Taylor Tomlinson Releases Faith-Focused Netflix Special

Comedian Taylor Tomlinson released her fourth Netflix stand-up special, "Prodigal Daughter," on February 24, 2025, featuring a performance filmed at Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the previous November. In the special, Tomlinson delivered jokes centered on her conservative Christian upbringing, religious doubts, and personal experiences with faith, performing under the church's vaulted sanctuary ceiling while wearing a cross necklace and leather jacket.

The hour-long set, compiled from four shows during the week of November 1, 2024, blends humor with reflections on Tomlinson's journey from evangelical roots to identifying as nonreligious. She opened with a quip about her iPhone autocorrecting "god" to "God," suggesting artificial intelligence's affinity for religion. Tomlinson shared stories from her childhood in church settings, including routines inspired by basement youth groups, and addressed what she described as religious trauma. "I have religious trauma. Anybody else have religious trauma?" she asked the audience. "It just means you grew up in church, you're not religious anymore, but now when you kind of feel good, you feel kind of bad about it."