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

Johnny Mac marks the 25th anniversary of the original UK The Office, which premiered July 9, 2001 on BBC2, ran 14 episodes across two seasons plus a Christmas special, and initially drew modest ratings before becoming a global phenomenon with 15 adaptations and an ongoing franchise producing new content through 2026. He argues the show’s specific British cringe and tonal blend of comedy and sadnes...

Johnny Mac previews John Mulaney hosting the first-ever comedy show at Wrigley Field, sharing Mulaney’s comments about the full-circle Chicago moment, a humorous exchange about the Chicago Fire and St. Ignatius, and his picks of comics to watch including Robbie Hoffman, Andrea Jin, Mandal, and Langston Kerman. The 312 Comedy Festival returns Nov. 5–15 with Nikki Glaser, Michelle Wolf, Ali Siddiq,...

Johnny Mac covers a packed comedy news day: Tony Hinchcliffe discusses roast backlash on Joe Rogan, defending his “everybody gets them” approach and referencing reactions to his George Floyd and Charlie Kirk jokes. A separate controversy involves SNL posting Nate Bargatze’s “Washington’s Dream” sketch on July 4, with The Daily Beast quoting W. Kamau Bell on the political/business risks of being la...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News covering Trevor Noah’s World Cup commentary about FIFA corruption and U.S. government interference, noting Noah’s live streams draw about 250,000 views. He recaps Dave Chappelle’s July 4 CNN appearance with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, where Chappelle answers a question about being proud to be American by praising his “countrymen.” The main story is the 25t...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News, leading with Kathy Griffin claiming she is banned from Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show and criticizing Fallon for booking Conor McGregor, citing a civil jury finding of rape and a rejected appeal. The episode covers Digital Spy’s critique that Ricky Gervais’ new material feels repetitive, notes a BBC Office UK 25th-anniversary documentary filmed without Gervais,...

Johnny Mac delivers a bonus rant about reports that Taylor Swift married Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden with Adam Sandler officiating, citing coverage from The New York Times and other outlets. He mocks the celebrity spectacle, noting details like Austin Swift as man of honor, Jason Kelce as best man, and Sandler’s purported marriage advice via Andy Reid to “keep kissing,” plus comments att...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News featuring Dave Chappelle joking to PBS about automation, AI, and people not reading books anymore, then noting he was kidding. Michelle Wolf recounts leaving Bear Stearns-era finance for improv, open mics, and eventually writing for Seth Meyers, Hannibal Buress, and Chris Rock, discussing how “off the table” topics require extraordinary joke craft. Patton Oswa...

Johnny Mac reviews his midyear picks for the best comedy specials of 2026, ranking Chris Fleming’s HBO debut “Live at the Palace” as his clear #1, followed by Ryan Hamilton’s bus-accident-themed special, Trevor Noah’s Netflix “Joy in the Trenches,” Katt Williams’ Netflix “The Last Report,” and Pete Holmes’ YouTube “Silly, Silly Fun Boy,” while also highlighting Derek Streep’s “Nostalgic,” Ramy You...

On July 4, Johnny Mac discusses why George Carlin’s late-career material feels freshly relevant and calls him “America’s great prophet,” revising his own past view that Carlin had grown merely angry. He warns that many quotes attributed to Carlin online are fake, citing the misattributed “paradox of our time” (by pastor Bob Moorehead) and noting Carlin wanted only verified sources used. Mac center...

Johnny Mac delivers holiday-weekend comedy news, opening with “Late Bot” heat jokes and noting late-night shows are off. He previews Dave Chappelle’s phone-free Summer Camp show in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and a local screening of the documentary “Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life.” He discusses Robby Hoffman’s New York Times Magazine profile and her comments on “rich weird” versus “poor weird.” Patt...

Johnny Mac delivers daily comedy news with heat-themed jokes, then reports that Ricky Gervais will skip the BBC’s 25th anniversary Office documentary (with Mackenzie Crook and Martin Freeman) to release his own affectionate YouTube documentary July 9, while the BBC special airs July 8 on BBC Two/iPlayer. Weird Al Yankovic says he turned down a lucrative commercial after learning it promoted AI. Da...

Johnny Mac recaps Bill Maher receiving the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize, featuring Maher’s remarks about mocking both political sides, “lunatic left/right,” censorship debates around Huckleberry Finn, and praising his audience for valuing truth over pandering; the event included clips from Politically Incorrect, stand-up, and podcasts, appearances by Louis C.K. (crediting Maher for supporting...

Johnny Mac covers Mark Normand admitting on Maury Povich’s podcast that he fabricated a story about Netflix censoring a Muslim bit, prompting criticism from humorism.xyz and Mac’s uncertainty about whether Netflix had partly influenced the situation. He notes Nate Bargatze returning to social media to promote Texas dates after backlash over UFC photos with figures including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,...

Johnny Mac recaps Daily Comedy News, including Jimmy Fallon’s jokes about President Trump headlining an America’s 250th rally after musical acts dropped out, tied to a 16-day Great American State Fair on the National Mall. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, on her podcast, warns of disputed facts, propaganda, and an “attack” on trust that makes comedy and artists essential and potentially endangered, while Mac...

Johnny Mac reports that the John F. Kennedy Center will present the 27th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Bill Maher at a gala featuring comedians including Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, and Jay Leno, plus John Mellencamp and Stephen A. Smith, with the program later airing on Netflix. He reads the official praise of Maher’s political-comedy influence and Mediaite’s ranking, then reviews past...

Nine years after a New York Times report and his own direct admission ended his career almost overnight, Louis C.K. is back on Netflix on June 30 with a new special called Ridiculous. Johnny Mac lays out the full, sourced timeline — the allegations, the statement, the uncomfortable Comedy Cellar return — but also the parts of the story that get skipped: the 2011 five-dollar Beacon Theater experime...

Johnny Mac covers Jimmy Fallon posting more political jokes about Trump, suggesting Fallon is taking advantage of Colbert being off the air and Jimmy Kimmel’s summer break (guest hosts start July 6 with Tiffany Haddish). He reacts to Megyn Kelly criticizing Kimmel’s two-month vacation and discusses her reported real estate and private flying. Leslie Jones says she confronted SNL writers about bein...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including W. Kamau Bell’s Substack criticism of Nate Bargatze for being photographed “partying with fascists,” plus Bell’s comments about avoiding places where “fascists coagulate” and his sharing a 2014 photo with Joe Rogan. Rogan recounts telling Donald Trump backstage at a UFC event he hoped they wouldn’t die in a terrorist attack, to which Trump replied, “We gotta...

Johnny Mac reports that Moshe Kasher revealed on Instagram he was diagnosed with HPV-positive tonsil cancer, underwent a procedure in Los Angeles, expects a high cure rate around 95%, is awaiting news on whether he needs radiation, and urged followers to get checked and vaccinate kids; he and Natasha Leggero recorded an Endless Honeymoon podcast episode right before surgery. Sebastian Maniscalco t...

Johnny Mac delivers comedy news, starting with Dave Chappelle speaking at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, calling it “medicine” amid dark political times and joking that people miss scandals as small as Obama’s tan suit, noting multiple ex-presidents smiling together. He covers a US State Department–funded public-diplomacy series of untitled “Pratt shorts” pairing Chris Pratt with hi...

Johnny Mac recaps comedy and late-night news, spotlighting Jay Leno’s Deadline interview. Leno says podcasts are the new talk shows and calls Joe Rogan the new Johnny Carson, arguing late night lost swagger due to excessive commercials, fragmented segments, and the end of appointment viewing as audiences move to YouTube and streaming; he also recounts being dropped by an agent, negotiating for him...

Johnny Mac covers Netflix’s announcement of season two of Kevin Hart’s comedy competition series Funny AF with Kevin Hart, noting Hart returns as host, the show and Hart have Emmy nominations, and the new season won’t arrive until 2027. Chris Tucker revealed during a Las Vegas set that he has been celibate for more than three years while focusing on finding lasting love and marriage. Marc Maron di...

Kill Tony fills arenas. Tony Hinchcliffe hosts. Open micers do one minute. How did this become the most important comedy show in America? Johnny Mac explains. Kill Tony fills arenas. A show where strangers do one minute of standup in front of thousands of people somehow became one of the most watched comedy properties in the country. Johnny Mac looks at how Tony Hinchcliffe built it, what Joe Roga...

Johnny Mac covers backlash over Nate Bargatze attending a UFC event after photos surfaced with RFK Jr., Cheryl Hines, Bettina Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Mike Johnson, and Joe Rogan, while noting Bargatze’s Esquire comments about avoiding voting opinions and sharing Rogan’s take that the fight isn’t partisan. He pivots to Will Ferrell joking about his burdens as an LA World Cup ambassador, late...

Johnny Mac reports that Watertown, NY police arrested a man after he allegedly pointed a BB gun at a scooter rider who told dispatch the suspect looked like Shane Gillis, though Gillis was not involved. John Mulaney became the first comedian to sell out Wrigley Field (July 11) and joked to Deadline about watching Mark Grace. Nikki Glaser joins Netflix Animation’s Cinderella reimagining Steps as vi...