Comedy History 101

The legendary Comedy Cellar - is the Yankee Stadium of NYC comedy clubs. Founded in 1982, the club has helped launch the careers of Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Colin Quinn, Dave Attell, Amy Schumer, Ray Romano...(you get the idea). In this reprise episode, we talk to comedian Dave Juskow, who is a Comedy Cellar regular and host of the Comedy Cellar Tuesday podcast, on the history of this beloved...

Before Hollywood, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, and Splash, John Candy was the heart of SCTV and Toronto’s Second City. Paul Myers, author of John Candy: His Life in Comedy, shares Candy’s comedic rise alongside Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Aykroyd, and Joe Flaherty—and his iconic collaborations with John Hughes and Steve Martin. Paul also reveals how his brother, Mike Myers, met...

Joel Thurm was the casting director for such iconic movies as Airplane, Grease, Rocky Horror Picture Show, as well being the head of NBC casting for a solid decade. He is also the author of the new book, Sex, Drugs, and Pilot Season. We do a deep dive into casting in Hollywood, turning down Tom Cruise and Madonna, and insider stories on Taxi, David Hasselhoff, and what role Bob Hope played in gett...

We go inside Team Coco, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and Clueless Gamer with Will Becton. Will shares his comedic journey from UCB and working on the documentary aka Tommy Chong, to becoming an original member of Team Coco, where he worked the entire run of CONAN on TBS and was the engineer of the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. Will tells us what its like to be the Zelig of comedy — workin...

CH101 Reprise: We dive headfirst into the wonderfully weird world of comedian Andy Kaufman with director Alex Braverman, helmer of the new documentary Thank You Very Much. The doc explores Kaufman’s legendary career of comedy as performance art, wrestling women, and the high art of confusing audiences. We talk Foreign Man, performance-as-prank, and what it’s like digging through Kaufman’s surreal...

Before there was Fallon, Kimmel, or Colbert — there was Johnny Carson, the undisputed King of Late Night. We talk with Howard Smith, author of the book, My Friend Johnny, who was Carson's longtime Malibu neighbor, friend, and tennis partner. Howard pulls back the curtain on Carson’s private world — from secret card games with Steve Martin, Don Rickles, Carl Reiner, and Martin Short, to the persona...

Larry Charles won an Emmy writing for Seinfeld, directed Borat, Brüno, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and has collaborated with Larry David, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Bob Dylan . Larry joins CH101 for some serious comedy inside baseball: How he helped shape the voice of Seinfeld with Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld The chaos behind Borat's infamous poop-bag dinner scene What it was really like making subve...

CH101 Select: Jim Vallely was a writer/producer on the iconic comedy show: Arrested Development – which earned him an Emmy. Jim also worked on The Golden Girls, Two and a Half Men, The John Larroquette Show, and got his start on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson - with his comedy duo: The Funny Boys. We do a masterclass deep-dive with Jim on comedy writing, producing, and what it was like having...

The State was the MTV sketch show that launched the careers of Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, David Wain, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Kevin Allison—and several more (the troupe had 11 members). From dorm-room sketches at NYU to comedy milestones like Reno 911, Stella, Viva Variety, and the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer, The State helped redefine alternative comedy for a gener...

Mr. Bill is one of the most iconic characters in the history of Saturday Night Live. This lovable, unlucky bundle of Play-Doh first appeared in the very first season of SNL as a viewer-submitted Super 8 film—and quickly rose to cult status. At the peak of his fame, Mr. Bill was ranked the third most beloved character on SNL, right behind John Belushi and Gilda Radner. We talk to Walter Williams, t...

The Nubian Show — created by comedian Kenny Robinson — changed Canadian comedy forever. The Toronto showcase was the very first comedy show in Canada to feature comedians of color. Kenny and his monthly showcase at Yuk Yuk’s are also the subject of the new documentary People of Comedy (now streaming on Crave). The Nubian Show helped launch comedians Russell Peters and Kevin Hart, and has welcomed...

Broad City and Inside Amy Schumer producer Ryan Cunningham and Gold Comedy founder Lynn Harris take us deep into the world of inclusive comedy and comedy as social change. From behind-the-scenes Broad City stories (yes, that pegging episode) to how diverse voices are reshaping the comedy landscape, we explore why women being “gross” on screen was a cultural breakthrough—and how laughter can be a t...

CH101 Select: Just for Laughs is the largest comedy festival in the world. Based in Montreal, the festival has helped launch the careers of such comedians as Jerry Seinfeld, Mitch Hedberg, Jimmy Fallon, Ali Wong, Amy Schumer, etc... Last year, the festival was canceled due to bankruptcy, but its back for 2025. We talk to Darren Frost - a Canadian comedian who started performing at the festival in...

We dive deep into the life and career of the comedian who gets “no respect,” Rodney Dangerfield. Author Michael Seth Starr joins Comedy History101 to talk about his new biography Nothin’ Comes Easy, revealing how Dangerfield clawed his way back into comedy at age 45, the origins of his famous catchphrase, how he rewrote his persona, and finally got the respect he deserved. From aluminum siding to...

We dive headfirst into the wonderfully weird world of comedian Andy Kaufman with director Alex Braverman, helmer of the new documentary Thank You Very Much. The doc explores Kaufman’s legendary career of comedy as performance art, wrestling women, and the high art of confusing audiences. We talk Foreign Man, performance-as-prank, and what it’s like digging through Kaufman’s surreal legacy. Learn m...

Kevin McDonald is best known as a founding member of the legendary Canadian sketch comedy troupe – The Kids in the Hall –which appeared on CBS, HBO, and Comedy Central, and had a revival season aired on Amazon Prime Video in 2022. Kevin joins CH!01 with tales of KITH, comedy in general, and his upcoming appearance at The Second City on April 11th & 12th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod...

Comedy History 101 wraps up the year with our best interviews from 2024. Featuring episode excerpts from Arrested Development’s Emmy-winning writer Jim Vallely, Paul Bellini from Kids in the Hall, Joel Thurm – casting director Airplane and Grease, plus histories of The Comedy Cellar, Yuk-Yuks, Moms Mabley with Rhonda Hansome, Sean Cullens, Susan Silver, Stan Zimmerman, directors Brent Hodge, Josh...

CH101 Select: Chris Farley was one of the most dynamic and beloved comedians to ever grace the stage at both Second City and Saturday Night Live. And I talk to Brent Hodge, director of the documentary, I Am Chris Farley. We do a deep dive into the life and times of this amazing comedian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We talk to Josh Forbes, director of the new documentary on Gallagher, the comedian known for his signature bit, the Sledge-O-Matic, and his watermelon-smashing antics. Gallagher was one of the biggest comedians of the 80s and 90s and then drifted off to obscurity. You might remember Gallaher from his infamous WTF episode with Marc Maron - or feuds with his brother: Gallagher Too. Learn more about...

CH101 Select: Kliph Nesteroff is one of the leading comedy historians and the author of the new book: Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars. And we talk about his book, censorship in comedy, how every generation declares that "comedy is over" - and how the old guard often refuses to accept culture shifts in the comedy biz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/...

A teenage hustler makes his living selling counterfeit tickets at Grateful Dead shows, hawking his fakes on every Shakedown Street around the country. A cat-and-mouse game ensues between Steven Marcus - the head of Grateful Dead ticketing and this teenage counterfeiter, which comes to a head at a Madison Square Garden Dead show. But as the heat turns up - an unexpected tragedy puts an end to the g...

Trailer For Our Upcoming Audio Documentary: The Grateful Dead Counterfeiter A teenage hustler makes his living selling counterfeit tickets at Grateful Dead shows. A cat-and-mouse game ensues between the head of Grateful Dead ticketing and this teenage counterfeiter. But as the heat turns up - an unexpected tragedy puts an end to the game for both of them. Dropping this week on iTunes & comedyhisto...

Susan Silver is a trailblazer in the world of sitcom writing. She began her career on The Mary Tyler Moore Show—during an era when comedy writing was overwhelmingly dominated by men. Starting as a casting director on the iconic show Laugh-In, she went on to write for The Bob Newhart Show, Maude, The Partridge Family, and Square Pegs. Like a showbiz Zelig, Susan’s path has crossed with icons such a...

Joey Camen is a Comedy Store OG. He first started performing at the iconic club in Los Angeles in 1974, alongside such up-and-coming comedians as David Letterman, Sam Kinison, Jay Leno, Jim Carrey – and the legendary Richard Pryor. Joey has appeared on WTF and is also a renowned voice actor who got his start as one of The Smurfs. We dive into his voice work, Comedy Store history, and his Nov 9th s...

Paul Bellini is noted as being the unofficial 6th Kids in the Hall, alongside Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson. Paul was one of the key writers for the Kids in the Hall's TV series and is also known onscreen as 'the guy in the towel.' Paul was there from the very start, at the legendary sketch group's early Toronto shows, and he gives us a deep dive in...