YouTuber-turned-TV personality Lilly Singh is set to add “PhD” to her signature after receiving an honorary doctorate of law on Wednesday from her alma mater, York University.
Singh received the honorary doctorate in recognition of his contributions to community building and his achievements in pop culture and entertainment in Toronto.
“I feel like this is going to become my whole personality from this moment on,” Singh said before the ceremony.
“This will probably be my bio, probably my next tattoo, probably my car wrap. Just really subtle things.”
Singh said her mother even suggested they commemorate the award with a sign outside their house that says “Lilly Singh, PhD,” which she said she has seen people do in India.
Singh said he plans to celebrate by dedicating a day to self-care, hugging his PhD and writing a letter to his younger self.
“It’s very important in times like this to remember where you come from, to talk to that girl,” she said.
In her convocation speech, the Toronto-raised artist said she still remembers walking across the stage for the first time in 2010, when she earned her degree in psychology.
At the time, she said, she was wearing a T-shirt under her dress with the letter “S” 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,” he joked in the speech.
The 37-year-old gained global fame for her YouTube comedy, which she began posting as a teenager. Over the years, he gained millions of followers on social media and transitioned to a career in more traditional media.
She hosted the short late-night show. A little late with Lilly Singh in 2019 and the CTV game show Battle of the generations starting in 2023.
He said his career has had its ups and downs, which he doesn’t consider a bad thing.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure to immediately know what you want to do for the rest of your life,” he said after the ceremony.
“I don’t think you’ll ever find out. Not now, not 10 years from now, not 30 years from now. I think you’re going to be a lifelong student and you should fully accept that,” he said.
Singh has also pursued a film career, with roles in The bad ones Animated film franchise. Most recently, he co-wrote, produced and starred in doing ita sex education comedy that screened in U.S. theaters last month.
Her career in show business took her to Los Angeles in 2015, where she has lived since.
“Every day someone asks me if I’m going to return to Canada,” he said.
She’s not ready to commit, but said rising tensions between Canada and the United States have made things a bit complicated.
“I believe that I will always go to where my purpose should be and where I should serve. So from now on, I come and go,” he said. “We’re going to go with the flow. We’re going to figure it out. But yeah, it’s very stressful.”
He said his parents also tell him from time to time that they are afraid to make the trip to Los Angeles, that they are not sure they will be let in or that it will be difficult for them to cross the border.
“I don’t think anyone wants to pay millions in tariffs on things,” he added. “It has impacted many aspects of everyone’s lives.”
