Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac

Jay Leno says he never spent a dollar of his NBC salary, he lived off standup income the whole time, even while hosting the most watched late night show in America. Johnny Mac looks at everything about Jay Leno that isn't the Tonight Show: the Comedy Store years, the David Letterman friendship and the edgier version of Jay a generation of comedy fans first met on that show, the Big Dog Garage in Burbank that grew from seventeen thousand to a hundred and twenty-two thousand square feet, the 1907 White Steam Car that caught fire and put him in a burn center at seventy-two, the motorcycle crash three months later, and the story of Mavis, his wife of forty-five years, now living with advanced dementia, who he makes lunch for every day and comes home to every night. The Tonight Show chapter gets its own episode this fall. Today is everything else.

"How many cars does Jay Leno own?"
"What happened to Jay Leno's wife Mavis?"
"Does Jay Leno have a wife with dementia?"
"Did Jay Leno really never spend his Tonight Show salary?"
"What is Jay Leno's net worth?"
"How did Jay Leno meet David Letterman?"
"What is Jay Leno's Garage show about?"
"What was Jay Leno like on Letterman in the 1980s?"
"Is Jay Leno still doing standup comedy?"
"What happened in Jay Leno's garage fire 2022?"
"Who is Mavis Leno and what does she have dementia?"
"What did Jay Leno say about taking care of his wife?"

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

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 hosts Daily Comedy News, noting a false online rumor that Patton Oswalt died, which Oswalt mocked and which Twitter corrected. Christina P discussed her divorce from Tom Segura on Your Mom’s House, saying they tried for years for the kids, there’s no animosity, and “we’re cool.” Williams Grove Speedway partnered with Netflix’s Tires starring Shane Gillis for fan appreciation night. Netflix releases Ricky Gervais’ six-part, 15-minutes-each animated comedy Alley Cats featuring Diane Morgan, with the cast recording together. Bob Marley’s new bit references “furries,” alongside a past Maine middle-school incident. Seth Meyers performs at SNHU Arena supporting two New Hampshire children’s advocacy groups. Vogue profiles Mary Beth Barone’s political, women-and-queer-focused standup and her Netflix-special approach; Johnny’s “comedy stock market” says sell Ted Lasso and Barone, buy Pete Correale, and teases a Jay Leno deep dive and Leno driving Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias’ preserved 1993 Mustang on Jay Leno’s Garage, plus Guardian Q&A with critic Brian Logan on comedy.
 
00:18 Patton Oswalt Death Hoax
00:51 Christina P Divorce Update
01:13 Shane Gillis Speedway Promo
01:45 Ricky Gervais Alley Cats
02:39 Bob Marley Furries Bit
03:22 Seth Meyers New Hampshire Show
03:44 Mary Beth Barone Vogue Profile
05:55 Comedy Stock Market Picks
08:13 Deep Dives and Jay Leno Day
08:53 Fluffy Mustang on Lenos Garage
10:01 Do Critics Still Laugh
 

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

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.

Late Nighter found dozens of AI-generated YouTube videos mimicking Jimmy Kimmel’s monologues using synthetic voice/face, matching thumbnails, odd gestures, and little humor; one drew 800,000 views before disappearing. Chelsea Handler criticized Forbes’ claim Joe Rogan earned $82 million in 2026, and Mac explains podcast ad revenue and CPMs. Sebastian Maniscalco discusses possibly shaving his head and timing a second hair transplant with a Beverly Hills surgeon. Mo Gilligan’s Netflix “Chicken Thing” explores fried chicken, ingredients, body-image concerns, and challenging Black British stereotypes. Bowen Yang will play Mary Todd Lincoln in “Oh, Mary” on Broadway starting Sept. 15. Amy Poehler’s Town Hall podcast taping has tickets as low as $346. Leicester Comedy Festival’s operator became insolvent. Amazon greenlit Paul Scheer’s improv sitcom “DINKS,” and Kumail Nanjiani will direct/star in werewolf horror-comedy “Howl.”
 
00:12 AI Fake Kimmel Clips
01:43 Rogan Pay Debate
02:18 Podcast Ads Explained
03:32 Maniscalco Hair Talk
04:41 Mo Gilligan Chicken Doc
05:56 Bowen Yang Broadway Role
06:38 Amy Poehler Ticket Shock
07:14 Comedy Festival Trouble
07:45 New Shows and Films
08:53 Deep Dives

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

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 recaps comedy news, led by a brutal Guardian review of Ricky Gervais’ new Netflix animated series Alley Cats, calling it lazy, shock-driven, and unfunny. John Oliver discusses Emmy nominations, HBO’s value of awards, and late-night camaraderie, plus mentions Conan O’Brien Must Go season three arriving Aug. 21. He shares SNL Season 52 ticket lottery details and notes Jay Leno will receive BIFF’s Vanguard Award and a “Jay Leno Day” proclamation in Burbank. Ted Lasso season four premieres at 9 p.m. Eastern with Ted coaching a women’s team and several returning and absent cast members, with comments from Jason Sudeikis and new cast member Tanya Reynolds. Other items include The Daily Show’s 30th anniversary chat, Mo Gilligan’s Big Chicken documentary, Pete Davidson co-parenting statement, Michael Che special tapings, Judd Apatow on a Nikki Glaser screenplay, Maddie Kelly on obstacles for women in comedy, and UK backlash to the BBC canceling Live at the Apollo.
 
00:15 Guardian Slams Alley Cats
01:06 Why Shock Humor Fails
01:49 John Oliver Emmy Talk
02:51 Conan And SNL Tickets
03:59 Jay Leno Day In Burbank
04:28 Ted Lasso Season Four
06:57 Daily Show Turns Thirty
08:04 Mo Gilligan Big Chicken
09:03 Pete Davidson Co Parenting
09:35 Che Special And Glaser Film
10:24 Women In Comedy Debate
11:11 BBC Cancels Apollo
 

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

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 Jim Gaffigan’s Father Time Bourbon winning Best New Bourbon at the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for The Caboose Empty Nester Strength (double gold, 97 points), with details on mash bill, proofs, and the $200 retail price. CBS will air a two-hour 20th anniversary primetime special of Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed on Tuesday, September 29, and Funny You Should Ask returns to production August 11 with new CBS late-night episodes starting September 21; the show nears its 500th episode. Seth Meyers’ Day Drinking becomes a Peacock series compilation. Ratings notes compare summer late-night numbers for Kimmel, Fallon, Meyers, and a James Corden after-hours show. Comedy Central announces Stand-Up Selects on YouTube. Mac also recounts a failed YouTube Live due to audio cutting out and reflects on friend Vinnie Pastore’s death, then mentions a trailer for season two of Netflix’s Leanne. 

00:12 Jim Gaffigan Bourbon Win
01:34 Comics Unleashed Anniversary
02:38 Funny You Should Ask Returns
03:46 Day Drinking Goes Peacock
04:48 Late Night Ratings Roundup
05:40 Comedy Central Stand-Up Selects
06:24 Kevin Hart Golf With LeBron
06:44 YouTube Live Audio Fail
08:21 Remembering Vinnie Pastore
13:29 Leanne Season Two Trailer
 

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

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.