The Last Laugh

Tim Meadows was once the longest-serving cast member on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ These days, he’s subtly stealing scenes as the third lead on a CBS sitcom, ‘DMV.’ But despite plenty of ups and downs over the course of his nearly 40-year career, Meadows seems to be at peace with his particular level of fame. In this episode, Meadows traces the arc of his career, from his unusual path to Lorne Michaels’ office to the disastrous attempt to turn his most popular recurring character into a full-length feature film. He reveals why he really didn’t want the actual Monica Lewinsky to make a cameo as herself with The Ladies Man Leon Phelps—and what changed his mind. Meadows also explains why he ultimately decided to leave ‘SNL’ after 10 seasons, the late-night TV gig he now regrets turning down, and how he found creative fulfillment playing supporting roles in films like ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘Walk Hard.’Follow Tim Meadows on Instagram @real_timmeadows Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s Obsessed YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com

Sebastian Maniscalco is consistently one of the highest-grossing stand-up comedians in the country. With his Netflix special ‘Is It Me?’ and his autobiographical movie ‘About My Father’ co-starring Robert De Niro, he’s on the verge of finally becoming a household name. In this episode, Maniscalco opens up about doubling down on nostalgia and (mostly) avoiding controversy on stage. He also talks about how the comedy world has changed for better and worse since he got his start in the late ‘90s, shares stories from the sets of ‘Green Book’ and ‘The Irishman’ and explains how he decided to embrace the most embarrassing moment of his career on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show.’This episode was originally published on December 6, 2022.Follow Sebastian Maniscalco on Instagram @sebastiancomedy Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com

Patton Oswalt begins his latest stand-up special (‘Black Coffee and Ice Water,’ streaming on Audible Nov. 20) by reading a fake disclaimer about how he’s gone full MAGA in an attempt to avoid the authoritarian hand of Donald Trump. It’s a funny bit that also underscores the comedian’s very real fears about being an outspokenly anti-fascist voice in 2025 America. In his third appearance on the podcast, Oswalt talks about the freedom of putting together an audio-only special, which includes jokes about his teenage daughter and celebrating 30 years on Prozac. He also shares his visceral reaction to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, Donald Trump’s “mediocrity,” the MAGA-friendly comedians who happily took Saudi Arabia’s money, and what keeps him performing stand-up nearly 40 years into his career. Patton Oswalt’s ‘Black Coffee and Ice Water’ on AudibleFollow Patton Oswalt on Instagram @pattonoswalt Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com

Fred Armisen knows that nobody can ever tell whether he’s joking or not—and he doesn’t quite understand why. Despite being one of the hands-down funniest ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast members of all time, Armisen can, in fact, be pretty sincere when he wants to be. It’s a trait that shines through on his latest project: a painstakingly produced album of ‘100 Sound Effects’ that provides some observational laughs here and there but is generally an accurate document of what the world sounds like in 2025. In this episode, Armisen discusses how his obsession with sound helped him become an expert mimic on ‘SNL,’ whether he was impersonating President Barack Obama or capturing a very specific Californian dialect. He talks about roasting Lorne Michaels during the ‘SNL50’ special, whether he could imagine taking over at least part of his former boss’ job, and reacts to the ‘Portlandia’ memes that have come to epitomize that city’s response to Donald Trump’s threats. Buy ‘Fred Armisen: 100 Sound Effects’ Get tickets to see Fred Armisen liveFollow Fred Armisen on Instagram @sordociego Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com

The new conspiracy-laden film ‘Bugonia’ has been described by critics and audiences alike as “bleak.” But the comedy writer who penned the script doesn’t see it that way. In this episode, Will Tracy shares how he went from ‘The Onion’s’ editor-in-chief to winning Emmys for ‘Last Week Tonight’ and ‘Succession’ to writing the mind-bending script for Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest collaboration with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. He discusses ‘Bugonia’s’ very 2025 political message and unpacks what could be considered a deeply cynical ending that he finds oddly hopeful about the future of the planet—if not humanity. Tracy also explains why he found writing for John Oliver so miserable, how he managed to identify with Kendall Roy on ‘Succession,’ and what it feels like to act opposite Jeremy Strong. Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com

Most people probably don’t realize Alex Borstein is the same actress who broke out on ‘MADtv,’ has been voicing Lois Griffin on ‘Family Guy’ for 25 years, and won two Emmys for her role as Susie Myerson on ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’ And yet, while she may still not be a household name, she has slowly but surely put together a more accomplished and steady career than she ever could have imagined. In this episode, the comedian talks about returning to her stand-up roots for her latest one-woman show, ‘Alex Borstein Is Thirsty,’ and looks back on the twists and turns of her unlikely Hollywood journey. That includes her misgivings about how her iconic character Ms. Swan went from a loving impression of her grandmother to an unfortunate racist caricature and how she landed the lucrative ‘Family Guy’ gig over some much bigger names. Borstein also gets into her beloved HBO cult classic series ‘Getting On’ and why she decided to deliver an anti-fascist call to arms when she accepted her second Emmy Award for ‘Maisel.’ And finally, a deeply embarrassing story about the time she appeared opposite Halle Berry in ‘Catwoman.’ Get tickets to see Alex Borstein liveFollow Alex Borstein on Instagram @alexborstein Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com

Leslie Jones has been a comedic force of nature for nearly 40 years. And in her new stand-special ‘Life Part 2’ (streaming this Friday, Oct. 24 on Peacock), she displays more bravado and confidence on stage than ever. In this episode, Jones breaks down everything that went into getting to this moment in her career, from controversial breakout performance on SNL’s “Weekend Update” to her difficult decision to walk away from that show after five seasons. She discusses her unique relationship with Lorne Michaels, her very real crush on Colin Jost, and working with “scared little boy” Donald Trump the week he hosted the show. Jones also gets into how much she wanted ‘The Daily Show’ host gig and weighs on a new SNL cast that once again features zero Black women. Follow Leslie Jones on Instagram @lesdogggg Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com

By all accounts, John Candy was such a decent and kind person that when Colin Hanks set out to direct the definitive documentary about his life and career, he knew there wouldn’t be any “dirt” to uncover. In the words of Candy’s friend Bill Murray, “I wish I had some more bad things to say about him.” But ‘John Candy: I Like Me’ (streaming now on Amazon Prime Video) does explore the beloved comic actor’s many personal demons. In this episode, Hanks breaks down why he wanted to make a film about Candy, including his personal connection to the comedy star through his father, Tom Hanks, and their shared struggles with issues of anxiety and mortality. Hanks discusses his heartbreaking interview with Macaulay Culkin, reveals the piece of archival footage he was most excited to uncover, and later, discusses his own journey from teen actor to filmmaker—including his first-ever response to the “nepo baby” discourse. Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com

For the first 10 years of Phoebe Robinson’s comedy career, she “dreaded” getting up to tell jokes every night. It wasn’t until she found a way to genuinely have fun on stage that she has produced her best hour of stand-up yet in the new special ‘I Don’t Wanna Work Anymore’ (now streaming on YouTube). In her return to the show, the former co-host of the popular 2 Dope Queens podcast takes on the rise of the MAGA manosphere podcasters who are suddenly having second thoughts about helping Donald Trump win. She also shares her unfiltered thoughts on the greedy comedians taking millions from the Saudi government to look the other way on human rights abuses at the Riyadh Comedy Festival and weighs in on the “divorce” rumors that have plagued Barack and Michelle Obama.Follow Phoebe Robinson on Instagram @dopequeenpheebs Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com