May 4, 2025

The Comedy Special Drought - Conan O'Brien on Netflix kicks off a slow comedy month

Show Notes
Transcript

Johnny Mac discusses the slow period for comedy specials, highlighting notable releases from platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. He delves into recent and upcoming specials, including David Spade's 'Dandelion,' Sarah Silverman, and Gerard Carmichael. Johnny shares a funny anecdote about Jay Leno's impromptu visit to David Letterman’s house and debates Leno's character. The episode also covers Sheng Wang’s writing tips, and Josh Jones’ comedic journey. The serious tone comes with the update on Russell Brand's court appearance on multiple sexual assault charges. Additionally, Johnny reflects on the last great comedy specials and reviews Vogue's list of the funniest female comedians of all time, ending with a tribute to the late Ruth Buzzi.

00:18 Netflix and Upcoming Comedy Specials
01:04 Mark Twain Prize for Humor
01:29 Jay Leno and David Letterman Anecdote
03:33 Shang Wang's Writing Routine
03:54 Josh Jones' New Tour and Personal Stories
04:58 Russell Brand's Court Appearance
06:03 Discussion on Great Comedy Specials
07:32 Vogue's Funniest Female Comedians List
10:39 Ruth Buzzi Tribute and Conclusion

Get the show without ads. Five bucks. For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app which says UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus.

Contact John at john@thesharkdeck dot com
John’s free substack about the media: Media Thoughts is mcdpod.substack.com

DCN on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@dailycomedynews
https://linktr.ee/dailycomedynews

You can also support the show at www.buymeacoffee.com/dailycomedynews

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news--4522158/support.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:11.119
Callaroga Shark Media. Hey Aaron' Joenni Mack with your daily

2
00:00:11.160 --> 00:00:14.839
comedy news. It continues to be a very suspiciously slow

3
00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:16.679
time of the year, and as I'm looking at it,

4
00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:20.280
I think a big part of that is because Netflix

5
00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:23.440
seems to be in a gap between doing comedy specials.

6
00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:25.239
A lot of times they have one every week, and

7
00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:27.160
they seem to be taking a month off here. The

8
00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:30.640
last Netflix major release was Tim Dillon on April fifteenth,

9
00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:33.240
and we only really had two other specials other than

10
00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:35.280
you know, there's a YouTube special every five minutes. But

11
00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:38.240
Hulu had Curson on the twenty fifth and Brett Goldstein

12
00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:40.679
on the twenty sixth, and nobody's out really doing press

13
00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:46.119
looking Ahead on Amazon May sixth, so that's Tuesday, right,

14
00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:50.159
David Spade's Dandelion is out, Then another ten day gap

15
00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:54.200
Matteo Lane on Hulu on the sixteenth. Finally Netflix gets

16
00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:56.399
back into the game on the twentieth with Sarah Silverman

17
00:00:56.799 --> 00:00:59.200
hbo Is, Jerrod Carmichael on the twenty fourth, and then

18
00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:02.240
Mike Birbigley on Netflix on the twenty six So it's

19
00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:05.519
a slow month coming up here. Fortunately, Netflix gave us

20
00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:08.719
something to watch Today in the Mark Twain Prize for Humor.

21
00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:12.560
Conan O'Brien had accepted the prize on March twenty third,

22
00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:15.519
and they filmed it. It's funny who gets spotlighted and

23
00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:18.680
who doesn't. On the Netflix page, it says cast Conan O'Brien,

24
00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:21.959
John Mulaney, Will Ferrell, Bill Burr, Camille On Jeohnny, Paul Rudd,

25
00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:25.840
Sarah Silverman, Stephen Colbert, Tracy Morgan, Reggie Watts. I personally

26
00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:28.599
would have mentioned David Letterman, but that's just me anyway,

27
00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:31.879
that's out on Netflix today. Speaking of Letterman, Jay Leno

28
00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:35.840
was talking about Dave recently. Leno had that big interview

29
00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:39.519
on the Graham Benzinger podcast, and Jay told a story

30
00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:42.319
about being out on a motorcycle with comic Will Schreiner.

31
00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:46.359
They decided to drop by Letterman's house. Leno recalled, thinking, Hey,

32
00:01:46.439 --> 00:01:48.719
let's stop in Malibu and see Letterman. Let's just surprise

33
00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:52.400
him at his house. Letterman was apparently thrown by the visit.

34
00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:56.280
Leno says it was the most awkward thing. Dave was like, huh, okay,

35
00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.640
come on in. Leno said, We're like, oh, this was

36
00:01:58.680 --> 00:02:00.439
a mistake. It was just so awkward because you have

37
00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:03.879
nothing else in common other than comedy. Really, I'm assuming

38
00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.200
this took place in the eighties, when Leno was a

39
00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:09.000
frequent guest on David's show, and not in the post

40
00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:12.479
Tonight Show era. Benjader was curious what would it take

41
00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:15.120
to see Leno and Letterman reunited. Jay said, I have

42
00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:16.879
no idea. Dave's a quirky guy, and I don't mean

43
00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:19.120
that in a bad way. Believe me. If Dave wanted

44
00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:20.599
to do something, I would do it. But I tend

45
00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:22.599
to get my hand bitten when I instigate these kinds

46
00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:25.479
of things. Yes, you do, Jay, I can't get a

47
00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:28.280
sense of is Jay a really good guy or is

48
00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:30.360
he a bad guy? I know there's the whole cone

49
00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:33.080
of thing. I get it. And when NBC went to

50
00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:34.800
Jay and said, hey, you want eleven thirty back, he

51
00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:38.680
could have said no, absolutely. So there's that. But going

52
00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:42.319
back to the eighties, you know, Jay was the Monday

53
00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:44.599
guest host for the Tonight Show. Somebody offers you the

54
00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:47.439
Tonight Show, you're gonna say yes. There's all the stuff

55
00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:49.120
with his wife that I think I have a story

56
00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:51.919
for that. In tomorrow's script. He seems like a good dude,

57
00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.479
I don't know, never met him. Comedians don't seem to

58
00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:57.240
like him. The guy was on the Tonight Show for

59
00:02:57.319 --> 00:02:59.639
years and at the number one show. Somebody likes the guy,

60
00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:02.360
you know. But I do agree with Leno when he says,

61
00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:04.319
but I tend to get my handbitten when I instigate

62
00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:07.319
these kinds of things. I don't mistrust Dave. I like Dave.

63
00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:09.120
I think he's great. He still makes me laugh more

64
00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:12.719
than anyone else. The Sag After Foundations shared an Instagram

65
00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:17.759
video featuring Caitlin Olsen explaining improv. When you're doing improv,

66
00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:20.520
just listen, listen, listen, listen. You don't have to talk much,

67
00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:21.960
especially if you're in a scene with a bunch of

68
00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:25.159
people who know what they're doing. Listen, let them be funny.

69
00:03:25.159 --> 00:03:26.479
And when you have something to say, go ahead and

70
00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:28.159
go for it, and don't be afraid to fail because

71
00:03:28.199 --> 00:03:29.639
not everything that comes out of your mouth is going

72
00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:32.120
to be home run. And that's okay, it's not supposed

73
00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:36.479
to be. Shang Wang was on the Where We Live podcast.

74
00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:38.960
Shang says, as a comedian, you're not writing eight hours

75
00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:40.560
a day. You just have to sit down once a day.

76
00:03:40.599 --> 00:03:42.280
It could be ten minutes could be two hours. But

77
00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:44.159
the idea is make it habitual and make it a

78
00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:46.599
daily part of your life, just like anything else that

79
00:03:46.599 --> 00:03:48.960
you want to pursue. Seriously, you can't cram it all

80
00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:50.520
in a one day, right, so it's helpful to come

81
00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:52.000
back over and over to your ideas and to give

82
00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:55.520
yourself time to think of new things. Josh Jones spoke

83
00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:58.039
to The Pink News you'r home for Comedy News. Josh's

84
00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:00.280
new tour is called I Haven't Won the Lottery, Here's

85
00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:02.919
another tour. But what if he did win the lottery?

86
00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:06.400
Josh says, I want new paving. I've been deweeding. It's

87
00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:09.240
getting very boring. He currently lives in the city but

88
00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:12.280
would like somewhere with a garden. He doesn't do current

89
00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:14.280
affairs in his act because people are paying for a

90
00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:15.719
night out and I just want to entertain them, so

91
00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:17.160
I try and keep it light. I just want them

92
00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:18.560
to have the best night, not the best night, you

93
00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:20.439
know what I mean. I'm not abba, but I'm pretty

94
00:04:20.439 --> 00:04:23.959
good night out. Josh was picked on in school growing up,

95
00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:25.879
and he tells the story I remember telling my mom

96
00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:27.879
I was getting picked on instead of being like all right,

97
00:04:27.879 --> 00:04:30.000
I'll speak to their mom. My mom taught me how

98
00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:33.240
to uppercut properly. She was like, if you uppercut them,

99
00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:35.480
they lose their balance, and then while they've lost their balance,

100
00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:37.480
to start hitting them. So I did that and it worked.

101
00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:40.680
People kind of stop picking on me, because no one

102
00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:43.079
wants to get battered by the gay guy. I'm going

103
00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:45.279
to take the break here and when we come back,

104
00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:49.480
adults situations. If you're listening with kids, hit stop, hit

105
00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:53.800
a checked, be right back, okay. As I mentioned before

106
00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:56.680
the break, serious topic here. If children are listening, hit

107
00:04:56.680 --> 00:05:01.560
stop please. Russell Brand appeared in court on Friday. Russell

108
00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:05.319
is facing multiple charges of sexual assault, including two counts

109
00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:09.000
of rape. He was in court for fourteen minutes. This

110
00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:12.160
one month after British prosecutors had charged Brand with one

111
00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.160
count of rape, one of oral rape, two counts of

112
00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:18.560
sexual assaults and another of indecent assaults. Brand stood inside

113
00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:22.800
a plexiglass box in the courtroom, wearing a shirt opened

114
00:05:22.839 --> 00:05:25.160
to show his chest and holding a pair of gold

115
00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:29.399
rimmed sunglasses. I'm going to just refrain from editorializing there

116
00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:32.079
and I will just continue. Mister Brand confirmed his name,

117
00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:35.800
date of birth, and British address, then listened without showing

118
00:05:35.800 --> 00:05:39.639
any visible emotion. Brand has denied all of the charges.

119
00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:43.639
He was granted bail. The judge of the actor was

120
00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:46.959
free to go. Mister Brand said thank you and left

121
00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:49.319
the courthouse without speaking to reporters and jumped in a

122
00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:52.439
black Mercedes Benz. The judge referred the case to a

123
00:05:52.519 --> 00:05:55.879
higher court called a Crown Court. That hearing is scheduled

124
00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:59.160
for May thirtieth. Any trial might be like a year

125
00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:01.879
from now because of a backlog of cases in Britain's

126
00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:06.399
judicial system. Switching gears. Anticipating a slow news day, I

127
00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:09.319
asked the Facebook group, which is Daily Comedy News podcast group,

128
00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:13.519
you got any topics, guys? Dylan jumped in and floated,

129
00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.759
what was the last truly great special, meaning one that

130
00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:19.279
people still talk about a few years later. There hasn't

131
00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:22.759
been one in the last two years. Dylan floats Shane

132
00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:26.399
Gillis live from Austin in twenty twenty one, Tompsigora's Ballhog,

133
00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:30.680
Bo Burnham's Inside and Dave Chappelle's eight forty six the

134
00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:35.199
last great special. Now, I am an admitted comedy snob.

135
00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:37.959
I gotta think about that. My brain is already going

136
00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:40.920
back to like Chris Rock from like twenty years ago.

137
00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:46.240
Let me just google here all time comedy specials. I'm

138
00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:49.079
doing that and anything that I find comes from twenty

139
00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:52.800
twenty three, So that doesn't answer Dylan's question. Let me

140
00:06:52.839 --> 00:06:55.560
go back. I actually have my list. Let me see

141
00:06:55.560 --> 00:06:58.480
my Best of twenty twenty three. That year I gave

142
00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.240
number one to Gary Goleman. I don't think we're still

143
00:07:01.240 --> 00:07:03.519
talking about that one. Tod Barry, we're not talking about

144
00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:05.879
I do have Shane Gillis at three and Sigur at

145
00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:10.160
four and Canane at five for Best of twenty twenty four,

146
00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:13.519
the Roast of Tom Brady. We are still talking about that.

147
00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:15.600
That might be the answer, Dylan. I know that's not

148
00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:19.040
really a stand up special. I also had a tell

149
00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:22.800
triumph Onnie Chang David Cross a Doomian. So yeah, it's

150
00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:25.120
been a minute. If I have to pick, and I'm

151
00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:26.920
not going to pick something from twenty years ago, I

152
00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:29.600
think I'd have to go with maybe one of those Chappelles.

153
00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:32.480
It's been a minute, though, you are right now, Erin.

154
00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:35.480
I sent a link to Vogues twenty of the Funniest

155
00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:38.279
Female Comedians of All Time, and she couldn't remember if

156
00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:40.319
I've done this one or not. And I couldn't remember

157
00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:42.800
if I've done this or not, but hey, let's do it.

158
00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:45.759
I'm doing this cold now as I scroll down here,

159
00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:48.000
I haven't even seen the list, but there's a picture

160
00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:51.920
of Gilda Radner, and Gilda is a great choice for

161
00:07:51.959 --> 00:07:54.800
this list. And you know, other than the obvious, you

162
00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:57.839
wish Gilda were still around. Had she been part of

163
00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:00.439
SNL fifty, she would be up there in the pan antheon.

164
00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:03.079
But because she has passed, she's not visible, and I

165
00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:05.279
don't think she gets talked about, and she would have

166
00:08:05.319 --> 00:08:07.879
had a very visible year in twenty twenty five with

167
00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:10.759
SNL fifty. All right, I'm gonna fly through here now.

168
00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:14.319
The first name is Moms Maybley, which wants me to editorialize.

169
00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:16.720
If I don't have something to say, I'm just going

170
00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:21.519
to move along. I'm not really familiar with Moms Maybley's comedy.

171
00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:24.439
I back in the day programmed some of her records

172
00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:27.319
a few times, but it's just from another era, so

173
00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:29.279
they didn't play well on the radio, and then we

174
00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:31.639
stopped playing them. So I don't really have anything to

175
00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:37.320
say about Moms Maybley. But sure, why not Gilda. Joan Rivers.

176
00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:40.360
I've talked about it many times. I knew Joan worked

177
00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:43.600
with Joan, was in Joan's apartment, one of the greats.

178
00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:49.440
Definitely still talked about Wanda Sikes. I guess Margaret Show now.

179
00:08:49.559 --> 00:08:54.639
Johnny Mack admittedly oversteers against Margaret Show. Here's why. When

180
00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:59.240
I first started It's serious, a person representing Margaret Show

181
00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:03.639
called me an idiot for not hiring Margaret. And that's

182
00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:04.840
not a good way to get me to do a

183
00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:06.480
deal with you. That's not how to come at me.

184
00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:09.799
So I did not hire Margaret. And you know I've

185
00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:13.720
got a little buyas there. Melissa McCarthy, Okay, Sure, Tiffany Hattish.

186
00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:15.000
I mean, I don't know who else is on this

187
00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:18.279
list or not. That seems a little high. Jenny Slats.

188
00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.200
People really dig Jenny's slate. Sure, Patty Harrison. I'd like

189
00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:24.799
to think I know a lot about comedy. Maybe I don't.

190
00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:27.399
Vogue wrote, I don't think there's a comedian working today

191
00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:29.759
who makes me as consistently sick to my stomach as

192
00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:31.840
Patti Harrison, whether she's guest starring on I think you

193
00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:34.960
should leave. Getting banned from Twitter for impersonating Nila Wafer's

194
00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:37.279
singing nonsense songs in her stand up back or delivering

195
00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:40.440
a perfectly improvised line in theater camp Hey, Netflix, when

196
00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:45.240
is her special dropping? Leslie Jones? I think Leslie is

197
00:09:45.320 --> 00:09:50.720
more fun than funny, more attitude than material. Tig Nataro, Sure, fantastic.

198
00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:53.960
Who doesn't like Tig Nataro? Nicole Bayer? I hear Nicole

199
00:09:54.039 --> 00:09:56.120
every day as I listen back to this podcast. She

200
00:09:56.240 --> 00:09:58.960
voices a commercial and I hear her every day. Michelle

201
00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:02.039
buttell Yeah, Michelle's a lot of fun. Absolutely. Ali Wong

202
00:10:02.279 --> 00:10:06.159
has a couple great specials. Sarah Sherman one of my

203
00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:10.519
current favorites. Interesting pick on the list here, Maria Bamford. Sure,

204
00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:13.600
I think Maria works better in person than in clips.

205
00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:16.000
If Maria comes to your town, definitely go see Maria

206
00:10:16.519 --> 00:10:22.240
Eightye Bryant, Amber Ruffin, Catherine Cohen, let's go at Cotska

207
00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:25.679
one of my favorites as well. She's just squirky and fun.

208
00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:29.559
I like her specials a lot. And then the list

209
00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:32.840
abruptly ends. Okay, what do you guys think erin? Who

210
00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:34.080
do you think should be on the list? I'd love

211
00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:36.679
to hear from you daily Common News Facebook group erin

212
00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:40.120
already knows that, and we'll leave on a downer. We

213
00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:42.519
found out on Friday that Ruth Buzzy had passed away

214
00:10:42.519 --> 00:10:45.000
at age eighty eight, best known for her time on

215
00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:48.320
laugh In playing a matron who wields her purse. The

216
00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:52.919
cause was complications from Alzheimer's disease. Yikes. Oh yeah, Ruth

217
00:10:53.039 --> 00:10:55.720
was on Sesame Street. That's kind of how I know

218
00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:58.720
her from. Yeah, all right, yeah, yeah, I remember Ruth.

219
00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:01.919
Old people like remember her on Sesame Street. Yeah, I

220
00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:05.000
totally forgot that was the thing, all right. She also

221
00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:08.120
appeared in Freaky Friday, the Real One from nineteen seventy six,

222
00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:11.399
the famous movie The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again nineteen

223
00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:13.159
seventy nine. I'm not making fun of the movie. If

224
00:11:13.159 --> 00:11:15.320
you're of my age, you remember that movie. You know

225
00:11:15.399 --> 00:11:18.200
that list I just read Ruth Buzzy should be on it.

226
00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:21.120
And that is your comedy news for today. I'll see tomorrow.