Samantha Bee 'puzzled' by lack of female late-night hosts

Former Daily Show star Samantha Bee says she doesn't understand why every late-night TV host is a man.

Bee, who hosts the upcoming TBS series Full Frontal, identified this as a problem and said she finds the lack of representation very strange.

“I do not have any theories," the comedian said at the Television Critics Associated Press Tour, Variety reports. "We’re quite puzzled by it as well, but we’re happy to take up the mantle.”

Full Frontal executive producer Jo Miller chimed in and agreed with Bee, saying that she doesn't know why Joan Rivers wasn't the one to replace Johnny Carson.

On that topic, Bee said that her new series will definitely focus on women's issues but that this is not the only topic they will explore. She also assured fans she'll keep doing field pieces like she did on The Daily Show, and she won't just be a host who sits behind a desk the whole time.

Though there are some female daytime talk show hosts like Ellen DeGeneres - and Chelsea Handler had a late-night program up until last year - right now all of the major players in the field are men.

Comedian Amy Schumer recently reflected on the issue in an interview with GQ. "I think people hate women," she said. "I think people hear women talk too long and project their mom yelling at them, or they're afraid that they're going to hate women...My experience has been sort of tricking people into listening and then you get in the door that way."

Schumer was reportedly offered the position of host of The Daily Show after Jon Stewart left, but she turned it down.