The Comedian List / Comedians / Taylor Williamson

Stand-up · America’s Got Talent runner-up

Taylor Williamson

The dry, awkward, self-deprecating stand-up from San Diego who finished second on season 8 of America’s Got Talent.

Born
June 15, 1986
Started
At 17, San Diego
AGT
Season 8 runner-up
Album
Laughter? I Hardly Know Her!
Taylor Williamson
Can I tell you?
01

Who is Taylor Williamson?

Taylor Williamson is an American stand-up comic known for a dry, awkward stage persona and self-deprecating humor. He started doing stand-up at 17 while a student at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, and because he was under 21 he was often told to wait outside the club after his own set.

He was a semi-finalist on the seventh season of Last Comic Standing in 2010, and in 2013 he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of America’s Got Talent, behind Kenichi Ebina. His fans call themselves “Taylords.” On the show’s tenth-anniversary special, judge Heidi Klum named him her all-time favorite act, and he returned for America’s Got Talent: The Champions in 2019.

His other TV spots include Just for Laughs, Live at Gotham and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, where he was the youngest comic ever to appear. He has full stand-up specials from The Comedy Store on his YouTube channel.

On the Harland Highway Podcast (Oct 27, 2026) he brings his dog Betty, tells how a running bit with Heidi Klum on America’s Got Talent became his big break, and remembers hosting at the Hollywood Improv at 18 the first night he brought Harland Williams to the stage.

02

Timeline

  1. Age 17First stand-up sets in San Diego
  2. 2010Last Comic Standing, season 7 semi-finalist
  3. 2012Album: Laughter? I Hardly Know Her!
  4. 2013America’s Got Talent, season 8 runner-up
  5. 2019America’s Got Talent: The Champions
  6. 2023Live at the Comedy Store (YouTube)
  7. 2026Big Time Celebrity, Live at the Comedy Store (YouTube)
03

Specials, TV & more

Special · YouTube, 2023Live at the Comedy StoreFull special
Special · YouTube, 2026Big Time CelebrityLive at the Comedy Store
TV · NBC, season 8America’s Got TalentRunner-up
TV · NBC, season 7Last Comic StandingSemi-finalist
Album · 2012Laughter? I Hardly Know Her!
TV · CBSThe Late Late Show with Craig FergusonStand-up sets
05

Taylor Williamson FAQ

Did Taylor Williamson win America’s Got Talent?

No. He finished second on season 8 in 2013, behind Kenichi Ebina.

Where did Taylor Williamson start doing stand-up?

In San Diego, at 17, while he was a student at Torrey Pines High School.

Where can I watch Taylor Williamson’s special?

His Live at the Comedy Store specials are free on his YouTube channel, and his site links to the rest of his work.

06

If you like Taylor

More comics on the list who share stages and mics with Taylor.

Photos: Harland Williams: Photo: We Might Be Drunk Podcast, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Craig Ferguson: Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Wendy Liebman: Photo: 'slgckgc', CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Jay Leno: Photo: US mission to the European Union, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Greg Giraldo: Photo: GregMan3, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Tom Segura: Photo: Zach Catanzareti Photo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Photo: JarJarble, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Facts checked Oct 26, 2026.

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