classic The Wood.
Fumudoh is yet to officially speak on social media about the chat show being cancelled but has previously said what it means to her.
“What I love is that every episode has a different energy and is surprising,” she told EW. “You can’t possibly get bored going from Mia Khalifa to Emily Ratajkowski, [from] Adam Pally to Hannibal Buress.”
Given Fumudoh’s career, including as writer on Dickinson and appearing in Succession, fans are already expressing their outrage at the cancellation.
“Literally cannot imagine cancelling Ziwe, she is a viral megastar. This show catapulted her into high celebrity, that doesn’t happen because no one is watching! Loser behaviour, tbh,” one fan wrote.
Others questioned whether she was simply too daring in her questioning, making TV executives nervous.
As one person noted: “This is bulls**t! Ziwe is one of the only talk shows in existence that’s actually hilarious and makes fun of all the right people. Starting to think she and the writers pissed off someone powerful because she was getting too real in those interviews.”
But most fans are mourning the show.
Others are hoping the show could be picked up by another streaming service, or even turn into its own online show.
