Comedy transcends boundaries, space, time…and zoom? I’ll admit, some of us were apprehensive at first when we heard we would be speaking with the extraordinarily talented Taylor Tomlinson, but over a video call instead of in person. We were all still scarred from the COVID era of comedy, where the sign of a joke landing was the eye crinkles above the mask. But all that worry was quickly assuaged when Tomlinson joined the call, putting us at ease with her warmth and enthusiasm.
Like all the great things in my life, I was introduced to Taylor Tomlinson by my sister. In high school, she
repeatedly sent a very pointed clip of her routine, where Tomlinson explains the importance of meeting
the person you're dating’s family members - they are the explanation for all your neuroses. Later,
Tomlinson re-entered my life after my mom passed away, and I was questioning my future as a comedy
writer; being funny felt too out of reach. Voicing my concerns to my sister, she then proceeded to send
me Tomlinson’s clips about her mom, who had passed away as well. She was able to talk about grief and
heartache while being funny and engaging. So when our CMS professor, Warren Etheredge, announced
her as the surprise guest, I did what any normal twenty-two-year-old girl going through grief would do:
cancel her psychiatrist appointment to crash a class that she isn’t in. I justified the decision by saying it
was pretty close to therapy anyway, and I had no regrets.
From the get-go, what struck me the most about Taylor Tomlinson was how kind she was. Probably
because of my own preconceived notions, I was not sure what to expect from someone with four Netflix
specials under her belt. Surely, a comedian at that caliber has better things to do than talk to a bunch of
20-somethings, trying to figure out their writing voice through tedious trial and error? We went up one by
one and asked her questions. We asked about her writing style, how she balances going on the road while
still having enough life experience to write about, and how her relationship with comedy has changed
now that it’s her source of income. She was generous and insightful. She also said that the class asked
better questions than she regularly gets, which I’m sure some of us will mention on LinkedIn at one point.
She talked about how people tend to be a little let down when they meet her in real life. They are
expecting the concentrated humor, all of her best material, the way she lays them out in her specials. But
she was as funny and open as she seems in her stand-up. Getting the chance to talk to somebody who is
living the career that so many of us have envisioned time and time again, is an invaluable opportunity. For
many of those students in Loew Hall, their big, lofty goals feel a little closer.
--Kareena Naik