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It’s now been four years since Gary Gulman released his remarkable stand-up special ‘The Great Depresh.’ And despite a global pandemic that caused its own parallel mental health crisis, he says he’s really never felt better. The prolific comedian has a new memoir out called ‘Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ‘80s’ and when we spoke, he was about to perform at Carnegie Hall—less than five years after he walked out of a psychiatric ward. In this episode, Gulman opens up about how he turned things around and achieved a new level of comedy confidence that has allowed him to be vulnerable on stage in a whole new way. He also weighs in on Bo Burnham’s anxiety-themed special ‘Inside,’ discusses his role in Amy Schumer’s Hulu series ‘Life & Beth’, looks back at his “miserable” time on Dane Cook’s ‘Tourgasm’ and a lot more.
This episode was originally published on September 21st, 2021.
Buy Gary Gulman’s book ‘Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ‘80s’
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Maria Bamford has been performing stand-up comedy for more than 30 years and just keeps getting better. Her most recent hour-long special ‘Weakness Is the Brand’ found her at the top of her game, delivering operatic bits about her ongoing mental health struggles and relentless drive to be a good person in the world. In this episode, we talk about how she arrived at relative stability, the challenges that female comics still face in a male-dominated industry, how she felt when Netflix canceled her autobiographical show ‘Lady Dynamite’ after two seasons and a lot more—including an unvarnished take on Louis C.K.
This episode was originally published on January 28th, 2020.
Buy Maria Bamford’s book ‘Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere’
Follow Maria Bamford on Twitter @mariabamfoo and Instagram @mariabamfordcomedy
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The first two professional acting gigs that Sam Richardson (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for ‘Ted Lasso’) booked were on ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The Office.’ And he has never stopped rising the ranks of the comedy world since, from what was supposed to be a one-episode guest spot as Richard Splett on ‘Veep’ to his first real romantic leading role on Apple TV+’s high-school reunion murder mystery comedy ‘The Afterparty.’ In this episode, Richardson talks about collaborating with his former improv teacher Tim Robinson on the brilliantly funny ‘Detroiters’ and ‘I Think You Should Leave,’ how he ended up channeling his Ghanaian heritage on ‘Ted Lasso’ and how it felt to be called “his generation’s Tom Hanks” by one of the most successful filmmakers in Hollywood.
This episode was originally published on February 15th, 2022.
Follow Sam Richardson on Twitter @SamRichardson and Instagram @thesamrichardson
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Comedy icon Martin Short (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for ‘Only Murders in the Building’) is well into his 70s. And while he’s still capable of the unbounded energy he first showed the world on shows like ‘SCTV’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ he can also be more sincere and reflective than his biggest fans might expect. In this in-depth conversation, the man who’s known as just “Marty” to his famous friends tells hilarious stories about working with Steve Martin, performing for David Letterman, embodying Jiminy Glick and more. Plus, he breaks down what it took to transform himself into a #MeToo monster for his Emmy-nominated role on ‘The Morning Show’ and talks about the origins of ‘Only Murders’ co-starring Steve Martin and Selena Gomez.
This episode was originally published on August 18th, 2020.
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Bill Hader (2023 Emmy-nominated actor, writer and director for HBO’s ‘Barry’) 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 mental state of his hitman character as the show approached its final season. He also 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.’ 
This episode was originally published on April 26th, 2022.
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After 215 episodes, featuring interviews with some of the funniest people on the planet, The Last Laugh podcast is taking a little breather. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements about what the next iteration of this show will look like when it returns in the fall—and please take a moment to show us some love in the meantime by leaving a rating and review. See you back here very soon!
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