Trudeau absent from Lilly Singh's prime-time special
CBC News | Posted: September 19, 2019 7:01 PM | Last Updated: September 19, 2019
Liberal leader was shown in promotional material ahead of Wednesday's special
A group of stars joined late-night newcomer Lilly Singh for a prime-time TV special Wednesday night, but one special guest touted in advance — Canadian Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau — was missing.
Singh kicked off her debut as the sole female host of a main U.S. network late-night show, NBC's A Little Late with Lilly Singh, on Monday.
On Wednesday, NBC celebrated the crossover YouTuber star's debut week with a prime-time special featuring appearances by actors Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia and Tony Hale, singer Christina Aguilera and comedian Kenan Thompson. Pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer delivered a musical performance.
Earlier this week, however, in promotional material, NBC had also listed Trudeau as an expected guest.
The special aired late Wednesday evening, hours after news emerged Trudeau had appeared in brownface at a 2001 gala at the private school in Vancouver where he was teaching at the time.
In an apology issued Wednesday night, Trudeau admitted he had also performed in blackface for a talent show in high school in Montreal.
A representative from NBC Entertainment told CBC News they made a "quick decision" to remove the "very short pre-taped segment of Justin Trudeau's appearance on Lilly's show." The representative also confirmed there are no plans to air the segment in the future.
In her monologue for her Wednesday night episode, Singh mocked consumer brands for selling problematic products, including fashion designs that evoke blackface.
Trudeau has previously cheered Singh on via social media, most recently on Monday when he posted a good-luck message to the Toronto-born performer.