Episodes

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including Michael Che’s new special Shot in Minnesota and his explanation to MPR that it’s about frustration around what’s happening in Minnesota without joking about specific victims; Minneapolis comedian Comrade Tripp critiques “wink” references but notes Che supports local independent venues. Dane Cook tells Deadline how his brother’s betrayal affected him years later, pushed him to face it, and oddly didn’t destroy his trust, describing relief after his brother ...

Sebastian Maniscalco spent seven years as a waiter at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills while doing open mics at night. In 2025 he was the number three touring comedian in America. For most of that climb, the comedy world barely talked about him. Johnny Mac explains who he is, how the act works, and how he built an arena career on slow-burn specials, Madison Square Garden, Scorsese and De Niro. Then the last twelve months: the Riyadh Comedy Festival, and the week some of the biggest names in co...

Johnny Mac discusses a viral clip from a Jerry Seinfeld show after a pro-Palestine heckle, questions whether the exchange was a setup, and is surprised mainstream media hasn’t covered it; he later flags how Seinfeld quotes could look bad out of context. He revisits skepticism about Theo Von’s Netflix trailer, citing negative comments and possible recycled material. Mac reviews Michael Che’s new Netflix special (not his favorite) and shares Che’s comments on taking two years to build it, tweaking...

Johnny Mac focuses on criticism of Shane Gillis’ SNL monologue amid public discussion of a Cornell 2024 sexual assault case, citing Vogue’s Emma Specter, Jessica Valenti’s comments, a Today Show segment with Jenna Bush Hager calling the language derogatory, and Cecily Strong’s Instagram response referencing Cornell and New York law. The show notes Bobby Bones’ deleted TikTok calling one line funny and his subsequent apology, plus Saturday Night Network host John Schneider’s apology for initially...

Johnny Mac covers reactions to Shane Gillis, noting Michael Che’s joking Instagram stories about press questions, criticism from Phoebe Robinson, and gym “whore” posts from Ego Nwodim and Maren Morris; Flavor Flav and Travis Kelce also engage with a Dan Levy clip. He mocks The Daily Beast’s “MAGA-friendly” framing and discusses unaired footage of Gillis walking offstage before SNL goodnights, likened to Morgan Wallen’s earlier exit. A resurfaced 2011 Dave Chappelle bit is used to compare joke pr...

Johnny Mac covers Dan Levy’s Instagram response to Shane Gillis’ SNL monologue joke about women dressing “like whores” at the gym, with Levy calling such language misogynistic and urging men to defend women; he also cites Levy’s earlier post condemning “vile” talk. He recaps CinemaBlend’s look at past SNL monologue controversies and the mismatch between SNL audiences and stand-up crowds. Robert Smigel says SNL planned a Mike Ditka “Superfans” tribute but ran out of time. Theo Von’s Netflix speci...

Johnny Mac recaps Shane Gillis’ SNL appearance, including an on-air F-bomb, Mikey Day’s joke about it, and Gillis’ goodnights apology, while noting social media criticism of Gillis’ monologue about the gym, “gym gays,” women’s workout clothes, and a “gay or Hitler” hairline bit. He pivots to news that the Pentagon plans to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood mass shooter, then plays a profane George Carlin clip about televising capital punishment. The show covers CBS’s Comics Unleashed bea...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news while plugging episode two of his podcast “Is Late Night Dead?” and discussing Bill Carter’s view that Jimmy Kimmel Live’s Brooklyn week (with 150,000 ticket requests) shows late night remains a hot, hard-to-match format despite podcast evolution. Nate Bargatze tells Fox News he avoids politics, aiming for simpler, less polarizing comedy, and later tops Billboard’s August Boxscore for the sixth time in 2026 with $6.5M and 87,000 tickets, with Matt Rife and Max Amini...

Johnny Mac profiles Norm Macdonald, highlighting his belief that jokes should surprise and never pander, and noting that his death similarly shocked fans because he privately battled multiple myeloma diagnosed in 2013 that became acute leukemia, telling only family and producing partner Lori while continuing podcasts, Netflix work, talk shows, and scheduled 2021 dates. The script traces his path from Quebec City and Ottawa stand-up to writing on Roseanne and becoming the defining Weekend Update ...

Johnny Mac delivers daily comedy news, previewing Shane Gillis hosting Saturday Night Live and reporting that Joe Rogan renewed his Spotify deal, with The Wall Street Journal pegging it at $250 million and noting the show has 18 million Spotify followers and has been the most listened-to U.S. podcast since 2019. He recaps TMZ items including Kevin Hart’s sex tape partner possibly being pulled into a court battle and a heated ComplexCon confrontation between Chet Hanks and Eric Andre involving se...

Sebastian Maniscalco issues a statement supporting comedians, denying responsibility for removing Raw Comedy, and saying he will work with the company to highlight a variety of stand-up voices but needs time to build out the channel. 00:00 Sebastian Responds 01:19 Steinbrenner Lesson 03:05 ABC Rotation Explained 08:11 LA Times Essay Reaction 09:36 Working Comics Matter 11:13 SNL and Cracked Take Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news led by Chris Rock’s New York Times interview: he discusses post-COVID therapy, insecurity, his film Misty Green, why he won’t give a “Hollywood is bad” speech, and says Bring the Pain would be bigger today because it would be less mainstream-lauded; he also says he’s moved on from Will Smith’s slap and critiques the Times’ lack of nuance, citing Bill Burr not being reviewed after selling out MSG. Bill Burr tells Variety he wouldn’t lunch with Mark Zuckerberg because...

Johnny Mac reports that John Mulaney’s Nov. 12 Victoria stop on the “Mr. Whatever” tour was postponed to March 5 due to a “soon to be announced TV commitment,” sparking speculation about a new project. Jamie Foxx’s new special, “Take Care of Yourself,” releases on Hulu and Disney+, covering his recovery, jokes about Kim Kardashian and the U.S. president, and his views on podcasts, Katt Williams, and sensitivity around roasts. Disney exec Dana Walden comments on the challenging late-night busines...

Johnny Mac records a bonus Daily Comedy News episode early to discuss “Raw Dog Gate,” arguing SiriusXM’s Raw Dog/Raw Comedy rebrand under Sebastian Maniscalco has sharply reduced the number of comedians played and thus royalty income for working comics. Citing standupforstandup.org, he says total monthly spins stayed roughly 7,800–9,400, but the active roster fell about 66% (812 acts in April to 275 in September) and plays concentrated among top famous acts; he contrasts March 2026 top spins (in...

A Deadline report tells us SiriusXM replaced the long-running Raw Comedy/Raw Dog channel with “Sebastian Maniscalco’s Comedy Radio,” prompting Stand Up for Stand-Up and multiple comedians to argue the change harmed working-class comics by concentrating airplay and royalties among fewer, mostly famous (including deceased) performers. John plays clips from comedians including Liz Miele, Patton Oswalt, Myq Kaplan, Josh Johnson, Nick Swardson, Eugene Mirman, Jeff Garlin, and Matt Ruby, most praisin...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including Bert Kreischer claiming Tom Cruise has his life meticulously scheduled, with edited sports in the gym and food and a steaming shower ready after workouts, while Kreischer says Cruise’s beliefs don’t bother him. Seth Meyers says he wants to keep hosting NBC’s Late Night beyond his current contract ending after the 2027–2028 season, though the host argues for making 12:30 “wacky” again and promotes his audio series Is Late Night Dead? Dane Cook tells Deadlin...

Johnny Mac recaps comedy news: Jim Norton tells Fox News that Dave Chappelle is doing what comics should—being funny and sharing real thoughts—and critics can skip him or do better. Bill Burr argues mainstream journalism has been hollowed out into divisive 24-hour talking heads and says AI is being built to replace workers, not executives. Amy Poehler promotes Peacock’s 10-episode comedy-adventure Dig (with Mike Schur), set on an archeological site in Greece where four women uncover an artifact ...

Johnny Mac cold-reacts to The New York Times’ list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century, focusing mainly on comedies and frequently arguing many rankings are “criminally low” or overrated. He’s shocked by Community at #97 and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia at #78, questions shows ranked above Community, and notes unfamiliarity with titles like Better Things, Somebody Somewhere, Insecure, and Normal People. He praises Barry, Peep Show, Chappelle’s Show, Key & Peele, and The Americans; ...

Johnny Mac argues a 12-minute 2006 Philadelphia clip captures Bill Burr’s career: facing a hostile, drunk crowd after Tracy Morgan and Dom Irrera struggled, Burr delivered a profane takedown of the city and won a standing ovation by being “real,” not performing anger. He traces Burr’s path from Canton, Massachusetts (Emerson College, warehouse job) to Boston standup in 1992, New York in 1995, and the late-’90s NYC scene (Patrice O’Neal, Louis C.K., Dave Attell, Jim Norton) that shaped his honest...

Johnny Mac delivers daily comedy news centered on Rolling Stone comments from Bill Burr about moving past anger, recently bombing with a hard Vegas opener, parenting his daughter and son, crying during a story about connecting with his daughter, and how Broadway’s Glengarry Glen Ross made him love theater while rejecting a Cats revival; he also plugs a Bill Burr deep-dive episode and an upcoming Norm Macdonald deep dive. The episode notes Burr, Pete Davidson joking about fatherhood at the Riyadh...

Johnny Mac covers Dane Cook posting surveillance video to identify a woman he says stole dog treats from his doorstep at 6 a.m., noting the coincidence with Cook promoting a new VOD film and discussing Cook’s comments to Deadline about a documentary framing his career like “Empire Strikes Back.” He highlights a Michael Che Netflix special trailer (Oct. 13), the Maria Bamford documentary “Paralyzed by Hope” (Oct. 23, Netflix), Chris Hardwick’s special “The Middle Ages” (Oct. 5 on 800 Pound Gorill...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including Ford launching an ad campaign starring Nate Bargatze promoting dealership centers and mobile service with pickup/delivery, plus Bargatze discussing his self-focused, relatable comedy on Fox News. Tom Segura announces a 30-city “Preposterous” tour starting January 8 in Baton Rouge with presale at 10:00 AM and general sale Friday, October 2, and he’s listed for the Fastball Comedy Festival October 17 in Mesa, Arizona alongside Bill Burr and Dave Chappelle. M...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including Bruce Springsteen canceling a scheduled Jimmy Kimmel Brooklyn appearance with Tom Morello (Morello still appears), with Amy Schumer as the replacement guest alongside Howard Stern. He notes Sam Morril’s new Netflix special, Incorrect, and shares a Good Day LA intro and clip about modern attention spans. He highlights the release of Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story and Cook’s comments about his mother warning him about his brother, who allegedly stole from ...

Johnny Mac covers influencer Brielle Adams-Wheatley’s Instagram call-out of a standup bit attributed to Nikki Glaser about Adams-Wheatley (a trans creator born with no limbs); Glaser apologizes in messages, says the joke was inaccurately described but still “dumb,” and says she’ll remove it. He highlights Yakov Smirnoff on Joe Rogan describing his family listening to Voice of America, fear in the USSR, and leaving after a Jimmy Carter grain-for-exit deal. He discusses Taylor Tomlinson’s new book...