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

Johnny Mac discusses a Current Affairs piece by John Greenaway titled “The Banal Horror of Jimmy Fallon,” quoting its critique of Fallon’s performative laughter, repetitive “viral games,” avoidance of politics, and “assembly line” approach to guest interactions; Mac notes he’s worked with Fallon briefly and found him easy to work with, but understands why he waited until “Colbert’s week” passed to...

Johnny Mac records a catch-up episode of Daily Comedy News from a street corner on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile after visiting Edinburgh Castle and attending the Podcast Show London. He recaps Stephen Colbert hosting the final episode of The Late Show from the Ed Sullivan Theater, sharing Colbert’s remarks about doing over 1,800 shows, calling it “The Joy Machine,” reflecting on “feeling the news,” and...

With CBS airing Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 11:35, he shares Colbert’s comments about Allen and notes Colbert’s next gig writing a Lord of the Rings-universe film with Philippa Boyens; Colbert’s Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream packaging is also being updated. USA Today discusses possible late-night replacements (including podcast-style shows) and quotes David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel...

Johnny Mac covers the final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” revisiting Colbert’s July announcement that the season would be the last and questioning CBS’s claim that the cancellation was purely financial amid Paramount’s merger with Skydance and its $16 million settlement with Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview. It cites reports the show loses $40 million annually and argues CBS...

Johnny Mac covers Jason Zinoman’s New York Times piece asking what is lost as CBS cancels The Late Show, arguing it ends not just Stephen Colbert’s run but an institution with a tradition of emotional late-night farewells, noting The Late Show will outlast the Carson era of The Tonight Show and recalling the Letterman–Leno rivalry and Colbert’s current-events counterprogramming versus Jimmy Fallon...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including Netflix developing Grown Ups 3 with a script by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy and expected returns from David Spade, Rob Schneider, Kevin James and Chris Rock, with a Europe trip plot involving spreading a deceased friend’s ashes. He mentions the visual-heavy trailer for Will Ferrell’s golf comedy series The Hawk, Nick Kroll’s new series A Hundred Percent wit...

Will Ferrell Hosts SNL, Paul McCartney Performs, and Late-Night Shakeups Johnny Mac recaps a Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Will Ferrell with Paul McCartney as musical guest, including a Trump-and-“Jeffrey Epstein” cold open, a Chad Smith-as-Ferrell bit, the annual Jost/Che joke swap, and McCartney performing “Band on the Run” and “Coming Up,” with speculation around extended credits for ex...

Johnny Mac reports Nikki Glaser said she has imposter syndrome while appearing on the Night of Too Many Stars lineup with major comics and actors, calling it a dream moment where she’d rather observe than insert herself. NBC canceled Jimmy Fallon’s marketing-competition show On Brand after weak ratings and erratic scheduling, but ordered a Wordle-based game show executive produced by Fallon and ho...

Johnny Mac previews Saturday Night Live with host Will Ferrell and musical guest Paul McCartney amid speculation about whether Lorne Michaels is leaving, and discusses Chris Rock on the Fly on the Wall podcast saying he had “beef” with Tupac because they dated the same women, raising renewed interest due to Tupac’s connection to Jada and her past claim that Rock once asked her out. He explores the...

Johnny Mac reacts emotionally to David Letterman’s return to the Ed Sullivan Theater on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, calling it a welcome “homecoming” and playing edited clips. In the segment, Letterman and Colbert trade jokes about CBS, the theater renovation, the “Jimmies,” and trying to book the pope, while moving guys remove their chairs and the pair sit in the audience as Letterman sha...

Johnny Mac reports Conan O’Brien will host the 99th Oscars on March 14, 2027, noting muted social media reaction and quoting Disney TV Group president Craig Erwich praising Conan’s “singular comedic voice.” He discusses a new Strike Force Five podcast where Stephen Colbert reflects on having only a few Late Show episodes left, uncertainty about future plans, and staff needing to vacate offices imm...

Johnny Mac recaps Variety’s interview with Jeff Ross about the Kevin Hart roast, including Ross’s view that well-crafted jokes don’t hurt, a surreal moment when he missed Hart’s jab while stuck in a locked-bathroom scramble, and the only real tension arising when Katt Williams surprised Hart before Hart quickly turned it celebratory. Ross says nothing was off-limits, credits producer Casey Patters...

Johnny Mac covers cut jokes from the Roast of Kevin Hart shared by Variety via writer Madison Sinclair, including material about Draymond Green, Lizzo, Shane Gillis, Tony Hinchcliffe, Chelsea Handler, and Hart himself, then notes online backlash, including Blake Neff’s comments on Pete Davidson’s Charlie Kirk-related joke and TMZ reporting George Floyd’s family and friends’ anger at Hinchcliffe’s...

Johnny Mac delivers daily comedy news, leading with John Mulaney’s Night of Too Many Stars set featuring sobriety jokes and an extended impression of RFK Jr., while a report calls out Matt Rife for homophobic material. The benefit also included a celebrity band, The Very White Stripes (Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, and Abby Romeo), plus appearances by Bill Burr, Steve Carell, Nikki Gla...

Well, it looks like we now know why Netflix never promoted who was on the lineup for the Roast of Kevin Hary Johnny Mac stops watching The Roast of Kevin Hart around 9 PM during Lizzo, saying the first hour felt low-energy and poorly structured despite moments from host Shane Gillis, Tom Brady, Jeff Ross, Naim Wynn, and a long set from Chelsea Handler, and he notes the lack of bigger surprise gues...

Johnny Mac previews the Netflix Is a Joke roast of Kevin Hart (hosted by Shane Gillis) airing live Friday, noting Netflix hasn’t announced roasters and speculating about possible names while quoting Netflix executives on choosing Hart and discussing Funny AF as a discovery vehicle. He recaps the Funny AF winner Ron Taylor’s Vulture interview, covering his surprise at winning, follower growth, mate...

Johnny Mac reports on David Letterman appearing on Bill Simmons’ podcast and Page Six’s account of Dave Chappelle’s Hollywood Palladium Netflix taping, noting even collaborator Stan Lathan didn’t know the material as Chappelle tested sets in New York and Chicago. He discusses a star-studded comedy brunch at Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos’ home shared by impressionist Matt Friend, plus James Adomian’s Th...

Johnny Mac recaps a busy comedy week: Jimmy Kimmel interviews John Mulaney, joking about Stephen Colbert leaving TV and Mulaney having lived in Kimmel’s guesthouse. Mulaney also appears on David Letterman’s This Better Be Funny, featuring Paul Shaffer (standing ovation), news of Letterman executive producing a Shaffer documentary, and Letterman’s career retrospective including a Richard Pryor comp...

Johnny Mac’s Daily Comedy News covers David Letterman’s New York Times interview about the Late Show ending, where he mocks the Ellisons, questions what happened to Stephen Colbert, and calls CBS/Skydance “lying weasels” despite CBS saying it was “unequivocally a financial decision,” while also discussing Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed as a sign of network TV’s shift. The episode reports Louis C.K...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News, noting Tom Segura’s three-night run at Acme Comedy Club in Minneapolis (Aug. 27–29) and speculating it may be for workshopping or recording. Nikki Glaser tells Kara Swisher she avoids private jets, calling them a waste and fearing public backlash. Kevin Hart on Alex Cooper’s podcast draws criticism for a Timothée Chalamet remark, jokes about Elon Musk, Nick C...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News, led by Robert Smigel’s new weekly podcast, “Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends,” premiering May 8, featuring guests including David Letterman, Bob Odenkirk, Ellie Kemper, Jim Gaffigan, and others helping people make real-life tasks funnier. Netflix sets Tom Segura’s “Bad Thoughts” season two for May 24 (six episodes). Variety interviews Netflix Is A Joke...

Johnny Mac previews the Netflix Is a Joke Comedy Festival launching in Los Angeles, citing LA Times coverage and Netflix comedy head Tracy Pakosta on assembling talent; the festival is shortened to one week, runs through Sunday, and features 350 shows. Comics including Iliza Schlesinger, Sheng Wang, and Atsuko Okatsuka discuss the festival’s diversity, smaller rooms, and career growth; Netflix als...

Johnny Mac’s Daily Comedy News covers Cultured magazine’s Cultured 100 profile of SNL’s Marcello Hernandez, including his reflections with interviewer Jamie Foxx on anxiety after filming his Netflix special  and Hernandez’s influences (Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor). The episode discusses a New York Times profile in which Stephen Colbert says CBS sought a longer renewal but he chose...

Johnny Mac delivers a Derby Day comedy news briefing highlighting comedian Catherine Blandford’s early comedy start at the University of South Carolina, a Derby story involving her roommate’s arrest, and her rise after a 2022 viral joke that led to opening for David Spade, moving to LA, becoming a regular at the Improv and Laugh Factory, and planning two specials this year. The episode includes co...

Johnny Mac delivers a daily comedy news briefing, led by Colin Jost on the SmartLess podcast saying reports about the Pete Davidson ferry being a money pit are wrong, claiming events have already recouped their investment; he describes potential uses as an event/entertainment venue, docking challenges, and ideas like a middle-class swim-club concept and a seasonal Miami move. Tim Heidecker tells T...