Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac - a daily briefing on comedians, and the comedy industry

Johnny Mac covers Netflix’s trailer for Louis C.K.’s new stand-up special “Ridiculous,” out June 30, his first Netflix special in nine years, noting his post-2017 self-released work and 2022 Grammy win; Mac reacts to the trailer clip about placing C.K.’s father in a home and cites The A.V. Club saying the special appears to avoid controversy. He then discusses Nate Bargatze drawing backlash after...

Johnny Mac recaps comedy news including Jimmy Kimmel’s Instagram birthday post for the U.S. president’s 80th, using a card resembling an alleged Trump note to Jeffrey Epstein, and a UFC event held on the White House lawn streamed on Paramount Plus, with Joe Rogan mocked for a short tie and celebrities like Nate Bargatze and Shane Gillis attending; Gillis is heard criticizing a UFC fighter’s commen...

Johnny Mac recounts an online report claiming Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and Shane Gillis did impromptu sets at the Comedy Cellar after a Knicks game, then reacts to a “top 25 stand-ups of the 2000s” list that ranks Louis CK #1 and Chappelle #3, calling placements like Colin Quinn at #5 and Norm Macdonald at #2 too high. He shares Us Weekly “fun facts” about David Cross (morning person due to his...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news, starting with Guy Fieri’s four-episode series “Guy’s Feast Club,” featuring comedians including Andrew Santino, Bert Kreischer, and Bobby Lee while they eat dishes like an Italian feast and a tomahawk rib eye sandwich. He notes Netflix will debut “Adam Ray: Dr. Phil Live” on June 19 as a cheaply produced TV show mislabeled as a podcast, with four episodes and guests...

Most people tell the Shane Gillis story backwards — starting with the SNL firing and working forward. Johnny Mac flips it. The real story starts with a podcast from Pennsylvania that almost nobody was listening to, and ends with one of the most interesting career architectures in comedy right now. This one's about why comedians pay attention to Shane Gillis, what his success says about gatekeepers...

Johnny Mac opens Daily Comedy News reacting to the amazing New York Knicks game and notes comedians and celebrities in attendance including Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Fallon, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Rainn Wilson, and Taylor Swift. He mentions a viral clip of Seinfeld telling a pro-Palestinian streamer “It doesn’t exist.” He recounts Tracy Morgan’s controversial comments abo...

Johnny Mac covers Knicks driven comedy news, highlighting Jamie Foxx’s impressions of Inside the NBA personalities and noting Knicks fan Tracy Morgan will receive the inaugural Flip Wilson Award at the 8th annual AAFCA TV Honors on August 8 at City Club LA. He previews “FIFA World Cup on Fox After Hours with James Corden,” airing nightly at midnight with Rio Ferdinand and Ian Karmel, while doubtin...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news and jokes about the Knicks’ loss, noting Michael Che’s Instagram post blaming Trump. Conan O’Brien partners with Adaptive Security to star in a 15-part AI-age cybersecurity training series; the firm has reportedly raised over $140 million. Dave Chappelle announces 2026 “Summer Camp” shows in Yellow Springs, Ohio with multiple July and August dates, strict phone restri...

Johnny Mac previews Bill Maher receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center on Sunday, June 28, filmed for Netflix, with participants including Louis C.K., Jay Leno, Stephen A. Smith, Whitney Cummings, Woody Harrelson, Arianna Huffington, and John Mellencamp, and notes past winners. He highlights Zarna Garg’s comments on the Breakdown podcast about performing at the Riya...

Johnny Mac recaps comedy and entertainment news, led by Kevin Hart on Jimmy Kimmel Live discussing the Roast of Kevin Hart, saying he stayed comfortable, nothing hurt, and highlighting Dwayne Johnson surprising him with an unflattering mugshot photo of Hart’s father; Hart suggests LeBron James as a future roast subject and rejects Oprah as “spray painting the Sistine Chapel.” The episode notes Har...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news, starting with spoilers from PokerGO’s High Stakes Poker Season 16 featuring Kevin Hart, who had nearly $1 million, rebought for $500,000, and saw losses eclipse $1.4 million after two major pots. Jim Gaffigan tells Goldenglobes.com that streaming and social media transformed stand-up into a healthier part of entertainment and says comedy is about listening to evolvin...

Johnny Mac reports a first post-Colbert late-night ratings snapshot from Nielsen live-plus-same-day data for Monday June 1, 2026: Jimmy Kimmel leads with 2.185M viewers and 295K adults 18–49 (up 53% total viewers and 178% in 18–49 vs June 2, 2025), followed by Jimmy Fallon at 1.3M; Comics Unleashed draws 628K, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 612K at 11:00, Late Night with Seth Meyers 790K at 12:37...

Johnny Mac recaps The Hollywood Reporter’s comedians roundtable recorded in May at the Georgian Hotel with Marc Maron, Nikki Glaser, Wanda Sykes, Leanne Morgan, and Julio Torres, focusing on fears like complacency and cancellation and quoting Maron on talking to himself and Glaser comparing standup to sex and discussing pressure to work clean from bookers, agents, and TV; Maron jokes he stays a li...

Johnny Mac reviews early YouTube performance for “Good Night with Ben Gleib,” noting 21,000 views for the premiere (guest Kevin Smith) and 308 views for a clip, and compares it to Netflix’s teaser for Tony Hinchcliffe’s “Man of the People,” discussed via a Daily Beast critique and cited at 20,000 views. He reports Marcello Hernandez will host the ESPYs July 15 as the show returns to New York at Li...

Johnny Mac skips a Daily Mail Kevin Hart “crisis” piece, then covers a Vulture interview with Jimmy Kimmel about burnout, late night’s decline, skepticism over reported Colbert losses, ABC’s one-year renewal and contract through May 2027, and his upcoming summer break starting after the June 19 NBA Finals. Kimmel’s Peabody speech argues satire is a constitutional right and warns about censorship a...

Johnny Mac covers Daily Comedy News, leading with a long Conan O’Brien clip joking that he’s “suing Harvard” over various student grievances while riffing on the administration’s claims about foreign students. He explains CBS’ late-night deal with Byron Allen: Allen pays $15 million a year to lease the 11:30 slot and sell ads himself, meaning CBS profits even if ratings are low; the first night dr...

Johnny Mac recaps ongoing talk around the Roast of Kevin Hart, including Theo Von and Nate Bargatze discussing roast boundaries, Chelsea Handler’s apparent issue with jokes from Shane Gillis and Tony Hinchcliffe, and praise for Big Jay Oakerson and Kevin Hart’s handling of the event. He covers harsh reviews for Nate Bargatze’s film The Breadwinner from The Hollywood Reporter and The AV Club. Steph...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News, praising Tom Segura’s Bad Thoughts Season 2 and noting Segura’s Joe Rogan Experience discussion about the perceived decline of Los Angeles and people being either realistic or delusional about it. Nikki Glaser jokes she won’t be invited to Taylor Swift’s wedding, while The Star claims she’s networking for a potential Jennifer Aniston movie connection and cite...

Johnny Mac covers Kevin Hart saying on The Breakfast Club that he and Katt Williams privately reconciled about eight months ago, want to move past old issues, and discussed collaboration; Hart invited Williams to participate in a roast and emphasized keeping their conversations private. Josh Johnson tells Extra his HBO Max special “Josh Johnson: Symphony” aimed to sidestep standard special formats...

Johnny Mac covers backlash to Kevin Hart’s Breakfast Club comments defending roast boundary-pushing after Tony Hinchcliffe’s George Floyd joke, plus Hinchcliffe’s Kill Tony remarks about being labeled a Nazi and his response to Chelsea Handler; Nikki Glaser says roasts raise the stakes, supports ironically racist jokes only if they work, and keeps specifics private, while Matt Rife says critics sh...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including the YouTube launch of “Good Night with Ben Gleib,” a weekly Thursday 10 p.m. ET show with a live and virtual audience, a band, and a post-show after-party episode featuring broader guests beyond celebrities. He recounts Pete Davidson and John Mulaney joking at Netflix Is a Joke about some SNL hosts bombing and writers having to reassure them. Josh Johnson di...

Johnny Mac recaps comedy news, led by Stephen Colbert returning to TV the night after The Late Show ended by guest-hosting the Monroe, Michigan public-access show Only in Monroe, featuring guests/cameos including Jack White, Byron Allen, Eminem, Steve Buscemi, and Jeff Daniels, plus local food bits; Colbert previously hosted in 2015. Paramount/CBS issued copyright takedown notices after uploads ap...

Johnny Mac previews Nate Bargatze’s film The Breadwinner, describing its plot about dad Nate Wilcox juggling family life while mom Katie (Mandy Moore) goes on a Shark Tank-driven business trip, and reports efforts to make tickets cheaper via the “Nate Rate,” with AMC and possible Cinemark discounts similar to 80 for Brady (which grossed $39.4M domestic). He checks Fandango for a May 29 showing and...

Johnny Mac shares Memorial Day greetings and comedy news, starting with Dave Chappelle’s new local merch store, The Chappelle Shop, at 221 Xenia Avenue in Yellow Springs, selling branded apparel and items and staying open late on show nights at The Firehouse. He recaps Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David on the Rushmore podcast discussing Seinfeld’s tiny initial four-episode order, harsh pilot memo, El...

Johnny Mac previews Netflix’s premiere of Season 2 of Tom Segura’s “Bad Thoughts” and discusses Jerry Seinfeld’s claim that “Friends” wouldn’t exist without “Seinfeld,” noting the importance of TV lead-ins like “Cheers.” He recaps an LA Times roundup of standout Netflix Is A Joke Festival events, including Shane Gillis at the Hollywood Bowl, Mike Ward’s English crossover set, Seinfeld with Leanne...