The Last Laugh

The Daily Beast

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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.

1 DAY AGO

Anthony Jeselnik on Trump, SNL, and Why He’s ‘Uncancelable’

Self-described comedy “villain” Anthony Jeselnik has made a career out of telling expertly crafted, extremely dark one-liners, from his breakthrough set at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in 2011 to his newest Netflix special ‘Bones and All,’ which marks his 20th year in comedy. In this episode, he talks about crafting his Comedy Central interview show ‘Good Talk,’ how he thinks his comic persona will continue to evolve as he ages, how getting fan mail from a white supremacist made him rethink one of his darkest jokes, what “surprises” him about Louis C.K.’s attempt at a comeback, his failed audition to anchor SNL’s “Weekend Update,” how Lorne Michaels “helped Trump get elected,” why he considers himself “uncancelable,” and a lot more. This episode was originally published on September 3, 2019. Follow Anthony Jeselnik on Instagram @anthonyjeselnik and TikTok @anthonyjeselnik Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein and 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.

1h 1m
20 NOV

‘Parks and Rec’ Star Jim O’Heir: ‘Welcome to Pawnee’

Jim O’Heir has almost 200 acting credits to his name, appearing on dozens of iconic TV shows like ‘ER,’ ‘Friends,’ and ‘Better Call Saul.’ But as he reveals in this episode, he almost turned down the role of Jerry Gergich on ‘Parks and Recreation’ because his agents worried it was too small. O’Heir writes about his fateful decision to take a chance on what could have remained a “background” part in his new book ‘Welcome to Pawnee,’ which is part memoir, part oral history and all around love letter to the show that changed his life. The veteran character actor shares stories about auditioning for Ron Swanson, finding out he and Retta had been elevated to series regulars just of Paul Schneider (Mark Brendanawicz) had been let go, learning that Christie Brinkley had been cast as his wife, and why he believes the show is still comforting people in dark times nearly a decade after it went off the air. Plus, O’Heir delivers perhaps the all-time greatest answer to our final question: What’s a memory from your career that you laugh about now but really was not funny when it happened? Buy Jim O’Heir’s Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation Follow Jim O’Heir on Instagram @therealjimoheir Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein and 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
13 NOV

Timothy Simons: From ‘Veep’ to ‘Nobody Wants This’

For better or worse, Timothy Simons will probably always be best known for the first TV role he ever booked: the cravenly odious political climber Jonah Ryan on HBO’s ‘Veep.’ He could have been typecast as a lanky creep forever, but in the years since that show ended, Simons has managed to have a surprisingly varied acting career, most notably with his role as rom-com sidekick Sasha in this fall’s Netflix hit ‘Nobody Wants This.’ In this episode, Simons talks about finding the nuance in what could have been a one-note character and reacts to the controversy around the show’s depiction of its Jewish female characters. He also looks back on what it what like to begin his career opposite a comedy legend like Julia Louis-Dreyfus and reveals the disturbing similarities between Jonah Ryan and America’s next vice president, JD Vance. Follow Timothy Simons on Instagram @timothycsimons 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.

49 min
8 NOV · BONUS

Sam Bee and Michael Ian Black on Trump’s Shocking Win

The Last Laugh listeners, please enjoy this excerpt from the latest episode of The Daily Beast's new podcast! In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, co-host Samantha Bee has some tough talk for President Joe Biden and his team and comedian Michael Ian Black has news for everyone. Subscribe now to The Daily Beast Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 min
6 NOV

Jenny Slate on Stand-Up, SNL, ‘Big Mouth,’ and More

Jenny Slate has never been a traditional stand-up comic. And after a lengthy hiatus that followed her 2019 Netflix special ‘Stage Fright’ and included both a global pandemic and the birth of her daughter, she wasn’t sure she’d ever get up in front of an audience again. “I didn’t have a system in place for how to get back up on stage. I didn’t know how to do that,” she says in this episode. But now, as she puts out her latest hour ‘Seasoned Professional’, Slate breaks down how she made her way back in front of the mic and why she decided to get so intimately personal in the special. Slate reflects on how her one unfortunate season as a ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast member has informed the rest of her career, from finding the right kind of community on projects like ‘Kroll Show’ and ‘Bob’s Burgers’ to learning how to make her own unlikely success with ‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.’ And she discusses what it was like to pass the torch of her mixed race character on ‘Big Mouth’ to Ayo Edebiri, why she’s not sure ‘Obvious Child,’ her comedy film about abortion, would hit viewers in the same way 10 years later, and a lot more. This episode was originally published on February 21, 2024. Buy Jenny Slate’s new book of essays ‘Lifeform’ Follow Jenny Slate on Instagram @jennyslate 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
30 OCT

Seth Meyers: Trump, Vance, Harris, and ‘Dad Man Walking’

Seth Meyers knows his show is likely to change based on the results of the presidential race. But with the election just days away, the comedian, ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum and host of NBC’s ‘Late Night’ is doing his best to stay in the present and take each new insane development as it comes. In this episode, Meyers talks about how he ended up releasing a stand-up special (‘Dad Man Walking’ on Max) that has nothing to do with politics so close to the election and goes deep on where his is at head on the stakes of Trump vs. Harris right now. The comedian also shares thoughts about his infamous ice cream date with Joe Biden, why he regrets platforming JD Vance on his show, how SNL’s reliance on guest stars has changed the show since he was in the cast, and so much more. Follow Seth Meyers on Twitter @sethmeyers and Instagram @sethmeyers 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.

59 min
25 OCT

‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Girls’ and ‘Nobody Wants This’ with Bruce Eric Kaplan

For the past 30 years or so, Bruce Eric Kaplan has toiled away as a staff writer on some of the best television series ever produced, including ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Six Feet Under,’ and ‘Girls.’ But as he writes in his new book ‘They Went Another Way: A Hollywood Memoir’—and discusses in this bonus episode—Kaplan has never managed to get his own show past the pilot stage. And it’s not for lack of trying. Kaplan has written more unproduced pilots than anyone else he knows, and tells the story of how the Hollywood system has slowly beaten him down in hilarious fashion in the new book. He also reveals some details about his new gig as co-showrunner for Season 2 of the Netflix hit rom-com ‘Nobody Wants This,’ shares what it was like to join ‘Seinfeld’ in its final season, and so much more. Buy Bruce Eric Kaplan’s ‘They Went Another Way: A Hollywood Memoir’ Follow Bruce Eric Kaplan on Instagram @bruceerickaplan 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.

34 min
24 OCT · BONUS

James Carville on Kamala and Trump on Joe Rogan

The Last Laugh listeners, please enjoy this excerpt from the latest episode of The Daily Beast's new podcast! With less than two weeks until Election Day, Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee are joined by political strategist James Carville for intel—and an insider’s take—on the state of the presidential race. Subscribe now to The Daily Beast Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 min

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Matt Wilstein

Host

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.