At 30, comedian Taylor Tomlinson is breaking big with CBS’s After Midnight, an early-hours variety show produced by Stephen Colbert. “It’s not me sitting on a couch,” says the woman The New York Times recently dubbed “the Taylor Swift of comedy.” Instead, “it’s like a fake, fun game show.” But while the time slot may formerly have been held by the Late Late Show, don’t expect any Carpool Karaoke: “I can’t sing at all.”
SHE WAS RAISED by a teacher and a stay-at-home mother. Everyone in her family has a sense of humor—“but nobody professionally. I might be the one lone psycho.”
TOO YOUNG for clubs, she cut her teeth performing at megachurches. At 22, she realized “I don’t think I’m a Christian, and it feels dishonest to do these shows.” An off-color tweet cost her a job. “I told my manager, ‘Whatever the offer is, don’t bring it to me. I just can’t do any more of these.’ ”
Dress by Dolce & Gabbana; shoes by Manolo Blahnik; bra by Fleur du Mal; briefs by Michael Kors Collection.PHOTOGRAPH BY NICK RILEY BENTHAM. Styled by Olivia Weeden.
AS FOR TODAY? “There’s a lot to untangle, but no, I am not religious anymore.”
HER FIRST SPECIAL, Quarter-Life Crisis, debuted a week before the pandemic. “Coming back [to the stage] was like, Oh my God, I have an entirely different career now. Every show sold out, this is crazy.”
SHE GOT MORE personal with her second, Look at You, writing jokes about losing her mother and her bipolar II diagnosis. “It’s darker, but I’m really proud of finally figuring out a way to present all of that.”
SHE’S BEEN CREDITED with shattering a network-TV glass ceiling, but she is quick to recognize late-night pioneers Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers, Chelsea Handler, and Samantha Bee. “I’m not the first woman. I mean, Lilly Singh had her show a year ago! There isn’t anyone right now, so I guess I am the one.”
STEPHEN COLBERT has been incredibly supportive. “It’s nice to be told that by somebody you respect and actually believe that you can reach out with anything.”
FOR NOW, Tomlinson is just enjoying the moment. “I’ve gotten to a place in my career that I thought I might get to by the time I was 40. I’ve been really, really lucky.”
Hair, Kristin Heitkotter; makeup, Amber Dreadon; manicure, Alex Jachno; tailor, Alvard Bazikyan. Produced on location by Westy Productions. For details, go to VF.com/credits.