Obsessed: The Podcast

Before Moshe Kasher became a stand-up comedian, his life was defined by his intimate connections to Alcoholics Anonymous, the deaf community, rave culture, Burning Man and Judaism. Each of these distinct communities serve as chapters in his excellent new book,  ‘Subculture Vulture: A Memoir in Six Scenes.’ In this episode, Kasher breaks down how these various identities helped make him the person...

Jacqueline Novak spent six long years developing her “90 minute meditation on the blow job.” Now that “Get on Your Knees” is streaming on Netflix—and garnering rave reviews—the comedian sits down with The Last Laugh podcast to talk about what it’s like to give up control as viewers around the world are welcomed into her most intimate thoughts and ideas. In this episode, Novak breaks down how she d...

When Zach Woods was first cast as Gabe on Season 6 of ‘The Office,’ he found a comment online where someone described his face as a “combination of sadness and food poisoning.” And that was before he had even appeared in an episode. “I was like, buckle up, here we go!” he recalls thinking at the time. In this episode, Woods breaks down how he went from the “abject terror” of joining one of his fav...

Paul F. Tompkins is widely considered to be among the best comedy podcast guests of all time. But as he tells me in this episode, he doesn’t let that pressure get to him, because he offers up humbly, “I don’t believe it.” Tompkins has done it all in his nearly four decades of comedy, from sketch to stand-up to voicing animated characters on shows like ‘Bojack Horseman’ and ‘Bob’s Burgers.’ But amo...

Is Joe Pera for real? That’s the inevitable question you start asking yourself after seeing him perform soft-spoken stand-up jokes, listening to his deliberately sleep-inducing podcast or watching his exquisitely serene Adult Swim series ‘Joe Pera Talks With You.’ In this episode, Pera goes deep on how he developed his very unique comedy style and responds directly to those who think his entire co...

The first time Jordan Klepper and Roy Wood Jr. worked together was for a 2015 ‘Daily Show’ field piece that asked the question, “Are all cops racist?” Now, they are kicking off 2024 by joining forces once again for a series of “comedic town halls” across the country. In this episode, Klepper and Wood return to the podcast (for their fourth and third appearances, respectively) to let fans know what...

If there’s anyone in Hollywood who might be immune to criticism, it’s 11-time Emmy-winner and Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recipient Julia Louis-Dreyfus. But as the comedy legend admits in this episode, the rare negative comment about her work still “stings.” That feeling is at the heart of Louis-Dreyfus’ latest film ‘You Hurt My Feelings,’ in which she delivers the most emotionally raw per...

It’s time again for our annual, year-end crossover episode in which Matt Wilstein joins The New Abnormal host Andy Levy to talk about everything from how the Hasan Minhaj “emotional truth” debacle upended the search for a new ‘Daily Show’ host to the disturbing rise of TikTok comedian Matt Rife to why they are both so obsessed with Nate Bargatze and more.  Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwils...

It’s been more than three decades since Wanda Sykes first stepped onto the stand-up stage. And sometimes, it feels like she’s just now getting her due. The legendary comedian just received her first-ever Grammy nomination for her latest Netflix special ‘I’m an Entertainer,’ which also landed nods at the Emmys and Golden Globes. The hard-hitting hour takes on many of the most divisive topics of the...

Judd Apatow is known for making long movies, from comedies like ‘Funny People’ or ‘This Is 40’  that balloon past two hours to documentaries on his comedy heroes like the two-part, four-hour films about Garry Shandling and George Carlin. So it was somewhat of a shock when he dropped a 20-minute short last month about the lifelong friendship between Don Rickles and Bob Newhart. “I’ve changed,” he j...

Before Leo Reich takes the stage at the top of his new HBO special ‘Literally, Who Cares?!’ we hear him introduce himself as the “youngest comedian ever.” As he explains in this episode, “I try to really lean into a kind of self-appointed voice-of-a-generation or young genius vibe,” before making sure to add, “in an ironic way.” That upending of expectations around the attitudes of a queer Gen Z c...

10 years ago, Cord Jefferson was blogging for Gawker. Now, his directorial debut ‘American Fiction’ is almost guaranteed a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars and he’s a frontrunner for Best Adapted Screenplay. In this episode, Jefferson traces his path from online journalist to full-fledged filmmaker, with stops along the way writing for ‘Master of None,’ ‘The Good Place’ and HBO’s ‘Watchmen,’...

Even if you don’t know Larry Charles’ name, his work is inescapable. He spent years as a writer on ‘Seinfeld’ before starting his career as a director on shows like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and movies like Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Borat’ and ‘Brüno.’ Now, after swearing off Hollywood, he’s back with what might be his most “transgressive” movie yet, ‘Dicks: The Musical,’ a truly deranged comedy about two...

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...

Whitney Cummings likes to think of herself as a comedy “martyr,” one of many modern comedians who are willing to “sacrifice themselves just to make sure the First Amendment is still intact.” She believes so strongly in her right to say whatever she wants on stage that she left Comedy Central, HBO and Netflix behind to put out her latest uncensored stand-up special on Only Fans TV.  In this new epi...

The Last Laugh podcast is back… and moving to Wednesdays! Make sure you’re following this feed so you can listen to all-new episodes of this podcast, with some very exciting new guests, starting next Wednesday, November 15th.  Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

Henry Winker (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series) has repeatedly doubted himself throughout his long and storied career. From landing the coveted role of Arthur Fonzarelli on ‘Happy Days’ to winning his first Emmy Award for playing Gene Cousineau on Bill Hader’s ‘Barry,’ the beloved actor has struggled to overcome what only became known as “imposter syndrome” in...

Sharon Horgan (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress and Writing in a Drama Series) can’t seem to stop creating television shows. From ‘Pulling’ to ‘Catastrophe’ to ‘Divorce’ to ‘Motherland’ to ‘Shining Vale’ to her latest, the Apple TV+ comedy thriller ‘Bad Sisters,’ she is one of the most prolific TV showrunners in the game. In this episode, Horgan talks about going outside of her comfo...

For the first 30 years of his career, Alan Ruck (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series) was sure he would always be remembered as Ferris Bueller’s sad best friend. Then ‘Succession’ came along and changed everything. In this episode, Ruck shares his thoughts on the end of ‘Succession,’ including what lies ahead for Connor and Willa’s marriage, the story behind filmin...

It’s now been four years since Gary Gulman released his remarkable stand-up special ‘The Great Depresh.’ And despite a global pandemic that caused its own parallel mental health crisis, he says he’s really never felt better. The prolific comedian has a new memoir out called ‘Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ‘80s’ and when we spoke, he was about to perform at Carnegie Hall—less than five years aft...

Maria Bamford has been performing stand-up comedy for more than 30 years and just keeps getting better. Her most recent hour-long special ‘Weakness Is the Brand’ found her at the top of her game, delivering operatic bits about her ongoing mental health struggles and relentless drive to be a good person in the world. In this episode, we talk about how she arrived at relative stability, the challeng...

The first two professional acting gigs that Sam Richardson (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for ‘Ted Lasso’) booked were on ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The Office.’ And he has never stopped rising the ranks of the comedy world since, from what was supposed to be a one-episode guest spot as Richard Splett on ‘Veep’ to his first real romantic leading role on Apple TV...

Comedy icon Martin Short (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for ‘Only Murders in the Building’) is well into his 70s. And while he’s still capable of the unbounded energy he first showed the world on shows like ‘SCTV’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ he can also be more sincere and reflective than his biggest fans might expect. In this in-depth conversation, the man who’s k...

Bill Hader (2023 Emmy-nominated actor, writer and director for HBO’s ‘Barry’) is well known as the most generous “laugher” in comedy. But when he’s talking about his increasingly dark HBO series ‘Barry,’ those laughs come with a razor sharp edge. In this episode, the ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum goes deep on the mental state of his hitman character as the show approached its final season. He also re...

After 215 episodes, featuring interviews with some of the funniest people on the planet, The Last Laugh podcast is taking a little breather. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements about what the next iteration of this show will look like when it returns in the fall—and please take a moment to show us some love in the meantime by leaving a rating and review. See you back here very soon! Follow...