The Last Laugh

Before Langston Kerman was one of the most exciting stand-up comedians working right now, he taught poetry to high school students. As he tells the audience in his debut Netflix special ‘Bad Poetry,’ he was desperate to find another path for his life. In this episode, Kerman talks about getting his big break writing for Oscars host Chris Rock (even if he didn’t get a single joke on the broadcast), convincing his favorite comedian John Mulaney to direct his special, trying not to alienate Larry David during his very first Hollywood gig, and why he fears that fans of HBO’s ‘Insecure’ will never, ever let him “be free.” He also shares some behind-the-scenes stories from his time writing on the year’s most brilliantly weird talk show, ‘Everybody’s in LA,’ including the one pitch that was deemed too weird by Mulaney. Listen to My Momma Told Me with Langston Kerman and David GborieFollow Langston Kerman on Instagram @langstonkermanFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

There are few Americans who have had a crazier past month than Kamala Harris—but comedian Allison Reese is among them. Reese’s impression of the vice president was already a hit on social media before Harris picked up the baton from President Joe Biden, but it has blown up in a much bigger way since. In this episode, Reese talks about the wild ride she has been on as millions of followers eat up her deliciously spot-on take on the candidate’s cadence—especially her signature laugh—and the efforts she is taking not to inadvertently become a right-wing caricature. She also reveals why she wanted to impersonate Harris in her first audition for ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 2019, what she made of former cast member Maya Rudolph’s very different approach to the impression, and why she believes her videos might have an even bigger political impact on TikTok than she would have had if she had been cast as Harris on SNL. Listen to N’Kay with Allison ReeseFollow Allison Reese on TikTok @alienreese, Twitter @alienreese, Instagram @alienreeseFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

Hannah Einbinder had never really acted before she was cast as Ava Daniels opposite Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance on ‘Hacks.’ Now, she’s a three-time Emmy nominee. In this episode, Einbinder opens up about the overconfidence she brings to that role as well the onstage persona she displays in her excellent debut stand-up special ‘Everything Must Go’ on Max. She also talks about overcoming the intimidation of acting with Jean Smart, compares the generational gap between their characters to her relationship with her own mother (original SNL cast member Laraine Newman), and teases what fans can expect from a more “badass” Ava in Season 4. And later, Einbinder shares her unfiltered thoughts about the “old fucking guys” in comedy who complain that political correctness is stifling their craft. Follow Hannah Einbinder on Instagram @hannaheinbinderFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

When a special arrives on Netflix in its finished form, viewers don’t typically get to see all of the excruciating work that went into making it a polished piece. But for anyone who has been listening to Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast over the past couple of years, it’s all there. “I was doing it privately,” he says on this week’s episode of The Last Laugh podcast. “I feel like it’s something that’s kind of unspoken about stand-up, that for the most part, we are in communities of comedians who kick around joke tags: ‘Hey, what if you did this with it?’ And ‘I have a similar story about this, and you know you could use that if you want to,’ or whatever it is. And we kind of just put it out there with audio rolling.” In his second appearance on The Last Laugh, Birbiglia talks about how this process helped shape his latest Broadway show-turned-Netflix special ‘The Old Man and the Pool’ (now Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special), shares his thoughtful response to the “emotional truth” controversy that came for his friend and fellow comic Hasan Minhaj, breaks down how he handles criticism of his own work, and a lot more. This episode was originally published on November 22, 2023.Follow Mike Birbiglia on Twitter @birbigs and Instagram @birbigsFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

Carmen Christopher is one of those comedians who you’ve definitely seen before but can’t totally be sure how you know his face. Over the past several years, he’s popped up in bit parts on show’s like ‘Shrill,’ ‘I Think You Should Leave,’ and most notably—given his born and bred Chicago roots—all three seasons of ‘The Bear.’ In this episode, Christopher talks about putting together his breakthrough, Chicago-themed stand-up special ‘Live From the Windy City,’ which arrives on the Veeps streaming platform August 1st. He also shares stories about collaborating with alt-comedy icons including Joe Pera and Tim Robinson, why he’s no longer interested in pursuing SNL after two unsuccessful auditions, that time he almost killed David Letterman, serving as a writer on Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie’s ‘The Curse’ and more. Follow Carmen Christopher on Twitter @CarmChristopher and Instagram @carmenyescarmenFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

In the weeks between President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance and his decision to step aside, no one in political media was making the case against his candidacy louder than the former Obama staffers and co-hosts of Pod Save America. In his third appearance on The Last Laugh, Crooked Media co-founder Jon Lovett returns to talk about his unexpectedly prominent role in the Democratic Party’s existential crisis and how he’s feeling now that Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as the presumptive nominee who will take on Donald Trump in the fall. We also discuss how the political comedy world handled Biden’s decline and Trump’s assassination attempt, how he navigates writing jokes for his own podcast Lovett or Leave It, and how on earth he ended up as a contestant on the upcoming season of ‘Survivor.’Buy Crooked Media’s new book ‘Democracy or Else: How to Save America in 10 Easy Steps’Follow Jon Lovett on Twitter @jonlovett and Instagram @jonlovettFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

In an age of comedy that aims to shock, Reggie Watts is arguably the most unpredictable comedian working today. That’s not to say he’s particularly controversial. And in fact, he decided to “set” his latest stand-up special ‘Never Mind’ in the mid-’90s precisely so he wouldn’t feel any pressure to talk about what is happening in America right now. In this 250th episode of The Last Laugh, Watts breaks down how he uses his completely improvised comedic approach to “disorient” audiences and even make them question their reality. He also reveals the real reason he gave up his gig as one-man band leader on the ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ TV show (hint: It wasn’t because James Corden hired him away) and why he was so “stoked” when ‘The Late Late Show’ ended after a longer-than-expected eight-year run. Follow Reggie Watts on Instagram @reggiewattsFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

Jack Quaid has taken great pains to carve out a unique path for himself in Hollywood. Determined not to follow too closely in the footsteps of his very famous parents (Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan), the 32-year-old actor has fully embraced “genre” storytelling, from his very first blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role in the first ‘Hunger Games’ film to his break-out performance as the endlessly relatable Hughie Campbell in Amazon Prime Video’s wildly popular comic book adaptation ‘The Boys,’ currently streaming its fourth season. In this episode, Quaid breaks down his character’s evolution, shares his view on the show’s satirical politics and teases just how “insane” the fifth and final season could get. He also shares stories from working with Christopher Nolan on ‘Oppenheimer’ and openly admits that he is definitely a “nepo baby” no matter what his mother, the “undisputed queen of rom-coms” has to say about it. Follow Jack Quaid on Twitter @JackQuaid92 and Instagram @jack_quaidFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

The first time Jordan Klepper and Roy Wood Jr. worked together was for a 2015 ‘Daily Show’ field piece that asked the question, “Are all cops racist?” In 2024, they joined forces once again for a series of “comedic town halls” across the country. In this episode, Klepper and Wood return to the podcast (for their fourth and third appearances, respectively) to share their thoughts about the inevitable Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump rematch nobody seems to want. The pair of ‘Daily Show’ correspondents also speak openly about that show’s very public search for a host to replace Trevor Noah, including why Wood decided to step down when it seemed like it wasn’t going to be him, whether Klepper is still gunning for the big seat and what they both thought about everything that went down with their old colleague Hasan Minhaj. This episode was originally published on January 3rd, 2024.Follow Jordan Klepper on Twitter @jordanklepper and Instagram @jordanklepperFollow Roy Wood Jr. on Twitter @roywoodjr and Instagram @roywoodjrFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast