Taylor Tomlinson wishes CBS had found a new host for After Midnight

The network is replacing the comedy panel show with reruns of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen.

By Emma Keates  |  June 13, 2025 | 12:02pm
Photo: Robert Voets/CBS
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Taylor Tomlinson wishes CBS had found a new host for After Midnight
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It’s lights out for After Midnight, as host Taylor Tomlinson bid the comedy panel show an emotional farewell Thursday night. “I’m so grateful that I got a chance to do this. I never thought that I would be able to host a late-night show. This was never something that was on my vision board at all because I just didn’t think it was possible for me,” the host said in her speech. “While, unfortunately, I couldn’t keep doing the show, it just wasn’t sustainable for me. I can’t believe that I got to do it as long as I did,” she said.

Tomlinson has been running the late night show since 2023, which courted popular comedians to compete in a series of topical challenges. She announced her departure in March, citing a desire to return to stand-up touring full time. 

Instead of replacing her, CBS decided to cancel the show altogether, a decision Tomlinson doesn’t necessarily appreciate. It was Tomlinson’s “dream that I would get to finish out this season and hand it off to a new host,” she said. “I really wanted CBS to replace me, because I just think there are so many amazing comedians who would have done a great job with this show.”

Instead, CBS is handing the oft-turned-over 12:30 a.m. slot to reruns of Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen, which will run after The Late Show With Stephen Colbert throughout the 2025-2026 season. 

While it’s now time for them to face a new day, Tomlinson also paid tribute to the crew that made After Midnight possible. “I had no idea how to be on TV every day. I had no idea how to do any of this. I had no idea how much work it was to make a late-night show every single day,” she said. “We didn’t have the budget of a traditional late night show. Everyone who works here was doing the job of several people… and everybody cared so much.”

You can watch Tomlinson’s full speech below:

 
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