The Last Laugh

Jillian Bell has a bad habit of talking herself out of acting jobs. She was supposed to play a much bigger role in Adam Sandler’s ‘Murder Mystery 2’ and almost starred in one of Netflix’s biggest hit shows. So when it came time to make her directorial debut ‘Summer of 69’ (now streaming on Hulu), she decided to stay (almost entirely) behind the camera. In her return to this podcast, Bell talks about casting SNL’s Chloe Fineman as a stripper fairy godmother-type character opposite newcomer Sam Morelos in her surprisingly sweet teen sex comedy. She also gets into her own complicated history with SNL 15 years after she spent one season at the show as a writer who desperately wanted to be in the cast. Plus, Bell reveals what it was like to reprise one of her first TV roles in the series finale of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and tells a deeply embarrassing story about the first and only time she met Justin Timberlake.  Follow Jillian Bell on Instagram @jillianbell [https://www.instagram.com/jillianbell] Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein [https://bsky.app/profile/mattwilstein.bsky.social]  Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod [https://www.instagram.com/lastlaughpod/] Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast [https://www.thedailybeast.com/franchise/the-last-laugh] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

For most of his career, Kumail Nanjiani has been asked to play the same type of brash nerd character that he perfected over six seasons on HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley.’ Then, a few years back, everything changed. The Pakistani-American comedian transformed his body to appear in the Marvel movie ‘Eternals’ and ever since, strange new doors have opened for him in Hollywood. One of those unexpected opportunities came when Natasha Lyonne reached out to him to play the bleach-blonde-haired, heavily tattooed Florida panhandle cop named Gator Joe on this week’s episode of her Peacock hit ‘Poker Face.’ At first, he thought she might have been joking. In this episode, Nanjiani talks about how he nailed the character’s very specific Southern accent only days before they started filming. Then, he looks back at the earlier part of his career, including how close he came to playing Abed on ‘Community,’ what he learned about “amoral” tech giants like Elon Musk through ‘Silicon Valley,’ and the deeply rewarding experience of bringing his real-life story to the screen in ‘The Big Sick.’ And he also discusses his long-awaited return to stand-up comedy with his first special in 12 years set to hit Hulu later this year.  Follow Kumail Nanjiani on Instagram @kumailn [https://www.instagram.com/kumailn] Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein [https://bsky.app/profile/mattwilstein.bsky.social]  Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod [https://www.instagram.com/lastlaughpod/] Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast [https://www.thedailybeast.com/franchise/the-last-laugh] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Kerri Kenney-Silver never thought she’d get a part like Anne on ‘The Four Seasons.’ After more than two decades playing the disturbingly odd Deputy Trudy Wiegel on ‘Reno 911!,’ the 55-year-old actress believed Hollywood saw her as little more than outrageous comic relief. But then Tina Fey gave her the gift of a lifetime by casting her opposite Steve Carell on Netflix’s latest hit series. In this episode, Kenney-Silver talks about finding the nuance in what could have been a stereotypical caricature of the jilted ex-wife. And she also discusses co-founding perhaps the most successful college sketch comedy group of all time with The State, the terrible career advice she gave her one-time co-star Ellen DeGeneres, and the bizarre longevity of ‘Reno 911!’  Follow Kerri Kenney-Silver on Instagram @kerrikenneysilver [https://www.instagram.com/kerrikenneysilver] Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein [https://bsky.app/profile/mattwilstein.bsky.social]  Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod [https://www.instagram.com/lastlaughpod/] Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast [https://www.thedailybeast.com/franchise/the-last-laugh] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Mike Sweeney started writing for Conan O’Brien 30 years ago and has been right there by his side ever since. His work has fueled not only the host’s two big late-night shows—with a tumultuous stint on the ‘Tonight Show’ in between—but also his recent gig hosting the Oscars and his newest project, the travel show ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go,’ which arrives Thursday, May 8 on Max. In this episode, Sweeney discusses this particularly momentous time in O’Brien’s career, including how Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center threatened to derail his acceptance of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (streaming Sunday, May 4 on Netflix). Instead, like with so much of their other work together, Sweeney and O’Brien found a way to marry a hopeful outlook on the world with deeply silly jokes.  Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein [https://bsky.app/profile/mattwilstein.bsky.social]  Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod [https://www.instagram.com/lastlaughpod/] Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast [https://www.thedailybeast.com/franchise/the-last-laugh] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Brett Goldstein got so famous for his Emmy-winning role as Roy Kent on ‘Ted Lasso’ that most people have no idea he has been a professional stand-up comedian for nearly 20 years. Now, that is all about to change when he debuts his first-ever stand-up special, ‘The Second Best Night of Your Life,’ on HBO this Saturday night, April 26. In this episode, Goldstein talks about why he resisted putting his live show on tape for so long, how fans of his TV work are often surprised by the real him, and how his comedy serves as a much-needed counterweight to the toxic “manosphere” trend. He also discusses his accidental acting career in both ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Shrinking,’ why he’s just as surprised as everyone else that he’s returning as Roy Kent, and addresses the swirling rumors that he is dating his upcoming rom-com co-star Jennifer Lopez.  Follow Brett Goldstein on Instagram @mrbrettgoldstein [https://www.instagram.com/mrbrettgoldstein] Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein [https://bsky.app/profile/mattwilstein.bsky.social]  Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod [https://www.instagram.com/lastlaughpod/] Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast [https://www.thedailybeast.com/franchise/the-last-laugh] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.