Taylor Tomlinson's Prodigal Daughter Lands on Netflix — Her Most Personal Special Yet
Taylor Tomlinson has officially returned to Netflix with her fourth stand-up special, Prodigal Daughter, which dropped on February 24, 2026 — and the comedy world is already taking notice. Raw, confessional, and sharper than ever, the special marks a defining new chapter for one of stand-up's most talked-about voices.
Taylor Tomlinson Takes on Religion and Identity in Prodigal Daughter
Filmed at the 101-year-old Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Prodigal Daughter leans fully into the religious upbringing Taylor Tomlinson has long circled in her comedy. This time, she faces it directly. The special tackles religious trauma, purity culture, LGBTQ identity, grief, and what it means to return — literally and figuratively — to the church stages where her story began. Tomlinson acknowledged the weight of the material early in the set, telling her audience, "I know it's a lot of God stuff and a lot of gay stuff, and my agents are nervous."
Taylor Tomlinson Makes Her Directorial Debut with the Special
Beyond performing, Taylor Tomlinson took on directing duties for Prodigal Daughter, making it her directorial debut. After taping two performances on November 1, 2025, she shared a backstage photo with the caption celebrating taping and directing her fourth comedy special. The project represents a full creative takeover — performer, director, and storyteller all in one.
Taylor Tomlinson Walks Away from After Midnight to Reclaim Stand-Up
The special arrives months after Taylor Tomlinson made the bold decision to leave After Midnight, her CBS late-night panel show, in June 2025. The show had been renewed for a third season, but Tomlinson chose to step away and refocus entirely on stand-up. She hosted the network series from January 2024 through the summer of 2025, recording multiple episodes per week while flying out on weekends for live shows — a grueling schedule that left her with zero days off and no personal life. The choice to walk away was a bet on herself, and Prodigal Daughter is the payoff.
Taylor Tomlinson's Save Me Tour Fueled the New Material
Much of the material in Prodigal Daughter was road-tested during Taylor Tomlinson's Save Me Tour, which launched in 2024 and ran well into 2025. The tour explored sex, religion, and self-discovery — themes that became the backbone of the Netflix special. Live shows featured a recurring encore segment called "Crowd Confessions," where Tomlinson and her openers swapped audience stories on stage. The tour cemented her reputation as one of the most in-demand live acts in comedy today.
Taylor Tomlinson's Netflix Legacy Continues to Grow
Prodigal Daughter is Tomlinson's fourth Netflix original special, following Quarter-Life Crisis (2020), Look At You (2022), and Have It All (2024) — the latter of which debuted at number one on the platform. In Have It All, Tomlinson publicly came out as bisexual, a theme she continues to explore with greater depth in the new special. Each release has pushed her further into the mainstream, earning praise from outlets including Rolling Stone and landing her on lists such as Forbes 30 Under 30 and TIME100 Next.
What's Next for Taylor Tomlinson
Taylor Tomlinson is not slowing down. She is currently writing Actually, Nevermind, a book of autobiographical essays for Gallery Books, and will narrate the audiobook edition herself. With Prodigal Daughter now streaming and a completed tour run behind her, Tomlinson steps into 2026 as one of comedy's most complete artists — writer, director, performer, and author all at once.
