Comedian and ‘Daily Show’ contributor Lewis Black has a brand new stand-up special called ‘Thanks for Risking Your Life.’ Taped at a Michigan casino on Friday, March 13th, it’s the first comedy special to actually address the coronavirus pandemic. In this episode, Lewis sounds off on the first presidential debate, talks about dodging Donald Trump’s phone calls and reveals how he almost got pushed out of ‘The Daily Show.’ He also tells stories about going on his first USO tour with Robin Williams...
Oct 06, 2020•50 min•Ep. 79
In this preview from next week’s episode, comedian and ‘Daily Show’ contributor Lewis Black shares his instant reaction to the insane first debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Subscribe to ‘The Last Laugh’ now to hear our full conversation when it’s released on Tuesday, October 6th. Twitter: @TheLewisBlack and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @thelewisblack and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 01, 2020•8 min
Comedian Michelle Buteau says that stand-up “saved” her life after 9/11. Nearly 20 years later, she finally has her first hour-long special on Netflix. And the explosive ‘Welcome to Buteaupia’ is long overdue. In this episode, Michelle talks about taping the special just days before New York City shut down in March, the story behind her instant-classic “nobody wants to see yo dick” #MeToo bit, the “mind fuck” of playing a pregnant woman opposite Ali Wong in Netflix’s ‘Always Be My Maybe’ while a...
Sep 29, 2020•42 min•Ep. 78
After years spent stealing scenes in movies like ‘Wet Hot American Summer,’ ‘Superbad,’ ‘Pineapple Express’ and ‘I Love You, Man,’ Joe Lo Truglio finally landed the role he’d been waiting for as Officer Charles Boyle on ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine.’ Now, the comedic actor has taken on an even bigger challenge, playing former Attorney General Jeff Sessions opposite Jeff Daniels’ James Comey and Brendan Gleeson’s Donald Trump in Showtime’s ‘The Comey Rule.’ We talk about how he transformed himself into th...
Sep 22, 2020•42 min•Ep. 77
Pauly Shore rose to massive fame in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, first with his MTV show ‘Totally Pauly’ and then in hit films like ‘Encino Man,’ ‘Son in Law’ and ‘Bio-Dome.’ Now he’s back with his first starring role in a long time in the new movie ‘Guest House.’ In this episode, Pauly opens up about his early years growing up in The Comedy Store, the surreal experience of becoming one of the most famous people on the planet and the challenge of watching it all come crashing down more than 20 ...
Sep 15, 2020•43 min•Ep. 76
Emmy-nominated actor and director Ramy Youssef talks about creating his Hulu series ‘Ramy’ and what it’s like to be young and Muslim in the comedy world right now. He also discusses his HBO stand-up special ‘Feelings,’ growing up in New Jersey in the shadow of 9/11, how his Egyptian immigrant father ended up working for Donald Trump and a lot more. This episode was originally published on April 16th, 2019. Twitter: @ramy and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @ramy and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this...
Sep 08, 2020•58 min
Beth Stelling may have been the very last stand-up comedian to tape a special before the country shut down. Performed on March 7th, 2020 and released this past month on HBO Max, ‘Girl Daddy’ is Beth’s debut hour-long special and we should all be grateful she got it in under the wire. In this episode, we talk about how her own experience with sexual violence helped fuel some of the funniest #MeToo jokes ever committed to film and why she’s sick of answering for comedy’s male predators. Beth also ...
Sep 01, 2020•49 min•Ep. 75
Best known for playing Leon Black on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ comedian JB Smoove is never not the funniest person in the room. That was certainly true when he wrote for ‘Saturday Night Live’ and took on legendary status for his outrageous pitches to hosts. In this episode, JB goes deep on his challenging SNL experience, making Larry David crack up on ‘Curb,’ what he thought of Donald Trump’s reaction to the MAGA hat plotline from last season and how the show might tackle life under quarantine in ...
Aug 25, 2020•47 min•Ep. 74
Stand-up comedian and host of the ‘Gettin’ Better’ podcast Ron Funches is back on ‘The Last Laugh’ for this very special bonus episode. Since we last talked to Ron in April of last year about his Comedy Central special ‘Giggle Fit’ he has developed an all-new hour that he will be live-streaming on YouTube on Saturday, September 5th. He also has a new comedy game show called ‘Nice One’ premiering on Quibi next Monday, August 24th. In this catch-up chat, Ron talks about those projects and shares h...
Aug 21, 2020•36 min•Ep. 73
Comedy icon Martin Short somehow turned 70 this 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 ...
Aug 18, 2020•55 min•Ep. 72
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 p...
Aug 11, 2020•52 min•Ep. 71
Comedy legend John Cleese joins the show this week to talk about his first-ever live stream event ‘Why There Is No Hope .’ During this rousing conversation, he shares his take on the laughable “hypocrisy” of Donald Trump, why Monty Python steered clear of overtly political satire, his crusade against “woke” comedy and the people who were offended by the crucifixion scene in “Life of Brian.” He also reveals the biggest regret of his professional career and what he hopes his comedy legacy will be....
Aug 04, 2020•35 min•Ep. 70
In this preview from next week’s episode, Monty Python co-founder John Cleese shares details about his upcoming live stream event ‘Why There Is No Hope,’ including his uncensored thoughts on the “complete assholes, who are really only out for themselves” like President Donald Trump and the time he told off Steven Spielberg. Subscribe to ‘The Last Laugh’ now to hear our full conversation when it’s released on Tuesday, August 4th. Buy tickets to live stream John Cleese’s ‘Why There Is No Hope’ Twi...
Jul 31, 2020•9 min
This week marks exactly eight years since comedian Tig Notaro opened her stand-up set in Los Angeles with the words, “Hello, I have cancer.” She now finally has a clean bill of health for the first time since 2012. In this episode, Tig 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 ‘T...
Jul 28, 2020•51 min•Ep. 69
Comedian Dulcé Sloan likes to joke that she was “forced to move to New York because of success.” She’s still there, even though she’s been recording her ‘Daily Show’ correspondent bits from home for the past four months. On this episode, Dulcé reveals how her relationship with Trevor Noah has changed during the pandemic and what it’s been like trying to find comedy in the George Floyd protests. She also talks about her new podcast ‘That Blackass Show’ and previews how her input helped shape her ...
Jul 21, 2020•33 min•Ep. 68
Brian Baumgartner spent nine seasons playing Kevin Malone on ‘The Office’—and yet sounds almost nothing like his iconic character in real life. This week, Brian launched his new podcast, ‘An Oral History of The Office,’ in which he interviews the show’s cast and creators about how it all came together and why it remains so massively popular seven years after they stopped filming. On today’s bonus episode of this podcast, Brian reveals which part he originally auditioned for, how he ended up as K...
Jul 17, 2020•27 min•Ep. 67
You might recognize Richard Kind from ‘Mad About You’ or ‘Spin City.’ Or from his voice work as the imaginary friend Bing Bong in Pixar’s ‘Inside Out’ or John Mulaney’s character’s dad on ‘Big Mouth.’ This summer, he’s taking on the role of the inventor of the internet in the mockumentary ‘The Social Ones.’ On today’s episode, Richard talks about what it’s like to be just famous enough to work all the time but not famous enough to play himself on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’ (He plays Larry David’s c...
Jul 14, 2020•47 min•Ep. 66
Stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell has been hosting ‘United Shades of America’ on CNN since before Donald Trump was elected. With its fifth season premiere on Sunday, July 19th, the show gives Bell a chance to talk to people from every corner of the country about issues like guns, race and religion. He tells us how he learned to listen to people on the opposite end of the political spectrum, why he would never go on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show, why he doesn’t mind performing for “woke” college s...
Jul 07, 2020•48 min
‘The Last Laugh’ host Matt Wilstein joined his Daily Beast colleagues Molly Jong-Fast and Rick Wilson on their podcast ‘The New Abnormal’ to interview Ben Stiller about Donald Trump’s ‘Zoolander’ obsession, playing Michael Cohen on SNL, Twitter rediscovering ‘Tropic Thunder’ and a lot more. Twitter: @RedHourBen and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @benstiller and @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast . Go to ratethispodcast.com/laugh to leave us a rating and review. ...
Jul 05, 2020•21 min
Stand-up comedian J-L Cauvin went viral overnight at the start of the coronavirus pandemic when he started posting videos of his expert Trump impression online. J-L, who also hosts a podcast as the president called ‘Making Podcast Great Again,’ shares the story of his sudden rise to internet fame on today’s bonus episode. He demonstrates how he nails Trump’s unique stream-of-consciousness style, looks back at the Louis C.K. impression that first brought him viral success and shares his mixed fee...
Jul 03, 2020•31 min•Ep. 65
In 1997, Robert Smigel put a dog puppet on his hand, started making poop jokes in a thick Russian accent and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was born. 23 years later, he’s still going strong. In this rare longform conversation, Smigel talks about how he pulls off his epic confrontations of politicians like Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham. He also opens up about his time writing for Conan O’Brien, ‘The Dana Carvey Show’ and SNL, where he created ‘TV Funhouse’ and ‘The Ambiguously Gay Duo’—an animated sk...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 64
Chelsea Handler is a comedian, activist and best-selling author of the book ‘Life Will Be the Death of Me,’ which is available in paperback now . In this episode, Chelsea talks about the Trump-inspired midlife crisis that shifted her priorities away from celebrity culture and towards progressive politics. She also opens up about what she learned about systemic racism by making her 2019 Netflix documentary ‘Hello Privilege, It’s Me Chelsea,’ previews her upcoming stand-up special on HBO Max and r...
Jun 22, 2020•45 min•Ep. 63
Comedian Eric Andre is best known for pulling outrageous pranks on Adult Swin’s ‘The Eric Andre Show,’ which is finally returning for its long-awaited fifth season soon. But first, Eric is about to drop his debut hour-long stand-up special on Netflix, called ‘Legalize Everything,’ on June 23rd. In this episode, we talk about how the absurdity and hypocrisy of the police have been a running theme throughout his work, including in his upcoming prank movie ‘Bad Trip’ co-starring Tiffany Haddish and...
Jun 16, 2020•50 min•Ep. 62
Michaela Watkins was “rudely” fired by SNL after just one season. She has been proving them wrong ever since. This week, the comedian and actress opens up about celebrity activism in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, hosting a “Zoom shiva” for director Lynn Shelton , sex scenes from a “female lens” on ‘Casual,’ her rocky one season as a cast member on SNL and a lot more. Michaela also previews her role as a Marcia Clark-esque prosecutor on the upcoming third season of ‘Search Party.’ Twitter: @...
Jun 09, 2020•53 min•Ep. 61
Ricky Gervais joins this week’s show from home in London to talk about his darkly funny and surprisingly moving Netflix series ‘After Life,’ which just got picked up for a third season. The comedian explains how he ended up creating a show about grief and shares his strong opinions about political correctness in comedy, free speech and cancel culture. Plus, Ricky looks back at his most controversial Golden Globes jokes and reveals what it was like to work with the late David Bowie on ‘Extras,’ L...
Jun 03, 2020•52 min•Ep. 60
Ron Swanson has been “social distancing” his entire life. Nick Offerman, on the other hand, is a “social animal.” On this episode, the actor opens up about staying busier than ever under quarantine, from hosting his podcast “In Bed with Nick and Megan” with his wife Megan Mullally to tearing up at the end of the “Parks and Recreation” reunion special. Offerman also breaks down his most intense performance to date on ‘Devs,’ looks back on his earliest TV roles on ‘ER’ and ‘24,’ shares how his pri...
May 26, 2020•54 min•Ep. 59
Comedian Patton Oswalt is here to talk about his new Netflix special ‘I Love Everything.’ The title is a huge turnaround from his 2017 special ‘Annihilation’ and on today’s episode Patton opens up about how far he’s come emotionally since the sudden death of his former wife, ‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’ author Michelle McNamara. The comedian, who turned 50 last year, also shares his unvarnished thoughts on the futility of making Trump jokes, why he thinks Fox News is the “height of evil” for pushi...
May 19, 2020•49 min•Ep. 58
‘Reno 911’ creators and stars Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Robert Ben Garant come together for this very special bonus episode of ‘The Last Laugh’ podcast. 11 years after the show ended its original run on Comedy Central, ‘Reno 911’ is back this month on Quibi. These three comedic geniuses tell us all about how it came together, what’s different this time around and what they’re most excited for fans of the show to see. Twitter: @thomaslennon , @KerriKenney and @mattwilstein | Instagra...
May 15, 2020•41 min•Ep. 57
Comedian Jimmy O. Yang is best known for playing Jian-Yang on HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley.’ Now, he is finally revealing his true self to the world in a new stand-up special called ‘Good Deal,’ which is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video . In this episode, Jimmy tells the story of how he broke into comedy after moving from Hong Kong to Los Angeles at 13 years old and why he thinks humor might be the best way to combat anti-Asian-American racism during the coronavirus pandemic. We also...
May 12, 2020•52 min•Ep. 56
Larry Wilmore is a comedy writer, producer, former host of ‘The Nightly Show’ and current host of the podcast ‘Black on the Air.’ In this episode, we go deep on the current state of comedy and politics, including how he feels the coronavirus pandemic has upended the race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump and why he thinks conservative podcast host Ben Shapiro is actually a “really nice guy.” Larry also shares behind-the-scenes stories from ‘The Daily Show,’ ‘The Office,’ and his infamous speech...
May 05, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 55
