307 episodes

Welcome to ‘The Last Laugh’: Real conversations with really funny people. Every Wednesday, The Daily Beast’s Matt Wilstein interviews some of the biggest names in comedy—as well as the new voices crashing the party—about what it’s like to make people laugh during this current cultural and political moment.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Last Laugh The Daily Beast

    • Society & Culture

Welcome to ‘The Last Laugh’: Real conversations with really funny people. Every Wednesday, The Daily Beast’s Matt Wilstein interviews some of the biggest names in comedy—as well as the new voices crashing the party—about what it’s like to make people laugh during this current cultural and political moment.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Mae Martin (Live From Netflix Is a Joke Fest) + John Mulaney’s ‘Everybody’s in LA’

    Mae Martin (Live From Netflix Is a Joke Fest) + John Mulaney’s ‘Everybody’s in LA’

    Live from Netflix Is a Joke Fest in Los Angeles this past week, comedian Mae Martin returns to the podcast to share stories about making out with ‘Ted Lasso’s’ Brett Goldstein on stage, making Jon Stewart laugh on ‘John Mulaney Presents: ‘Everybody’s in LA’ and the exhilarating feeling when a new stand-up bit that kills for the first time. Martin also looks back on the surreal experience of watching their autobiographical show ‘Feel Good’ take off on Netflix at the very start of the pandemic and teases their new narrative series for which they are strongly considering becoming a brunette. And make sure to stick around until the end of the show to hear a very special acoustic performance by Claud. 
    Plus, ‘John Mulaney Presents: ‘Everybody’s in LA’ wildly exceeded our expectations, leading Matt and Allegra to wonder whether we deserve more or should just be happy with the perfect six episodes that streamed during the festival.
    Follow Mae Martin on Instagram @hooraymae
    Follow Claud on Instagram @claud.mp3
    Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein
    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod
    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr
    Nikki Glaser Returns: ‘Someday You’ll Die’ and Roasting Tom Brady

    Nikki Glaser Returns: ‘Someday You’ll Die’ and Roasting Tom Brady

    The last time Nikki Glaser was on The Last Laugh podcast, our conversation ended up producing material for her stand-up act. Now, in her return to the show, she apologizes for throwing me “under the bus” before sharing even more unfiltered thoughts about her objections to motherhood, struggles with suicidal thoughts and the very tricky balance between self-censorship and saying something she knows could get her “canceled”—all of which are integral to her latest HBO special ‘Someday You’ll Die.’ The comedian also reveals her approach to roasting Tom Brady at Netflix’s epic live event, explains why she decided to leave it all on the table with her jokes about Ted Cruz, Majorie Taylor Greene and other political figures while guest-hosting ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ and shares how she’s feeling about turning 40 next month. 
    Come to a live taping of The Last Laugh podcast with special guest Mae Martin at Netflix Is a Joke Fest on May 8.
    Follow Nikki Glaser on Instagram @nikkiglaser
    Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein
    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod
    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 50 min
    Netflix Is a Joke Fest + The State of Stand-Up on Streaming

    Netflix Is a Joke Fest + The State of Stand-Up on Streaming

    The massive, sprawling Netflix Is a Joke Festival kicks off in Los Angeles today and host Matt Wilstein is joined by The Daily Beast’s Allegra Frank and Sean L. McCarthy to preview what comedy fans can expect—including a starry roast of Tom Brady, a live Katt Williams stand-up special, a John Mulaney-hosted late-night show and a lot more. They also delve into how Netflix came to dominate the streaming comedy world—for better and, occasionally, for worse. 
    Come to a live taping of The Last Laugh podcast with special guest Mae Martin at Netflix Is a Joke Fest on May 8.
    Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein
    Follow Allegra Frank on Twitter @LegsFrank
    Follow Sean L. McCarthy on Instagram @thecomicscomic
    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod
    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 37 min
    Laura Benanti Tells All! | Plus: ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’

    Laura Benanti Tells All! | Plus: ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’

    Laura Benanti has been nominated for five Tony Awards (with one win) and appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies since making her Broadway debut at 19 years old as Maria in ‘The Sound of Music.’ But as the title of her new solo stage show attests, she still reminds herself on a daily basis that ‘Nobody Cares’ about her many accomplishments. In this episode, Benanti talks about mining her most embarrassing life stories for musical comedy in her new show, which returns to the New York stage and premieres on Audible next month. She also reveals how playing Melania Trump on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ finally made people take her “seriously” as a comedic actress and what she thinks is going through the former first lady’s head as her husband stands trial for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.
    But first, Matt and Allegra break down Conan O’Brien’s triumphant (or is it?) streaming premiere after his decades-long run on late-night TV with the new travel series ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ on Max. 
    Come to a live taping of The Last Laugh podcast with special guest Mae Martin at Netflix Is a Joke Fest on May 8.
    Get tickets for Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares at Audible.com
    Follow Laura Benanti on Instagram @laurabenanti
    Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein
    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod
    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 55 min
    Demetri Martin ‘Deconstructed’ | Plus, What’s Up With SNL?

    Demetri Martin ‘Deconstructed’ | Plus, What’s Up With SNL?

    Demetri Martin just put out his first new stand-up hour in six years. But when he sits down for this interview with The Last Laugh podcast, he’s about to tape the second of what will be a trilogy of specials for Netflix. It’s quite a comeback moment for the (shockingly) 50-year-old comedian, who has remained mostly out of the spotlight in recent years as provocative, autobiographical stand-up comedy has overtaken the one-liner “joke machine” style that he has been honing for more than half of his life. In this episode, Martin breaks down the meta-concept behind his new ‘Demetri Deconstructed’ special, reveals why he started bringing drawings on stage, shares his take on some of the more concerning comedy trends and a lot more. 
    Plus, Matt and Allegra take on the state of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and why this past weekend’s Ryan Gosling-hosted episode was the show at its very best. 
    Follow Demetri Martin on Twitter @DemetriMartin and Instagram @demetrimartinofficial
    Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein
    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod
    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 55 min
    Alex Edelman on ‘Just for Us’ | Plus, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Series Finale!

    Alex Edelman on ‘Just for Us’ | Plus, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Series Finale!

    Alex Edelman was having a hectic week before an unexpected earthquake briefly knocked out the internet in his New York apartment just before our podcast taping. “I feel crazy every day,” Edelman admits on the eve of his solo show, ‘Just for Us,’ premiering on HBO. “But also, this is what a comedian wants for his work. I’m very verklempt.” In this episode, the 35-year-old Jewish comic shares the unique challenges of bringing his story about attending a white supremacist meeting in Queens to the stage and screen, including the sudden death of his director just before opening on Broadway and how performing a show about antisemitism changed after October 7th. Edelman also discusses the surreal experience of getting notes from comedy heroes like Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Crystal, tells a story about the time he baffled Mel Brooks by calling him “woke” to his face, and teases his next stand-up hour on the Israel-Gaza war. 
    But first, Matt and Allegra break down the series finale of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ including an unsentimental goodbye to Richard Lewis and a surprising twist on the infamous ‘Seinfeld’ ending.
    Follow Alex Edelman on Twitter @alexedelman and Instagram @alexedelman
    Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein
    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod
    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 57 min

Top Podcasts In Society & Culture

So This Is Love
Julia Gaitho
Modern Love
The New York Times
The HonestBunch Podcast
Glitch Africa
La vie en rose
EVEL ☆
What Now? with Trevor Noah
Spotify Studios
The Feeling Station
The Feeling Station

You Might Also Like

Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out
Mike Birbiglia
WTF with Marc Maron Podcast
Marc Maron
Good One: A Podcast About Jokes
Vulture
The Three Questions with Andy Richter
Team Coco & Earwolf
Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade
Audacy
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Team Coco & Earwolf

More by The Daily Beast

Fever Dreams
The Daily Beast
The New Abnormal
The Daily Beast
Cheat Sheet Podcast from The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast
Life Behind Bars with Noah Rothbaum & David Wondrich
The Daily Beast