Fred Armisen: SNL, ‘Portlandia,’ and ‘100 Sound Effects’
Fred Armisen knows that nobody can ever tell whether he’s joking or not—and he doesn’t quite understand why. Despite being one of the hands-down funniest ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast members of all time, Armisen can, in fact, be pretty sincere when he wants to be. It’s a trait that shines through on his latest project: a painstakingly produced album of ‘100 Sound Effects’ that provides some observational laughs here and there but is generally an accurate document of what the world sounds like in 2025. In this episode, Armisen discusses how his obsession with sound helped him become an expert mimic on ‘SNL,’ whether he was impersonating President Barack Obama or capturing a very specific Californian dialect. He talks about roasting Lorne Michaels during the ‘SNL50’ special, whether he could imagine taking over at least part of his former boss’ job, and reacts to the ‘Portlandia’ memes that have come to epitomize that city’s response to Donald Trump’s threats. Buy ‘Fred Armisen: 100 Sound Effects’ Get tickets to see Fred Armisen liveFollow Fred Armisen on Instagram @sordociego Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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‘Bugonia’ Writer Will Tracy: ‘The Onion,’ John Oliver, and ‘Succession’
The new conspiracy-laden film ‘Bugonia’ has been described by critics and audiences alike as “bleak.” But the comedy writer who penned the script doesn’t see it that way. In this episode, Will Tracy shares how he went from ‘The Onion’s’ editor-in-chief to winning Emmys for ‘Last Week Tonight’ and ‘Succession’ to writing the mind-bending script for Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest collaboration with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. He discusses ‘Bugonia’s’ very 2025 political message and unpacks what could be considered a deeply cynical ending that he finds oddly hopeful about the future of the planet—if not humanity. Tracy also explains why he found writing for John Oliver so miserable, how he managed to identify with Kendall Roy on ‘Succession,’ and what it feels like to act opposite Jeremy Strong. Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Alex Borstein: ‘MADtv,’ ‘Family Guy,’ and ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’
Most people probably don’t realize Alex Borstein is the same actress who broke out on ‘MADtv,’ has been voicing Lois Griffin on ‘Family Guy’ for 25 years, and won two Emmys for her role as Susie Myerson on ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’ And yet, while she may still not be a household name, she has slowly but surely put together a more accomplished and steady career than she ever could have imagined. In this episode, the comedian talks about returning to her stand-up roots for her latest one-woman show, ‘Alex Borstein Is Thirsty,’ and looks back on the twists and turns of her unlikely Hollywood journey. That includes her misgivings about how her iconic character Ms. Swan went from a loving impression of her grandmother to an unfortunate racist caricature and how she landed the lucrative ‘Family Guy’ gig over some much bigger names. Borstein also gets into her beloved HBO cult classic series ‘Getting On’ and why she decided to deliver an anti-fascist call to arms when she accepted her second Emmy Award for ‘Maisel.’ And finally, a deeply embarrassing story about the time she appeared opposite Halle Berry in ‘Catwoman.’ Get tickets to see Alex Borstein liveFollow Alex Borstein on Instagram @alexborstein Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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SNL’s Leslie Jones: Lorne Michaels, Donald Trump, and ‘Life Part 2’
Leslie Jones has been a comedic force of nature for nearly 40 years. And in her new stand-special ‘Life Part 2’ (streaming this Friday, Oct. 24 on Peacock), she displays more bravado and confidence on stage than ever. In this episode, Jones breaks down everything that went into getting to this moment in her career, from controversial breakout performance on SNL’s “Weekend Update” to her difficult decision to walk away from that show after five seasons. She discusses her unique relationship with Lorne Michaels, her very real crush on Colin Jost, and working with “scared little boy” Donald Trump the week he hosted the show. Jones also gets into how much she wanted ‘The Daily Show’ host gig and weighs on a new SNL cast that once again features zero Black women. Follow Leslie Jones on Instagram @lesdogggg Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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‘John Candy: I Like Me’ Director Colin Hanks
By all accounts, John Candy was such a decent and kind person that when Colin Hanks set out to direct the definitive documentary about his life and career, he knew there wouldn’t be any “dirt” to uncover. In the words of Candy’s friend Bill Murray, “I wish I had some more bad things to say about him.” But ‘John Candy: I Like Me’ (streaming now on Amazon Prime Video) does explore the beloved comic actor’s many personal demons. In this episode, Hanks breaks down why he wanted to make a film about Candy, including his personal connection to the comedy star through his father, Tom Hanks, and their shared struggles with issues of anxiety and mortality. Hanks discusses his heartbreaking interview with Macaulay Culkin, reveals the piece of archival footage he was most excited to uncover, and later, discusses his own journey from teen actor to filmmaker—including his first-ever response to the “nepo baby” discourse. Follow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch full episodes of The Last Laugh podcast on the Daily Beast’s YouTube channelHighlights from this episode and others at TheDailyBeast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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