280 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.
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The Last Laugh The Daily Beast

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.6 • 604 Ratings

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.

    Larry Charles: ‘Seinfeld,’ Larry David and ‘Dicks: The Musical’

    Larry Charles: ‘Seinfeld,’ Larry David and ‘Dicks: The Musical’

    Even if you don’t know Larry Charles’ name, his work is inescapable. He spent years as a writer on ‘Seinfeld’ before starting his career as a director on shows like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and movies like Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Borat’ and ‘Brüno.’ Now, after swearing off Hollywood, he’s back with what might be his most “transgressive” movie yet, ‘Dicks: The Musical,’ a truly deranged comedy about two “straight” twins who were separated at birth and ultimately fall in love. In this episode, Charles reveals why this was the project that got him to narrative filmmaking and shares stories from the sets of ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Curb,’ ‘Borat’ and more. Plus, the director opens up more than ever before about the major falling out he had with longtime collaborator Larry David after HBO pulled their documentary project at the very last minute. 
    Watch ‘Dicks: The Musical’ at home
    Follow Larry Charles on Twitter @larrycharles and Instagram @larrycharles
    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


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    • 44 min
    Mike Birbiglia Returns: Comedy, Truth and ‘The Old Man and the Pool’

    Mike Birbiglia Returns: Comedy, Truth and ‘The Old Man and the Pool’

    When a special arrives on Netflix in its finished form, viewers don’t typically get to see all of the excruciating work that went into making it a polished piece. But for anyone who has been listening to Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast over the past couple of years, it’s all there. “I was doing it privately,” he says on this week’s episode of The Last Laugh podcast. “I feel like it’s something that’s kind of unspoken about stand-up, that for the most part, we are in communities of comedians who kick around joke tags: ‘Hey, what if you did this with it?’ And ‘I have a similar story about this, and you know you could use that if you want to,’ or whatever it is. And we kind of just put it out there with audio rolling.” In his second appearance on The Last Laugh, Birbiglia talks about how this process helped shape his latest Broadway show-turned-Netflix special ‘The Old Man and the Pool,’ shares his thoughtful response to the “emotional truth” controversy that came for his friend and fellow comic Hasan Minhaj, breaks down how he handles criticism of his own work, and a lot more. 
    Follow Mike Birbiglia on Twitter @birbigs and Instagram @birbigs
    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


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    • 43 min
    Whitney Cummings Returns! — And Gets ‘Mouthy’

    Whitney Cummings Returns! — And Gets ‘Mouthy’

    Whitney Cummings likes to think of herself as a comedy “martyr,” one of many modern comedians who are willing to “sacrifice themselves just to make sure the First Amendment is still intact.” She believes so strongly in her right to say whatever she wants on stage that she left Comedy Central, HBO and Netflix behind to put out her latest uncensored stand-up special on Only Fans TV.  In this new episode, Cummings talks very openly about the state of comedy as she sees it in 2023 and why she decided to embrace the “safe-for-work” arm of the popular porn platform to produce a series of celebrity roasts and now her sixth special, ‘Mouthy.’ The comedian also discusses why trans jokes comprise nearly half of the new hour, how her perspective on the divisive issue differs from male comics like Dave Chappelle, why she was willing to apologize to one trans audience member who was offended by her material, that time she may have gone too far in front of an audience of Saudi businessmen and more. 
    Stream ‘Mouthy’ on OFTV
    Follow Whitney Cummings on Twitter @WhitneyCummings and Instagram @whitneycummings
    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


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    • 44 min
    Get Ready for All-New Episodes Coming Soon!

    Get Ready for All-New Episodes Coming Soon!

    The Last Laugh podcast is back… and moving to Wednesdays! Make sure you’re following this feed so you can listen to all-new episodes of this podcast, with some very exciting new guests, starting next Wednesday, November 15th. 
    Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein
    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod


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    • 1 min
    Henry Winkler (‘Barry’)

    Henry Winkler (‘Barry’)

    Henry Winker (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series) has repeatedly doubted himself throughout his long and storied career. From landing the coveted role of Arthur Fonzarelli on ‘Happy Days’ to winning his first Emmy Award for playing Gene Cousineau on Bill Hader’s ‘Barry,’ the beloved actor has struggled to overcome what only became known as “imposter syndrome” in recent years. “I invented the syndrome!” Winkler says in this episode. Winkler, who has just written a new memoir called ‘Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond,’ tells stories about his struggles to find work after The Fonz, explains how Adam Sandler helped revive his comedy career, reveals why he turned down hosting SNL, recalls his funniest line from ‘Arrested Development’ and so much more. 
    This episode was originally published on July 26th, 2022.
    Buy Henry Winkler’s new book ‘Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond’
    Follow Henry Winkler on Twitter @hwinkler4real
    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod
    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast


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    • 53 min
    Sharon Horgan (‘Bad Sisters’)

    Sharon Horgan (‘Bad Sisters’)

    Sharon Horgan (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress and Writing in a Drama Series) can’t seem to stop creating television shows. From ‘Pulling’ to ‘Catastrophe’ to ‘Divorce’ to ‘Motherland’ to ‘Shining Vale’ to her latest, the Apple TV+ comedy thriller ‘Bad Sisters,’ she is one of the most prolific TV showrunners in the game. In this episode, Horgan talks about going outside of her comfort zone for her new show and creating her first truly villainous character after years of writing flawed but ultimately sympathetic figures. She also reflects on how she met her ‘Catastrophe’ co-creator and co-star Rob Delaney on Twitter, remembers her final dinner with the late Carrie Fisher (who just happened to bring along Salman Rushdie) and looks ahead to the even more personal show she’s hoping to create next.  
    This episode was originally published on August 23rd, 2022.
    Follow Sharon Horgan on Twitter @SharonHorgan and Instagram @sharonhorgan
    Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein
    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod
    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast


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    • 47 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
604 Ratings

604 Ratings

zycwvuts ,

Top notch

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

Isaac J.S. ,

Great interview, love the format

Host does a great job of listening well . Fun format with the same questions at the end of each episode. Excellent guests

McVigne ,

Best Interviews, No Pandering, & Well Researched

This is my favorite podcast for my commute back and forth from work. I’m so happy for you, Matt, that you’re having a new baby, congrats! I’m excited for the new format, but I hope it doesn’t lose the charm that comes from your ability to connect to your interviewees. You very obviously research and talk to them beyond the top billed projects of their imdb and I think that gets them to open up. The discussions of behind the scenes in making comedy, whether it be writing a special, working at SNL, or making movies, are so fascinating and it goes beyond the surface.

Have a wonderful summer, looking forward to when you come back!!!

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