Obsessed: The Podcast

Sam Richardson’s first two professional acting gigs were on ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘The Office.’ And he has never stopped rising the ranks of the comedy world since, from what was supposed to be a one-episode guest spot as Richard Splett on ‘Veep’ to his first real TV leading role on Apple TV+’s new murder mystery comedy ‘The Afterparty.’ In this episode, Richardson talks about collaborating with his former improv teacher Tim Robinson on the brilliantly funny ‘Detroiters’ and ‘I Think You Should Leave,’ how he ended up channeling his Ghanaian heritage on ‘Ted Lasso’ and how it felt to be called “his generation’s Tom Hanks” by one of the most successful filmmakers in Hollywood.Follow Sam Richardson on Twitter @SamRichardson and Instagram @thesamrichardsonFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Martha Kelly spent close to two decades as a semi-successful, hilariously deadpan stand-up comedian before her friend Zach Galifianakis called her up out of nowhere and asked her to play one of the main roles on his beloved FX series ‘Baskets.’ It was that opportunity that led directly to her most powerful performance to date as Laurie, the dangerously deadpan drug dealer who holds the fate of Zendaya’s Rue in her hands on HBO’s ‘Euphoria.’ In this bonus episode, Kelly opens up for the first time about how the “intimidating” part fell in her lap, why she seriously considered saying no and how her own experience as an addict impacted her performance. She also shares stories about how her comedy career evolved after getting sober, acting opposite a very intense Adam Driver in ‘Marriage Story’ and the pure joy of working with the late Louie Anderson on ‘Baskets.’Follow Martha Kelly on Twitter @MarthaKelly3 and Instagram @mkellyatxFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With her raucous cabaret act, Bridget Everett has never been shy about putting all of herself out there for audiences to enjoy. But in her new semi-autobiographical series ‘Somebody Somewhere,’ which HBO has just renewed for a second season, she is laying herself bare emotionally on a whole new level. In this episode, Everett opens up about the real life trauma that helped inform her revelatory performance, what she learned about being “relatable” from a previous pilot that didn’t get picked up and shares what it was like to get back on stage for the first time in two years. She also shares hilarious stories about getting cast in the ‘Sex and the City’ movie, meeting her friend Amy Schumer for the first time and getting in the middle of an epic feud between Jerry Seinfeld and Bobcat Goldthwait. Follow Bridget Everett on Twitter @bridgeteverett and Instagram @bridgeteverettFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

W. Kamau Bell returns to the podcast to go deep on his illuminating new four-part documentary series ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby.’ And with his career as both a comedian and filmmaker on the line, he holds nothing back. This sprawling conversation covers everything from Bell’s early admiration for Bill Cosby to the shattering of those illusions when his rape allegations came to light to why he thought his big project might be dead when Cosby was suddenly released from prison last summer. We also talk about why ‘The Cosby Show’ cast members have been so reluctant to speak out against “America’s Dad,” whether Bell is able to separate the art from the artist and still appreciate Cosby as a comedian and so much more. Follow W. Kamau Bell on Twitter @wkamaubell and Instagram @wkamaubellFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this preview of our new episode with W. Kamau Bell dropping next Tuesday, the comedian and director addresses the backlash he’s already started receiving in response to his bombshell four-part documentary ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’—before it even premieres this Sunday night on Showtime.  Subscribe to ‘The Last Laugh’ now to hear our full conversation when it’s released next Tuesday, February 1st.  Follow W. Kamau Bell on Twitter @wkamaubell and Instagram @wkamaubellFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others atThe Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before The Sex Lives of College Girls, Amrit Kaur had only appeared in a handful of Canadian dramas. Hand-picked by Mindy Kaling to play Bela, a sex-positive, comedy-obsessed version of her younger self, Kaur defied both South Asian stereotypes and immigration laws to deliver one of the funniest performances of the past year. In this episode, we talk about her unlikely audition process, studying stand-up comedy to nail her character’s comic timing, what it was like to meet Kaling for the first time on set, how her conservative Indian parents reacted to the show’s more scandalous moments and more. Follow Amrit Kaur on Twitter @AmritKaur and Instagram @amritkaurFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In his first hour-long stand-up special ‘Trash White,’ comedian Moses Storm describes himself as going “from the dumpster to HBO Max.” But as he explains in this week’s episode, his real story is even darker, which makes his ability to find so much humor in it all the more remarkable. During our conversation, Storm breaks down how comedy became his only way out of extreme poverty and why he pushes back when privileged audience members have tried to tell him it’s offensive to use the word “homeless.” He also reveals how the late Bob Saget ended up appearing in his new special, how Conan O’Brien changed his life overnight and a lot more. Follow Moses Storm on Twitter @MosesStorm and Instagram @mosesstormFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With a fiery new half-hour special as part of Netflix’s ‘The Standups’ series, Naomi Ekperigin is more ready than ever to achieve that next level of comedy success. And she does it all while remaining far more “thoughtful” about how her jokes affect the audience than many of her anti-woke peers. It’s been a long road, as she explains in this episode, from starting out as a writing assistant on ‘Broad City’ to her current role as a writer and guest star on the final season of ‘Search Party.’ We also talk about her risky decision to burn any potential bridge to ‘Saturday Night Live’ by calling out the show for its lack of Black female cast members and why she felt “less excited” about being on Netflix after the Dave Chappelle controversy exploded. Follow Naomi Ekperigin on Twitter @Blacktress and Instagram @blacktresscomedyFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before Nicole Byer became the Emmy-nominated face of Netflix’s family-friendly baking competition show ‘Nailed It!’ she was best known as one of the raunchiest comedians on the stand-up scene. It’s the type of juxtaposition that has drawn parallels to Bob Saget, another filthy comic who found fame on the super-saccharine sitcom ‘Full House.’ On this episode, Byer breaks down how she balances these two disparate sides of her comedy persona, sizes up her Emmy competition and reflects on the bizarrely “segregated” SNL audition in which she lost out to her best friend Sasheer Zamata.  Follow Nicole Byer on Twitter @nicolebyer and Instagram @nicolebyerFollow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod  This episode was originally published on August 24, 2021. Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this special annual crossover pod, ‘The Last Laugh’ host Matt Wilstein joins ‘The New Abnormal’ co-host Molly Jong-Fast and producer Jesse Cannon to look back at the year in political comedy, from the problem with Dave Chappelle to big changes at SNL to the pitch black humor of ‘Succession’ and a lot more.Follow Molly Jong-Fast on Twitter @MollyJongFast Follow Matt Wilstein on Twitter @mattwilsteinFollow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpod Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices