Amber Ruffin thought she was about to join Saturday Night Live. Instead, she got a rejection call—and three days later, a life-changing phone call from Seth Meyers.
This week as we kick off a new season of Inside Late Night with Mark Malkoff, Ruffin shares the story of auditioning for SNL, missing out, and being recruited by her former Boom Chicago castmate to help launch Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Plus: her Emmy-nominated Amber Ruffin Show, Broadway’s Some Like It Hot, CNN’s Have I Got News For You, and her new musical Bigfoot!.

As the news cycle intensifies, late night is facing yet another test. From scrutiny of SNL’s response to escalating tensions in Minneapolis to the evolving role of late-night hosts, Bill Carter, Mark Malkoff, and Jon Schneider examine how comedy is holding up under pressure in this month’s LateNighter Roundtable podcast.

This week on LateNighter's Inside Late Night podcast, former Late Night with Seth Meyers writer Karen Chee joins Mark Malkoff to talk about her career in comedy.

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This week on LateNighter's Inside Late Night podcast, standup comic and former Late Night with Seth Meyers writer Aparna Nancherla joins Mark Malkoff to talk about her career and her new special Hopeful Potato, available next week on Dropout

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This week on LateNighter's Inside late Night podcast, former 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' head writer Jonathan Groff joins Mark Malkoff to discuss O'Brien's writers’ room, and the moments when crisis pushed the show to its sharpest work.

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With late night in flux, three hosts dominated the conversation in November 2025: Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Jon Stewart. Their shows—shaped by political crossfire, personal loss, and a shifting competitive landscape—anchor the latest edition of LateNighter’s Monthly Roundtable, as Bill Carter, Mark Malkoff, and Jon Schneider take stock of the late-night stories that defined November.

This week on LateNighter's Inside Late Night podcast, Brian McCann joins Mark Malkoff to talk about his time at Improv Olympic, his stand-up career, and writing and producing on Conan.

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This week on LateNighter's Inside Late Night podcast, former SNL cast member Chris Kattan joins Mark Malkoff to reflect on his eight seasons at Saturday Night Live.Make sure to follow us on social media (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@latenightercom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and subscribe on all podcast platforms and YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@latenightercom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to never miss an episode!

This week on LateNighter's Inside Late Night podcast, veteran TV associate director Nikki Nash joins Mark Malkoff to reflect on her forty-five years behind the scenes—from Carson and Conan to The Chevy Chase Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

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Since returning from suspension last month, Jimmy Kimmel has enjoyed near–folk-hero status among fans and peers alike. Attention now turns to whether he’ll remain at Jimmy Kimmel Live! after his current contract expires in May 2026. That topic leads the debut edition of LateNighter's Monthly Roundtable podcast, where Bill Carter, Mark Malkoff, and Jon Schneider take stock of the late-night stories that defined October.