Obsessed: The Podcast

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 i...

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...

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 info...

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...

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 Ma...

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....

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 infor...

“I’m glad to be here. We have a lot to laugh about,” Kathy Griffin says at the top of her triumphant return to the podcast after a very eventful five years since her last appearance. In this episode, Griffin breaks down how she turned some of the most traumatic experiences of her life into jokes for her new “My Life on the PTSD-List” tour, which hits Carnegie Hall this week. The legendary comedian...

The Last Laugh listeners, please enjoy this excerpt from the latest episode of The Daily Beast's new podcast! This week, guest John Oliver and co-host Samantha Bee take a trip down late-night TV memory lane, sharing fun times and lessons learned from their time as correspondents on ‘The Daily Show.’ Joanna Coles and Sam dive deep into the Beast’s exclusive story of the consultant making serious ba...

Fresh off his surprise Emmy Award win for Season 5 of ‘Fargo,’ actor and comedian Lamorne Morris joins this week’s episode of The Last Laugh to break down his scene-stealing performance as the “elder statesman” of the original SNL cast in Jason Reitman’s new film ‘Saturday Night.’ Morris, who portrays Garrett Morris (no relation) in the movie, discusses what it was like to enter the fictionalized...

The Last Laugh listeners, please enjoy this excerpt from the third episode of The Daily Beast's new podcast! This week, Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee talk all things Melania and share the latest scoop on Silicon Valley with Jessica Lessin, CEO of The Information. Sam shares her experiences with menopause and Joanna talks celeb sightings at opening night of the new Robert Downey Jr. play on Broadwa...

In the handful of years since she broke through in a big way with her ‘Quarter-Life Crisis’ special on Netflix—and first appeared on this podcast—Taylor Tomlinson has become a bona fide comedy star. The 30-year-old comedian put out two more hours on Netflix, became the host of her own late-night show with CBS’ ‘After Midnight,’ and is currently touring her newest hour nationwide. In her second sit...

The Last Laugh listeners, please enjoy this excerpt from the second episode of The Daily Beast's new podcast! The Daily Beast Podcast is as wildly exciting, energizing, and entertaining as the topics it covers. Bringing their sharp wit and insights to each episode, co-hosts Joanna Coles (Chief Creative & Content Officer of The Daily Beast) and celebrated comedian and political commentator Samantha...

Lauren Lapkus grew up with one goal in mind: someday joining the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Now, nearly 20 years into a comedy career that has included scene-stealing roles in everything from ‘Orange Is the New Black’ to ‘Jurassic World,’ she has finally been able to “let go” of the way she thought things would go and fully embrace her unique place in the comedy world. It helps, Lapkus explain...

The Last Laugh listeners, please enjoy the first episode of The Daily Beast's new podcast! The Daily Beast Podcast is as wildly exciting, energizing, and entertaining as the topics it covers. Bringing their sharp wit and insights to each episode, co-hosts Joanna Coles (Chief Creative & Content Officer of The Daily Beast) and celebrated comedian and political commentator Samantha Bee will navigate...

Comedian Samantha Bee is back for the third time on The Last Laugh podcast—and this time it is as host of her very own Daily Beast podcast! Along with the Daily Beast’s Joanna Coles, Bee is bringing her always sharp and hilarious political insights to The Daily Beast Podcast. And before their first episode premieres this Thursday, Bee is here to share her unfiltered thoughts about interviewing Kam...

The Last Laugh listeners please enjoy! The Daily Beast Podcast is as wildly exciting, energizing, and entertaining as the topics it covers. Bringing their sharp wit and insights to each episode, co-hosts Joanna Coles (Chief Creative & Content Officer of The Daily Beast) and celebrated comedian and political commentator Samantha Bee will navigate the latest in politics, pop culture, and everything...

“Oh god, you’re crying in front of Carol Burnett, fantastic,” Alex Edelman said at the top of his acceptance speech for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special at the 76th Emmy Awards. It was just the latest unexpected milestone in the life of his widely celebrated solo show ‘Just for Us,’ which premiered on HBO and also won a special Tony Award earlier this year. In this episode, the 35-year-ol...

Michael Ian Black began his career performing deeply absurdist comedy with his legendary sketch group The State and the besuited comedy trio Stella. Now, among other things, he’s a weekly columnist covering the 2024 election for the Daily Beast. But Black does not consider himself to be a political commentator “in any way, shape or form, even though I often comment on politics,” he says in this we...

Susie Essman made a name for herself cursing out Larry David as her alter-ego Susie Greene on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’ But as she reveals in this episode, in the 24 years since the show premiered—and nearly four decades since she met David in the New York comedy clubs—they have never once gotten into an actual fight. Essman opens up about David’s unique “genius” as a comedian, how ‘Curb’ gets away...

Before Langston Kerman was one of the most exciting stand-up comedians working right now, he taught poetry to high school students. As he tells the audience in his debut Netflix special ‘Bad Poetry,’ he was desperate to find another path for his life. In this episode, Kerman talks about getting his big break writing for Oscars host Chris Rock (even if he didn’t get a single joke on the broadcast),...

There are few Americans who have had a crazier past month than Kamala Harris—but comedian Allison Reese is among them. Reese’s impression of the vice president was already a hit on social media before Harris picked up the baton from President Joe Biden, but it has blown up in a much bigger way since. In this episode, Reese talks about the wild ride she has been on as millions of followers eat up h...

Hannah Einbinder had never really acted before she was cast as Ava Daniels opposite Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance on ‘Hacks.’ Now, she’s a three-time Emmy nominee. In this episode, Einbinder opens up about the overconfidence she brings to that role as well the onstage persona she displays in her excellent debut stand-up special ‘Everything Must Go’ on Max. She also talks about overcoming the intimida...

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...

Carmen Christopher is one of those comedians who you’ve definitely seen before but can’t totally be sure how you know his face. Over the past several years, he’s popped up in bit parts on show’s like ‘Shrill,’ ‘I Think You Should Leave,’ and most notably—given his born and bred Chicago roots—all three seasons of ‘The Bear.’ In this episode, Christopher talks about putting together his breakthrough...