Taylor Tomlinson Honored with Creative Impact in Comedy Award | Variety 10 Comics to Watch 2024 - video Dailymotion

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Watch Taylor Tomlinson Honored with Creative Impact in Comedy Award | Variety 10 Comics to Watch 2024 - Variety on Dailymotion

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00:00Thank you so much for being here and congratulations on everything.

00:03I remember meeting you when you were selected for 10 Comics to Watch and I have

00:07a very vivid memory of, you know, Judy Marmol calling me and...

00:12Yeah, and talking you up.

00:14And, you know, reps talk up their clients, of course, but there's something so sincere.

00:21And then right before we got off the phone, I'll never forget this,

00:23and I can't remember what I had for lunch, so it's impressive I remember this.

00:26She was like, she just said, she's really special.

00:29And I was like, okay, she's serious and she was right.

00:33So, thanks for making us look good back then.

00:35Oh my gosh, thank you.

00:36Yeah, I was on 10 Comics to Watch and let me just say, it is so nice that we did not

00:42have to go to Montreal for this.

00:44Oh, isn't it nice?

00:45We're all going to be in bed by 10.

00:51Well, again, I want to congratulate you on everything.

00:53And on After Midnight has already been picked up for a second season.

00:56Thanks.

01:00As our Variety Compact Impact...

01:03See, it's hard to remember, right?

01:05Yeah.

01:06Comedy Impact Award honoree.

01:08I'm sort of curious, who were the people who, you know, had an impact on your comedy

01:12growing up or even today?

01:15Oh, man.

01:15I mean, so many people.

01:17The person I usually reference is Brian Regan because I grew up really religious

01:21and so there's only so many people you can listen to in the car with your religious family.

01:25And I got to open for him in my early 20s and he was like, you know, just a god to me

01:30and also so personally and professionally kind and amazing to me and everyone else,

01:37like, at all these venues.

01:38So, that was, like, very impactful.

01:43Do I get extra points every time I use the word impact?

01:45Only if you say comedy.

01:46Okay, oh, great, great, great.

01:48It's impactful to your comedy.

01:49Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:52You mentioned, you know, the church circuit or coming from a religious family and you

01:56started at such a young age.

01:58Was there a point where you realized this could be a career or were you just sort of

02:01having fun?

02:02Yeah, just now when I got this award, I'm like, fuck it.

02:06Maybe I'll keep going.

02:09No, I think I started doing this in high school.

02:14So, I think, like, in college, maybe, I was like, once I could go up in clubs after I

02:19turned 18, I was like, oh, I think I could actually do this.

02:22But I don't know.

02:23Growing up really sheltered, I didn't know how someone became a stand-up comedian.

02:26I think, like, listening to, like, Maren's podcast was how I learned how people came

02:30up in comedy.

02:31Really?

02:32Yeah.

02:33I get he's been doing it for a while.

02:34Yeah, yeah, yeah.

02:35Yeah.

02:36No, I'm just really young.

02:37Yeah, well, both.

02:38No, okay.

02:39Okay, you could have laughed more.

02:40They're like, you're 30 in Hollywood, you're ancient.

02:43It's over.

02:44It's so fascinating to me because I have such admiration for comedians because I could just

02:49never imagine being on a stage with a microphone, maybe a bottle of water and a stool.

02:54And you've been very open about having anxiety and stage fright.

02:58How do those two not contradict each other?

03:02I don't know.

03:03I think if underneath the anxiety you're like a narcissist, it sort of comes to the surface

03:11and pushes through the fear.

03:14And the need for attention sort of swallows the need for safety.

03:19No, I don't know.

03:22I mean, I think I just wanted to do it more than I was, like, afraid to do it.

03:29And then, you know, I think it was worth it.

03:31Like, once I knew how much I love stand-up, knowing how great it felt to be on stage helped

03:37push through the stage fright that I had for a really long time.

03:41And you started at 16, so I'm not great with math, but that means you've basically been

03:45doing this half your life.

03:46Yeah, just about.

03:48And how has your style changed and how have you sort of found your voice?

03:53You know, bearing in mind you started on a church circuit.

03:55Yeah.

03:56I mean, I swear now, it's pretty fucking cool.

04:00Yeah, no, I started, I was really clean for like the first six years that I was doing

04:07stand-up.

04:08Yeah, I think when I was like 22 was around the time I told Judy, my amazing manager,

04:14who's really, I don't know where she is, but I'm looking vaguely into the dark.

04:19I assume she's here.

04:20She's definitely here.

04:21I'm sorry.

04:22It'd be crazy if she wasn't.

04:24We're like, Judy Marmel.

04:25She's like, I'm at home.

04:27No, I think that's when I was like, hey, I can't do any more church shows.

04:32Like I'm not going to be clean 100% of the time anymore.

04:34So that's, it was definitely like 22 that I was like, we got to just say whatever we

04:40want.

04:41Do you remember the first time you cursed on stage or told an inappropriate joke?

04:44I don't.

04:45I really don't.

04:46No, because like churches, they'll fire you for saying anything.

04:49They won't fire you for cursing.

04:50They'll fire you for like saying anything even sort of like innuendo or like too dark

04:55or like too, like it's, it's not just swearing.

04:59So.

05:00Oh yeah.

05:01Well, the joke that got you banned, I guess, or fired from a gig was, was, was actually

05:03pretty tame.

05:04Yeah.

05:05Yeah.

05:06It was right.

05:07Yeah.

05:08I'm still mad.

05:09Would you like to tell it now?

05:10Oh God, no.

05:12It was one person yelling, tell it.

05:16Everybody else is like, let's wrap it up.

05:19We all have clients on the show.

05:23I know where I am.

05:24I know what this room is.

05:26No, the joke was, it was, I did it on my first Conan where I said, I'm like a wild animal

05:33in bed, way more afraid of you than you are of me.

05:36It's a great, thank you for the pity laugh.

05:39And it crushed eight years ago.

05:45What do you sort of consider some of the proudest or most memorable moments in your career?

05:49I mean, right now, hands down, no, I think, I mean, getting, getting quarter life crisis,

05:58my first special was like probably that and getting Conan crisis.

06:04Yeah.

06:05No, no one cares.

06:07Um, the, uh, I think getting that and then getting Conan for the first time were like

06:13the two huge ones for me.

06:15Yeah.

06:16And getting new faces in Montreal, honestly.

06:18And sure.

06:19And what about obviously joining after midnight?

06:23That's gotta be, oh yeah, that's your shit.

06:25Oops.

06:27Yeah, no, I think cause after midnight was just not something I ever thought I was going

06:30to do.

06:32Like I never expected I would host a show.

06:34Um, so I think when I think of like those huge moments for me in comedy, it's like the

06:40ones I thought about for years and years and years.

06:42And so that was like Conan first special new faces.

06:45Um, but yeah, after midnight was like this beautiful surprise opportunity that came up.

06:51Were you like a fan of its predecessor at midnight?

06:54Cause I loved that show and I was so happy when I heard they were bringing back a version

06:57of it.

06:58Yeah.

06:59I didn't have TV at the time, so no, I didn't have like cable.

07:02I didn't have comedy central, so I didn't watch it, but I did watch it when I was auditioning

07:07for the show and it was great.

07:09Um, it was so good.

07:11It was great.

07:12And obviously I was aware of it as a standup and, uh, saw clips and stuff online, but yeah.

07:17Where'd you go back and find old episodes?

07:18You have to buy them.

07:19You have to buy them on prime.

07:21You were serious.

07:22Yeah, yeah, yeah.

07:24I prepare for stuff.

07:25Yeah.

07:26And then once I got the job, they're like, we could have sent you a link and I'm like,

07:29well, I didn't want to ask.

07:30I didn't want to bother anybody.

07:32How do those old episodes hold up?

07:33I'm curious.

07:34They're great.

07:35Yeah.

07:36It's different than our show.

07:37I mean, it's half an hour, so it's like, I think a lot faster and I think our show just

07:41being longer, there's a little more room, but it's like, yeah, it's so good.

07:45There's so many jokes in it.

07:46It's great.

07:47It was really helpful to watch too.

07:48I love the show and I love this new iteration and what you've done with it.

07:52What do you think is sort of the reason for the enduring appeal, not only of that show,

07:57but what do you think as a host you can sort of bring to it?

08:02I mean, the thing that I loved about it and I loved about the fact that I got to be a

08:06part of it is that it's just a great format for comedians at every level, but especially

08:12like up and coming comedians, like it's such a great way to introduce people to your new

08:16favorite comic.

08:18I grew up watching Last Comic Standing and stuff and just having those places on television

08:24for comics to, especially now with how much material you have to spit out all the time,

08:31for them to go on a show where you can get a bunch of clips of them being funny about

08:35topical dumb internet stuff and not burn any material and have your hair and makeup done

08:40and all that shit.

08:42There's just not a lot of opportunities like that anymore, so that's why I wanted to help

08:46bring it back for sure.

08:48You mentioned it's a great showcase for comics, it's also a great showcase for people I didn't

08:52know were funny.

08:53Oh yeah.

08:54I saw the Joe Manganiello, sorry if I butchered that, episode.

08:56Yeah, Manganiello I think.

08:58Manganiello.

08:59Yeah.

09:00He just whipped out this Mark Wahlberg impersonation that blew me away.

09:03I know, I know.

09:04Who kind of surprised you on that show?

09:06Oh I mean, that's such a trap, that question.

09:08Like, who did you think was gonna suck?

09:13Who surprised you by being kind of okay?

09:16No, I'm always surprised when someone super hot is funny.

09:20So that's a great example, honestly.

09:23Yeah, no, there's been people I just didn't know too, or people I was a fan of or people

09:31I vaguely knew, and that's what I like so much about doing the show, is I get to become

09:35a fan of people as well.

09:38People I wasn't familiar with necessarily, or have wanted to meet, or all those kinds

09:44of things.

09:45It's a great opportunity for me as well.

09:46I swear this isn't a trap, but always a good way to start.

09:50Yeah, no, that's exactly what someone with a trap would say.

09:54But who or what makes you laugh?

09:56What makes me laugh?

09:57Yeah.

09:58Oh, really dumb shit, I feel like.

10:00I mean, honestly, I have laughed so hard on After Midnight.

10:04I think in the last six months, I have laughed so hard I cried five times, which doesn't

10:09sound like a lot, but as a stand-up comedian who's dead in the eyes, that's so many times.

10:16Truly weeping on the floor, I've laughed so hard.

10:21Because as a comic, we don't watch stand-up specials anymore.

10:25Even comedy movies, you're just sitting there going, well, my script didn't get made.

10:30Everything feels like work.

10:32I did see Babes.

10:34Babes made me laugh really hard.

10:35Oh, man.

10:36Yeah, if no one's seen Babes, you should see Babes.

10:37It's really fucking good.

10:39Yeah, the closest thing I've seen that felt like Bridesmaids to me, which was huge for

10:44me in high school.

10:45And then, I don't know, my siblings make me laugh really hard.

10:47Yeah, like my friends from high school, not to give such a sincere answer.

10:53Do they think you're funny?

10:54Because I talk to a lot of comics.

10:55I hope so.

10:57We'll never really know, will we?

11:00I don't know.

11:01I hope so, I think.

11:03I just spiral.

11:04I ruin the whole night.

11:07I talk to so many comics who are like, yeah, lots of people find me funny, but not my family.

11:11Oh, well, new fear unlocked.

11:16No, I mean, I think me and my siblings are, I have three siblings, and we're all really

11:21close.

11:22And I think, like your friends from high school, you just have such a specific language you

11:27only have with each other.

11:28And it's like the way you talk to each other is an inside joke.

11:30Right, right.

11:31Well, again, I want to congratulate you just on the last 14 years.

11:35I can't wait to see what's ahead for your next chapter.

11:39Cancel me.

11:40Cancel me.

11:41I'm tired.

11:42Do it.

11:43And before we move on, I actually want to invite your reps up on stage, because I believe

11:48they're all here.

11:49I want to prove it.

11:50Oh, sure, yeah.

11:51Just to do a quick photo, and then we'll move on to our Take Comics to Watch presentation.

11:55Thank you so much.

Taylor Tomlinson Honored with Creative Impact in Comedy Award | Variety 10 Comics to Watch 2024

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