Taylor Tomlinson was announced as the new host of After Midnight, a new late-night talk show set to air on CBS in 2024, following Late Night with Stephen Colbert
CBS announced earlier on Wednesday that After Midnight will take over the 12:37 p.m. timeslot previously occupied by the Late Late Show with James Corden.
The press release revealed that the show will be inspired by the popular Comedy Central series @Midnight, with Colbert himself also serving as executive producer.
While the press release didn’t announce a host, Colbert — who recently recovered from COVID-19 — took it upon himself to reveal that 29-year-old Tomlinson would be taking the reins as host.
As Colbert read from the CBS press release and said they were looking for a host, Tomlinson said from the front row that she could host.
New: Taylor Tomlinson has been announced as the new host of After Midnight, a new late-night talk show airing on CBS in 2024, following Late Night with Stephen Colbert
Previous: CBS announced earlier on Wednesday that After Midnight will take over the 12:37 p.m. timeslot previously occupied by Late Late Show with James Corden
Producer: The press release revealed that the show will be inspired by the popular Comedy Central series @Midnight, with Colbert himself also serving as executive producer
Front row: As Colbert read from the CBS press release and said they were looking for a host, Tomlinson said from the front row that she could host
Colbert noted that this was “professional TV,” adding that they should focus on it, before asking his audience if they thought she should host After Midnight.
After loud applause, Colbert introduced her and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the newest late-night host, Taylor Tomlinson.”
Taylor first joked, “Thanks guys for clapping, that would have been so embarrassing if we focused it and they were like, ‘Eh?’
Colbert said he was “such a huge fan” and added that she has a “huge career” with two of the biggest Netflix comedy specials and is in the middle of a national stand-up comedy tour.
When asked what makes her so excited about taking on the job, Tomlinson said, “Just having a job. I’ve never had a real job. I’ve been doing stand-up since I was 16, which isn’t a job, so it’s not a job! I mean, I’ve worked at a buffet and a waxing salon, these aren’t real jobs.’
She added, “This has been a really fun few months… like I was searching TikTok for, ‘How to ace a job interview.’” TikTok is Google for kids.”
Colbert revealed that he video-called her last night after taping the Late Show to tell her she had landed on After Midnight, before showing the audience the footage of her reaction, “the moment I told you that you got the job,” because she was clearly stunned .
He then showed a close-up of her reaction as she joked, “Oh man, when you log into Zoom and you realize you should have dried your hair and put on more makeup.”
Introduction: After loud applause, Colbert introduced her and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our newest late-night host, Taylor Tomlinson.”
Really fun: She added, “This has been a really fun few months… like I was searching TikTok for ‘How to ace a job interview.’ TikTok is Google for kids.
Stunned: Colbert revealed he video-called her last night after taping the Late Show to tell her she’d landed on After Midnight, before showing the audience the footage of her reaction, ‘the moment I told you told you you had the job’, as she was clearly stunned
Didn’t know: She admitted, “I didn’t know if I got the job. I thought they were calling to let me down easily, so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. So to me, this is the face of, you know when you think you’re going to get dumped but they propose instead?’
She admitted: ‘I didn’t know if I was going to get the job. I thought they were calling to let me down easily, so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. So to me, this is the face of, you know when you think you’re going to get dumped but they propose instead?’
Colbert then joked, “Taylor, if I had let you down easily, I wouldn’t have called before asking how old she was after I had a ‘sneaking suspicion’ that she was younger than the 59-year-old comedian.”
‘I’m almost thirty. I am there. “I’m almost 30, I’m 29, so if you don’t know who I am, don’t worry, I barely know myself,” she said.
Colbert said he was 59 and she was “a whole Taylor Tomlinson younger than me,” as Taylor said her 30th birthday was Saturday.
“Happy birthday, I have a network show for you,” Colbert said before shaking her hand and revealing that After Midnight will debut in early 2024.
