AFTER Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson crew was ‘blindsided’ by the host’s decision to walk away from the show despite it being renewed for season 3, a source exclusively told The U.S. Sun.

The comedian shocked late-night fans when she abruptly announced she was ending the series to return to her stand-up career after CBS had already renewed it to return this Fall.

6

Taylor Tomlinson hosts the CBS program After MidnightCredit: Getty

6

Taylor Tomlinson doing her stand up comedy for a Netflix specialCredit: Netflix
The season 3 renewal led the After Midnight crew to believe they’d have stable work for the months to come – but got the “rug pulled out from beneath them” when they learned the show was not in fact continuing.

An insider told The U.S. Sun: “It’s really disappointing this is coming to an end.

“It’s the most talented crew, most talented host. It didn’t deserve to end so abruptly but everyone gets why Taylor chose to walk away.

“It doesn’t make it sting any less, it caught a lot of the crew off guard. They thought a third season was in the bag and they would have a stable job come the end of the year.

“But it felt like they got the rug pulled out from underneath. It’s been tough to process, some of the crew is taking it harder than others, some feel blindsided.”

While the source acknowledged the pain of the show coming to an end, they added that most “understand” why Taylor, 31, made the decision she did.

“Everyone’s trying to be supportive. Taylor needs to focus on her own career and her standup.

“She’s extremely talented but this show wasn’t the right fit and that’s okay,” they said.

6

Host Taylor Tomlinson does the monologue on After MidnightCredit: Getty

6

Host Taylor Tomlinson with (L-R): Patton Oswalt, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Brian PosehnCredit: Getty
The U.S. Sun reached out to an After Midnight rep for comment.

In late March, Taylor revealed she is leaving the show to return to her roots of stand-up comedy and touring the country.

“Hosting After Midnight has genuinely been the experience of a lifetime, and I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity to be part of this incredible journey.

“Though it was an extremely tough decision, I knew I had to return to my first passion and return to stand-up touring full-time,” she said in a statement.

Who is After Midnight host Taylor Tomlinson

She went on to thank CBS, Stephen Colbert, who also executive produces the show, and her cast and crew for the “love, support, and unforgettable memories.”

Colbert added in his own statement: “While we were excited and grateful for our third season to start in the fall, we respect Taylor’s decision to return to stand-up full time.”

After Midnight replaced The Late Late Show with James Corden’s slot on CBS after the host moved back to his hometown of London to be closer to his family.

After Midnight will not be returning this fall after Taylor decided to exit the hosting gig, CBS announced last month.

The shocking decision came after the network had quietly renewed the show for a third season.

The comedy panel game show directly followed Colbert’s The Late Show since it premiered in January 2024, airing in the 12:35 am timeslot.

After Midnight’s final episode will air in June.

Current Late-Night Shows

Late-night shows have become a stape on American television, filled with humorous takes on news, interviews with guests, and music performances.

Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC
Late Night with Seth Meyers, NBC
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, NBC
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS
After Midnight, CBS
Watch What Happens Live, Bravo
The Daily Show, Comedy Central
Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO

Taylor’s decision came after she reportedly felt blocked from considering other opportunities while she was hosting the show, according to Variety.

While speaking on a panel at SXSW in February, Taylor said she was doing less stand-up since she started hosting the late-night show.

“I was on tour three weekends a month for years, so to take this job and to know that I was gonna have to scale back a little bit was a very difficult decision for me,” she told the audience.

“I wasn’t sure if it was something I wanted to do or not, because stand-up is the most important thing to me. It’s the most rewarding thing.”

She said while preparing for the show, she was honest with CBS executives and told them “Just so you know, this will never be my first love.

“This show will never be my thing thing – stand-up is the most important thing to me, and as long as I can do both, I would love to do both.”

6

Comedian Taylor Tomlinson performs standup on Tuesday, March 29, 2022Credit: Getty

6

Host Taylor Tomlinson with Melanie Lynskey, Mary Holland, and Drew TarverCredit: Getty