It featured Wilmore's scripted take on the news, followed by a panel discussion and later in most episodes a game with his guests.

[6] On April 10, 2014, it was announced that Colbert would leave Comedy Central at the end of 2014 and replace Letterman as the host of Late Show on CBS beginning in 2015.

According to the network president, Stewart said it would be the ideal time-slot for a show with a different format that would "provide an opportunity for the underrepresented voices out there".

Stewart, Wilmore, and former The Daily Show showrunner Rory Albanese served as executive producers.

[9] Wilmore had been slated to be showrunner on the ABC sitcom Black-ish (on which he is now billed as a consulting producer), but had to decline so he would be available to host The Nightly Show.

[8] On May 9, 2014, it was officially announced that Wilmore had been selected to host a show to air in the 11:30 PM time-slot for Mondays through Thursdays on Comedy Central beginning in 2015.

[11] He had worked as a contributor on the show since August 2006; he served as the "Senior Black Correspondent" and also ran "Wilmore-Oliver Investigates" alongside John Oliver.

The original title of the show was going to be The Minority Report with Larry Wilmore, which was suggested by Jon Stewart.

On August 15, 2016, it was announced that The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore had been cancelled and would temporarily run episodes of @midnight in its spot.

Ours is so much more specific and has different structure to it, so it does get shared, but it’s just a different tone.” He also expressed his disappointment about the cancellation, saying he was "saddened and surprised we won’t be covering this crazy election or ‘The Unblackening‘ as we’ve coined it.

[26][22] The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore had a "commitment to covering race, gender and class issues — particularly as the [2016] presidential election draws closer.

After the Killing of Alton Sterling, Wilmore stated, “What really gets me is that whenever this happens, there’s always an immediate takedown of the dead man’s character...

I don’t remember her being executed in a convenience store parking lot.”[29] After the Killing of Freddie Gray, Wilmore did a segment with members from rival gangs - both the Bloods and Crips at the same table, talking about unrest in Baltimore.

[38] In March of 2016, Wilmore had Mac Miller on the show who said Trump was "lowering the bar for our nation’s intelligence"[39] He said, "I f*cking hate you Donald Trump"[40] and said he was “an egomaniacal attention-thirsty psycopathic power hungry delusional waste of skin and bones”[40] and a "racist f*ckwad.

I'm gonna be here every day telling the world how much I hate you, how much of a clown you are and how we as a nation are better than you will ever be as a racist f*ck-wad of a human, because I love America, and I'm never giving it up to a troll like you, you b*tch!

[38] On July 22, 2016, YG (rapper) and Nipsey Hussle performed "F*ck Donald Trump (FDT)" on the show.

"[46] Vox's Alex Abad-Santos described the incident as "the segment that made me stop watching The Nightly Show" and "one of the most unpleasant viewing experiences in recent memory.

When Wilmore did a Reddit AMA in February 2016, outrage over the Nye segment dominated most of the discussion, with more than 1,000 comments specifically criticizing the show's treatment of Nye, characterized by Adweek's David Griner as the moment that many thought the show "turned away from Stephen Colbert's legacy of intellectualism.

[49] In June 2017, Wilmore came under fire for comments he had made in an episode of The Nightly Show originally broadcast on March 1, 2016.

Club concurred with this sentiment, remarking, "He is more traffic cop than travel guide in this first episode, but his inherent wit and quickness shines through regardless," deeming the debut a "triumph.

"[56] USA Today's Robert Bianco opined that "Wilmore already seemed completely comfortable as the show's host, as well he should be," calling it a "solid start.

"[57] Don Kaplan of the Daily News said the program was a "welcome addition" to late-night television, summarizing, "While the program as a whole has room to grow, Wilmore's comedy is sharp, solid and filled with keen observations and strong enough to have earned him the distinction of being the only high-profile black voice in late night television.

"[58] The Hollywood Reporter's Tim Goodman wrote that the show's premiere was "predictably strong" and that "the slight nitpicking should not obscure the fact that overall Wilmore was funny; his show was smart and thoughtful, has a bright future and seems an excellent fit with Stewart and the Comedy Central brand.

Following the debut of the first episode Stephen Colbert praised The Nightly Show on Twitter, saying he was impressed, and using the hashtag "keepingit100.

[65][66] In August, International Business Times reported that Nightly's ratings were in a "freefall" due to losing its Daily Show lead-in audience (Daily had gone on a seven-week hiatus before Trevor Noah's debut as host) and lacking online viral hits.