The Last Laugh

The Daily Beast

4.5 (656)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

1D AGO

‘Comedy Nerd’ Judd Apatow Returns for Our Final Episode

Judd Apatow didn’t realize it at the time, but as a young teenager growing up on Long Island in the ‘70s, he was inventing the comedy podcast by doing the first-ever long-form radio interviews with his stand-up heroes. So it’s only fitting that he’s the last guest ever on The Last Laugh podcast. In his fourth and final appearance on the show—taped before the tragic deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele—Apatow reflects on his early experiences as a proto-comedy podcaster and explains the “lifelong obsession” that inspired his new book, ‘Comedy Nerd.’ (Proceeds benefit the youth writing charity 826 and the Los Angeles wildfire relief organization Fire Aid.) The writer, director, and producer also discusses the state of the studio comedy in 2025, and how some of his most beloved films and TV shows took years to find their audiences. And ahead of his definitive two-part documentary about Mel Brooks coming to HBO in the new year, Apatow breaks down the power of satire to hold the powerful to account. This year, nobody did that better than ‘South Park’ creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. And Apatow has a theory for why Donald Trump has stayed conspicuously silent about their humiliating portrayal of him. Stay tuned to this feed for the premiere of Obsessed: The Podcast, coming in January from the Daily Beast. Follow Judd Apatow on Instagram @juddapatow Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Watch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s Obsessed YouTube channel Highlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

58 min
DEC 17

Kathryn Hahn: ‘The Studio’ Is the Comedy Show of the Year

Kathryn Hahn never set out to be an explicitly comedic actress. But starting with breakthrough roles in instant classics like ‘Anchorman’ and ‘Step Brothers,’ she has slowly but surely established herself as a comedy powerhouse who can go toe-to-toe with everyone from Will Ferrell to Amy Poehler. So it should come as no surprise that she spent 2025 stealing scenes from Seth Rogen on his Apple TV satire ‘The Studio.’ In this episode, Hahn breaks down how she embraced her character Maya’s signature style, reveals the famous guest star who impressed her most, and explains how the Season 1 cliffhanger predicted the Netflix-Warner Bros. deal that could reshape Hollywood forever. She also shares stories from the sets of her iconic comedy films, discusses the dream come true of entering the Marvel universe as Agatha Harkness, and teases what fans can expect from the upcoming second season of ‘The Studio.’ Follow Kathryn Hahn on Instagram @motherhahn Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Watch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s Obsessed YouTube channel Highlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

56 min
DEC 10

Michelle Wolf: Trump, Riyadh, and Netflix Special ‘The Well’

Michelle Wolf is probably best known for being the comedian who roasted Sarah Huckabee Sanders to her face at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2018. Seven years later, her only regret is that she wasn’t meaner. In this episode, Wolf reflects on how much—and how little—has changed since, from Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on comedians to her new identity as mom of two, which she explores in her new Netflix special ‘The Well.’ She discusses her complicated reasons for turning down the Riyadh Comedy Festival, explains how her short-lived talk show ‘The Break’ predicted Trump 2.0, and shares her take on the fragile state of late-night TV. And later, Wolf reveals how she ended up writing Kim Kardashian’s SNL monologue after the reality star decided Amy Schumer’s jokes weren’t funny enough. Follow Michelle Wolf on Instagram @michelleisawolf Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Watch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s Obsessed YouTube channel Highlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

52 min
DEC 3

Tim Meadows: SNL, ‘The Ladies Man,’ and ‘DMV’

Tim Meadows was once the longest-serving cast member on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ These days, he’s subtly stealing scenes as the third lead on a CBS sitcom, ‘DMV.’ But despite plenty of ups and downs over the course of his nearly 40-year career, Meadows seems to be at peace with his particular level of fame. In this episode, Meadows traces the arc of his career, from his unusual path to Lorne Michaels’ office to the disastrous attempt to turn his most popular recurring character into a full-length feature film. He reveals why he really didn’t want the actual Monica Lewinsky to make a cameo as herself with The Ladies Man Leon Phelps—and what changed his mind. Meadows also explains why he ultimately decided to leave ‘SNL’ after 10 seasons, the late-night TV gig he now regrets turning down, and how he found creative fulfillment playing supporting roles in films like ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘Walk Hard.’ Follow Tim Meadows on Instagram @real_timmeadows Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Watch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s Obsessed YouTube channel Highlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

51 min
NOV 26

Sebastian Maniscalco on Filling Arenas and Telling ‘Offensive’ Jokes

Sebastian Maniscalco is consistently one of the highest-grossing stand-up comedians in the country. With his Netflix special ‘Is It Me?’ and his autobiographical movie ‘About My Father’ co-starring Robert De Niro, he’s on the verge of finally becoming a household name. In this episode, Maniscalco opens up about doubling down on nostalgia and (mostly) avoiding controversy on stage. He also talks about how the comedy world has changed for better and worse since he got his start in the late ‘90s, shares stories from the sets of ‘Green Book’ and ‘The Irishman’ and explains how he decided to embrace the most embarrassing moment of his career on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show.’ This episode was originally published on December 6, 2022. Follow Sebastian Maniscalco on Instagram @sebastiancomedy Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Watch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channel Highlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

50 min
NOV 19

Patton Oswalt: Trump, Kimmel, and the State of Stand-Up Comedy

Patton Oswalt begins his latest stand-up special (‘Black Coffee and Ice Water,’ streaming on Audible Nov. 20) by reading a fake disclaimer about how he’s gone full MAGA in an attempt to avoid the authoritarian hand of Donald Trump. It’s a funny bit that also underscores the comedian’s very real fears about being an outspokenly anti-fascist voice in 2025 America. In his third appearance on the podcast, Oswalt talks about the freedom of putting together an audio-only special, which includes jokes about his teenage daughter and celebrating 30 years on Prozac. He also shares his visceral reaction to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, Donald Trump’s “mediocrity,” the MAGA-friendly comedians who happily took Saudi Arabia’s money, and what keeps him performing stand-up nearly 40 years into his career. Patton Oswalt’s ‘Black Coffee and Ice Water’ on Audible Follow Patton Oswalt on Instagram @pattonoswalt Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Watch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channel Highlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

56 min
NOV 12

Fred Armisen: SNL, ‘Portlandia,’ and ‘100 Sound Effects’

Fred Armisen knows that nobody can ever tell whether he’s joking or not—and he doesn’t quite understand why. Despite being one of the hands-down funniest ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast members of all time, Armisen can, in fact, be pretty sincere when he wants to be. It’s a trait that shines through on his latest project: a painstakingly produced album of ‘100 Sound Effects’ that provides some observational laughs here and there but is generally an accurate document of what the world sounds like in 2025. In this episode, Armisen discusses how his obsession with sound helped him become an expert mimic on ‘SNL,’ whether he was impersonating President Barack Obama or capturing a very specific Californian dialect. He talks about roasting Lorne Michaels during the ‘SNL50’ special, whether he could imagine taking over at least part of his former boss’ job, and reacts to the ‘Portlandia’ memes that have come to epitomize that city’s response to Donald Trump’s threats. Buy ‘Fred Armisen: 100 Sound Effects’ Get tickets to see Fred Armisen live Follow Fred Armisen on Instagram @sordociego Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Watch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channel Highlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

55 min
NOV 5

‘Bugonia’ Writer Will Tracy: ‘The Onion,’ John Oliver, and ‘Succession’

The new conspiracy-laden film ‘Bugonia’ has been described by critics and audiences alike as “bleak.” But the comedy writer who penned the script doesn’t see it that way. In this episode, Will Tracy shares how he went from ‘The Onion’s’ editor-in-chief to winning Emmys for ‘Last Week Tonight’ and ‘Succession’ to writing the mind-bending script for Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest collaboration with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. He discusses ‘Bugonia’s’ very 2025 political message and unpacks what could be considered a deeply cynical ending that he finds oddly hopeful about the future of the planet—if not humanity. Tracy also explains why he found writing for John Oliver so miserable, how he managed to identify with Kendall Roy on ‘Succession,’ and what it feels like to act opposite Jeremy Strong. Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Watch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channel Highlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

53 min

See All (402)

Matt Wilstein

Host

4.5

out of 5

656 Ratings

Top notch

09/05/2023

zycwvuts

It is refreshing to listen to an intelligent host who puts the spotlight on his guests, not himself.
Undecided Voters = Morons

09/25/2024

Dirk Lerxst-Pratt

There, fixed it for ya…
Not Comedy

07/25/2024

Nobelhus

Not comedy in my opinion when we’re spending too much time on political opinions. Especially when those opinions are geared toward one particular party. Instead of unifying, this rhetoric continues the divisive attitudes it speaks against. Because, regardless of the election outcome, we now have a comedy podcast that is already denigrating the new president if Trump wins. So, groups of people will never be satisfied with a newly elected president. I would write the same review of a podcast that spoke negatively about our current president. Which exists. Either way you go, 50% of the country is unhappy with the election outcome. We need to get behind a truly independent and unifying presidential candidate in Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Lastly, I apologize for assuming this comedy podcast. My search criteria was Stand Up. Maybe as a content creator, change the algorithm to reflect political content. Hence, the quality of the content may be creative and interesting, 3 stars because it is not equally critical of both political parties.
Divisive

06/02/2024

splicedlulu

Terrible

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.