The Last Laugh

By: The Daily Beast
  • Summary

  • Welcome to ‘The Last Laugh’: Real conversations with really funny people. Every Wednesday, The Daily Beast’s Matt Wilstein interviews some of the biggest names in comedy—as well as the new voices crashing the party—about what it’s like to make people laugh during this current cultural and political moment.

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Episodes
  • ‘Parks and Rec’ Star Jim O’Heir: ‘Welcome to Pawnee’
    Nov 20 2024

    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 in his new book ‘Welcome to Pawnee,’ which is part memoir, part oral history and all around love letter to the show that changed his life. The veteran character actor shares stories about auditioning for Ron Swanson, finding out he and Retta had been elevated to series regulars just of Paul Schneider (Mark Brendanawicz) had been let go, learning that Christie Brinkley had been cast as his wife, and why he believes the show is still comforting people in dark times nearly a decade after it went off the air. Plus, O’Heir delivers perhaps the all-time greatest answer to our final question: What’s a memory from your career that you laugh about now but really was not funny when it happened?


    Buy Jim O’Heir’s Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation


    Follow Jim O’Heir on Instagram @therealjimoheir

    Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein and Threads @mattwilstein

    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod


    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    57 mins
  • Timothy Simons: From ‘Veep’ to ‘Nobody Wants This’
    Nov 13 2024

    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 Netflix hit ‘Nobody Wants This.’ In this episode, Simons talks about finding the nuance in what could have been a one-note character and reacts to the controversy around the show’s depiction of its Jewish female characters. He also looks back on what it what like to begin his career opposite a comedy legend like Julia Louis-Dreyfus and reveals the disturbing similarities between Jonah Ryan and America’s next vice president, JD Vance.


    Follow Timothy Simons on Instagram @timothycsimons

    Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein

    Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod


    Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    49 mins
  • Sam Bee and Michael Ian Black on Trump’s Shocking Win
    Nov 8 2024

    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 information.

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    14 mins

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