Before D’Arcy Carden landed the role of a lifetime as Janet on ‘The Good Place,’ she was starting to worry her comedy career might never take off. And yet, in the less than six years since that show premiered on NBC, she has earned an Emmy nomination, appeared with her former babysitting boss Bill Hader on ‘Barry’ and is now about to star opposite her best friend Abbi Jacobson in a high-profile reimagining of ‘A League of Their Own’ on Amazon Prime Video. In this episode, Carden opens up about how she turned things around and expresses her shock and disappointment at her ‘Barry’ co-star Sarah Goldberg’s Emmy snub. She also reminisces about the early days of UCB, shares the important lesson she learned about screen acting during her first TV gig on ‘Broad City’ and recalls the demoralizing experience of being an extra on ‘Saturday Night Live.’   Follow D’Arcy Carden on Twitter @DarcyCarden and Instagram @darcycarden Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod
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D’Arcy Carden: ‘The Good Place’ to ‘A League of Their Own’

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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Mo Welch spent years trying to make jokes about the father who abused her mother and abandoned her family funny without totally bumming out her audience. Now, she has perfected the art of the extremely dark “dad joke” in her new stand-up special-slash-documentary ‘Dad Jokes.’ In this episode, Welch talks about how terrifying it was to come face-to-face with her father for the first time in 20 years after he went to prison for stealing TVs and how she managed to thread the needle of turning that trauma into comedy on stage. She also reveals what she has learned about comedy from collaborators (and previous Last Laugh guests) Anthony Jeselnik and Beth Stelling and tells the story of how she dropped her microphone in a toilet seconds before her late-night stand-up debut on ‘Conan.’
But first, Allegra Frank joins Matt for her final appearance on the podcast to wrap up their discussion about the big comedy categories at this year’s Emmy Awards, including what to expect from ‘The Bear,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and more. 
Stream Mo Welch’s ‘Dad Jokes’ on YouTube
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Mo Welch’s ‘Dad Jokes’ + Is ‘The Bear’ a Comedy?!?

As a mainstay at New York’s prestigious Comedy Cellar for many years, Keith Robinson has long been the definition of a comedian’s comedian. But it wasn’t until he suffered two debilitating strokes over the course of four years that he finally landed his first hour-long special on Netflix. In this episode, Robinson talks about how managed to get back on stage so quickly after his first stroke (against medical advice) and how he was able to find so many cathartic laughs in what has otherwise been a truly terrifying experience. He also discusses how he felt about the standing ovation that opens his special ‘Different Strokes’—especially with so many comedian friends in the room—and looks back at the chaotic early days of his career, including stories about working with Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Chris Rock and more.
But first, Matt and Allegra break down the Variety Talk Series category at the Emmys, including new entrants ‘Hot Ones’ and ‘John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA.’
Follow Keith Robinson on Twitter @1keithrobinson and Instagram @keithrobinson438 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.

Keith Robinson’s ‘Different Strokes’ + John Mulaney Enters the Late-Night Emmy Race

It’s been nearly a year since John Early released his first stand-up special, Max’s ‘Now More Than Ever.’ But it’s only now that he’s gotten the chance to talk about the go-for-broke special in-depth, with any chance at promotion waylaid by last summer and fall’s back-to-back strikes. And the comedian, best known for his work on ‘Search Party,’ ‘30 Rock,’ and with collaborator Kate Berlant, is relishing his overdue moment in the spotlight. In this episode of The Last Laugh podcast—Early’s second appearance on the show, following his 2022 visit with Berlant—he opens up about the genesis of his Emmys category-breaking special, including how he sees himself as less in step with his fellow campaigning comics and more in the mold of performers like Bette Midler.
Plus, Matt and Allegra take a look at John Early’s Emmy competition in the Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded) category and share their thoughts on who else deserves some love over the same old contenders.
Follow John Early on Twitter @bejohnce and Instagram @bejohnce Follow Matt Wilstein on Threads @mattwilstein Follow Allegra Frank on Twitter @LegsFrank Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod and Threads @lastlaughpod
Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast 
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John Early’s ‘Now More Than Ever’ + Our Emmy Stand-Up Predictions

It’s been more than three decades since Wanda Sykes first stepped onto the stand-up stage. And sometimes, it feels like she’s just now getting her due. This past year, the legendary comedian received her first-ever Grammy nomination for her latest Netflix special ‘I’m an Entertainer,’ which also landed nods at the Emmys and Golden Globes. The hard-hitting hour takes on many of the most divisive topics of the year without pandering to either side or ever punching down. “It’s just noise. And I like to try to cut through that,” she says of the way her comedy reacts to the broader political conversation. In this episode, Sykes takes on everything from the problem with Dave Chappelle’s anti-trans jokes to why she was shocked Will Smith didn’t get dragged out of the Oscars for slapping her friend Chris Rock to what Joe Biden has to do to win back Black men in 2024 to how she thinks about her place in the comedy pantheon and a lot more. 
This episode was originally published on December 20th, 2023.
Follow Wanda Sykes on Twitter @iamwandasykes and Instagram @iamwandasykes 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 
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Wanda Sykes on 2024, Chappelle, ‘Curb’ and More

Since first getting what she thought was her big break on ‘Last Comic Standing’ almost 15 years ago, comedian Rachel Feinstein has been waiting for something to come along and help her achieve the next level of success. “By the time this comes, I’m going to be a star,” Feinstein says. “Hopefully after this interview, I’ll at least get a Clorox commercial or something.” In this episode, recorded just after she taped her latest ‘Tonight Show’ appearance and right before her debut Netflix special ‘Big Guy’ premiered, Feinstein reveals that she may never have gotten this breakthrough moment in her career had she not done the one thing that “scared” her the most: getting married to the New York firefighter husband she spends much of her special mocking and then having a daughter. She also shares stories about mentoring Lil Jon in stand-up comedy on Donald Trump’s ‘The Apprentice,’ roasting Gilbert Gottfried’s Hitler as Anne Frank on Netflix’s ‘Historical Roasts,’ and more. 
Plus, Matt and Allegra break down what makes ‘Hacks’ the only funny comedy series on TV right now—and why Shane Gillis’ ‘Tires’ on Netflix is the exact opposite.
Follow Rachel Feinstein on Twitter @RachelFeinstein and Instagram @rachelfeinstein_ 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.

D’Arcy Carden: ‘The Good Place’ to ‘A League of Their Own’

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