Latest news with #TaylorTomlinson
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
America might finally make childbirth free
As politicians grapple with declining birth rates, the financial burden of giving birth in America — where privately insured families face out-of-pocket costs of nearly $3,000 on average — has captured widespread attention. Last month, when news broke that the Trump administration was considering $5,000 baby bonuses for new parents, comedian Taylor Tomlinson captured the national frustration: 'That's like spritzing a volcano with a water gun.' A recent viral TikTok showing one mother's $44,000 hospital bill shocked viewers worldwide, underscoring the uniquely brutal pressures facing American families. Now, a rare bipartisan solution could directly address at least the problem of expensive childbirth. The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act, introduced in the Senate last week, would require private insurance companies to fully cover all childbirth-related expenses — from prenatal care and ultrasounds to delivery, postpartum care, and mental health treatment — without any co-pays or deductibles. (Medicaid, which insures roughly 41 percent of American births, already covers these costs.) The bill was introduced by Republican Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) and Josh Hawley (MO), and Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine (VA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (NY). A companion bipartisan version is expected in the House soon, with Democratic Rep. Jared Golden (ME) among the forthcoming cosponsors. Perhaps most striking are the bill's endorsees: organizations that typically find themselves on opposite sides of reproductive health debates. Supporters include the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, alongside prominent anti-abortion groups including Americans United for Life, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Students for Life, and Live Action. While the White House has not yet weighed in, Vice President JD Vance championed the idea during his Senate tenure. He publicly called the free childbirth proposal 'interesting' in January 2023, and his office had been preparing bipartisan legislation on the issue last year before being tapped to join the Trump campaign. Notably, Vance's former Senate staffer Robert Orr, who led the childbirth bill initiative, now works for Hawley. Some abortion rights advocacy groups, too, have expressed approval. Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director at Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, told me her organization 'proudly supports' the bill. Dorianne Mason, the director of health equity at the National Women's Law Center, said they are 'encouraged' to see the bipartisan effort. A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Action Fund said the group is still reviewing the bill but 'generally supports legislation to make the cost of maternal health care and parenting more affordable.' Reproductive Freedom For All declined to comment. While questions remain about whether eliminating childbirth costs would actually boost birth rates or reduce abortions — as various supporters hope — there's little doubt it would provide crucial relief to families who have already chosen to have children. The unlikely alliance behind the bill traces back to an unexpected source: a journalist's challenge to the anti-abortion movement. The Affordable Care Act already requires insurers to cover essential health benefits, like birth control and cancer screenings, at no cost to patients. This new bill would expand the list of essential health benefits to include prenatal, birth, and postpartum care, and require these services also to be free. The costs would be paid by insurance companies and modest increases in premiums for the 178 million people primarily covered by private plans. On average, premiums would go up by approximately $30 annually, according to an analysis from the Niskanen Center think tank. Lawson Mansell, the Niskanen policy analyst who ran the cost modeling, told me he thinks this proposal is the simplest way, on an administrative level, to make birth free. The trade-off, though, is instability: employer-sponsored coverage can disappear just when families need it most, since people often lose their jobs during pregnancy. The bill to cover childbirth costs under private health insurance has an unusual origin story compared to most pieces of legislation in Washington, DC, and reflects evolving factions within the anti-abortion movement. In early July 2022, shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Elizabeth Bruenig, a staff writer at the Atlantic, published a piece urging the anti-abortion movement to take up the cause of making birth free. 'It's time the pro-life movement chose life,' Bruenig, who identifies as pro-life but opposes criminal bans on abortion, wrote. She recommended expanding Medicare to cover the costs, just as Medicare was expanded to cover dialysis and kidney transplants in the early 1970s. Her article cited examples of staggering medical bills, such as one couple charged $10,000 for delivering in Texas and another $24,000 in Indiana. The piece made waves within an anti-abortion movement that was grasping for its next move after the Supreme Court struck down Roe. 'She was really challenging the pro-lifers on this issue, and we found the idea super interesting,' said Kristen Day, the executive director of Democrats for Life of America. Catherine Glenn Foster, then the president and CEO of Americans United for Life, responded a week after publication, praising Bruenig's piece and adding, 'Making birth free should be table stakes as a political matter. I'll work to advance this.' Democrats for Life and Americans United for Life teamed up, and in January 2023 the two organizations released a white paper, fleshing out the 'Make Birth Free' policy in more detail. The authors thanked Bruenig in the acknowledgements for pushing them to take on the idea, and it was this white paper that caught the eye of Vance in the Senate. John Mize, who succeeded Glenn Foster as CEO of Americans United for Life in January 2024, said the Bruenig article arrived at exactly the right moment. He acknowledges his movement 'missed the mark' by being so singularly focused on banning abortion for so many years. 'I think there's been a little bit of paradigm shift in some of the movement — not by all, by any means — but certainly by some parts' to better support women and families. He pointed to the Blueprint for Life coalition which launched in June 2024 to promote more holistic family policies, and he noted that some anti-abortion groups are newly advocating for policies like expanding the Child Tax Credit and paid family leave. Still, many leading anti-abortion advocates and lawmakers have been leading the push to cut federal spending on programs like child care, food assistance, and maternal health care. The Heritage Foundation called the original proposal to make childbirth costs free an 'unjust wealth transfer' and others protested the risk of more 'socialism' in health care as too great. When Bruenig's piece was originally published, she faced fierce pushback from the left. Critics felt the article was insensitive, implicitly endorsing the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe, and offering 'fanfic' for a right-wing movement historically opposed to a robust welfare state. Political science professor Scott Lemieux called the piece 'cringe' and 'embarrassing' and 'deluded.' Others said she was pitching 'forced birth but make it free.' The left-wing backlash ultimately prompted Bruenig to quit Twitter. Bruenig says she never expected much uptake on the idea, but is encouraged by recent changes. 'For the last 10 years or more I have contended that the best way to deal with abortion is on the demand side, by creating a welfare system that gives people an honest choice,' she told me. 'There's been, for better or worse, a shift in the way Republicans are thinking about these kinds of things…and in the center, and I'm very impressed to see some uptake on the idea.' She says she's not surprised there was criticism, but was writing for 'people who are persuadable when it comes to what the pro-life movement should be about.' She added that she embraces the 'pro-life' label despite opposing abortion bans because 'I don't think the pro-ban people should get to decide what counts as pro-life policy or philosophy.' Bill supporters are cautiously hopeful about the road ahead for the legislation. The timing reflects converging forces that have created an unusual window for bipartisan family policy. President Donald Trump's election, combined with growing concerns about declining birth rates, has coincided with a shift among some conservatives toward more proactive family policies. Meanwhile, Democrats see an opportunity to advance maternal health goals. The legislation also benefits from political cover on both sides. Republicans can champion it as pro-family policy that potentially reduces abortions, while Democrats can support it as expanding health care access. Crucially, because it doesn't require new government spending but instead redistributes costs through the existing private insurance system, it sidesteps typical fights over federal budget increases. But challenges remain. The upcoming reconciliation process will test whether Republicans prioritize fiscal restraint or family policy when forced to choose. And while Vance previously supported the free birth idea, the administration faces pressure from fiscal conservatives who view any insurance mandates as market interference. Not all conservatives will be thrilled at the idea of tinkering with the Affordable Care Act or facing accusations of supporting socialized medicine. Bill supporters hope the momentum for pronatalist policies might help to combat those kinds of criticisms, though other conservatives have pointed to falling birth rates in places with single-payer health care, too. Still, the legislation has attracted support from heavyweight conservative intellectuals. Yuval Levin, the director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote a policy brief earlier this year urging Congress to embrace making childbirth free, even if it doesn't affect birth rates. 'Substantively and symbolically, bringing the out-of-pocket health care costs of childbirth to zero is an ambitious but achievable starting point for the next generation of pro-family policies,' he wrote. Patrick Brown, a family policy analyst at the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center tells me he thinks it's 'the right instinct' to share the costs of parenting more broadly across society, though he hopes it does not 'distract from more broad-based efforts to help parents' such as a larger Child Tax Credit. Mize, of Americans United for Life, has been in 'the planning phases' of working with the White House on family policy. He thinks once the reconciliation bill is done, Republicans and Democrats could either retreat to their camps ahead of the midterms or decide to work together on achievable wins. 'You could see level-headed people say, 'Hey, this is one opportunity for us to put a feather in our cap and say that we're working on a bipartisan basis with our constituents,'' he said. A Senate staffer working on the bill, who requested anonymity to more candidly discuss their plans, said their intention is to move the bill through normal order and attach it to a must-pass legislative package. Both Hawley and Kaine sit on the Senate HELP committee, which holds jurisdiction over the bill. Rep. Golden, who is working on preparing the House version, said they're hoping to introduce their bill within the next week or two. 'While some debates over what [family policy] should look like can be complicated or contentious, this idea is simple and powerful: Pregnancy and childbirth are normal parts of family life,' he told Vox. 'So, insurance companies should treat it like the routine care it is and cover the cost, not stick people with huge medical bills. That's the kind of simple, commonsense reform that anyone can get behind. '
Vox
3 days ago
- Health
- Vox
America might finally make childbirth free
is a policy correspondent for Vox covering social policy. She focuses on housing, schools, homelessness, child care, and abortion rights, and has been reporting on these issues for more than a decade. As politicians grapple with declining birth rates, the financial burden of giving birth in America — where privately insured families face out-of-pocket costs of nearly $3,000 on average — has captured widespread attention. Last month, when news broke that the Trump administration was considering $5,000 baby bonuses for new parents, comedian Taylor Tomlinson captured the national frustration: 'That's like spritzing a volcano with a water gun.' A recent viral TikTok showing one mother's $44,000 hospital bill shocked viewers worldwide, underscoring the uniquely brutal pressures facing American families. Now, a rare bipartisan solution could directly address at least the problem of expensive childbirth. The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act, introduced in the Senate last week, would require private insurance companies to fully cover all childbirth-related expenses — from prenatal care and ultrasounds to delivery, postpartum care, and mental health treatment — without any co-pays or deductibles. (Medicaid, which insures roughly 41 percent of American births, already covers these costs.) The bill was introduced by Republican Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) and Josh Hawley (MO), and Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine (VA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (NY). A companion bipartisan version is expected in the House soon, with Democratic Rep. Jared Golden (ME) among the forthcoming cosponsors. Perhaps most striking are the bill's endorsees: organizations that typically find themselves on opposite sides of reproductive health debates. Supporters include the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, alongside prominent anti-abortion groups including Americans United for Life, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Students for Life, and Live Action. While the White House has not yet weighed in, Vice President JD Vance championed the idea during his Senate tenure. He publicly called the free childbirth proposal 'interesting' in January 2023, and his office had been preparing bipartisan legislation on the issue last year before being tapped to join the Trump campaign. Notably, Vance's former Senate staffer Robert Orr, who led the childbirth bill initiative, now works for Hawley. Some abortion rights advocacy groups, too, have expressed approval. Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director at Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, told me her organization 'proudly supports' the bill. Dorianne Mason, the director of health equity at the National Women's Law Center, said they are 'encouraged' to see the bipartisan effort. A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Action Fund said the group is still reviewing the bill but 'generally supports legislation to make the cost of maternal health care and parenting more affordable.' Reproductive Freedom For All declined to comment. While questions remain about whether eliminating childbirth costs would actually boost birth rates or reduce abortions — as various supporters hope — there's little doubt it would provide crucial relief to families who have already chosen to have children. The unlikely alliance behind the bill traces back to an unexpected source: a journalist's challenge to the anti-abortion movement. How the free childbirth bill would work The Affordable Care Act already requires insurers to cover essential health benefits, like birth control and cancer screenings, at no cost to patients. This new bill would expand the list of essential health benefits to include prenatal, birth, and postpartum care, and require these services also to be free. The costs would be paid by insurance companies and modest increases in premiums for the 178 million people primarily covered by private plans. On average, premiums would go up by approximately $30 annually, according to an analysis from the Niskanen Center think Mansell, the Niskanen policy analyst who ran the cost modeling, told me he thinks this proposal is the simplest way, on an administrative level, to make birth free. The trade-off, though, is instability: employer-sponsored coverage can disappear just when families need it most, since people often lose their jobs during pregnancy. The bill started with a challenge to the anti-abortion movement The bill to cover childbirth costs under private health insurance has an unusual origin story compared to most pieces of legislation in Washington, DC, and reflects evolving factions within the anti-abortion movement. In early July 2022, shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Elizabeth Bruenig, a staff writer at the Atlantic, published a piece urging the anti-abortion movement to take up the cause of making birth free. 'It's time the pro-life movement chose life,' Bruenig, who identifies as pro-life but opposes criminal bans on abortion, wrote. She recommended expanding Medicare to cover the costs, just as Medicare was expanded to cover dialysis and kidney transplants in the early 1970s. Her article cited examples of staggering medical bills, such as one couple charged $10,000 for delivering in Texas and another $24,000 in Indiana. The piece made waves within an anti-abortion movement that was grasping for its next move after the Supreme Court struck down Roe. 'She was really challenging the pro-lifers on this issue, and we found the idea super interesting,' said Kristen Day, the executive director of Democrats for Life of America. Catherine Glenn Foster, then the president and CEO of Americans United for Life, responded a week after publication, praising Bruenig's piece and adding, 'Making birth free should be table stakes as a political matter. I'll work to advance this.' Democrats for Life and Americans United for Life teamed up, and in January 2023 the two organizations released a white paper, fleshing out the 'Make Birth Free' policy in more detail. The authors thanked Bruenig in the acknowledgements for pushing them to take on the idea, and it was this white paper that caught the eye of Vance in the Senate. John Mize, who succeeded Glenn Foster as CEO of Americans United for Life in January 2024, said the Bruenig article arrived at exactly the right moment. He acknowledges his movement 'missed the mark' by being so singularly focused on banning abortion for so many years. 'I think there's been a little bit of paradigm shift in some of the movement — not by all, by any means — but certainly by some parts' to better support women and families. He pointed to the Blueprint for Life coalition which launched in June 2024 to promote more holistic family policies, and he noted that some anti-abortion groups are newly advocating for policies like expanding the Child Tax Credit and paid family leave. Still, many leading anti-abortion advocates and lawmakers have been leading the push to cut federal spending on programs like child care, food assistance, and maternal health care. The Heritage Foundation called the original proposal to make childbirth costs free an 'unjust wealth transfer' and others protested the risk of more 'socialism' in health care as too great. When Bruenig's piece was originally published, she faced fierce pushback from the left. Critics felt the article was insensitive, implicitly endorsing the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe, and offering 'fanfic' for a right-wing movement historically opposed to a robust welfare state. Political science professor Scott Lemieux called the piece 'cringe' and 'embarrassing' and 'deluded.' Others said she was pitching 'forced birth but make it free.' The left-wing backlash ultimately prompted Bruenig to quit Twitter. Bruenig says she never expected much uptake on the idea, but is encouraged by recent changes. 'For the last 10 years or more I have contended that the best way to deal with abortion is on the demand side, by creating a welfare system that gives people an honest choice,' she told me. 'There's been, for better or worse, a shift in the way Republicans are thinking about these kinds of in the center, and I'm very impressed to see some uptake on the idea.'She says she's not surprised there was criticism, but was writing for 'people who are persuadable when it comes to what the pro-life movement should be about.' She added that she embraces the 'pro-life' label despite opposing abortion bans because 'I don't think the pro-ban people should get to decide what counts as pro-life policy or philosophy.' The political road ahead Bill supporters are cautiously hopeful about the road ahead for the legislation. The timing reflects converging forces that have created an unusual window for bipartisan family policy. President Donald Trump's election, combined with growing concerns about declining birth rates, has coincided with a shift among some conservatives toward more proactive family policies. Meanwhile, Democrats see an opportunity to advance maternal health goals. The legislation also benefits from political cover on both sides. Republicans can champion it as pro-family policy that potentially reduces abortions, while Democrats can support it as expanding health care access. Crucially, because it doesn't require new government spending but instead redistributes costs through the existing private insurance system, it sidesteps typical fights over federal budget increases. But challenges remain. The upcoming reconciliation process will test whether Republicans prioritize fiscal restraint or family policy when forced to choose. And while Vance previously supported the free birth idea, the administration faces pressure from fiscal conservatives who view any insurance mandates as market interference. Not all conservatives will be thrilled at the idea of tinkering with the Affordable Care Act or facing accusations of supporting socialized medicine. Bill supporters hope the momentum for pronatalist policies might help to combat those kinds of criticisms, though other conservatives have pointed to falling birth rates in places with single-payer health care, the legislation has attracted support from heavyweight conservative intellectuals. Yuval Levin, the director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote a policy brief earlier this year urging Congress to embrace making childbirth free, even if it doesn't affect birth rates. 'Substantively and symbolically, bringing the out-of-pocket health care costs of childbirth to zero is an ambitious but achievable starting point for the next generation of pro-family policies,' he Brown, a family policy analyst at the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center tells me he thinks it's 'the right instinct' to share the costs of parenting more broadly across society, though he hopes it does not 'distract from more broad-based efforts to help parents' such as a larger Child Tax Credit. Mize, of Americans United for Life, has been in 'the planning phases' of working with the White House on family policy. He thinks once the reconciliation bill is done, Republicans and Democrats could either retreat to their camps ahead of the midterms or decide to work together on achievable wins. 'You could see level-headed people say, 'Hey, this is one opportunity for us to put a feather in our cap and say that we're working on a bipartisan basis with our constituents,'' he said.A Senate staffer working on the bill, who requested anonymity to more candidly discuss their plans, said their intention is to move the bill through normal order and attach it to a must-pass legislative package. Both Hawley and Kaine sit on the Senate HELP committee, which holds jurisdiction over the bill. Rep. Golden, who is working on preparing the House version, said they're hoping to introduce their bill within the next week or two.'While some debates over what that should look like can be complicated or contentious, this idea is simple and powerful: Pregnancy and childbirth are normal parts of family life,' he told Vox. 'So, insurance companies should treat it like the routine care it is and cover the cost, not stick people with huge medical bills. That's the kind of simple, commonsense reform that anyone can get behind. '
Chicago Tribune
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Western Springs, Hinsdale landmarks featured in children's book series
Taylor Tomlinson had very personal motivation when she decided to write a children's book. 'I realized I wanted to become an author when I thought about creating a 'goodnight' book for my son, one that featured local places he knows and loves,' she said. 'It wasn't necessarily a lifelong dream, but it's a personal and meaningful inspiration. I wanted to share the charm of our community with him in a way that was both fun and familiar.' So, Tomlinson, who has lived in Western Springs with her son, Jax, age 2, and husband, Jeff, who grew up there, began writing the first of her series of books, fittingly titled, 'Goodnight, Western Springs,' which was released in January. 'Goodnight, Hinsdale' was released in late April, and future 'Goodnight' books are planned for La Grange, Naperville, Libertyville and Downers Grove. Tomlinson bills the series as 'a collection of books that take young readers on whimsical nighttime adventures as they say goodnight to beloved locations across the Chicago suburbs.' 'My goal with the books is to bring the charm and character of Chicago's suburbs to life, helping young readers explore and appreciate the unique communities around them,' she said. 'I hope my books spark curiosity, nostalgia, and a sense of connection — both on the page and beyond.' Western Springs seemed like a logical place to start with her first book, which includes all of the places Tomlinson and her husband enjoy visiting with their son. Area readers will recognize Western Springs locations such as Tower Green, Spring Rock Park, the Western Springs Metra Station, Casey's Market, Thomas Ford Library, The Fruit Store, Oberweis Dairy / BB's Baby Donuts, Lyons Township High School South campus, Garden Market, Children's Theater of Western Springs, Kirschbaum's Bakery, and Flagg Creek. Hinsdale Community Pool and a visit from Santa at the village's annual Christmas Walk are among the highlights of 'Goodnight, Hinsdale.' 'The other towns in the series are nearby towns that we also visit often as a family,' Tomlinson said. ''Goodnight, Libertyville' will be a nostalgic book, a love letter, for the town in which I grew up.' Tomlinson said all of her books in the 'Goodnight' series will be written in a similar style. 'Fun, Dr. Seuss-style rhymes and large, full-page color illustrations of places within each town,' she said. 'All illustrations are done by the same illustrator (Christine F. Maningo).'
Los Angeles Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Taylor Tomlinson
Taylor Tomlinson, the comedian and writer who has hosted the CBS talk and variety show 'After Midnight' for two seasons, has lived in Los Angeles for nine years. But thanks to a robust stand-up schedule (her now-in-progress 'The Save Me Tour' has 76 dates booked across North America and Europe through January, including an L.A. hometown show scheduled for Aug. 10 at the Greek Theatre), she's only around L.A. for about 20 Sundays a year. 'I try to do two weekends on the road a month,' Tomlinson said. 'But sometimes it ends up being three. Usually my Sundays are spent flying home, and I'm doing my leisurely things on a Tuesday at noon.' She was more than happy to plot out a Sunday plan that doesn't involve 'a layover sitting in a coffee shop in the Phoenix airport.' It would start with making some matcha and head toward a close with sushi and a movie. In between, she'd hit a flea market, a bookstore (to score some spiral-ring notebooks) and the outdoor spaces at the Huntington. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity. 9 a.m.: Whisk up some morning matchaIn my perfect world, I'd fall asleep at midnight and get nine hours of sleep, which would be perfect. I am not somebody who can handle coffee because I get headaches. So I usually make matcha at home with unsweetened almond milk, and I add cinnamon and usually use a little bit of vanilla protein shake as creamer in it. And I do it iced. I go to a lot of coffee shops when I'm on the road and always have to ask if their matcha is presweetened, because a lot of places make it with honey or sugar already in it. But more mainstream places are getting unsweetened, ceremonial-grade matcha, and that's what I use. I've got one of those bamboo whisks, and I like the whole routine of boiling water and then whisking in the matcha powder. I really feel like I'm doing something. 9:30 a.m.: Back to bed with a bookThen I'd bring my matcha back to the bed and I'd read for a bit. I really struggle with letting myself read for fun, because, for a long time, I wouldn't read anything that wasn't teaching me something or had some sort of self-improvement element to it or was about comedy or business. I'm working on a book of my own right now, so I'm currently reading Chuck Palahniuk's 'Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life after Which Everything Was Different,' and for fun I'm reading 'The Dragon Republic,' the second book in R. F. Kuang's 'The Poppy War' series. 10:15 a.m.: Self-scramble some breakfastI like going out to breakfast when I'm on the road but, when I'm home, I like to cook for myself. So I'll do a scramble with some eggs, turkey, zucchini, spinach and bell pepper and then top it with some avocado. 11:45 a.m.: Make for the Melrose Trading PostThis might [sound like] a really basic Sunday, but I'm not in L.A. very much. So I would go to the Melrose Trading Post [flea market] over at Fairfax High School with some friends of mine because it's a way to socialize. Zach Noe Towers and Sophie Buddle and I do [stand-up comedy on] the road a lot together, and when we're home on a weekend, this is something we do together. I've bought a lot of leather jackets there. I have way too many jackets — an insane collection of jackets. It's a real problem. I bought a weird lamp there. I think the last thing I bought there was this wardrobe [from J. Martin Furniture] that was green, and they said they would paint it any color I wanted and have it delivered. So I had them paint it a dusty rose that matches the flowers on these vintage pillows I had just gotten for my bed. The wardrobe fills out the one blank wall I had left in the bedroom. It's really cute and makes me really happy. They have food and music and stuff to drink too. Last time we went we got some Thai food from a truck and hung out for a bit. 2 p.m.: Vroom over to Vroman'sFrom there I'd head to Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, which I hadn't been to until very recently. It's a huge independent bookstore, and they have literally everything there — books, gifts [and] stationery — so I'd probably buy a notebook. I've got so many notebooks. The two things I overbuy the most are vintage jackets and notebooks. I use different types of notebooks for different [purposes], but they've all got to be spiral-ring. I like [notebooks] that are long and skinny for my set lists. I like stenographer's notebooks for new jokes because [the pages] have a line down the middle; I use one side for jokes I know work and one side for jokes I'm not sure about yet. And I like a really big notebook to journal in. Then there are the kind I find at flea market vendors when I'm on the road where they turn old children's books into notebooks and leave part of the [original book] text in between the [blank] pages. This one [she holds aloft a spiral-ring notebook with the title 'Peter Pan' on the cover] is by Red Barn Collections. I think I picked it up at a flea market in Salt Lake City. 3 p.m.: Head to the HuntingtonIf I didn't sit and write in the cafe at Vroman's, I'd head to the Huntington. I've been a member there for years, and sometimes when I have a whole day off, I'll go there for awhile. I'd either go to the side area where there are a few chairs and sit and read or go to one of the benches that overlook the Japanese garden. If I was writing, I'd do that in the cafe. 5:30 p.m.: Sushi in Studio CitySince the Huntington closes at 5 p.m., I'd head to this sushi place in Studio City that I love called Sushi Tomoki that opens at 5:30. I like to get there right when it opens because it fills up so fast. And it's so good, and the service is fast even when they're packed. 7 p.m.: Take in a movie at Universal CityWalkSince I'm in Studio City and my group of friends and I are all AMC Stubs A-List members, I'd go to Universal CityWalk to catch a movie. CityWalk is what it is, but it's close to the sushi place. And the AMC theater there is really good. If you go with a bunch of friends, you can split the cost of parking. I love to talk about the movie afterward, so instead of just standing by the car talking about it, we can walk around [CityWalk] and talk about it. The last thing I saw there was 'Paddington in Peru.' 10:30 p.m.: Tea time before bedtimeAt this point it's probably pretty late when I get home, so I'd probably drink some tea — I do a licorice or a ginger tea at night — shower and then read for awhile. Or maybe do some journaling or doomscrolling in bed, depending on what my mood is. And hopefully fall asleep by midnight.
The Independent
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Taylor Tomlinson breaks silence on Instagram as her CBS show After Midnight is canceled
Comedian Taylor Tomlinson has spoken out about her decision to return to stand-up as CBS announced that it was pulling the plug on her late-night comedy show, After Midnight, after two seasons. The 31-year-old comic began hosting the series — which was a reboot of Comedy Central 's panel game show @midnight — in 2024. After Midnight had been renewed for a third season last week. However, it's officially been scrapped after Tomlinson made the surprise decision to return to stand-up full time. '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,' Stephen Colbert, an executive producer on the series, said Wednesday in a statement. Tomlinson has since addressed her decision in a statement on her Instagram Story. 'Being the host of After Midnight for the past two seasons was the experience of a lifetime and I am so lucky I got the chance to be a part of this show. As a touring comic, I never thought I would be able to host a daily show like this and it's because of the incredible @M team that it was possible for me to do so as long as I did,' she wrote. 'That said, juggling touring and hosting the show has become unsustainable, and I've made the difficult decision to step away so I can focus on stand up. After Midnight has pushed me to new limits, taught me countless lessons and skills, and allowed me to work with some of the greatest people I've ever met. I'm very sad but excited to finish out season 2 strong.' Tomlinson concluded by thanking 'every single person who has a part in this show, l am forever grateful.' After Midnight will air its final episode in June. An exact date is not yet known. The show stood as Tomlinson's first late-night gig. She was tapped to helm the series in November 2023. During an appearance on Colbert's Late Show at the time, she expressed her delight at finally having a 'real job.' 'I've been doing stand-up since I was 16 — which is not a job — and so no job!' she quipped. After Midnight, which debuted in January 2024, replaced The Late Late Show with James Corden. Without the traditional format of a late-night show, which typically features an opening monologue and a live band, CBS saw Tomlinson's smaller-budget comedy game show as a cost-saving measure. The network has said that it will not fill the now-vacant 12:37 a.m. hour time slot with original programming.
