The Last Laugh

This is a fraught time to be a political comedian in America. It’s something Stephen Colbert learned when CBS suddenly canceled ‘The Late Show.’ And it’s something comedian Jena Friedman experienced in an even more visceral way the last time she crossed the border back home to the U.S. In her fourth appearance on The Last Laugh, Friedman weighs in on the end of the late-night show that served as her very first TV writing gig and tells the harrowing story of being grilled about her jokes by U.S. Customs and Border Security. She also talks about putting together her new TED talk on comedy and AI, recalls the time she nicknamed her fetus “Jeffrey Epstein” on Colbert’s show, and previews her new stand-up hour ‘Motherf---er’ about becoming a mom and losing her own mom at the same time. Get tickets to see Jena Friedman liveFollow Jena Freidman on Instagram @jenafriedmanFollow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch this episode of The Last Laugh on YouTubeHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

Jameela Jamil no longer “gives a f---” what people think about her. After years spent trying to inspire fans with positive affirmations, the British presenter and actress has turned her attention to the subject of humiliating failure on a new comedy podcast called Wrong Turns. In this episode, Jamil reveals why she has moved away from trying to inspire people to action and instead has decided to become, in her words, a kind of shameless “failure pervert.” She also breaks down how landing her role as Tahani on the NBC sitcom ‘The Good Place’ had less to do with “imposter syndrome” and more with being an actual imposter, details why not knowing who Larry David was when they first met led to her officiating his second wedding, and shares a story about the time she inadvertently ended up pretending to be Priyanka Chopra at an awards ceremony. And, for the first time, Jamil addresses the backlash she received for declaring that she no longer plans to sit for written interviews with female journalists. Watch this episode of The Last Laugh on YouTubeFollow Jameela Jamil on Instagram @jameelajamilFollow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ writer Jenny Hagel has spent the entirety of Donald Trump’s political career writing and telling jokes that ride a precarious line between funny and offensive. But the difference between Hagel and Trump’s anti-woke comic crowd is that she only ever targets her own demographic. In this episode, Hagel breaks down her and Amber Ruffin’s long-running “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell” segment, including how they got Hillary Clinton to join in after losing the 2016 election and why they are able to get away with outrageous punchlines that could get people with the wrong intentions canceled. She also discusses how ‘Late Night’ has changed during the second Trump term, reveals some secrets behind Seth Meyers’ popular “Day Drinking” bit, shares her reaction to NBC’s decision to kill ‘The Amber Ruffin Show,’ and teases her live comedy show ‘Jenny Hagel Gives Advice’ in which she bolds tells audience members how to live their lives. Get tickets to see ‘Jenny Hagel Gives Advice’ liveFollow Jenny Hagel on Instagram @jennyhagelFollow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

Seth Meyers is currently vying for one of just three nomination spots in the late-night TV Emmys race. But ahead of the 2024 election, the comedian, ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum and host of NBC’s ‘Late Night’ was doing his best to stay in the present and take each new insane development as it comes. In this episode, Meyers talks about how he ended up releasing a stand-up special (‘Dad Man Walking’ on Max) that has nothing to do with politics so close to the election. He also shares thoughts about his infamous ice cream date with Joe Biden, why he regrets platforming JD Vance on his show, how SNL’s reliance on guest stars has changed the show since he was in the cast, and so much more.This episode was originally published on October 30, 2024.Follow Seth Meyers on Instagram @sethmeyers Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

For the first several years of his career, stand-up comedian Matteo Lane would open his sets by telling the audience, “Obviously, I’m gay.” At a certain point, he got tired of coming out to a room of strangers every night and instead begins his new Hulu hour ‘The Al Dente Special’ by making fun of the way white women talk—a bit that delighted Gayle King and led to one of the more awkwardly hilarious morning TV moments in recent history. In this episode, Lane explains why he decided to give the ‘CBS Mornings’ host a pass for repeating the “f-slur” back to him and reveals how King’s fellow astronaut Katy Perry ended up being part of his special as well. And as Pride Month comes to a close, he discusses why he’s sick of people expecting gay comedians to relive their trauma, shares why he avoids talking politics on stage, and calls out TV bookers for keeping him off of late-night TV because they deemed his act “too gay.” Buy Matteo Lane’s cookbook ‘Your Pasta Sucks’Follow Matteo Lane on Instagram @matteolaneFollow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

Over the course of his 40-year career, Larry Charles has had two central creative relationships with Larry David (‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’) and Sacha Baron Cohen (‘Borat’ and  ‘Brüno’). Now, he reveals in a new memoir that he hasn’t spoken to either man in years. In his return to The Last Laugh podcast, Charles breaks down how it all fell apart with two comedians he still considers complicated geniuses. He shares stories about how ‘Seinfeld’ solved its early Elaine problem after Julia Louis-Dreyfus came to the creators sobbing and reveals why a young David Sedaris turned down an offer to write for ‘Seinfeld.’ Charles also discloses what exactly it was about his HBO documentary that Larry David couldn’t stand, shares his thoughts about friends Bill Maher and Cheryl Hines flirting with MAGA, explains why there was a time he would have literally “died” for Sacha Baron Cohen and what went so wrong with their final collaboration ‘The Dictator.’ Buy Larry Charles’ new memoir ‘Comedy Samurai: Forty Years of Blood, Guts, and Laughter’Follow Larry Charles on Instagram @larrycharlesFollow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod

Justine Lupe thought there was no way she’d ever be able to top the experience of playing Willa on HBO’s ‘Succession.’ Then she got cast as Morgan, one of the “loser siblings” on the runaway Netflix hit ‘Nobody Wants This.’ They are two very different roles on two very different shows, but she says on this episode that she feels extremely “lucky” to get the opportunity to show both comedic and dramatic sides of herself on each. Fresh off of wrapping filming for Season 2 of ‘Nobody Wants This,’ Lupe talks about the pressure of satisfying fan expectations for her character’s complicated relationship with Timothy Simons’ Sascha. And she opens up about her deeply rewarding experience on ‘Succession,’ which was only supposed to be a handful of episodes before Willa became a central character, and even part of the Roy family, all the way until the very end. Follow Justine Lupe on Instagram @mejustinelupeFollow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

25 years ago, Kevin Smith released his most controversial and provocative film. Then, after a solid run in theaters and a robust life on VHS, it disappeared into the ether and has never been available to stream. Now, as ‘Dogma’ makes its triumphant return to theaters this weekend, Smith reveals the full story of how he got huge stars like Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, George Carlin and others to appear in his audacious satire of the Catholic Church, how he was able “rescue my movie about angels from the devil himself” Harvey Weinstein, how a planned sequel will change now that he has fully lost his own faith, and so much more. Plus, Smith confirms the Oscar-winning actors who almost played God before Alanis Morissette got the coveted role and reveals the major Hollywood job he turned down to focus on finishing his greatest film. Follow Kevin Smith on Instagram @thatkevinsmithFollow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

You might recognize Richard Kind from sitcoms like ‘Mad About You’ or ‘Spin City.’ Or from his voice work as the imaginary friend Bing Bong in Pixar’s ‘Inside Out.’ Now, he has become the ultimate late-night TV sidekick on ‘Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney,’ which wraps up its first season run on Netflix this week. In this episode, Kind 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 also shares showbiz stories about almost getting cast on ‘Seinfeld,’ playing Rudy Giuliani in the film ‘Bombshell’ and offers up some very strong opinions about Woody Allen.This episode was originally published on July 14, 2020.Follow Richard Kind on Instagram @realrichardkindFollow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast