Episodes

Johnny Mac records a catch-up episode of Daily Comedy News from a street corner on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile after visiting Edinburgh Castle and attending the Podcast Show London. He recaps Stephen Colbert hosting the final episode of The Late Show from the Ed Sullivan Theater, sharing Colbert’s remarks about doing over 1,800 shows, calling it “The Joy Machine,” reflecting on “feeling the news,” and joking about show history and a “first drafts” bit; the final guest was Sir Paul McCartney. Johnny a...

With CBS airing Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 11:35, he shares Colbert’s comments about Allen and notes Colbert’s next gig writing a Lord of the Rings-universe film with Philippa Boyens; Colbert’s Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream packaging is also being updated. USA Today discusses possible late-night replacements (including podcast-style shows) and quotes David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel on late night’s future. He plugs HBO’s Josh Johnson: Symphony, spotlights Atsuko Okatsuka’s HomeState “A...

Johnny Mac covers the final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” revisiting Colbert’s July announcement that the season would be the last and questioning CBS’s claim that the cancellation was purely financial amid Paramount’s merger with Skydance and its $16 million settlement with Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview. It cites reports the show loses $40 million annually and argues CBS could have tried budget changes instead of cancellation. Using excerpts from an April Hollywood Repo...

Johnny Mac covers Jason Zinoman’s New York Times piece asking what is lost as CBS cancels The Late Show, arguing it ends not just Stephen Colbert’s run but an institution with a tradition of emotional late-night farewells, noting The Late Show will outlast the Carson era of The Tonight Show and recalling the Letterman–Leno rivalry and Colbert’s current-events counterprogramming versus Jimmy Fallon’s lighter approach. Other items include Nikki Glaser announced as headliner for the University of F...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including Netflix developing Grown Ups 3 with a script by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy and expected returns from David Spade, Rob Schneider, Kevin James and Chris Rock, with a Europe trip plot involving spreading a deceased friend’s ashes. He mentions the visual-heavy trailer for Will Ferrell’s golf comedy series The Hawk, Nick Kroll’s new series A Hundred Percent with Sam Richardson, Jason Mantzoukas and Vanessa Bayer, and Wanda Sykes’ Netflix special Legacy. Netfl...

Will Ferrell Hosts SNL, Paul McCartney Performs, and Late-Night Shakeups Johnny Mac recaps a Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Will Ferrell with Paul McCartney as musical guest, including a Trump-and-“Jeffrey Epstein” cold open, a Chad...

Johnny Mac reports Nikki Glaser said she has imposter syndrome while appearing on the Night of Too Many Stars lineup with major comics and actors, calling it a dream moment where she’d rather observe than insert herself. NBC canceled Jimmy Fallon’s marketing-competition show On Brand after weak ratings and erratic scheduling, but ordered a Wordle-based game show executive produced by Fallon and hosted by Savannah Guthrie. Jimmy Kimmel will host a fifth season of Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Milli...

Johnny Mac previews Saturday Night Live with host Will Ferrell and musical guest Paul McCartney amid speculation about whether Lorne Michaels is leaving, and discusses Chris Rock on the Fly on the Wall podcast saying he had “beef” with Tupac because they dated the same women, raising renewed interest due to Tupac’s connection to Jada and her past claim that Rock once asked her out. He explores the possibility of Ringo Starr joining McCartney on SNL, citing their new duet “Home to Us,” and recoun...

Johnny Mac reacts emotionally to David Letterman’s return to the Ed Sullivan Theater on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, calling it a welcome “homecoming” and playing edited clips. In the segment, Letterman and Colbert trade jokes about CBS, the theater renovation, the “Jimmies,” and trying to book the pope, while moving guys remove their chairs and the pair sit in the audience as Letterman shares memories of the show and stories about his mother, including a Norway trip and a blunt phone cal...

Johnny Mac reports Conan O’Brien will host the 99th Oscars on March 14, 2027, noting muted social media reaction and quoting Disney TV Group president Craig Erwich praising Conan’s “singular comedic voice.” He discusses a new Strike Force Five podcast where Stephen Colbert reflects on having only a few Late Show episodes left, uncertainty about future plans, and staff needing to vacate offices immediately after the finale; he also recounts guests he’d ban, guests he found attractive, and recent ...

Johnny Mac recaps Variety’s interview with Jeff Ross about the Kevin Hart roast, including Ross’s view that well-crafted jokes don’t hurt, a surreal moment when he missed Hart’s jab while stuck in a locked-bathroom scramble, and the only real tension arising when Katt Williams surprised Hart before Hart quickly turned it celebratory. Ross says nothing was off-limits, credits producer Casey Patterson for secrecy that preserves surprise, and notes live edits and the teleprompter operators’ difficu...

Johnny Mac covers cut jokes from the Roast of Kevin Hart shared by Variety via writer Madison Sinclair, including material about Draymond Green, Lizzo, Shane Gillis, Tony Hinchcliffe, Chelsea Handler, and Hart himself, then notes online backlash, including Blake Neff’s comments on Pete Davidson’s Charlie Kirk-related joke and TMZ reporting George Floyd’s family and friends’ anger at Hinchcliffe’s Floyd joke. Sheryl Underwood defends roast-context language as having different rules. Mac then reca...

Johnny Mac delivers daily comedy news, leading with John Mulaney’s Night of Too Many Stars set featuring sobriety jokes and an extended impression of RFK Jr., while a report calls out Matt Rife for homophobic material. The benefit also included a celebrity band, The Very White Stripes (Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, and Abby Romeo), plus appearances by Bill Burr, Steve Carell, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish, Sarah Silverman, Ali Wong, and others. Mac notes little coverage of Dave Chapp...

Well, it looks like we now know why Netflix never promoted who was on the lineup for the Roast of Kevin Hary Johnny Mac stops watching The Roast of Kevin Hart around 9 PM during Lizzo, saying the first hour felt low-energy and poorly structured despite moments from host Shane Gillis, Tom Brady, Jeff Ross, Naim Wynn, and a long set from Chelsea Handler, and he notes the lack of bigger surprise guests. A curiously times Bloomberg piece ahead of the roast about chaos at Kevin Hart’s media company...

Johnny Mac previews the Netflix Is a Joke roast of Kevin Hart (hosted by Shane Gillis) airing live Friday, noting Netflix hasn’t announced roasters and speculating about possible names while quoting Netflix executives on choosing Hart and discussing Funny AF as a discovery vehicle. He recaps the Funny AF winner Ron Taylor’s Vulture interview, covering his surprise at winning, follower growth, material and time-management issues, strategy shifts for live public voting, and plans to build an hour ...

Johnny Mac reports on David Letterman appearing on Bill Simmons’ podcast and Page Six’s account of Dave Chappelle’s Hollywood Palladium Netflix taping, noting even collaborator Stan Lathan didn’t know the material as Chappelle tested sets in New York and Chicago. He discusses a star-studded comedy brunch at Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos’ home shared by impressionist Matt Friend, plus James Adomian’s Threads jab at Friend. The Hollywood Reporter and Vanity Fair weigh in on Louis C.K.’s return to Netfl...

Johnny Mac recaps a busy comedy week: Jimmy Kimmel interviews John Mulaney, joking about Stephen Colbert leaving TV and Mulaney having lived in Kimmel’s guesthouse. Mulaney also appears on David Letterman’s This Better Be Funny, featuring Paul Shaffer (standing ovation), news of Letterman executive producing a Shaffer documentary, and Letterman’s career retrospective including a Richard Pryor compliment; Mulaney discusses family, projects, and praises Robbie Hoffman as a fearless original, while...

Johnny Mac’s Daily Comedy News covers David Letterman’s New York Times interview about the Late Show ending, where he mocks the Ellisons, questions what happened to Stephen Colbert, and calls CBS/Skydance “lying weasels” despite CBS saying it was “unequivocally a financial decision,” while also discussing Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed as a sign of network TV’s shift. The episode reports Louis C.K.’s Netflix festival set at the Hollywood Bowl, his material, standing ovation, lack of addressing m...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News, noting Tom Segura’s three-night run at Acme Comedy Club in Minneapolis (Aug. 27–29) and speculating it may be for workshopping or recording. Nikki Glaser tells Kara Swisher she avoids private jets, calling them a waste and fearing public backlash. Kevin Hart on Alex Cooper’s podcast draws criticism for a Timothée Chalamet remark, jokes about Elon Musk, Nick Cannon, Bruno Mars, and Machine Gun Kelly, and promotes The Roast of Kevin Hart airing on Netflix on ...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News, led by Robert Smigel’s new weekly podcast, “Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends,” premiering May 8, featuring guests including David Letterman, Bob Odenkirk, Ellie Kemper, Jim Gaffigan, and others helping people make real-life tasks funnier. Netflix sets Tom Segura’s “Bad Thoughts” season two for May 24 (six episodes). Variety interviews Netflix Is A Joke organizers Robbie Praw and Tracy Podesca, teasing festival highlights (Pee-wee Herman celebration; ...

Johnny Mac previews the Netflix Is a Joke Comedy Festival launching in Los Angeles, citing LA Times coverage and Netflix comedy head Tracy Pakosta on assembling talent; the festival is shortened to one week, runs through Sunday, and features 350 shows. Comics including Eliza Schlesinger, Sheng Wang, and Atsuko Okatsuka discuss the festival’s diversity, smaller rooms, and career growth; Netflix also addresses booking Louis C.K. and a future special, and Okatsuka plans to shoot her next special in...

Johnny Mac’s Daily Comedy News covers Cultured magazine’s Cultured 100 profile of SNL’s Marcello Hernandez, including his reflections with interviewer Jamie Foxx on anxiety after filming his Netflix special and Hernandez’s influences (Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor). The episode discusses a New York Times profile in which Stephen Colbert says CBS sought a longer renewal but he chose a three-year extension in 2023; Mac notes Colbert’s reported $15M salary. Conan O’Brien is spotted in...

Johnny Mac delivers a Derby Day comedy news briefing highlighting comedian Catherine Blandford’s early comedy start at the University of South Carolina, a Derby story involving her roommate’s arrest, and her rise after a 2022 viral joke that led to opening for David Spade, moving to LA, becoming a regular at the Improv and Laugh Factory, and planning two specials this year. The episode includes comments from comedian Max Amini on cultural change in Iran, his path into comedy, and how social medi...

Johnny Mac delivers a daily comedy news briefing, led by Colin Jost on the SmartLess podcast saying reports about the Pete Davidson ferry being a money pit are wrong, claiming events have already recouped their investment; he describes potential uses as an event/entertainment venue, docking challenges, and ideas like a middle-class swim-club concept and a seasonal Miami move. Tim Heidecker tells The Hollywood Reporter about getting involved with the Infowars situation and wanting it to become a ...