Heben Nigatu is an Ethiopian-American writer and the former co-host of BuzzFeed podcast '' Another Round'' which stopped broadcasting in 2017. She previously wrote for ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second ...

'' and is currently a staff writer for ''Desus & Mero'' on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

Early life and education

Nigatu was born in Ethiopia. She grew up in

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

and attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

before leaving to join BuzzFeed.

Career

Nigatu began working at BuzzFeed first on a three-month fellowship while still a student, then joined the full-time staff.

''Another Round''

In March 2015, Nigatu and co-host Tracy Clayton launched BuzzFeed podcast ''Another Round. The Onion A.V. Club'' described Nigatu and Clayton as "funny and insightful hosts, bringing their infectious personalities to conversations that range from squirrels to self-care to microaggressions in the workplace." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' called them "the smartest, funniest women in the room and everyone wants to sit at their table"; likewise writing for ''

'', critic

Sasha Frere-Jones Alexander Roger Wallace "Sasha" Frere-Jones (né Jones; born 1967) is an American writer, music critic, and musician. He has written for ''Pretty Decorating'', '' ego trip'', ''Hit It And Quit It'', ''Mean'', '' Slant'', ''The New York Post'', '' ...

described Clayton and Nigatu "leading American cultural critics." In its first year, ''Another Round'' was rated by iTunes, ''Slate'', ''Vulture'', and

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

as a "Best of 2015" podcast. In late 2017, Nigatu and Clayton announced that BuzzFeed had decided to stop producing ''Another Round'', but the two hosts were granted ownership of the show and plan to continue it outside BuzzFeed, after a hiatus.

Post-BuzzFeed

In April 2016, after three and a half years working for BuzzFeed, Nigatu announced she was moving to ''The Late Show'' ''with Stephen Colbert'', but would continue hosting ''Another Round''. She continued at ''The Late Show'' until January 2017. On 15 February 2019, it was announced that Nigatu was a staff writer for '' Desus & Mero'', the comedy duo's 2019 late night show on

#CarefreeBlackKids2k16

In the wake of the 2016 police shootings of

Alton Sterling On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot and killed by two Baton Rouge Police Department officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The officers, who were attempting to control Sterling's arms, shot Sterling while Sterling al ...

and Philando Castile, Nigatu created the hashtag #CarefreeBlackKids2k16. ''

Blavity Blavity is an American Internet media company and website based in Los Angeles, created by and for black millennials. Their mission is to "economically and creatively support Black millennials across the African scape, so they can pursue the work ...

'' described the photos and videos accompanying the hashtag "the bright light we needed after this troubling week."

Honors

* ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'', 30 Under 30 (2016) * ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

'', Most Creative People (2016) * ''

The Root "The Root" is a song by American recording artist D'Angelo. It is the eighth track on his second studio album, ''Voodoo'', which was released on January 25, 2000, by Virgin Records. "The Root" was recorded and produced by D'Angelo at New York's ...

'', The Root 100 (2016)

Personal life

Nigatu lives in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

References

External links

Heben Nigatu
on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

"What It Means to be Unapologetically Black
– Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton on ''PBS Newshour'''s "Brief but Spectacular" {{DEFAULTSORT:Nigatu, Heben Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American podcasters American television writers BuzzFeed people American people of Ethiopian descent Columbia College (New York) alumni Writers Guild of America Award winners