Taylor Williamson is an American

stand-up comic Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

and actor. He is known for finishing as the runner-up on the eighth season of ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

'' and as a semi-finalist on ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...

''.

Career

Williamson started his stand-up career at the age of 17 while a student at

Torrey Pines High School Torrey Pines High School is a high school in the North County Coastal area of San Diego, California. The school is named after the Torrey pine tree that grows in the area. Torrey Pines High School is a member of the San Dieguito Union High Schoo ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. Because he was under the age of 21 when he started performing, he would be told to wait outside the comedy club upon completing his set, preventing him from watching other comics. Earlier in his career, he also performed at venues such as coffee houses, pizza parlors, and cafeterias. Williamson's performance trademarks include a dry, awkward stage persona and self-deprecating humor. He has listed comics such as

Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (born October 1, 1969) is an American actor and comedian. He appeared in ''Comedy Central Presents'' special and presented his show ''Late World with Zach'' on VH1. Galifianakis has starred in films including ''Th ...

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, and

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as some of his early influences. His notable appearances have included the Just for Laughs comedy festival, ''

Live at Gotham ''Live at Gotham'' is a standup comedy television show airing on Comedy Central in the United States. The show features up and coming stand up comedians performing live at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City Ne ...

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...

,'' and ''

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing from January 3, 2005, to December 19, ...

'', where he was the youngest comic to ever appear on the show.

''Last Comic Standing''

In 2010, Williamson was a contestant on the seventh season of ''Last Comic Standing'', where he was eliminated by the judges in the semifinals.

''America's Got Talent''

Following a successful preliminary audition in Los Angeles, Williamson was unanimously selected for the Vegas round by the show's four judges. A favorite of

Howie Mandel Howard Michael Mandel (born November 29, 1955) is a Canadian-American comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel voiced the character Gizmo in the 1984 film ''Gremlins'' and the 1990 sequel '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch''. I ...

and

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...

, he advanced through each round, relying on a save by judges' choice in the quarterfinals. During his run to the finals, he also coined the term "Taylords", affectionately referring to the members of his growing fanbase. In the season finale, Williamson was announced as the competition's runner-up, finishing second in votes behind Kenichi Ebina. He has since vacillated between expressing dismay at the finale result and appreciation for his experience on the show. Taylor returned to the show as a guest in Season 9 (appearing on both the August 13 and 20 shows), and Season 16 (appearing on the September 15 season finale). In the tenth anniversary special of the show, Taylor was named judge Heidi Klum's all-time favorite act. He later returned to and participated in America's Got Talent: The Champions in 2019, but didn't receive enough votes to advance to the finals.

Discography

*''Laughter? I Hardly Know Her!'' (2012)

References

External links

Taylor Williamson official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Taylor America's Got Talent contestants American stand-up comedians Jewish male comedians Year of birth uncertain Living people 21st-century American comedians Year of birth missing (living people)