Taylor Tomlinson is headed back to 12:35 a.m.—just not as host.
The former After Midnight host is set to appear on the Tuesday, Sept. 22 edition of NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, putting her across the desk from the man who spent two seasons as her most direct late-night competitor.
Tomlinson will be there to promote Actually, Nevermind, her debut collection of autobiographical essays, which is set for release that same day.
Throughout Tomlinson’s run on CBS, After Midnight and Late Night went head-to-head in the post-midnight hour, though the two shows occupied decidedly different lanes. Meyers hosts a traditional late-night talk show built around topical comedy and celebrity interviews, while After Midnight was a comedy panel show that put Tomlinson alongside three comedian guests each night.
And when CBS pulled the plug on After Midnight, Meyers made clear he wasn’t celebrating the loss of a competitor.
“It always just sort of breaks my heart because this was just such a cool destination for people in comedy,” Meyers said at the time, praising After Midnight in particular for giving three comedians a showcase each night.
“It’s never good when comedy platforms go away,” he added.
Tomlinson’s departure from After Midnight wound up becoming a pivotal moment in CBS’s retreat from late night.
The network had already decided to renew the show for a third season when Tomlinson chose to leave in order to focus on stand-up, though she later described the timing as “muddy,” saying she wasn’t aware a renewal decision had been made when she decided to leave. Tomlinson has said she hoped CBS would simply hire another host.
Instead, CBS canceled the show and vacated the 12:35 slot. Months later, then-CBS chief George Cheeks said Tomlinson’s exit helped prompt the network to reconsider its commitment to the entire late-night daypart, a reassessment that ultimately included the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
It won’t be Tomlinson and Meyers’ first reunion since After Midnight ended. Earlier this year, she joined Meyers and his brother Josh for an episode of their Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers podcast.
Tomlinson’s upcoming Late Night visit will be only her second appearance on the show. Her first came on Aug. 24, 2021—more than two years before CBS announced that she would be getting a 12:35 show of her own.
Actors Jon Hamm and Sabrina Impacciatore are also booked for Tuesday’s episode.
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