Comedy icon Martin Short (2023 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for ‘Only Murders in the Building’) is well into his 70s. And while he’s still capable of the unbounded energy he first showed the world on shows like ‘SCTV’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ he can also be more sincere and reflective than his biggest fans might expect. In this in-depth conversation, the man who’s known as just “Marty” to his famous friends tells hilarious stories about working with Steve Martin, performing for David Letterman, embodying Jiminy Glick and more. Plus, he breaks down what it took to transform himself into a #MeToo monster for his Emmy-nominated role on ‘The Morning Show’ and talks about the origins of ‘Only Murders’ co-starring Steve Martin and Selena Gomez.

This episode was originally published on August 18th, 2020.

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Bill Hader (2023 Emmy-nominated actor, writer and director for HBO’s ‘Barry’) is well known as the most generous “laugher” in comedy. But when he’s talking about his increasingly dark HBO series ‘Barry,’ those laughs come with a razor sharp edge. In this episode, the ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum goes deep on the mental state of his hitman character as the show approached its final season. He also reflects on his anxiety-filled SNL experience, why he and John Mulaney never made that rumored Stefon movie, the specific genius of ‘Documentary Now!’ and why he couldn’t stop laughing at Paul Rudd’s final ‘Mac and Me’ prank on the final week of ‘Conan.’ 

This episode was originally published on April 26th, 2022.

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After 215 episodes, featuring interviews with some of the funniest people on the planet, The Last Laugh podcast is taking a little breather. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements about what the next iteration of this show will look like when it returns in the fall—and please take a moment to show us some love in the meantime by leaving a rating and review. See you back here very soon!

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Andrea Martin has been a force to be reckoned with in the comedy world since her professional debut as part of the Toronto cast of ‘Godspell’ in 1972 and a few years later as a cast member on Canada’s answer to ‘Saturday Night Live,’ ‘SCTV’—both alongside Martin Short. This summer, she is reteaming with Short once more on Season 3 of ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ which premieres next month on Hulu. In this episode—our final one for a while—Martin teases her role as Steve Martin’s love interest and reveals there may have been a moment when she was up for the part that ultimately went to Selena Gomez. The 76-year-old actress also reflects on five decades in show business, from the ego blow of never being asked to do SNL to an update on Martin Scorsese’s SCTV reunion documentary to the one big project that is still on her career bucket list. 

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Nick Offerman, who is poised to land his first acting Emmy nomination for his guest appearance on HBO’s ‘The Last of Us,’ takes us inside his prolific Hollywood career. In this episode, the actor opens up about tearing up at the end of the ‘Parks and Recreation’ reunion special, breaks down his intense performance on ‘Devs,’ looks back on his earliest TV roles on ‘ER’ and ‘24,’ shares how his priorities shifted as he entered his 50s and a lot more. 

This episode was originally published on May 26th, 2020.

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Comedian Nimesh Patel knew the second he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that he would be talking about it on stage very soon. And about a week later—after successful surgery to remove his right testicle—there he was at the Comedy Cellar in New York City making jokes about his one remaining ball. In this episode, SNL’s first Indian-American writer breaks down how he turned cancer into comedy in his new special ‘Lucky Lefty’ and shares his reaction to the way his comedy mentor Chris Rock tackled his own traumatic incident with Will Smith on stage. He also reveals why he turned down an invitation to appear on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show after inadvertently becoming a hero on the right when he was kicked off stage by Columbia University students mid-show in 2018—and how that experience has made him rethink the debate over “cancel culture” in comedy. 

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Director Jake Szymanski came up at Funny or Die and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ but nothing he had ever done in the comedy world could have prepared him to pull off what was essentially a real-life version of ‘The Truman Show,’ with jokes, on ‘Jury Duty.’ In this episode, the director breaks down what went into making the comedy-reality show’s unsuspecting star Ronald Gladden think he was in a documentary about jury duty when he was actually surrounded by actors and improv comedians for three weeks straight. Szymanski reveals how they cast Ronald, the secret maneuvers behind the show’s hilarious Margaritaville episode, and the huge sigh of relief he let out when they finally let the cat out of the bag.  

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Paula Poundstone may have essentially invented “crowd work,” as the process of turning conversations with members of an audience into comedy is known today. But she still hates the term. “If I’m  walking down the street and I say hi to somebody, is that street work?” she asks. In this episode, Poundstone opens up about her unlikely path to becoming a comedy icon in the 1980s and ‘90s and how it all nearly came crashing down after her arrest in 2001. She also reflects on her frosty relationship with Johnny Carson, reveals what her own early brush with “cancel culture” made her think about second chances and a lot more. 

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For the first 30 years of his career, Alan Ruck was sure he would always be remembered as Ferris Bueller’s sad best friend. Then ‘Succession’ came along and changed everything. In this episode, Ruck shares his thoughts on the end of ‘Succession,’ [SPOILER ALERT!] including what lies ahead for Connor and Willa’s marriage, the story behind filming that “virtual dinner” with Brian Cox, and why creator Jesse Armstrong made the right decision to quit while he was ahead. The actor also reveals why he asked for his character to be killed off in Season 2 and how the role he was waiting his entire career for has forever altered his professional legacy. 

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In this preview of our upcoming episode with Alan Ruck, dropping next Tuesday, the actor who brought Connor Roy to life over the last four seasons of HBO’s ‘Succession’ shares his reaction to the series finale and what he thinks might lie ahead for Connor and Willa. 

Follow The Last Laugh now to hear our full conversation when it’s released next Tuesday, June 6th. 

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