The Last Laugh

Jena Friedman is a former ‘Daily Show’ field producer, an uncompromising stand-up comedian and, as of this past year, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter for ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.’ Now, she is headlining her own hour-long stand-up special ‘Ladykiller’ on Peacock and taking on the true crime industrial complex as the host of ‘Indefensible,’ which premieres its second season on SundanceTV and AMC+ next month. In her second appearance on the podcast, Friedman talks about exposing “crisis pregnancy centers” in ‘Borat,’ weighs in on “Missing White Woman Syndrome,” and shares her thoughts on the death of John McAfee, with whom she conducted the definitive interview for her previous show ‘Soft Focus.’This episode was originally published on October 12, 2021 Read Matt Wilstein’s review of Jena Friedman’s new special ‘Ladykiller’ Follow Jena Friedman on Twitter @JenaFriedman and Instagram @jenafriedmanFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Sheng Wang has spent much of his comedy career trying to hide in plain sight. Now, thanks to a boost from his longtime friend and colleague Ali Wong, he is reluctantly stepping into the spotlight. In this episode, Wang opens up about everything that led to his first hour-long stand-up special ‘Sweet and Juicy,’ which premiered on Netflix earlier this month and also marks Wong’s directorial debut. He breaks down how seeing the late, great Mitch Hedberg perform forever changed the way he thought about comedy and tells stories about getting judged by Norm Macdonald on ‘Last Comic Standing,’ channeling his own childhood as a writer on ‘Fresh Off the Boat,’ the origins of his most famous bit about ripe avocados and more. Follow Sheng Wang on Twitter @shengwangtime and Instagram @shengwangtimeFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alison Brie had one of the luckiest big breaks in the history of television. Before the age of 30, she managed to simultaneously co-star on TV’s most celebrated drama (‘Mad Men’) and most obsessed over comedy (‘Community’) before the age of 30. In the seven years since those two shows ended their iconic runs, she has gone toe-to-toe with both comedy stars like Will Ferrell and acting legends like Meryl Streep on the big screen and rose to the top of the call sheet in her beloved Netflix series ‘GLOW.’ In this episode, Brie talks about making the move to indie film screenwriting with ‘Horse Girl’ and now her Italy-set comedy ‘Spin Me Round.’ She also addresses whether fans can expect to see Chevy Chase in the eventual ‘Community’ movie, explains why she felt the need to apologize for her voice work on ‘Bojack Horseman’ and a lot more.Follow Alison Brie on Twitter @alisonbrie and Instagram @alisonbrieFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay Duplass never wanted to be an actor. For years, he remained entirely behind the scenes of the intimate indie films he wrote and directed with younger brother Mark Duplass. Then, he was handed the role of Josh Pfefferman in ‘Transparent,’ which transformed his life and career more than he ever could have imagined when he still thought it was a little “web show” for Amazon. In this episode, Duplass reveals how his latest acting gig as “Mr. COVID” Jesse Bloom on HBO’s ‘Industry’ was inspired by Jeff Bezos, opens up about the difficult decision to separate from his brother professionally, explains why it would be “unthinkable” for a cis actor to play Jeffrey Tambor’s role on ‘Transparent’ today—even if that’s what viewers “needed” at the time—and a lot more. Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emmy-nominated comedian and actress Natasha Rothwell talks about her very big year, from facing off with Jennifer Coolidge in ‘The White Lotus’ to stealing scenes in the final season of ‘Insecure.’ And things are only looking up from here, with two new shows in development at HBO, a third in the works with Disney-ABC and a mysterious role in the upcoming ‘Wonka’ movie starring Timothée Chalamet. In this episode, Rothwell opens up about auditioning for ‘Saturday Night Live’ as part of that show’s “clunky” search for a Black female cast member and ending up as a writer instead, getting hired as a writer on ‘Insecure’ before landing her breakout role as Kelli and returning to her dramatic roots as Belinda in ‘The White Lotus,’ a role that became very different after she was cast.    This episode was originally published on November 16, 2021 Follow Natasha Rothwell on Twitter @natasharothwell and Instagram @natasharothwellFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Dave Foley is thankful to be the narrator and not one of the subjects of Vice TV’s ‘Dark Side of Comedy’ docuseries. The co-founder of the iconic sketch group ‘Kids in the Hall,’ which premiered its long-awaited sixth reunion season on Amazon Prime Video earlier this year, had his share of life-threatening troubles before cleaning up his act and finally getting sober a few years back. In this episode, Foley talks about why so many comedians have dark backstories, traces the contentious history of ‘Kids in the Hall,’ recalls the best audition of his career for the role of Michael Scott on ‘The Office’ and reflects on working with outsized personalities like Andy Dick, Joe Rogan and Phil Hartman on ‘Newsradio.’Follow Dave Foley on Twitter @DaveSFoley and Instagram @davefoleyFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sharon Horgan can’t seem to stop creating television shows. From ‘Pulling’ to ‘Catastrophe’ to ‘Divorce’ to ‘Motherland’ to ‘Shining Vale’ to her latest, the Apple TV+ comedy thriller ‘Bad Sisters,’ she is one of the most prolific TV showrunners in the game. In this episode, Horgan talks about going outside of her comfort zone for her new show and creating her first truly villainous character after years of writing flawed but ultimately sympathetic figures. She also reflects on how she met her ‘Catastrophe’ co-creator and co-star Rob Delaney on Twitter, remembers her final dinner with the late Carrie Fisher (who just happened to bring along Salman Rushdie) and looks ahead to the even more personal show she’s hoping to create next.  Follow Sharon Horgan on Twitter @SharonHorgan and Instagram @sharonhorganFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Scott is best known for his roles in workplace comedies like ‘Parks and Recreation’ and ‘Party Down,’ which makes him the perfect actor to subvert that genre in Ben Stiller’s new deeply disturbing workplace thriller ‘Severance.’ In this episode, Scott talks about the “mind fuck” of playing two versions of one character in the excellent new Apple TV+ series and looks back on highlights from his comedy career, from his game-changing role in ‘Step Brothers’ to his long-running stint on ‘Parks and Rec’ and a lot more. This episode was originally published on February 22, 2022 Follow Adam Scott on Twitter @mradamscott and Instagram @mradamscottFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abby Elliott had been holding out for a role like Sugar on a show like ‘The Bear.’ Despite four mostly successful seasons on ‘Saturday Night Live’—she is still the youngest woman ever hired and the only second generation cast member, following in her father, Chris Elliott’s, footsteps—the comedian and actress struggled a bit to find her footing in Hollywood in the 10 years since was cut loose from the show. In this episode, Elliott opens up about how meaningful it has been to be part of a show that has connected with viewers so intensely and what it was like to be thrust into the cutthroat world of SNL so young—something she says she’s still working through in therapy. She also reveals the Chicago-based actress she wants to see play Carmy and Sugar’s mother in season two of ‘The Bear’ and confirms that Jon Bernthal really is that charismatic in person. Follow Abby Elliott on Twitter @elliottdotabby and Instagram @lilcutieforeverFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the difference between challenging stereotypes and perpetuating those same stereotypes? That’s just one of the many questions international comedy superstar Jo Koy tries to get to the bottom of on this episode. Koy talks about putting the jokes aside to deal with the harsh realities of his childhood as a half-Filipino, half-white kid in his new memoir ‘Mixed Plate’ and breaks down how he forged his own comedy path, refusing to take no as an answer from Netflix and gaining Steven Spielberg, who’s producing a new movie based on his life, as a fan. He also tells stories about turning down the chance to be Chelsea Handler’s sidekick and shares his reaction to mentor Jay Leno’s recent apology for decades of anti-Asian jokes. This episode was originally published on April 6th, 2021 Buy ‘Mixed Plate’ on Amazon Follow Jo Koy on Twitter @Jokoy and Instagram @jokoyFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.