Anania Takes 'Gaydar' Energy to Tubi With 'The Anania Show'

Anania, host of the viral series "Gaydar," will launch a late-night variety show on Tubi on Nov. 23. The program, titled "The Anania Show," marks her move from social media to television, and she's bringing the audience with her — nearly 1 million followers across TikTok and Instagram.

Tubi describes the show as "a seamless blend of Black Queer joy, sketch comedy, and spirited performance, incorporating elements of daytime and late night talk shows of yesterday into something of its own singular category."

Anania will host and executive produce alongside Keisha Zollar, Morgan DeFiore and Hannah Ceisler. The series is created in partnership with Palette Media.

Who is Anania?

She's an actor, producer and social media creator best known for "Gaydar," a person-on-the-street interview show filmed in New York City. The premise is simple: Anania quizzes random passersby and celebrity guests about queer culture. The format travels well. Short clips, sharp questions, unpredictable answers.

That audience now has a date to circle. Nov. 23 is streaming day on Tubi, the free, ad-supported platform that has been commissioning originals at a steady clip.

What did Anania say about the launch?

Quite a lot, and with voice.

"I am so excited to be creating something like 'The Anania Show' and finally step into the spotlight. To make something that is mine. Something I am proud of. And to have the time of my life while doing it. I can't think of a better experience than that, I fear!" Anania said in a statement.

She continued: "This is the time for Black, Transgender, and Queer voices to be louder than ever. I promise you, I'll scream like a banshee if it means there's one person out there who won't feel alone in a world that has decided to other us. Let's have a ki, baby!"

That's a mission statement wearing heels. It also tells you the tone: defiant, funny, unbothered by late-night convention.

Zollar, her fellow executive producer, kept the metaphors tighter.

"Anania is a force of talent and kindness. And in the world we live in we should always protect the dolls, but we also need to produce the dolls," Zollar said.

Why does this matter for Tubi?

A streamer known for free, ad-supported catalog content is building a slate of originals with built-in audiences. Anania arrives with hers pre-installed. That's the entire logic of the deal, and it's sound.

For Anania, it's the step up. Almost a million followers on social platforms is leverage; a streaming variety show is the asset that leverage buys. Representation is the subtext, but the business case is the text: proven host, proven format instincts, four executive producers, one platform.

Anania is represented by UTA.

If "The Anania Show" lands, expect the person-on-the-street instincts of "Gaydar" to anchor a format that borrows from talk shows of yesterday while refusing to be one. Nov. 23 will tell us whether the audience follows the host from the feed to the television.