Taylor Tomlinson will take over James Corden’s time slot, as she will host After Midnight, officially replacing The Late Late Show, which has been on the air since 1995.
On last night’s episode of The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert acted as if they were still looking for a host to the show he leads into. It wasn’t looking great until one of the audience members chimed in: “I was just thinking…I could do it.” Met with cheers, Taylor Tomlinson was officially announced as the next host of the ~12:30 a.m. slot.
Taking the chair next to Colbert, Taylor Tomlinson expressed her excitement with, “I’ve never had a real job…I’ve been doing standup since I was 16, which is not a job!” She also let viewers in on how long the process has taken and the stress she went through. “This has been a really fun couple months. I was on TikTok searching, like, how to nail a job interview…and how to impress your maybe boss.”
Taylor Tomlinson – who turns 30 this week – will be the youngest late night talk show host currently on the air. She, too, will be in a predominantly and historically male gig, something she will no doubt be able to handle with the sort of confidence she brings to the stage. Tomlinson currently has two Netflix stand-up specials: Quarter-Life Crisis and Look At You.
After Midnight is based on Comedy Central’s @midnight, which was hosted by Chris Hardwick from 2013-2017.
As for The Late Late Show, James Corden’s run was the second-longest, with 1,197 episodes behind Craig Ferguson’s 2,058. At the time of his announcement of leaving late night TV, Corden said, “It’s been it’s a really hard decision to leave because I’m so immensely proud of the show. I’m thrilled to be extending [for a year]. I always thought I’d do it for five years and then leave, and then I stayed on. I’ve really been thinking about it for a long time, thinking whether there might be one more adventure.”
How do you think Taylor Tomlinson will do as a late night host? Is she a good pick or should it have gone to someone else? Give us your take below!