The Last Laugh

Natalie Morales (Parks and Recreation) stops by to talk about her new scripted podcast Ellie and The Wave and opens up about her disappointment over NBC canceling Abby’s, the first sitcom in which the lead character was a bisexual Latina woman. “So much for diversity!” she says. Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Follow Natalie @nataliemorales and Matt at @mattwilstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most successful stand-up comedians of all time, Jim Gaffigan just became the first comic to premiere a special with Amazon Prime Video. Quality Time, Gaffigan’s seventh hour-long special to date, finds the comedian getting back to basics like his weight and an inordinate number of horse jokes after dealing with his wife and writing partner Jeannie’s harrowing medical scare last year. In the episode, Jim opens up about that experience and explains why he’d rather make jokes about brain tumors than President Trump. He also weighs in on David Letterman, Ellen DeGeneres, Aziz Ansari, Louis C.K., Bill O’Reilly, the Pope and a lot more.Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast.Follow Jim @JimGaffigan and Matt at @mattwilstein.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For years, Jillian Bell has been stealing scenes in TV shows like Workaholics and movies like 22 Jump Street. This month, she has her first leading role in the hilarious and moving new film Brittany Runs a Marathon. On this episode, Jillian talks about getting her start as a writer on SNL, improvising with Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld on Curb Your Enthusiasm, why her newest role “terrified” her and the latest on her gender-swapped reboot of Splash with Channing Tatum. Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Follow Jillian @jillianbell and Matt at @mattwilstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You know Brett Gelman as Martin from ‘Fleabag,’ Murray from ‘Stranger Things’ and dozens of other characters who he says share one big trait: “toxic masculinity.” He’s also a brilliant improv and sketch comedy performer who relentlessly pushes the bounds of his art on every level. On this episode, we talk about how he got to where he is and what he wants to do next. Hint: It involves Kanye West. Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Follow Brett @brettgelman and Matt at @mattwilstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stand-up comedian and writer Whitney Cummings is here to talk about her brand new special ‘Can I Touch It?’ streaming right now on Netflix. Whitney explains why she decided to feature a sex robot version of herself in the special and breaks down her career as TV showrunner, from her debut on Whitney’ to the ‘Roseanne’ reboot that went down in flames last year to an exciting new pilot for Amazon that takes on PC college students. Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Follow Whitney @WhitneyCummings and Matt at @mattwilstein.Buy Whitney’s memoir I'm Fine... And Other Lies on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob Riggle spent 15 years in the Marines before landing his first real comedy job on the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live.’ It has seemingly been nothing but smooth sailing since then with stints on ‘The Daily Show,’ scene-stealing turns in films like ‘Step Brothers’ and ‘The Hangover’ and his most recent gig hosting ABC’s ‘Holey Moley.’ In this episode, Riggle opens up about the struggles he faced along the way, including what he describes as a ‘dysfunctional’ year at SNL and the highest-stakes audition imaginable for Jon Stewart. Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Follow Rob @RobRiggle and Matt at @mattwilstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this special Friday episode of ‘The Last Laugh,’ Crooked Media co-founder and ‘Lovett or Leave It’ host Jon Lovett checks in to talk about ‘Pod Save America’s’ upcoming live benefit concert at the Greek Theatre as well as Trump’s racist tweets, the 2020 Democratic primary debates and his obsession with both Marianne Williamson and ‘Big Little Lies.’Get tickets for the Greek Theatre and Radio City Music Hall live shows at Crooked.com.Follow Jon @jonlovett and Matt at @mattwilstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane Lynch, Emmy-winning star of ‘Glee’ and ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ talks about getting her big break at 40 in Christopher Guest’s ‘Best in Show,’ improvising with Steve Carell in ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin,’ acting opposite Meryl Streep in ‘Julie and Julia’ and having a blast hosting NBC’s ‘Hollywood Game Night.’ Plus, how Ellen DeGeneres made it so she never had to ‘come out’ but rather just got to ‘show up.’Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Buy Jane’s memoir ‘Happy Accidents’ on Amazon. Follow Jane @janemarielynch and Matt at @mattwilstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Nate Bargatze broke through on Netflix’s ‘The Standups’ before premiering his own hour-long special ‘The Tennessee Kid’ on the streaming service earlier this year. But he’s about to get even bigger. Next up, he’ll be starring in a sitcom based on his life for ABC, executive produced by Jerrod Carmichael. Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Follow Nate @natebargatze and Matt at @mattwilstein.Get tickets to see Nate on the road at NateBargatze.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Kathy Griffin opens up about the infamous photoshoot that changed her life and sounds off on President Trump, Donald Trump Jr., TMZ’s Harvey Levin, CNN’s Jeff Zucker, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Alec Baldwin, Lorne Michaels, Jerry Seinfeld and a hell of a lot more. Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast.  Follow Kathy @kathygriffin and Matt at @mattwilstein.Get tickets to ‘Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story’ at FathomEvents.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.