The Last Laugh

Will Forte is the king of second chances, whether it was getting another shot at ‘Saturday Night Live’ after turning down Lorne Michaels or reviving his now iconic character MacGruber on Peacock after the 2010 movie bombed at the box office. In this episode, Forte breaks down how he overcame his SNL fears to deliver some of the show’s weirdest and funniest sketches and shares behind-the-scenes details of MacGruber’s full journey from one-off sketch to Super Bowl commercial to cult classic. He also opens up about his regrets around replacing Will Ferrell as George W. Bush on SNL and shares stories from filming his hilarious cameo on fellow SNL alum Tim Robinson’s ‘I Think You Should Leave’ and that time he ended up on a private jet with comedy hero Steve Martin. Follow Will Forte on Twitter @orvilleiv and Instagram @orvivFollow 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.

Chris Parnell is the only cast member to ever be fired twice from ‘Saturday Night Live.’ And as he explains in this episode, it was only after Lorne Michaels admitted his mistake and brought him back into the fold that he really started to take off on the show. During our conversation, Parnell also opens up about why he may have never decided to leave SNL on his own and breaks down highlights from his prolific career since, including iconic roles as Dr. Spaceman on ‘30 Rock’ the “poop mouth” guy in ‘Anchorman’ and Rebel Wilson’s dad in the new Netflix movie ‘Senior Year,’ as well as his brilliant animation voiceover work as Cyril Figgis on ‘Archer’ and Jerry Smith on ‘Rick and Morty.’ 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.

From her breakthrough performance as Mel the stalker on ‘Flight of the Conchords,’ to her long-running gig as the voice of fourth-grader Louise Belcher on ‘Bob’s Burgers,’ which just premiered its first big screen movie in theaters this past weekend, Kristen Schaal never fails to bring a unique energy to the screen. And it all begins with her unmistakable voice. In this episode, Schaal looks back on her winding road from alt-comedy darling to mainstream children’s TV star, including detours writing for ‘South Park,’ serving as the “Senior Women’s Issues Correspondent” on ‘The Daily Show’ and getting a well-deserved Emmy nomination for—what else?—her voice-over work on ‘Bojack Horseman.’This episode was originally published on August 3rd, 2021.Follow Kristen Schaal on Twitter @kristenschaaled and Instagram @k.schaalFollow 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.

Akiva Schaffer prefers to stay behind the scenes. But that doesn’t mean he’s any less funny than his Lonely Island bandmates Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone. The three middle school best friends started shooting videos right out of college before landing a plush gig making digital shorts for ‘Saturday Night Live,’ including hits like “Lazy Sunday,” “Dick in a Box,” “Jizz in My Pants” and many others. In this episode, Schaffer talks about their unusual path to SNL and how directing outrageous movies like ‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping’ led him to take on a meta ‘Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers’ reboot for Disney+ starring Samberg and John Mulaney. He also explains why he might be single handedly responsible for Netflix deciding to pull the trigger on ‘I Think You Should Leave’ with Tim Robinson. Follow The Lonely Island on Twitter @thelonelyisland and Instagram @thelonelyislandFollow 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.

You know Mary Lynn Rajskub’s face even if you don’t necessarily recognize her name. That conflict is at the center of her new book of essays about an unconventional career that started with cult comedies like ‘Mr. Show’ and ‘Larry Sanders’ and took an unexpected swerve into drama with her role as Chloe O’Brian on Fox’s ‘24.’ In this episode, Rajskub shares wild stories from her Hollywood journey, including what she learned about acting from Garry Shandling, her make-out scene with Tom Cruise that was cut out of ‘Magnolia,’ the origins of her Gail the Snail character on ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ a very public unwanted kiss from Rush Limbaugh and why she’s “not sure what happened” to her insurrectionist co-star Jay Johnston.Follow Mary Lynn Rajskub on Twitter @MaryLynnRajskub and Instagram @marylynnrajskubFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodBuy Fame-ish: My Life at the Edge of StardomHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most influential comedy voices of her generation, Jessi Klein spent years working as a development executive at Comedy Central before making the leap to stand-up, SNL and then head writer for ‘Inside Amy Schumer.’ Now, in addition to her long-running role as the angsty tween Jessi on ‘Big Mouth,’ Klein has taken on the role of showrunner for ‘I Love That for You,’ a new Showtime series co-created by and starring fellow SNL alum Vanessa Bayer. In this episode, Klein opens up about her unconventional road to comedy success and why SNL wasn’t the best environment for her. She also talks about her new book of essays on midlife and motherhood and tells hilarious stories about working with Amy Schumer, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon and more. Follow Jessi Klein on Twitter @jessirklein and Instagram @youracquaintancejessikleinFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodBuy I’ll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and MotherhoodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nearly three decades after starring in the first major sitcom to center on an Asian-American family, Margaret Cho is more “hopeful” than ever about the opportunities for Asian-American comedians. In this episode, Cho talks about how she would approach that sitcom differently today and tells stories about dating director Quentin Tarantino and acting opposite Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. She also weighs in on Dave Chappelle’s jokes about the bisexual community and reflects on the backlash she received after portraying an exaggerated North Korean character alongside Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the Golden Globes.Get tickets to see Margaret Cho perform live at Netflix Is a Joke FestThis episode was originally published on November 19th, 2019.Follow Margaret Cho on Twitter @margaretcho and Instagram @margaret_choFollow 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.

Since breaking through as a correspondent on ‘The Daily Show’ in 2015, Ronny Chieng has continued to prove himself to be one of the funniest stand-up comics in the game. Now, he is back with a second hour-long special on Netflix called ‘Speakeasy’ that takes on everything from anti-science podcasters to the myth of “cancel culture.” In this episode, Chieng talks about pushing the envelope without fear of the consequences, breaks down how Trevor Noah changed his life, takes down his favorite “piece of shit” Fox News host Jesse Watters and a lot more. Follow Ronny Chieng on Twitter @ronnychieng and Instagram @ronnychieng Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodGet tickets to see Ronny Chieng at Netflix Is a Joke FestHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Birbiglia is currently working out his latest one-person show ‘The Old Man and the Pool,’ including a stop at this coming week’s Netflix Is a Joke Fest. But before he went on stage for one of his final performances of ‘The New One’ in Los Angeles, Mike Birbiglia opened up about his unique process putting that show together and broke down his evolution from stand-up to theater—and why he doesn’t care how anyone wants to characterize what he does. We also discussed the state of “offensive” jokes, what he learned about telling stories from ‘This American Life’ host Ira Glass and our mutual, unhealthy obsession with ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Get tickets to see Mike Birbiglia perform live at Netflix Is a Joke FestThis episode was originally published on November 26th, 2019.Follow Mike Birbiglia on Twitter @birbigs and Instagram @birbigsFollow 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.

Bill Hader is well known as the most generous “laugher” in comedy. But when he’s talking about his increasingly dark HBO series ‘Barry,’ those laughs come with a razor sharp edge. In this episode, the ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum goes deep on the “dumb idea” that fuels his hitman character in the long-awaited third season and reflects on his anxiety-filled SNL experience, why he and John Mulaney never made that rumored Stefon movie, the specific genius of ‘Documentary Now!’ and why he couldn’t stop laughing at Paul Rudd’s final ‘Mac and Me’ prank on the final week of ‘Conan.’ 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.