The Last Laugh

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

Mo Welch spent years trying to make jokes about the father who abused her mother and abandoned her family funny without totally bumming out her audience. Now, she has perfected the art of the extremely dark “dad joke” in her new stand-up special-slash-documentary ‘Dad Jokes.’ In this episode, Welch talks about how terrifying it was to come face-to-face with her father for the first time in 20 years after he went to prison for stealing TVs and how she managed to thread the needle of turning that trauma into comedy on stage. She also reveals what she has learned about comedy from collaborators (and previous Last Laugh guests) Anthony Jeselnik and Beth Stelling and tells the story of how she dropped her microphone in a toilet seconds before her late-night stand-up debut on ‘Conan.’But first, Allegra Frank joins Matt for her final appearance on the podcast to wrap up their discussion about the big comedy categories at this year’s Emmy Awards, including what to expect from ‘The Bear,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and more. Stream Mo Welch’s ‘Dad Jokes’ on YouTubeFollow Mo Welch on Instagram @momowelchFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow Allegra Frank on Twitter @LegsFrankFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

As a mainstay at New York’s prestigious Comedy Cellar for many years, Keith Robinson has long been the definition of a comedian’s comedian. But it wasn’t until he suffered two debilitating strokes over the course of four years that he finally landed his first hour-long special on Netflix. In this episode, Robinson talks about how managed to get back on stage so quickly after his first stroke (against medical advice) and how he was able to find so many cathartic laughs in what has otherwise been a truly terrifying experience. He also discusses how he felt about the standing ovation that opens his special ‘Different Strokes’—especially with so many comedian friends in the room—and looks back at the chaotic early days of his career, including stories about working with Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Chris Rock and more.But first, Matt and Allegra break down the Variety Talk Series category at the Emmys, including new entrants ‘Hot Ones’ and ‘John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA.’Follow Keith Robinson on Twitter @1keithrobinson and Instagram @keithrobinson438Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

It’s been nearly a year since John Early released his first stand-up special, Max’s ‘Now More Than Ever.’ But it’s only now that he’s gotten the chance to talk about the go-for-broke special in-depth, with any chance at promotion waylaid by last summer and fall’s back-to-back strikes. And the comedian, best known for his work on ‘Search Party,’ ‘30 Rock,’ and with collaborator Kate Berlant, is relishing his overdue moment in the spotlight. In this episode of The Last Laugh podcast—Early’s second appearance on the show, following his 2022 visit with Berlant—he opens up about the genesis of his Emmys category-breaking special, including how he sees himself as less in step with his fellow campaigning comics and more in the mold of performers like Bette Midler.Plus, Matt and Allegra take a look at John Early’s Emmy competition in the Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded) category and share their thoughts on who else deserves some love over the same old contenders.Follow John Early on Twitter @bejohnce and Instagram @bejohnceFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow Allegra Frank on Twitter @LegsFrankFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast