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The Last Laugh

The Daily Beast

Welcome to ‘The Last Laugh’: Real conversations with really funny people. Every Wednesday, The Daily Beast’s Matt Wilstein interviews some of the biggest names in comedy—as well as the new voices crashing the party—about what it’s like to make people laugh during this current cultural and political moment.

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Our Editor's Take

Comedians get on stage and share their jokes with audiences all the time. But how often do they share their stories in public conversations? On The Last Laugh podcast, they do that every week. Host Matt Wilstein invites today's funniest comics to discuss what makes people laugh. They share plenty of laughter along the way.

Podcast host Matt knows how to bring the best out of his guests. He writes for The Daily Beast on late-night comedy, culture, and politics. On The Last Laugh, he inspires guests to share how they view the world. Their comedic and political views can be surprising but always entertaining. His discussion with Patton Oswalt ranges from serious to uproarious. They discuss his movie about a catfishing dad. Other topics include Elon Musk and that blue checkmark on Instagram. When Vir Das comes on the podcast, he reveals the most challenging life experiences as a comic. He had no idea his 2021 "Two Indias" video would cause such controversy. Why did people start calling him a terrorist? How did comedy help him recover?

Other podcast guests include Fortune Feimster, Sherri Shepherd, and Sam Jay. Sherri talks about the women who opened the way for female daytime talk show hosts. Her stories about doing stand-up with the Wayans brothers will keep listeners chuckling. In one episode of The Last Laugh, Sarah Silverman addresses controversial topics. She discusses Louis CK and Al Franken's sexual harassment scandals. What does it mean for politics and comedy? Sarah tells Matt about the highs and lows of her career, like Hulu canceling I Love You, America. She might disclose more than she should. But that's what makes the podcast so great.

Matt analyzes the most hysterical performances of the year in a special podcast episode. Comedy fans may love hearing from each guest and learning what to watch next. Listeners can learn about their favorite comedians and how politics impacts what's funny. The Last Laugh promises a great time to comedy lovers everywhere.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture

Episodes

Laura Benanti Tells All! | Plus: ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’
2d ago
Laura Benanti Tells All! | Plus: ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’
Laura Benanti has been nominated for five Tony Awards (with one win) and appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies since making her Broadway debut at 19 years old as Maria in ‘The Sound of Music.’ But as the title of her new solo stage show attests, she still reminds herself on a daily basis that ‘Nobody Cares’ about her many accomplishments. In this episode, Benanti talks about mining her most embarrassing life stories for musical comedy in her new show, which returns to the New York stage and premieres on Audible next month. She also reveals how playing Melania Trump on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ finally made people take her “seriously” as a comedic actress and what she thinks is going through the former first lady’s head as her husband stands trial for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.But first, Matt and Allegra break down Conan O’Brien’s triumphant (or is it?) streaming premiere after his decades-long run on late-night TV with the new travel series ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ on Max. Come to a live taping of The Last Laugh podcast with special guest Mae Martin at Netflix Is a Joke Fest on May 8.Get tickets for Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares at Audible.comFollow Laura Benanti on Instagram @laurabenantiFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Alex Edelman on ‘Just for Us’ | Plus, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Series Finale!
Apr 10 2024
Alex Edelman on ‘Just for Us’ | Plus, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Series Finale!
Alex Edelman was having a hectic week before an unexpected earthquake briefly knocked out the internet in his New York apartment just before our podcast taping. “I feel crazy every day,” Edelman admits on the eve of his solo show, ‘Just for Us,’ premiering on HBO. “But also, this is what a comedian wants for his work. I’m very verklempt.” In this episode, the 35-year-old Jewish comic shares the unique challenges of bringing his story about attending a white supremacist meeting in Queens to the stage and screen, including the sudden death of his director just before opening on Broadway and how performing a show about antisemitism changed after October 7th. Edelman also discusses the surreal experience of getting notes from comedy heroes like Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Crystal, tells a story about the time he baffled Mel Brooks by calling him “woke” to his face, and teases his next stand-up hour on the Israel-Gaza war. But first, Matt and Allegra break down the series finale of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ including an unsentimental goodbye to Richard Lewis and a surprising twist on the infamous ‘Seinfeld’ ending.Follow Alex Edelman on Twitter @alexedelman and Instagram @alexedelmanFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jenny Slate: ‘Seasoned Professional’
Feb 21 2024
Jenny Slate: ‘Seasoned Professional’
Jenny Slate has never been a traditional stand-up comic. And after a lengthy hiatus that followed her 2019 Netflix special ‘Stage Fright’ and included both a global pandemic and the birth of her daughter, she wasn’t sure she’d ever get up in front of an audience again. “I didn’t have a system in place for how to get back up on stage. I didn’t know how to do that,” she says in this episode. But now, with her new hour ‘Seasoned Professional’ set to premiere this Friday, Feb. 23 on Amazon Prime Video, Slate breaks down how she made her way back in front of the mic and why she decided to get so intimately personal in the special. Slate reflects on how her one unfortunate season as a ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast member has informed the rest of her career, from finding the right kind of community on projects like ‘Kroll Show’ and ‘Bob’s Burgers’ to learning how to make her own unlikely success as ‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.’ And she discusses what it was like to pass the torch of her mixed race character on ‘Big Mouth’ to Ayo Edebiri, why she’s not sure ‘Obvious Child,’ her comedy film about abortion, would hit viewers in the same way 10 years later, and a lot more.Follow Jenny Slate on Instagram @jennyslateFollow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.