YouTuber-turned-TV personality Lilly Singh is ready to tack “PhD” onto her signature after receiving an honorary doctor of laws degree on Wednesday from her alma mater, York University.
Singh was awarded the honorary doctorate in recognition of her contributions to community building and accomplishments in pop culture and entertainment in Toronto.
“I do sense this will become my entire personality from this moment on,” Singh said before the ceremony.
“This will probably be my bio, probably my next tattoo, probably the wrap on my car. Just really subtle things.”
Singh said her mom even suggested they commemorate the accolade with a sign outside their house that reads “Lilly Singh, PhD,” which she said she’s seen people do in India.
Singh said she plans on celebrating by dedicating a day to self care, cuddling with her doctorate and writing her younger self a letter.
“It’s really important in moments like this to remember where you came from, talk to that little girl,” she said.
In her convocation address, the Toronto-raised entertainer said she still recalls crossing the stage the first time back in 2010 when she earned her degree in psychology.
At the time, she said, she wore a T-shirt under her gown with the letter “S” on it to represent her YouTube pseudonym, Superwoman.
“I knew little about where that would take me at the time and clearly I knew even less about how copyright works,” she joked in the speech.
The 37-year-old gained global fame for her comedy on YouTube, which she started posting as a teenager. Over the years she’s garnered millions of followers on social media and transitioned to a career in more traditional media.
She hosted the short-lived late-night show A Little Late with Lilly Singh in 2019 and the CTV game show Battle of the Generations starting in 2023.
She said her career has had its twists and turns, which she doesn’t see as a bad thing.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure to like immediately know what you want to do for the rest of your life,” she said after the ceremony.
“I don’t think that you are going to ever have figured it out. Not now, not 10 years from now, not 30 years from know. I think you’re gonna be a student for life and you should fully embrace that,” she said.
Singh has also pursued a film career, with roles in The Bad Guys franchise of animated movies. Most recently, she co-wrote, produced and starred in Doin’ It, a sex-ed comedy that screened in U.S. theatres last month.
Her showbiz career brought her to Los Angeles in 2015, where she’s lived ever since.
“Every day, someone has asked me if I’m moving back to Canada,” she said.
She’s not ready to commit, but she said rising tensions between Canada and the United States have complicated things somewhat.
“I think I will always go where my purpose is meant to be and where I’m meant to serve. So as of right now, I am going back and forth,” she said. “We’re going to go with the flow. We’re going to figure it out. But yes, it’s very stressful.”
She said her parents also tell her from time to time that they are scared about making the trip down to L.A., saying they aren’t sure they will be let in or have a hard time crossing the border.
“I don’t think that anyone wants to pay a bazillion tariffs on things,” she added. “It has impacted a lot of parts of everyone’s life.”
