Eddie Brill axed as Late Show gatekeeper

The man who’s booked stand-ups for The Late Show with David Letterman for more than a decade has lost his job, just days after making controversial comments about female comedians.

In an interview with the New York Times last week, Eddie Brill said: ‘There are a lot less female comics who are authentic. I see a lot of female comics who to please an audience will act like men.;

Comic Elayne Boosler was one of the comics who took issue with the comment, writing on her Facebook page: ‘Sexism, racism, closed doors & ignorance in ANY field in 2012 are unacceptable.’

She added that Brill – a comedian himself who also does warm-ups for Letterman – was someone who ‘blocks access to the show & keeps the quality level down to boost himself’.

Although there has been no official word from the show or the CBS network, it is understood that Brill was stripped of his responsibility for ‘speaking to the press without authorisation’.

In the original interview Brill – who booked only one female comedian in 2011 – described exactly what he was seeking in comedians booked for the Letterman show, for example admitting a dislike for comics who by asking the audience how they’re doing, and a preference for punchline-driven comedy from acts who display vulnerability.

Brill had also faced accusations of conflicts of interest, as he runs comedy courses and some comics suggested he might favour his own graduates.

After the New York Times interview ran, Brill wrote on the mirthmag website: ‘I am hurting in so many ways. I know that I am a good person with good intentions and that I should have been more accurate with my words and feelings in the interview.

‘The bottom line is that I know what kind of person I am…and how I respect women comics and all comics.

‘It is time for me to accept the consequences of my printed words..and to learn from this. I apologise to all who have been affected by this.’

However, his apology does not appear to have saved his job as Letterman’s gatekeeper – although it has been reported that he will remain on the show as a warm-up man.

The Late Show is expected to revert to a system of a team of talent scouts and producers seeking which stand-ups get the career-boosting slots – in line with other late-night talk shows.

Published: 17 Jan 2012