American comedian Taylor Tomlinson has joined the late-night TV lineup with a new show that will replace The Late Late Show with James Corden.
The 29-year-old, who is best known for delivering hit Netflix comedy specials such as Quarter-Life Crisis and Look at You, will host a brand new CBS show titled After Midnight – based on Comedy Central’s late-night panel game show @midnight.
Stephen Colbert welcomed the “newest late-night host” Tomlinson during a short segment on Wednesday’s episode ofThe Late Show, as she expressed her delight at finally having a “real job”.
“I’ve been doing stand-up since I was 16 – which is not a job – and so no job!” she told Colbert, adding that she browsed through TikTok videos for tips on giving job interviews during the selection process. “Like how do you impress your boss maybe?”
Colbert, who will produce the new show “if I’m able to stay awake that long”, replied that one of the best parts of his job was “being able to find and hire really good people” like Tomlinson, while holding up a photograph of the comic looking visibly stunned after he delivered the news that she had been hired after all.
Tomlinson’s first late-night gig is slated for release early next year, but an exact date has not yet been announced.
Corden, 43, announced he would be leaving The Late Late Show in 2022 after seven years as its host, with the former Gavin & Stacey star later explaining he made the decision to spend more time with his family.
“We had to cancel last year’s summer holiday [due to work commitments] and when I told Max [his 11-year-old son], he looked so sad, and I had this sudden revelation of the maths: we’ve only got six more summers with the kids, before they start wanting to go off with their mates. Six if we’re lucky. I knew I just couldn’t do that again. So that’s why I quit,” the host of Carpool Karaoke toldThe Times.
Corden and his wife Julia Child have three children together, including daughters Carey, nine, and Charlotte, five.
Before him, Craig Ferguson hosted The Late Late Show which first premiered in 1994.
After the Colbert show on Wednesday, Tomlinson confirmed “I got a job” in a post on social media, as several celebrities such as congratulated her on Instagram.
Fellow comedian and former late-night host Hasan Minhaj hailed the “MAJOR” announcement, while Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson wrote: “Congrats Taylor!!”
Queer Eye star Tan France commented “That’s AWESOME, mate!!” while YouTuber Liza Koshy said: “aw that’s perfection. CONGRATS TAYLOR.”
The original @midnight was hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick, with a total of 600 episodes airing on Comedy Central from 2013 until 2017. The internet-themed panel show, which won two Primetime Emmy awards, usually featured three guests who competed in a series of improv-style games for the prize of “winning the internet for 23.5 hours” until the next episode.
Before Tomlinson, the most notable female comedian to front a network show in recent years was Lilly Singh. The Canadian star, whose YouTube sketches catapulted her to global fame, took over NBC’s 1.35am slot from Carson Daly in 2019 with her show A Little Late with Lilly.
The programme was taken off air in 2021.
