What Taylor Tomlinson’s ‘After Midnight’ Means For Women In Late-Night

Taylor Tomlinson is the newest addition to CBS’s late-night lineup. During a segment on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert announced that Tomlinson will host CBS’ After Midnight.

The show will take over the 12:37 a.m. ET/PT time slot, formally The Late Late Show with James Corden, in early 2024.

The Under 30 alumna will become the only woman hosting in late-night TV. While there have been female late-night hosts in the past, Tomlinson has been given something unique: a hosting job previously held by a man.

CBS’s After Midnight is based on Comedy Central’s @midnight. @midnight was hosted by Chris Hardwick and ran from October 21, 2013, to August 4, 2017. The show included improv games around internet memes, hashtags and current events.

“We are thrilled to be reunited with our friends at Funny Or Die. My hope is that, every night, After Midnight will be just as ridiculous as the internet is every day,” Colbert said in a press release of the show’s return. “Plus, the original @midnight aired after The Colbert Report, so welcoming this new show to 12:30 feels like coming home.”

Tomlinson’s addition to an established brand like @midnight is new for female late-night comedians. Joan Rivers is often cited as the first woman to host a late-night show with 1986’s The Late Show; while it shares a name with Colbert’s Late Show, it was on Fox and unconnected to the Late Show franchise. River’s show only lasted two seasons. Wanda Sykes in 2009 and Amber Ruffin in 2020 also hosted short-running late-night shows.

Sykes, Ruffin and Rivers started their own brands rather than inheriting a seat like other prominent names in late-night. When it comes to women in late-night, almost all of them have started their own show, including Chelsea Handler, Samantha Bee, Robin Thede, Ziwe and Mo’Nique.

Tomlinson isn’t the first woman to inherit a legacy late-night show’s time slot. A Little Late with Lilly Singh replaced NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly. However, while Singh inherited the spot, the show did not retain the same name or branding.

Most of today’s current prominent late-night programs come from long-held late-night brands. Colbert took The Late Show over from David Letterman, who also originated the franchise that would become Late Night with Seth Meyers. Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show started as Tonight, hosted by Steve Allen in 1954.

While @midnight has been renamed (possibly due to its slightly later new time slot,) After Midnight is a reboot. A female host taking over an established show is new territory for late-night. While other female hosts have had to prove themselves along with their concepts, After Midnight may already be set up for more success, which comes at an important time for late-night.

Late-night shows have seen falling viewership. While many have seen large follower counts on social media sites like YouTube, TV viewership has declined since the 1990s.

Some networks have also backed away from legacy time slots and brands. NBC did not replace Lily Singh or A Little Late with another comedian or show. Similarly, WarnerMedia did not replace Conan O’Brien when he left his show at TBS.

In recent years, the late-night space has become smaller and less diverse. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Ziwe, The Amber Ruffin Show and Desus & Mero all ended in 2022. Netflix’s
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Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj ended in 2020.

Tomlinson’s After Midnight is a unique case in an industry that has had its future called into question. @midnight is both a recognized brand and a concept not shared by other late-night programs. Tomlinson is the only female host in late-night, but she has also been given an opportunity that other women in late-night haven’t been afforded: a fresh take on a familiar brand.