Obsessed: The Podcast

Comedy icon Martin Short somehow turned 70 last year. And while he’s still capable of the unbounded energy he first showed the world on shows like ‘SCTV’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ he can also be more sincere and reflective than his biggest fans might expect. In this in-depth conversation, the man who’s known as just “Marty” to his famous friends tells hilarious stories about working with Steve Martin, performing for David Letterman, embodying Jiminy Glick and more. Plus, he breaks down what it took to transform himself into a #MeToo monster for his Emmy-nominated role on ‘The Morning Show’ and teases his latest series ‘Only Murders in the Building’ co-starring Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. This episode was originally published on August 18th, 2020. Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the youngest writer ever hired at ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Simon Rich achieved his biggest dreams ridiculously early in life. Everything that’s followed, including a stint at Pixar writing ‘Inside Out,’ running his own shows—‘Man Seeking Woman’ and ‘Miracle Workers’—and turning his multi-part ‘New Yorker’ story ‘Sell Out’ into the movie ‘An American Pickle’ starring two Seth Rogens, has been beyond his wildest imagination. And for him, that’s really saying something. On this episode, Rich reads an excerpt from his latest short story collection ‘New Teeth’ and reflects on his incredibly prolific career as the most ambitious comedy writer in the game. Plus, hear stories about what it was like to guest-write an episode of ‘The Simpsons,’ the rejected sketch he pitched to LeBron James on his first-ever SNL episode and tackling Willy Wonka’s origin story in the upcoming prequel starring Timothée Chalamet. Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Buy ‘New Teeth’ on Amazon Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before Nicole Byer became the Emmy-nominated face of Netflix’s family-friendly baking competition show ‘Nailed It!’ she was best known as one of the raunchiest comedians on the stand-up scene. It’s the type of juxtaposition that has drawn parallels to Bob Saget, another filthy comic who found fame on the super-saccharine sitcom ‘Full House.’ On this episode, Byer breaks down how she balances these two disparate sides of her comedy persona, sizes up her Emmy competition and reflects on the bizarrely “segregated” SNL audition in which she lost out to her best friend Sasheer Zamata. Follow Nicole Byer on Twitter @nicolebyer and Instagram @nicolebyer Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Kathy Griffin opens up about the infamous photoshoot that changed her life and sounds off on President Trump, Donald Trump Jr., TMZ’s Harvey Levin, CNN’s Jeff Zucker, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Alec Baldwin, Lorne Michaels, Jerry Seinfeld and a hell of a lot more. This episode was originally published on July 2nd, 2019. Follow Kathy Griffin on Twitter @kathygriffin and Instagram @kathygriffin Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Stream ‘Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story’ on Amazon Prime Video Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jake Johnson has run from dinosaurs with Chris Pratt, fought off mummies with Tom Cruise and embodied an alternate universe Spiderman. But for his latest project ‘Ride the Eagle,’ the actor has scaled things way back, teaming up with ‘New Girl’ director Trent O’Donnell to see if they could create a movie that is both safe to shoot during the pandemic and satisfying from a storytelling perspective. On this episode, Johnson breaks down how his experience in those blockbuster films have shaped his views on Hollywood, reveals how Cruise taught him the difference between “injured and hurt” and teases the future of his Peter B. Parker character from ‘Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse’ Follow Jake Johnson on Instagram @mrjakejohnson Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Stream ‘Ride the Eagle’ on Amazon Prime Video Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From her breakthrough performance as Mel the stalker on ‘Flight of the Conchords,’ to her long-running gig as the voice of fourth-grader Louise Belcher on ‘Bob’s Burgers’ to her latest role as Number Two on the Disney+ adaptation of ‘The Mysterious Benedict Society,’ Kristen Schaal never fails to bring a unique energy to the screen. And it all begins with her unmistakable voice. On this episode, Schaal looks back on her winding road from alt-comedy darling to mainstream children’s TV star, including detours writing for ‘South Park,’ serving as the “Senior Women’s Issues Correspondent” on ‘The Daily Show’ and getting a well-deserved Emmy nomination for—what else?—her voice-over work on ‘Bojack Horseman.’ Follow Kristen Schaal on Twitter @kristenschaaled and Instagram @k.schaal Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nikki Glaser is a world-class stand-up comedian, a ruthless celebrity roaster and an endlessly engaging daily podcaster. Now, she’s also a reality TV star thanks to her new gig hosting the deliberately absurd dating show ‘FBoy Island’ on HBO Max. On this episode, Glaser talks about how she landed her dream job after “embarrassing” herself on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ shares her unvarnished opinions on body image and cancel culture and reveals some wild behind-the-scenes stories about roasting Ann Coulter, Alec Baldwin, Caitlyn Jenner, Blake Griffin, Jeff Ross and more. Follow Nikki Glaser on Twitter @NikkiGlaser and Instagram @nikkiglaser Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Director David Wain thought his career was over when ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ bombed at the box office in July of 2001. 20 years later, the film has become a full-blown comedy classic thanks to the exploding celebrity of previously unknown cast members like Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler and the fierce dedication of fans who made sure it would live on forever. On this very special episode of the podcast, Wain reflects on the wildly difficult process of putting the movie together, reveals some of the future stars who didn’t make the cut and how its initial failure and ultimate success has affected his prolific career as a comedy director. Follow David Wain on Twitter @davidwain and Instagram @davidwain Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Rory Scovel never knows exactly what he’s going to say when he steps on stage. But in his latest stand-up special ‘Live Without Fear,’ he threw out the script altogether and performed six consecutive nights of fully improvised material. On the other end of the creative spectrum, Scovel recently took on a major role opposite Rose Byrne in the Apple TV+ series ‘Physical.’ He joins the podcast this week for a surprisingly deep conversation about his unlikely path from experimental comedian to mainstream actor. Follow Rory Scovel on Twitter @roryscovel and Instagram @roryscovel Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Watch the ‘Live Without Fear’ special on YouTube Stream the ‘Live Without Fear’ album on Amazon Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mindy Kaling broke through as a writer and star of ‘The Office’ and then ‘The Mindy Project’ before taking those roles to new heights in her latest film ‘Late Night’ opposite Emma Thompson. In this episode, we talk about the complicated politics of that movie and what it’s actually like to be the only minority woman in an all-male writers room. Plus, Kaling speaks out for the first time about her controversial Instagram post supporting Aziz Ansari, reveals why she had to turn down her “dream” job at SNL and previews her hit Netflix show ‘Never Have I Ever.’ This episode was originally published on June 18th, 2019. Follow Mindy Kaling on Twitter @mindykaling and Instagram @mindykaling Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 years before he created the hilarious, Stephen Colbert-produced ‘Tooning Out the News,’ R.J. Fried spent time in the trenches of actual cable news, working for MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell. That experience, along with his years as a writer for ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ and Robert Smigel’s Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, helped prepare him to run what has somehow become the most consistently funny and hard-hitting political comedy show on TV. On this episode, Fried breaks down how he gets people like Alan Dershowitz, Matt Schlapp and real-life members of Congress to subject themselves to brutal interrogations from the show’s cartoon news anchors—and reveals which right-wing pundits he’s turned down. Follow R.J. Fried on Twitter @rjfried Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With a best-selling memoir, beloved podcast and insanely popular Instagram account, Busy Philipps was ready to quit acting for good when Tina Fey came along and offered her one of the four lead roles in this summer’s breakout comedy hit ‘Girls5eva.’ On this episode, Busy opens up about two decades in the entertainment industry that haven’t always been easy, from the intense pressure that came with her early days on ‘Freaks and Geeks’ and ‘Dawson’s Creek’ to her prematurely canceled late-night talk show ‘Busy Tonight’ on E! She also explains why her best friend Michelle Williams stays far away from social media, shares her reaction to Seth Rogen’s decision to stop working with James Franco and explains why she doubts any of Hollywood’s predators will ever “fuck with” her again. Follow Busy Philipps on Twitter @BusyPhilipps and Instagram @busyphilipps Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the most successful stand-up comedians of all time, Jim Gaffigan became the first comic to premiere a special with Amazon Prime Video in 2019. Quality Time, Gaffigan’s seventh hour-long special, finds the comedian getting back to basics like his weight and an inordinate number of horse jokes after dealing with his wife and writing partner Jeannie’s harrowing medical scare. In the episode, Jim opens up about that experience and explains why he’d rather make jokes about brain tumors than President Trump. He also weighs in on David Letterman, Ellen DeGeneres, Aziz Ansari, Louis C.K., Bill O’Reilly, the Pope and a lot more. This episode was originally published on August 20th, 2019. Follow Jim Gaffigan on Twitter @JimGaffigan and Instagram @jimgaffigan Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Gina Yashere’s new memoir is titled ‘Cack-Handed,’ which, she explains, means “left-handed or awkward and clumsy, which I am all of these things.” She’s also the first Brit to perform on ‘Def Comedy Jam,’ a one-time Senior British Correspondent for ‘The Daily Show’ and the co-creator with Chuck Lorre of the CBS sitcom ‘Bob Hearts Abishola,’ which uses her Nigerian heritage as comedic inspiration. She originally thought he was trying to exploit her and is really glad she gave him a second chance. We get into all of it on this week’s episode and Yashere reveals the unique challenges she has faced in the entertainment industry and shares her thoughts about “that pug-faced twat” Piers Morgan. Follow Gina Yashere on Twitter @ginayashere and Instagram @ginayashere Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joel Kim Booster likes to play the “hot idiot” on stage. But as you will quickly learn during this episode, he is actually full the insights about the unique challenges he has faced on his path to becoming one of the funniest young comedians working today. To kick off Pride Month, the stand-up comic and co-host of the ‘Flameout’ podcast on Spotify opens up about growing up with his adoptive Evangelical Christian family, how he gave up self-deprecation to embrace over-confidence and why there hasn’t been a gay male stand-up comedy superstar on the level of Ellen DeGeneres, Wanda Sykes or Tig Notaro. He also reveals some exciting news about the status of his big gay rom-com ‘Trip’ co-starring SNL’s Bowen Yang! Follow Joel Kim Booster on Twitter @ihatejoelkim and Instagram @ihatejoelkim Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Tig Notaro opens up about moving on from ‘One Mississippi’ and Louis C.K., the fundamental silliness of her online talk show ‘Under a Rock’ and why decided to host her new advice podcast ‘Don’t Ask Tig.’ She also tells a hilarious story about the time she guest-starred on ‘The Office,’ shares an update on her forthcoming Netflix film in which she plays the first lady opposite Jennifer Aniston’s president and reveals that she has taken on a whole new career during quarantine. This episode was originally published on July 28th, 2020. Follow Tig Notaro on Twitter @TigNotaro and Instagram @therealfluffnotaro Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Three decades after they appeared together on ‘In Living Color,’ David Alan Grier is now playing Jamie Foxx’s father on their new Netflix sitcom ‘Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!’—despite just an 11 year age difference between the two comedy legends. On this episode, Grier recalls his first impressions of Foxx when he joined that iconic sketch series in its third season and tells some outrageous stories about doing the Super Bowl halftime show, hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ twice before turning down a spot in the show’s cast and tackling the rape charges against his one-time mentor Bill Cosby on ‘The Carmichael Show.’ Follow David Alan Grier on Twitter @davidalangrier and Instagram @davidalangrier Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After creating ‘Parks and Recreation,’ ‘Brooklyn 99’ and ‘The Good Place,’ Mike Schur has decided to dive head first into the culture wars with his ‘Rutherford Falls.’ The new show, now streaming on Peacock, stars ‘The Office’s’ Ed Helms as a well-intentioned but problematic descendant of colonizers who finds himself in a battle over historical statues and everything they represent with the nearby Native American tribe. Schur returns to the podcast this week to get into all of the controversial issues raised in his new series, explain why Native American representation was so important on-screen and off and share some hilarious stories from his early days writing for SNL and ‘The Office.’ Follow Mike Schur on Twitter @KenTremendous Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The stars of Netflix’s hit prank movie ‘Bad Trip’ join ‘The Last Laugh’ podcast this week! Wel hear from comedian—and Oscars savior—Lil Rel Howery about why he almost quit the film on day one and from writer, producer and star Eric Andre about his long history of outrageous comedy antics, the important advice he got from Sacha Baron Cohen, his wonderfully weird interview with Larry King and a lot more. Follow Eric Andre on Twitter @ericandre and Instagram @ericfuckingandre Follow Lil Rel Howery on Twitter @LilRel4 and Instagram @comedianlilrel Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Exactly a decade after ‘Bridesmaids’ hit theaters and smashed records, director Paul Feig joins the podcast to look back on how it all came together so perfectly. Feig goes deep on the whole process, from how he escaped “movie jail” to land the gig to discovering the power of Melissa McCarthy during the audition process and shares behind-the-scenes stories from the movie’s funniest sequences. He also opens up about the pressure he and collaborators Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumulo and Judd Apatow felt to deliver a hit that would somehow prove the value of female-led comedies and why that burden never should have been placed on their shoulders. Follow Paul Feig on Twitter @paulfeig and Instagram @paulfeig Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘Broad City’s’ Abbi Jacobson joins this very special 4/20 episode to look back on highlights from the game-changing comedy series she created and starred in with partner-in-crime Ilana Glazer and ahead to her new diverse adaptation of ‘A League of Their Own.’ Jacobson also talks about her latest gig voicing a college-bound teenager whose family finds itself combatting the robot apocalypse in Netflix’s new animated film ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines.’ Plus, Hillary Clinton, Larry David and Phish! Follow Abbi Jacobson on Instagram @abbijacobson Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Keith and Kenny Lucas spent 9 years developing, pitching and ultimately co-writing ‘Judas and the Black Messiah.’ It was all worth it when they landed a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for their work. On this episode, the identical twins talk about dropping out of two separate law schools to become a stand-up comedy team, why they have more or less disowned their 2017 Netflix special ‘On Drugs.’ They try to get the bottom of how the two actors who play the title characters in their film—Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield—both ended up getting nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category and also dig deep on the “codependency” that has defined their lifelong relationship, which once included sharing a therapist. Follow The Lucas Brothers on Twitter @lucasbros and Instagram @thelucasbros Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the difference between challenging stereotypes and perpetuating those same stereotypes? That’s just one of the many questions international comedy superstar Jo Koy tries to get to the bottom of on this week’s episode. Koy talks about putting the jokes aside to deal with the harsh realities of his childhood as a half-Filipino, half-white kid in his new memoir ‘Mixed Plate’ and breaks down how he forged his own comedy path, refusing to take no as an answer from Netflix and gaining Steven Spielberg, who’s producing a new movie based on his life, as a fan. He also tells stories about turning down the chance to be Chelsea Handler’s sidekick and shares his reaction to mentor Jay Leno’s recent apology for decades of anti-Asian jokes. Buy ‘Mixed Plate’ on Amazon Follow Jo Koy on Twitter @Jokoy and Instagram @jokoy Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two and half years after Lisa Lampanelli retired from insult comedy to become a life coach, the former “Queen of Mean” opens up about what made her decide to leave roasting behind and why she decided to make a rare appearance in the new FX documentary ‘Hysterical’ about the history of female comedians. Lisa tells wild stories about her early days roasting Chevy Chase and Pamela Anderson, the two separate times she roasted Donald Trump and how that led to a bizarre stint on ‘The Celebrity Apprentice.’ Plus, she breaks down her beef with Patrice O’Neal, Louis C.K. and Joan Rivers. Get tickets for Lisa’s upcoming live storytelling show. Twitter: @LisaLampanelli and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lisalampanelli and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. tells us what his year of ‘Daily Show’ correspondent appearances from home has been like and how the show has changed since Trump left office. He also talks about his new podcast ‘Roy’s Job Fair,’ previews his recently announced stand-up special set to premiere on Comedy Central later this year and shares hilarious stories about his late-night debut on ‘Letterman’ and why his first ‘Daily Show’ audition didn’t go as planned. Twitter: @roywoodjr and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @roywoodjr and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze returns to ‘The Last Laugh’ this week to talk about his latest special ‘The Greatest Average American,’ which premieres this Thursday, March 18th on Netflix. He breaks down how he managed to pull off his funniest hour yet during the pandemic, why he needed to try out his COVID jokes on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show,’ where he sees himself in the comedy pantheon and a lot more. Twitter: @natebargatze and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @natebargatze and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To mark one year since our world was turned upside down, this episode features stories from eight comedians about trying to stay funny in the middle of a global pandemic: — Cameron Esposito — Jimmy O. Yang — Nick Offerman — Tig Notaro — Beth Stelling — Jordan Klepper — John Wilson — Sarah Cooper Twitter: @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the 100th episode of ‘The Last Laugh’ podcast and Nathan Lane is here to talk about his iconic role in ‘The Birdcage’ nearly 25 years to the day after that classic comedy film was released. We get into all of it, including how he landed the breakthrough role of his movie career, improvising on set with Robin Williams and the complicated experience of promoting the film on ‘Oprah’ before he was ready to come out publicly. Twitter: @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this preview of our 100th episode with Nathan Lane dropping next Tuesday, the star of ‘The Birdcage’ weighs in on the debate over straight actors playing gay roles and shares some unexpected news about a possible sequel to the classic comedy film 25 years after its release. Subscribe to ‘The Last Laugh’ now to hear our full conversation when it’s released next Tuesday, March 2nd. Twitter: @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Atlanta-based comedian Blaire Erskine has blown up on Twitter over the past year with videos that not only roast Trump-loving conservatives but have also managed to fool a large number of prominent liberals. With characters like Tiffany Trump’s best friend, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s daughter and Ted Cruz’s spokesperson, Blaire rides a fine line between parody and reality and nails it every time. In this episode, we talk about how she honed this new craft during the pandemic, why 90% of the hate she gets comes from the left and a lot more. Twitter: @blaireerskine and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @blaire.erskine and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Larry Wilmore is a comedy writer, producer, former host of ‘The Nightly Show’ and current host of the podcast ‘Black on the Air.’ Now, Larry has executive produced a new six-part docuseries called ‘Amend: The Fight for America,’ hosted by Will Smith, that will premiere on Netflix this Wednesday, February 17th. In this episode, Larry shares behind-the-scenes stories from ‘The Daily Show,’ ‘The Office,’ and his infamous speech at President Obama’s final White House Correspondents’ Dinner. This episode was originally published on May 5, 2020. Twitter: @larrywilmore and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @larrywilmore and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After nine seasons spent bringing lovable weirdos to life as a cast member on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Bobby Moynihan is at it again on the Tina Fey-created sitcom ‘Mr. Mayor.’ On this episode, Bobby talks about being one of the biggest SNL fans to ever make the cast, shares Donald Trump’s alarming praise of his racist “Drunk Uncle” character and reveals what made him leave the show after a presidential election season dominated by Alec Baldwin. Twitter: @bibbymoynihan and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @bibbymoynihan and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a rare interview, the man behind @TheTweetofGod—former “Daily Show” writer David Javerbaum—opens up about creating that wildly popular Twitter account and adapting it into the new ‘Godcast’ podcast. He also tells stories about writing jokes with Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, composing songs with James Corden and Adam Schlesinger and teases his upcoming book, ‘The Book of Pslams: 97 Divine Diatribes on Humanity’s Total Failure.’ Twitter: @TheTweetOfGod and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years spent roasting D-list celebrities on ‘Chelsea Lately,’ A-list celebrities on the Comedy Central roasts and hipster couples on her ‘Honeymoon Stand Up Special’ with husband Moshe Kasher, Natasha Leggero has moved on to roasting houses. On this week’s episode, the co-host of ‘House Hunters: Comedians on Couches Unfiltered’ opens up about her “uniquely challenging” comedic journey, including a transcendent stand-up debut, an early brush with “cancel culture” and a lot more. Twitter: @natashaleggero and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @natashaleggero and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Sam Morril is so prolific that he managed to release two full-length stand-up specials in 2020 when most comics couldn’t even get on stage. In this episode, we talk about how he pulled off ‘I Got This’ and ‘Up on the Roof,’ both of which are available to stream for free on YouTube now, plus his unique outlook on the power of “offensive” jokes, his unexpected cameo in ‘Joker’ and a lot more. Twitter: @sammorril and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @sammorril and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Donald Trump’s last full day as president, comedian Sarah Cooper looks back and her life-changing year lip-syncing him on TikTok and ahead to her own post-Trump ambitions in comedy. We also talk about the early stand-up material she now worries might get her “canceled,” the surreal experience of watching Trump talk about her on Fox News, how she got Helen Mirren to recreate the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape for her Netflix special and a lot more—including whether she’s really done with Trump. Twitter: @sarahcpr and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @sarahcpr and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this preview of our episode with Sarah Cooper dropping next Tuesday—AKA Donald Trump’s last full day in office—the comedian shares her parting message for the president she has spent the past year making fun of on TikTok. Subscribe to ‘The Last Laugh’ now to hear our full conversation when it’s released next Tuesday, January 19th. Twitter: @sarahcpr and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @sarahcpr and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Colin Quinn got COVID-19 for the jokes. Well, not exactly. But as the stand-up comedian and star of HBOMax’s ‘Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show’ explains in this episode, he’s already developing new material about the experience. “And guess what? If I find out other comedians are doing a corona routine, I want to make sure they had it,” he jokes. “I don’t want any medical appropriation!” During this hilarious conversation, Quinn goes deep on his long comedy career, including why he turned down a chance to perform on the ‘Tonight Show,’ how his friend Jerry Seinfeld ended up directing his one-man shows and why he ended up “sabotaging” himself on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Twitter: @iamcolinquinn and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @iamcolinquinn and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jason Woliner thought it was a terrible idea to make a sequel to the “funniest movie ever made.” Sacha Baron Cohen hired him to direct it anyway. In our first new episode of 2021, Woliner tells some truly insane stories about the making of ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,’ including how they found Maria Bakalova to play Tutar, why he was forced to bleach his hair blonde and take on a secret, less “globalist” identity, the time he almost got beat up after the debutante ball dance scene and what really happened in that hotel room with Rudy Giuliani. Stream ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ on Amazon Prime Video. Twitter: @jwoliner and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Phoebe Robinson is a stand-up comedian, podcast host, best-selling author and, until recently, one half of ‘2 Dope Queens’ with Jessica Williams. Now, she has officially gone solo, first with a new advice podcast called ‘Black Frasier’ and soon with her own Comedy Central talk show titled ‘Doing the Most’ in which she “big spoons” celebrity guests like Kevin Bacon and Tan France. We get into all of this, plus what it’s been like experiencing the resurgence of Black Lives Matter during a global pandemic and her thoughts on Kanye West’s “ignorant” attack on Harriet Tubman. Watch Phoebe’s ‘Yearly Departed’ special on Amazon Prime Video. This episode was originally published on August 11, 2020. Twitter: @dopequeenpheebs and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @dopequeenpheebs and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this special crossover pod, ‘The Last Laugh’ host Matt Wilstein joins ‘The New Abnormal’ co-host Molly Jong-Fast and producer Jesse Cannon to look back at the year in political comedy, from the confrontational antics of Sacha Baron Cohen and Jordan Klepper to viral impressionists Sarah Cooper, Blaire Erskine and the women who saved SNL from Alec Baldwin and Jim Carrey. Twitter: @NewAbnormalPod, @MollyJongFast, @JesseCannon and @mattwilstein Instagram: @mollyjongfast, @jessecannon and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To celebrate the end of this absurd year, Matt Wilstein is joined by The Daily Beast’s Laura Bradley to share their lists of the funniest performances of 2020. They include some previous ‘Last Laugh’ guests (Sam Jay! Jordan Klepper!) and a whole bunch of comedians who will hopefully join us on the show in the future. See our full list of the 20 funniest performances of 2020 at The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-20-funniest-performances-of-2020-from-borat-schitts-creek-snl-and-more Twitter: @mattwilstein and @lpbradley | Instagram: @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Starting with his breakthrough role as Rafi on ‘The League,’ Jason Mantzoukas has a solid decade under his belt as the comedy world’s favorite “crazy, wild-eyed maniac,” in his words. In this episode, Jason takes us through his prolific career, including hilarious turns in ‘The Dictator,’ ‘Transparent,’ ‘The Good Place’ and so many others. Remarkably, some of his most nuanced work has come as Jay, a horny bisexual tween, on Netflix’s animated hit ‘Big Mouth,’ which premiered its excellent fourth season earlier this month. Finally, Jason reveals the one scene from ‘The League’ that he and Nick Kroll couldn’t get through because they were laughing too hard. Twitter: @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Michael Kosta decided to call his new Comedy Central stand-up special ‘Detroit. NY. LA.’ he had no idea people would be watching it in lockdown just so they could vicariously travel around the country. In this bonus episode, the ‘Daily Show’ correspondent (and former tennis pro!) talks about finding the balance between George Carlin and Steve Martin, becoming Trevor Noah’s token white guy and how he thinks late-night comedy will change post-Trump. Twitter: @michaelkosta and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @michaelkosta and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It took Jessica Kirson 19 years to land her first-ever hour-long special ‘Talking to Myself’. Despite her reputation as a club comic who can kill in any room, the networks weren’t exactly banging down her door. “I was never the hot, skinny, flirtatious female comedian,” she says. “So I was just funny.” Ultimately, it was fellow comedian Bill Burr agreeing to produce her special that made Comedy Central pay attention. In this episode, Jessica opens up about her long road to success, including how she became Robert de Niro’s comedy mentor and how she’s adapting to a world in which most live shows are happening on Zoom. Twitter: @JessicaKirson and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @jessykirson and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Buy tickets for ‘Jessica Kirson: Disgusting Hawk’ at RushTix.com Stream her hour-long special ‘Talking to Myself’ on Amazon Prime Video. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the new Mr. Belding stand-in on Peacock’s ‘Saved by the Bell’ reboot, John Michael Higgins is “basically a dunk tank clown,” in his words. The comic role of “old white man” is one the veteran character actor has come to accept later in his career. But he’s still probably best known for playing the younger, more flamboyant half of the gay couple with a Shih Tzu in the 2000 comedy classic ‘Best in Show’—a part he says he would never get today. In this episode, John opens up about his risky big break playing David Letterman in ‘The Late Shift,’ the unique challenge of improvising through Christopher Guest movies, what he learned from the late great Fred Willard and a lot more. Twitter: @Real_JMHiggins and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The mysterious New York filmmaker behind HBO’s ‘How To With John Wilson’ joins this very special bonus episode to break down how he made perhaps the most fascinating TV show of 2020. John reveals how ‘Nathan for You’ creator Nathan Fielder helped pitch the show to Hollywood executives, why he considers himself “completely different” from Sacha Baron Cohen, how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the season one finale and what fans can expect from a possible season two. And yes, we talk about the foreskin restoration guy. Twitter: @howtojohnwilson and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @peepingjohn and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After stealing scenes in ‘Silicon Valley,’ ‘Veep,’ ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and bunch of your other favorite shows, Mary Holland is about to break out in a big way as the co-writer and co-star of the new holiday rom-com ‘Happiest Season,’ premiering on Hulu November 25th. In this episode, Mary talks about how she went from improvising ridiculous characters at the Upright Citizens Brigade and on Scott Aukerman’s ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ podcast to becoming a go-to eccentric character actor on screen and shares some truly embarrassing audition stories. Twitter: @maryhollandaise and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @maryhollandaise and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Buy tickets for the live stream ‘Wild Horses’ show at eventbrite.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In his most recent stand-up special ‘Oh Come On’ David Cross imagined the many outrageous ways that Donald Trump’s presidency could end. Now that it’s actually happening, the famously cranky comedian isn’t exactly dancing in the streets. In this episode, David expresses cautious optimism for America’s future and looks back on his majorly influential comedy career. He also breaks down why he was “disappointed” that Netflix took down a controversial episode of his recent ‘Mr. Show’ reboot and reveals why he believes ‘Arrested Development’ is finally over for good. Twitter: @davidcrosss and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @davidcrossofficial and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Subscribe to the ‘Assembly’ podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The hilarious stars and creators of Showtime’s ‘Moonbase 8’ are here to help take our minds off of politics. John C. Reilly, Fred Armisen and Tim Heidecker are individually three of the funniest people around and they’re even funnier together in their new show about a trio of wannabe astronauts stuck in the middle of the Arizona desert. In this episode, they talk about how their overlapping careers led to this triumphant collaboration, tease the possible return of their good friend Dr. Steve Brule and a lot more. Twitter: @timheidecker and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @timheidecker, @sordociego and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Stream the ‘Moonbase 8’ premiere on YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices