
In June, Taylor Tomlinson, the host of CBS’s After Midnight, talked about Reddit on her show. That’s not entirely unusual considering the late-night series, which premiered in January 2024, is a comedy panel-style show that frequently references the most demented things happening on the internet.
In this instance, however, Tomlinson found herself at the center of discussion on the r/After Midnight subreddit, where Redditor 21puppets had created a rundown of 30 of her After Midnight outfits and ranked them: Elite, Goated, Respect, Mid, or Nah. They also made a template so that other fans could participate. Tomlinson joked that 21puppets is the only viewer who matters—because they’ve clearly watched every episode of the show.
At the same time, there’s a bit of a sexist bent to the whole thing, which Tomlinson also acknowledged. As the “lone lady of late night” (as Samantha Bee called her on her podcast Choice Words), Tomlinson doesn’t fit the suited-up-guy-at-a-desk uniform. So there’s bound to be a curiosity about how the 30-year-old approaches late night in both her comedy and her wardrobe.
That’s where Tara Swennen, After Midnight‘s official costume designer, comes in.
Swennen is a well-known stylist who works with celebrities like Kristen Stewart and Matthew McConaughey. Swennen tells LateNighter that she loves working with comedians and is the one who initiated the conversation with Tomlinson.
“I work with a lot of female comedians at this point,” Swennen says. “I really enjoy working with comedians. They keep me in tears. Everyone from Ali Wong to Andrea Savage, Julie Bowen, Whitney Cummings, and Iliza Shlesinger.”
“Taylor was someone that I’ve always loved her comedy,” she continues. “I thought she was so cute. I had my team reach out to her team, even before knowing that [After Midnight] was going to happen, and just said, ‘Listen, if you guys are ever interested.’”
A new artistic collaboration was born when Tomlinson and Swennen began working together in late 2023.

CBS asked Swennen to style Tomlinson’s promos for After Midnight, which required a 24-hour turnaround after a lot of travel and styling post-WGA and SAG strikes. But Swennen would not be deterred. “I knew that if we met, it was something where maybe they would ask me to do the show,” she explains. “We just really got along and she’s amazing. And they immediately asked me to jump onto the show.”
In the midst of a delayed awards season that was still ongoing, Swennen jumped into planning After Midnight in January. Despite having never worked on a television show in this manner before, Swennen immediately found her footing. She has a costumer who helps her and she comes in a few times a week to work with Tomlinson to make sure she feels good, even though they’ve already set the looks for the week ahead.
“There is a thing with fashion with comedians,” Swennen says. “They take more risks than some actors and actresses do. They really have a funny sense of humor that ebbs into their clothing. It’s very colorful, it’s very playful, and we lean into that.”
Just days before LateNighter spoke with Swennen, she shared how they decided to dress Tomlinson and her guests in matching suits. “We had them all matching in ties. Then [comedian] Fortune Feimster and her crew came in, and they were all in suiting, so we were like, ‘Let’s make them look very similar in their suits,'” she shares. “So we play to it a little bit, depending on who’s coming in. It really is a very fun, late-night atmosphere.”
Swennen worked closely with Tomlinson—whom she describes as very laid-back and open—on what they wanted the costume vibe for After Midnight to be. “There’s this idea of the late night show construct when it comes to wardrobe,” Swennen says. “Obviously, she’s the only woman right now. So when we were discussing what we wanted to do, it was interesting. We definitely wanted to do suiting because you are the host and we want it to be professional. And even though it’s a game show format, you are the host of the party. But at the same time we really want to add some flavor into it. As a woman, I think it allowed us to really have fun with some flair. We’ve been able to play and it’s been really nice because she’s not afraid of color.”
Tomlinson’s wardrobe on the show has been a mix of suits, bombers, and slacks—in a range of colors and textures. (Swennen posts a weekly gallery of the After Midnight looks to her Instagram.)
For both women, it was important that Tomlinson be able to move around easily and feel comfortable and confident. Swennen explains that much of her job is understanding her client, their body, and how they are feeling on the day of wearing a particular outfit. She mentions that Tomlinson is open to suggestion, which for Swennen is the “biggest dream as a stylist.”
Swennen’s happy to see that Tomlinson has embraced more jewelry, including chunky necklaces and ear cuffs, and is hoping After Midnight‘s recent renewal for a second season will allow Tomlinson’s late-night style to continue to evolve, putting her up there with the boys in their suits.

“When we got reupped, we were all jumping for joy because it’s a really special environment,” says Swennen. “It’s a really cool show in and of itself, with a wonderful group of people. I think it speaks to [executive producers] Carrie Byalick and Stephen Colbert and the team that put it together that it’s really just become this close-knit family.”
Now that they know a second season is happening, Swennen wants to continue to have fun—which is one of the guiding principles of dressing Tomlinson for this first season. But Swennen is excited that people are paying attention to Tomlinson’s wardrobe, because the host is doing something new.
“When people see someone in a certain way and they defer from that image, people are always interested,” Swennen notes of Tomlinson’s late-night style. “People are used to seeing Taylor in her jeans, her bomber, and her booties because that’s what she’s worn for most of her specials. I think even just seeing her in a very classy, elegant suit, people were like, ‘Wait, hold up, time out.'”
“She’s really having more fun with it now and she can focus on that,” Swennen says. “In the beginning, obviously we all wanted her to focus on the job—and she’s excelling. She’s flying the plane now. Now it’s like, ‘Okay, let’s play.’”