The Last Laugh

Phoebe Robinson is a stand-up comedian, podcast host, best-selling author and, until recently, one half of ‘2 Dope Queens’ with Jessica Williams. Now, she has officially gone solo, first with a new advice podcast called ‘Black Frasier’ and soon with her own Comedy Central talk show titled ‘Doing the Most’ in which she “big spoons” celebrity guests like Kevin Bacon and Tan France. We get into all of this, plus what it’s been like experiencing the resurgence of Black Lives Matter during a global pandemic and her thoughts on Kanye West’s “ignorant” attack on Harriet Tubman.  Watch Phoebe’s ‘Yearly Departed’ special on Amazon Prime Video.This episode was originally published on August 11, 2020. Twitter: @dopequeenpheebs and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @dopequeenpheebs and @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this special crossover pod, ‘The Last Laugh’ host Matt Wilstein joins ‘The New Abnormal’ co-host Molly Jong-Fast and producer Jesse Cannon to look back at the year in political comedy, from the confrontational antics of Sacha Baron Cohen and Jordan Klepper to viral impressionists Sarah Cooper, Blaire Erskine and the women who saved SNL from Alec Baldwin and Jim Carrey. Twitter: @NewAbnormalPod, @MollyJongFast, @JesseCannon and @mattwilstein Instagram: @mollyjongfast, @jessecannon and @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate the end of this absurd year, Matt Wilstein is joined by The Daily Beast’s Laura Bradley to share their lists of the funniest performances of 2020. They include some previous ‘Last Laugh’ guests (Sam Jay! Jordan Klepper!) and a whole bunch of comedians who will hopefully join us on the show in the future. See our full list of the 20 funniest performances of 2020 at The Daily Beast:https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-20-funniest-performances-of-2020-from-borat-schitts-creek-snl-and-moreTwitter: @mattwilstein and @lpbradley | Instagram: @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Starting with his breakthrough role as Rafi on ‘The League,’ Jason Mantzoukas has a solid decade under his belt as the comedy world’s favorite “crazy, wild-eyed maniac,” in his words. In this episode, Jason takes us through his prolific career, including hilarious turns in ‘The Dictator,’ ‘Transparent,’ ‘The Good Place’ and so many others. Remarkably, some of his most nuanced work has come as Jay, a horny bisexual tween, on Netflix’s animated hit ‘Big Mouth,’ which premiered its excellent fourth season earlier this month. Finally, Jason reveals the one scene from ‘The League’ that he and Nick Kroll couldn’t get through because they were laughing too hard. Twitter: @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Michael Kosta decided to call his new Comedy Central stand-up special ‘Detroit. NY. LA.’ he had no idea people would be watching it in lockdown just so they could vicariously travel around the country. In this bonus episode, the ‘Daily Show’ correspondent (and former tennis pro!) talks about finding the balance between George Carlin and Steve Martin, becoming Trevor Noah’s token white guy and how he thinks late-night comedy will change post-Trump. Twitter: @michaelkosta and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @michaelkosta and @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It took Jessica Kirson 19 years to land her first-ever hour-long special ‘Talking to Myself’. Despite her reputation as a club comic who can kill in any room, the networks weren’t exactly banging down her door. “I was never the hot, skinny, flirtatious female comedian,” she says. “So I was just funny.” Ultimately, it was fellow comedian Bill Burr agreeing to produce her special that made Comedy Central pay attention. In this episode, Jessica opens up about her long road to success, including how she became Robert de Niro’s comedy mentor and how she’s adapting to a world in which most live shows are happening on Zoom. Twitter: @JessicaKirson and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @jessykirson and @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast.Buy tickets for ‘Jessica Kirson: Disgusting Hawk’ at RushTix.comStream her hour-long special ‘Talking to Myself’ on Amazon Prime Video. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the new Mr. Belding stand-in on Peacock’s ‘Saved by the Bell’ reboot, John Michael Higgins is “basically a dunk tank clown,” in his words. The comic role of “old white man” is one the veteran character actor has come to accept later in his career. But he’s still probably best known for playing the younger, more flamboyant half of the gay couple with a Shih Tzu in the 2000 comedy classic ‘Best in Show’—a part he says he would never get today. In this episode, John opens up about his risky big break playing David Letterman in ‘The Late Shift,’ the unique challenge of improvising through Christopher Guest movies, what he learned from the late great Fred Willard and a lot more. Twitter: @Real_JMHiggins and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The mysterious New York filmmaker behind HBO’s ‘How To With John Wilson’ joins this very special bonus episode to break down how he made perhaps the most fascinating TV show of 2020. John reveals how ‘Nathan for You’ creator Nathan Fielder helped pitch the show to Hollywood executives, why he considers himself “completely different” from Sacha Baron Cohen, how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the season one finale and what fans can expect from a possible season two. And yes, we talk about the foreskin restoration guy. Twitter: @howtojohnwilson and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @peepingjohn and @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After stealing scenes in ‘Silicon Valley,’ ‘Veep,’ ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and bunch of your other favorite shows, Mary Holland is about to break out in a big way as the co-writer and co-star of the new holiday rom-com ‘Happiest Season,’ premiering on Hulu November 25th. In this episode, Mary talks about how she went from improvising ridiculous characters at the Upright Citizens Brigade and on Scott Aukerman’s ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ podcast to becoming a go-to eccentric character actor on screen and shares some truly embarrassing audition stories. Twitter: @maryhollandaise and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @maryhollandaise and @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast.Buy tickets for the live stream ‘Wild Horses’ show at eventbrite.com.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his most recent stand-up special ‘Oh Come On’ David Cross imagined the many outrageous ways that Donald Trump’s presidency could end. Now that it’s actually happening, the famously cranky comedian isn’t exactly dancing in the streets. In this episode, David expresses cautious optimism for America’s future and looks back on his majorly influential comedy career. He also breaks down why he was “disappointed” that Netflix took down a controversial episode of his recent ‘Mr. Show’ reboot and reveals why he believes ‘Arrested Development’ is finally over for good. Twitter: @davidcrosss and @mattwilstein | Instagram: @davidcrossofficial and @lastlaughpodHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast.Subscribe to the ‘Assembly’ podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.