Taylor Tomlinson

When did you start doing standup?
My junior year of high school.

What did that look like?
It looked like my dad going, “A lady at church told me there’s a standup comedy class taught by a church comedian that’s 45 minutes away, and we should do it for eight weeks because you’re a good writer, and I’m a good performer, and we can hang out.” And so we did that. And somehow it turned into a career for me.

Church comedy sounds a bit like an oxymoron.
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I had a dream (that I woke up from about 30 minutes ago, because I’m trash now. I sleep very late now, because let’s get rid of most of the day) that I forgot to tell clean jokes and I started swearing, and it was a huge deal. But church crowds are very supportive. They just want entertainment they can enjoy with their whole family, and it can be hard for them to find that.

Your comedy now is not very clean at all. Were you concerned with how your parents would react to material about your sex life?
Yeah, of course. I mean, I told them not to watch the special. I told my dad the jokes about him, so he wouldn’t hear them secondhand. I ran those past him because it’s not worth losing a family member over a few jokes. But I was like, “You don’t need to watch it; I totally get it, no one wants to watch their daughter talk about her sex life.”

Do you know if they have watched it?
They didn’t tell me one way or the other. We never really talked much about my special. I have gotten to a point with them where I’m just like, “You know what, it’s not your taste. And that’s completely fine!” If I weren’t their daughter, they would not want to watch this… and that doesn’t need to hurt my feelings, and it’s not a reflection of them being supportive or not supportive. Why would I ask them to watch something that makes them cringe?

What did your journey toward being comfortable talking about your personal life on stage look like?
The first six years I was doing standup, I was “church clean.” And once I was like, “I’m not going to do church anymore,” I wanted to talk about other things. But also, I lost my virginity really late so like, it’s not that hard to avoid talking about sex when you’ve never had it. But once I was fully sexually active and not as involved with religion or living with my parents, I wanted to grow. It felt like a very natural progression.

In your special, you joke about things in your life as they’re still happening to you. What’s your process for coming up with new material?
I think because I started so young… I knew that when a very young female comedian got on stage, there were a lot of people in the audience who got nervous for me (and for the show). And so I just started trying to acknowledge it, and in doing it, I found the basis for my special.

Do you get tired of people pointing out your age?
I mean, it’s my own fault. I’ve never not been a young comedian. But mostly, I think people give you more credit than you deserve when you start really young, because they find it amazing that a 16-year-old would do any sort of public speaking, but it doesn’t mean you’re like a genius or a prodigy or anything.

Would you rather be constantly asked about your age or about your experience as a woman in comedy?
My age. Absolutely. I’m never gonna, like, grow out of being a woman in comedy, and it’s an old question. I love how when people ask Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, you just see them go, like, “No, boring. I don’t like this question.”

How do you pick out what to wear on stage? Are there any outfits you’ve worn that you regret?
The outfit I regret is less of an outfit, and it’s that I left my hair down on The Tonight Show. I don’t know, I just like having my hair out of my face, and even though the set went fine, I felt off… But I typically stick to my comfort zone and I don’t wear any patterns or graphic tees or anything too distracting. I usually just wear l sneakers and jeans and a jacket. I don’t even really perform in t-shirts or tank tops. I feel like I need a layer of armor.