Taylor Tomlinson Brings Fresh Jokes About Mental Health and Dating to Texas – PaperCity Magazine

Ive been a fan of stand-up comedian Taylor Tomlinson since I first saw her on Conan in 2017. The Los Angeles-based 28-year-old, who started performing when she was only 16, then made appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and NetflixsThe Comedy Lineup. In 2020, Tomlinson offered a welcome break to the stress of the pandemic with her first hour-long special, Quarter-Life Crisis, which debuted on Netflix. Based on the success thats following, it must have been a hit.

Tomlinson is currently on her first theatre tour in the U.S., cheekily named Deal With It. In Texas, she made her initial stop at Paramount Theatre in Austin on December 1, then drove up to Dallas for a single show at Majestic Theatre last night. Shell be performing in Houston tonight, and heading back to Austin for two more shows on Saturday.

Tomlinsons comedy has evolved since I first saw her in person at Addison Improv in 2019. Shes gone from lighter content about dating apps and millennials to opening up about her mental health issues on stage. One thing I could always relate to is Tomlinsons experience with the death of her mom at a young age. Shes always mentioned it on stage in some way, talking about it more candidly the second time I saw her perform in Addison in February 2020. Right after her first Netflix special wrapped, Tomlinson came to Dallas with a different vibe.

After ending an engagement in her mid-20s, her comedy, understandably so, became darker. She began to expand on her content of Dead Mom Jokes, as she puts it. She also opened up a lot more about her struggles with anxiety and depression, even including a joke about calling a suicide hotline at one point that year.

Before I saw her new, in-person hour, I described Taylor Tomlinson in a D Magazine story as a millennial for the non-millennials. I saw her as someone who had an old soul. In her current set, which will be filmed in Boston on December 14 for Netflix, Tomlinson holds nothing back. She makes it clear that if you are uncomfortable, you shouldnt be at her show. In 2020 in Addison, she noted that not every joke (due to their darkness) from her live shows is used in the filmed special. I wonder if it will be the same for this upcoming one.

Last night, Tomlinson dove in with her mental health struggles. Shes always been open about her time in therapy, but there is a new raw, honesty to her content. Up front, she reveals that she was recently diagnosed as bipolar. She even asks the crowd what anti-depressants they are currently on, and after people yell out their answers, she responds with a joke about how she would never reveal something so personal. But, of course, she then reveals it.

After dropping the fact that shell be doing an entire 7 minutes of Dead Mom Jokes, she preps the audience with the fact that it may be uncomfortable for us, but itll be okay. Even having a dead mom (my mom passed away from cancer the same reason as Tomlinsons when I was 22), I still feel that initially punch in the gut. But once she gets into it, although a bit harsh at times, Im glad that she does it. Theres a therapeutic energy released as Tomlinson talks openly to thousands of people no less about the things so many are afraid to bring up.

Getting more candid about her sex life is a new thing for Tomlinson. Shes always focused on dating, and the idea of marriage and having kids, but shes recently created bits about the good, bad, and even gross aspects of sex. Tomlinson is very open about the fact that her dad, who is quite religious, doesnt watch her comedy anymore.

Dont be like Taylor Tomlinsons dad, go see her at Houstons Cullen Performance Hall on December 3 or Austins Paramount Theatre (7 pm sold out, and 9:30 pm) on December 4.

Continued here:
Taylor Tomlinson Brings Fresh Jokes About Mental Health and Dating to Texas - PaperCity Magazine