Episodes

Johnny Mac reports that Pete Davidson and Colin Jost are hosting a free comedy show on their decommissioned Staten Island Ferry (bought for $280,000 in 2022) in NYC on September 17, with Snapple sponsoring it as the “Snapple Island Ferry”; tickets drop daily at 3 p.m. ET through the 8th at register.snappleislandferry.com, one pair per person, and the event is produced by The Stand. Netflix renewed Shane Gillis’ “Tires” for season four, noting 45 million views across three seasons and a recent to...

Johnny Mac covers Jon Stewart’s comments on Michelle Obama’s podcast about not confusing cultural power with real power, the fragility of leaders toward satire, and whether political comedy helps or corrodes discourse. Brian Baumgartner discusses being The Office’s best golfer, joint pain from long tournament weeks, and promotes Voltaren while naming Oscar as his preferred golf partner. The lineup for Last One Laughing UK season three is announced, including Lee Mack, Katherine Ryan, Harry Hill,...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news for Sept. 1, including backlash to Bill Maher after a Real Time monologue scolding Americans for mourning Dolly Parton too much and joking about tributes. The Minnesota Star Tribune reviews Tom Segura at Acme, noting he’s building a new set from scratch and not addressing his split with Christina P. Michael Che’s four Minneapolis shows at First Avenue reportedly banned bathroom breaks due to Netflix filming and included material on the R-word and fatherhood. Variety...

Byron Allen’s ‘Comics Unleashed’ Beats Kimmel and Fallon in Key Demo Johnny Mac covers late-night ratings where CBS’s Byron Allen rerun of “Comics Unleashed” wins adults 18–49 (161K) over Jimmy Kimmel (158K with Jelly Roll hosting) and a Fallon repeat...

Johnny Mac recaps comedy news, highlighting a Atlantic piece on Trump satire fatigue: Alec Baldwin says Trump is no longer funny, while Anthony Atamanuik describes The President Show as issue-focused despite Trump being an “albatross,” and the article notes the left-leaning satire boom faded, with Sarah Cooper’s pandemic-era rise and later Trump portrayals by James Austin Johnson and Shane Gillis. Mac also cites Atsuko Akatsuka’s Guardian interview (a dog-walking Yelp complaint, advice about jea...

Jerry Seinfeld said he didn't know one comedian who didn't think Richard Jeni was amazing. Chris Rock called him a friend and a mentor. Jay Leno said he made other comics laugh in a room. Richard Jeni had the highest-rated Showtime special in the channel's history, more Tonight Show appearances than any standup of his era, a Carson panel seat he earned rather than received, a Clio Award for commercials, Oscar writing credits for Chris Rock's hosting gig, and a fifty-seventh spot on Comedy Centra...

Johnny Mac records an “Afternoon Check-In” during a run and uses a walk break to cover three topics: a social media debate about whose career he’d rather have going forward—Nate Bargatze or Shane Gillis—leaning toward Nate for long-term touring potential while questioning how Shane’s persona ages; a late-night ratings report that Byron Allen’s 11:30 show beat Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon in 18–49 on a Monday where Fallon and Allen were reruns and Kimmel had Jelly Roll hosting; and a preview of ...

Johnny Mac reports poolside on Netflix’s four Friday comedy documentaries in October: “Who Is Martin Mull?” (Oct 7, produced by Bob Saget and Neil Berkeley), “Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald” (Oct 16, built from archival material and backed by Judd Apatow), “Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story” (Oct 23, also from Apatow), and “SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of” (Oct 30, with Jimmy Kimmel as executive producer; SCTV episodes arrive Sept 1). He also covers NASCAR’s Theo Von pro...

Johnny Mac records poolside while his basement studio is cleaned, noting he finally got the pool reasonably clean. He’s surprised his college students don’t know Bill Burr, briefly comments on Theo Von’s podcast with Nate Bargatze, and revisits why a Rosie O’Donnell late-night show “is just not gonna happen,” citing her age, budget pressures, and that Netflix couldn’t draw viewers to John Mulaney’s late-night show despite high-profile guests like David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld, and others. Draw...

Poolside, Johnny Mac reports on comedy and entertainment news, noting Dolly Parton’s death at 80 and sharing resurfaced clips from David Letterman’s 1995 “Top 10 Dolly Parton Pet Peeves” and an edited Johnny Carson segment. He also says Tim Curry has died at 80. Other items include Stephen Colbert posting a video, and a New York Post/Page Six report that Christina P performed days after her separation headlines and joked about Tom Segura, with sources saying the material is an older set now read...

Johnny Mac shares a quick Afternoon Daily Comedy News Update featuring B-roll from his weekly beach volleyball game and a statue of Challenger the Eagle. He discusses reports that Jimmy Carr is being considered to host a reboot of Top Gear, noting producers want to pair him with a woman and “online celebrities,” and speculates the show may be trying to compete with a new-cast Grand Tour. He also references The Verge’s interview with W. Kamau Bell about underappreciated apps, including complaints...

Johnny Mac reviews Oxford Road’s Orbit study ranking the top 15 “efficient for advertisers” comedy podcasts, noting the list’s volatility, the absence of many A-list hosts, and that several high-efficiency shows cost under $2,500 per episode; entries include Crash Dummies Podcast (No. 1), The Foil Hat, Adam Carolla, The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, The Tim Dillon Show, The Toast, Monday Morning Podcast with Bill Burr, Kill Tony, Bad Friends, and more. He then cites a New York Times piece on com...

Johnny Mac discusses a Variety article suggesting Rosie O’Donnell could get a late-night show after guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, arguing there’s little market for it and noting a White House spokesperson issued a statement criticizing O’Donnell, who has moved to Ireland. He also covers comedian Nate Bargatze launching a new company, No Pictures, for “edgier content” while keeping Nateland as family-friendly, and reports Nateland is developing an animated project called Nateville compared to...

Nate Bargatze Launches No Pictures as Zarna Garg Gets Stuck at Hermès Johnny Mac covers Zarna Garg’s claim that she was trapped for about 1 hour 20 minutes in an Hermès store bathroom in Berlin while trying to buy an elusive handbag, with her team...

Recording poolside as the rain pours, the host shares a comedic interaction with AI while trying to understand why Dane Cook’s brother is named Darryl McCauley; after giving incorrect explanations, the AI admits the mistake and clarifies they are half-brothers with different fathers and a shared mother, Donna Jean Ford. The host reiterates a desire to “make 12:30 great again,” arguing NBC should replace Seth Meyers with Chris Fleming, noting Meyers is taking seven weeks off and has launched a Yo...

Johnny Mac covers the trailer and details for “Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story,” about Dane Cook’s half-brother/business manager Darryl McCauley stealing $12 million, hiding cash in pasta sauce, and later pleading guilty and serving prison time; the episode also digresses into verifying Cook’s real name and how McCauley is identified. Deadline’s reporting on possible Saturday Night Live season 52 casting is summarized, including showcase cities, standout names, and notes about representation, p...

Johnny Mac covers comedy and entertainment news, led by Rosie O’Donnell’s strong first-night ratings as a Jimmy Kimmel Live guest host (1.87M viewers), beating The Tonight Show and winning adults 18–49, plus a popular YouTube monologue. He notes Weird Al’s new NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring parodies and other songs, and shares The New Yorker’s look back at It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, including its LA production, the Philadelphia setting decision, and Emmy-related jokes and nominations. H...

Johnny Mac spotlights comedian Robert Schimmel as part of Saturday deep dives on comics who peaked before YouTube and podcasts. He describes Schimmel’s brutally confessional style—turning tragedies like his 11-year-old son’s leukemia death and his own stage-three non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma into jokes—and recounts Schimmel’s improbable life, including marrying and divorcing the same woman three times, later marrying his daughter’s best friend during chemotherapy, and dying at 60 from a 2010 Scottsdal...

Poolside, Johnny Mac skims the comedy updates while watching a solar-powered pool vacuum crush leaves. The New York Comedy Festival announces another 100 shows, but the host isn’t impressed with the lineup and questions who the true headliner is, noting additions and previously announced names including Marc Maron, Ilana Glazer, Jordan Jensen, Jordan Klepper, Sarah Sherman, Patti Harrison, Daniel Sloss, and Ziwe. Guillermo from “Kimmel” is launching a salsa, with a company president saying he ma...

Johnny Mac reports on Conan O’Brien Must Go season three debuting on HBO Max with four episodes set in India, the Netherlands, Morocco, and the Philippines, highlighting Conan’s approach to choosing locations, improvisation, and embracing travel chaos. He discusses a Harper’s Bazaar profile of Chris Fleming’s Largo variety show and argues for making the 12:30 slot “weird” again by giving Fleming Late Night, citing Mark Maron’s praise and Fleming’s influences and philosophy. The episode revisits ...

Poolside, Johnny Mac shares an afternoon comedy news update, reacting to the trailer for "Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story," a video-on-demand release arriving September 29th about Cook’s brother Darryl stealing $12 million while serving as his business manager, later pleading guilty and being sentenced to prison. He says the documentary could reignite interest in how big Dane Cook once was, then notes Jo Koy’s sixth Netflix special, "Blue in the Face," premieres September 15th and revisits Koy’...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News, explaining his short afternoon YouTube updates while the main audio show stays the same. He covers a Shane Gillis “kerfuffle” after cameras at an Austin FC match showed a Dos Equis near Gillis, a Bud Light spokesperson, with TMZ citing a source saying the beer belonged to a blonde seated next to him; he also notes a favorable Wall Street Journal piece on Gillis and the Netflix success of Tires, including its Quibi origins, self-funded proof of concept, and ...

At the lake, Johnny Mac jokes about the “non-controversy controversy” around clean comedian Nate Bargatze after The Daily Beast repeatedly called him “MAGA comedian Nate Bargatze,” a label now echoed by mainstream Parade Magazine, which cites his reported $77.5M 2025 earnings and backlash over photos of him attending President Donald Trump’s White House UFC Freedom 250 fight, including criticism from W. Kamau Bell and mixed fan reactions. The episode also corrects a viral claim that Shane Gillis...

Johnny Mac covers multiple comedy-news stories, starting with a Comedy Mothership “Comedy Dating Show” where comedians will “shoot their shot” with Christina P shortly after her May divorce filing from Tom. He highlights Stavros Halikis on the Popcast discussing why performing at Saudi events like the Riyadh Comedy Festival amounts to culture-washing and criticizing U.S. foreign policy. Theo Von questions U.S. troop involvement regarding Iran on This Past Weekend, with guest Zequin Zheng describ...