Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac

Johnny Mac previews the Knicks’ title-defense opener and leads with Blake Griffin launching “The Stepback with Blake Griffin” on Amazon/YouTube, aiming for John Oliver–style sports topics without game analysis and with fewer network constraints, including an episode on TV rights. He notes new releases from Theo Von (“I’m Doing Fine” on Netflix) and Chris Hardwick (“The Middle Ages” on the 800 Pound Gorilla YouTube channel), and highlights a Vice/Vanity Fair profile of Michael Che discussing his approach to audience reactions, age on SNL, and avoiding online discourse. Other items include Jon Stewart drumming with his band Church and State before doing stand-up in Atlantic City, Matt Rife’s Elle “Thirst Trap” interview and his take that Jerry Seinfeld is overrated, Matt Friend’s style comments, Kurt Metzger’s mockumentary pilot “The Experts,” secret “Don’t Tell” shows in WWII huts, NY Comedy Festival announcements, and Seinfeld auctioning a rare Rolex Daytona tied to the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona.

00:00 Knicks Cold Open
00:13 Blake Griffin Late Night
01:47 Censorship and TV Rights
02:12 Theo Von New Special
03:27 Chris Hardwick Release
03:41 Michael Che on SNL
06:19 Jon Stewart Double Duty
07:14 Matt Rife Thirst Trap
09:03 Matt Friend Style Talk
10:16 Kurt Metzger Pilot
11:30 Secret Hut Comedy Shows
12:21 NY Comedy Festival Updates
12:58 Seinfeld Rolex Auction
14:45 Wrap Up Go Knicks

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Daily Comedy News is hosted by Johnny Mac and releases every weekday. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite app. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network. For transcripts and show notes visit www.dailycomedynews.com

Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac is a daily podcast covering comedians, stand-up comedy, late night television, and the comedy industry. New episodes every morning. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.  

Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com 

For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says Uninterrupted Listening.  $4.99/month 

John's Substack about media is free.

AI-generated, scantily clad Instagram influencers are copying viral stand-up clips verbatim—stealing jokes and sometimes likenesses—to drive traffic to NSFW sites, citing Wired’s reporting on comics including Julia Jasunas, Mandy Martino, and George Brett Olsen; Adam Mosseri says banning AI content isn’t practical but Meta wants to drive traffic to original creators. Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter add comedian Natalie Cuomo’s account of repeated theft and feeling violated by AI replicas with her tattoos. The episode also previews Comic Relief’s return at Carnegie Hall hosted by John Oliver, notes Aziz Ansari’s upcoming Netflix special taping in New Jersey, shares SNL ratings and reactions to Shane Gillis from Kathy Griffin, Joe Rogan, and Michael Che, and includes updates on Carrot Top’s hospitalization and the National Comedy Center acquiring rare I Love Lucy production materials.
 
00:12 AI Influencers Steal Jokes
01:46 Meta Response and Fallout
02:51 More Comics Speak Out
04:03 Comic Relief Returns
04:32 Aziz Ansari New Special
05:02 Shane Gillis Ratings Debate
05:59 Rogan and Che Reactions
08:39 Che Internet Clapback
09:10 Host Updates and Scrubs
10:08 Carrot Top Health Update
10:27 I Love Lucy Archive Find
 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac--4522158/support.

Today's DCN is brought to you by MyBookie use promo code DCN!

Daily Comedy News is hosted by Johnny Mac and releases every weekday. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite app. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network. For transcripts and show notes visit www.dailycomedynews.com

Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac is a daily podcast covering comedians, stand-up comedy, late night television, and the comedy industry. New episodes every morning. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.  

Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com 

For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says Uninterrupted Listening.  $4.99/month 

John's Substack about media is free.

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including Michael Che’s new special Shot in Minnesota and his explanation to MPR that it’s about frustration around what’s happening in Minnesota without joking about specific victims; Minneapolis comedian Comrade Tripp critiques “wink” references but notes Che supports local independent venues. Dane Cook tells Deadline how his brother’s betrayal affected him years later, pushed him to face it, and oddly didn’t destroy his trust, describing relief after his brother was gone. Ali Siddiq tells The Butler Collegian the internet has worsened comedy by blurring skill sets and elevating easy crowd work, then names comics he’d like to talk with and advises young comics not to skip steps. BET announces Nick Cannon at Night, a 10-week relationship-focused late-night show. Daniel Sloss discusses touring America with family and his career path. Atlanta comedian Mondale announces a special titled “$$$$$$” with a 12-hour “Call-a-thon” livestream ahead of its premiere and audio release.
 
00:02 Che Special Minnesota
00:32 Local Reaction and Support
01:04 Dane Cook on Betrayal
01:43 Healing After Fallout
02:22 Ali Siddiq on Internet Comedy
03:05 Crowd Work and Craft
03:39 Comedy Greats and Advice
04:16 Nick Cannon Late Night
04:54 Daniel Sloss US Tour
05:57 America Travel Perspective
06:32 Mondale Dollar Sign Special
07:22 Call-a-thon Chaos Details
 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac--4522158/support.

Today's DCN is brought to you by MyBookie use promo code DCN!

Daily Comedy News is hosted by Johnny Mac and releases every weekday. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite app. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network. For transcripts and show notes visit www.dailycomedynews.com

Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac is a daily podcast covering comedians, stand-up comedy, late night television, and the comedy industry. New episodes every morning. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.  

Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com 

For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says Uninterrupted Listening.  $4.99/month 

John's Substack about media is free.

Sebastian Maniscalco spent seven years as a waiter at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills while doing open mics at night. In 2025 he was the number three touring comedian in America. For most of that climb, the comedy world barely talked about him.

Johnny Mac explains who he is, how the act works, and how he built an arena career on slow-burn specials, Madison Square Garden, Scorsese and De Niro. Then the last twelve months: the Riyadh Comedy Festival, and the week some of the biggest names in comedy made videos addressed to him. What he said back, and why it landed on him the way it did.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac--4522158/support.

Today's DCN is brought to you by MyBookie use promo code DCN!

Daily Comedy News is hosted by Johnny Mac and releases every weekday. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite app. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network. For transcripts and show notes visit www.dailycomedynews.com

Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac is a daily podcast covering comedians, stand-up comedy, late night television, and the comedy industry. New episodes every morning. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.  

Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com 

For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says Uninterrupted Listening.  $4.99/month 

John's Substack about media is free.

Johnny Mac discusses a viral clip from a Jerry Seinfeld show after a pro-Palestine heckle, questions whether the exchange was a setup, and is surprised mainstream media hasn’t covered it; he later flags how Seinfeld quotes could look bad out of context. He revisits skepticism about Theo Von’s Netflix trailer, citing negative comments and possible recycled material. Mac reviews Michael Che’s new Netflix special (not his favorite) and shares Che’s comments on taking two years to build it, tweaking material up to taping, not knowing some hosts, and disliking performing in sketches. He cites Chris Rock on context and “nerd bullies,” mentions Nate Bargatze on AI and building an “act,” and covers Dane Cook’s return to the New York Comedy Festival celebrating his MSG milestone and seeking collaborations. He plugs Linnet’s free beta podcast-creation tool, runs a “comedy stock market” (buy Norm Macdonald; sell Sebastian Maniscalco and Jerry Seinfeld; hold Shane Gillis), highlights Vulture’s Ethan Simmons-Patterson, and teases upcoming deep dives and his other podcast.
 
00:22 Seinfeld Heckler Fallout
01:37 Theo Von Trailer Doubts
02:21 Michael Che Special Talk
03:49 Che on SNL Sketches
04:25 Chris Rock on Context
05:29 Nate Bargatze on AI
07:11 Dane Cook Festival Return
08:23 LINNET Podcast Tool Ad
09:27 Comedy Stock Market Picks
11:25 Vulture Rising Comic
 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac--4522158/support.

Today's DCN is brought to you by MyBookie use promo code DCN!

Daily Comedy News is hosted by Johnny Mac and releases every weekday. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite app. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network. For transcripts and show notes visit www.dailycomedynews.com

Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac is a daily podcast covering comedians, stand-up comedy, late night television, and the comedy industry. New episodes every morning. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.  

Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com 

For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says Uninterrupted Listening.  $4.99/month 

John's Substack about media is free.