I talk with Michael Bonfiglio, who, along with Judd Apatow, directed the new HBO documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!.

Michael shares behind-the-scenes stories from Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, The Producers, and Spaceballs, and we explore how Mel Brooks reshaped American comedy.

We also talk about Bonfiglio’s collaborations with Apatow, including co-directing George Carlin’s American Dream, and how Mel Brooks’ influence extends to comedy and filmmaking legends like Dave Chappelle, Conan O’Brien, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, and even David Lynch.

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Stairway to Stardom was a NYC public access TV show, described

Airing in the 70s through the early 90s, Stairway to Stardom

Performers of very questionable talent, ranging from off-key lounge singers to interpretive dancers, attempted to stairway to stardom – and

Archivist Mitch Friedman joins CH101 to explore how the show was

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Former Daily Show head writer Elliott Kalan (MST3K, The Flop House), Joke Farming) joins CH101 to discuss his new book, Joke Farming, and the nuts-and-bolts behind professional joke writing.

We go inside the Daily Show writers’ room with Jon Stewart, why MST3K once had too many jokes, how comedians write jokes on deadline, why inspiration is overrated, and how audiences complete every joke.

A behind-the-scenes look at joke writing, comedy craft, and how humor helps us make sense of the world.

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We pulled together the sharpest moments from our 2025

• Larry Charles: Writer and director of Seinfeld,

• Michael Seth Starr: Author of Rodney Dangerfield: Nothing Comes Easy

Plus Jean-François Brisson with the Nubian Show and a special Canadian Comedy History 101 recap.

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Reprise Episode: Broad City and Inside Amy Schumer producer Ryan Cunningham and Gold Comedy founder Lynn Harris take us deep into the world of inclusive comedy and comedy as social change.

From behind-the-scenes Broad City stories (yes, that pegging episode) to how diverse voices are reshaping the comedy landscape, we explore why women being “gross” on screen was a cultural breakthrough—and how laughter can be a tool for empowerment, visibility, and social impact.

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CH101 Reprise: Larry Charles won an Emmy writing for Seinfeld, directed Borat, Brüno, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and has collaborated with Larry David, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Bob Dylan .

Larry joins CH101 for some serious comedy inside baseball:

How he helped shape the voice of Seinfeld with Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld

The chaos behind Borat's infamous poop-bag dinner scene

What it was really like making subversive comedy with Sacha Baron Cohen

Get the inside scoop on one of comedy's most fearless minds and check out Larry's new book: Comedy Samurai.

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Before SantaCon became the most hated event in NYC history, it began as a San Francisco subversive experiment of fun by the same anarchic collective that spawned Burning Man and inspired Fight Club’s Project Mayhem.

We talk to filmmaker Seth Porges, who has a new documentary about SanCon on how a subversive performance-art happening turned

You might know Seth’s previous HBO Max documentary, Class Action Park, about America’s most dangerous amusement park.

SantaCon premieres at DocNYC, Nov 13th

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CH101 Reprise: Kevin McDonald is best known as a founding member of the legendary Canadian sketch comedy troupe – Kids in the Hall –which appeared on CBS, HBO, and Comedy Central, and had a revival season aired on Amazon Prime Video in 2022.

Kevin joins CH!01 with tales of KITH, Winnipeg, & comedy in general.

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We go inside the PBS documentary series United States of Comedy with director Habib Yazdi. The five-part series spotlights diverse voices shaping stand-up comedy across America—capturing the next comedic generation redefining American comedy culture.

Habib shares stories from filming United States of Comedy, as we dive into creative resilience and what unites comedians across America.

WATCH: https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/united-states-of-comedy/

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As you heard, they yanked Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air - because the Trump administration has declared a War on Comedy. Holy Overton window!

In this reprise episode, we celebrate Jimmy Kimmel Live, and talk to Adam Spiegelman, who was a comedy producer for this iconic late-night talk show.

Adam was at Jimmy Kimmel Live right from the start, and we do a deep dive into producing comedy and comedians for Kimmel, where he brought such comedians as Neil Hamburger, Eddie Pepitone, and Andy Dick to the airwaves.

Adam gives the lowdown of what he looked for when booking standup comedians for the Kimmel show.

Also, remember, boycott parent company Disney, for yanking Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air!

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