Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac

Nate Bargatze Launches No Pictures as Zarna Garg Gets Stuck at HermèsJohnny 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 as she joked, made paper-towel origami, and staff eventually used a crowbar and firefighters to free her. He notes a pronunciation clip explaining “Hermès.” The episode also reports Nate Bargatze launching the edgier production banner No Pictures with producer Lawrence Gray while Nateland develops projects including the film Fantasy Camp and Netflix a...

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 YouTube video podcast of “A Closer Look.” A Jay Leno anecdote follows: at a 2026 Burbank International Film Festival dinner for his Vangua...

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, plus that Chloe Fineman won’t return. Mac discusses Seth Meyers’ seven-week hiatus and new video podcast with Sal Gentile, speculating about budget cuts. Updates include Jay Leno rearr...

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. He recaps Ricky Gervais saying he’ll marry longtime partner Jane Fallon to reduce inheritance tax and discusses his views on cancel cult...

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 Scottsdale car accident while awaiting a liver transplant. Mac traces Schimmel’s career: Bronx upbringing, Rodney Dangerfield’s 1986 HBO Young Comedian’s Special boost, Showtime specials, writing for In Livin...

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 made it and Guillermo approved putting his name on it. The host plugs tomorrow’s audio deep dive on comedian Robert Schimmel and reflects on how some...

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 Byron Allen’s stance against political humor and his claim that CBS gives him no content notes. Other items include Mariska Hargitay w...

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’s Golden Globes Taylor Swift joke bit. He highlights a New York Times piece about comics pivoting from video clips to scroll...

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 plans through season three, plus co-star Steve Gerben’s background as a paralegal. He discusses media...

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 drank Dos Equis at the event, saying TMZ reports he was drinking Bud Light and the Dos Equis belonged to someone nearby. Finally, it notes Rick...

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 describing Trump’s inconsistent rhetoric as “TACO” (“Trump Always Chickens Out”). Chelsea Handler, on Kara Swisher’s podcast, warns AG Todd Blanche could overturn Roe v. Wade, though it w...

Filmed from High Point State Park in New Jersey after a 2.18-mile uphill hike,Johhny Mac  runs through comedy news and recommendations: Robby Hoffman is releasing her album “Wake Up” on vinyl tomorrow via Secretly Canadian (also available digitally, with a limited run of signed vinyl), joking it’s the only way her record-collecting mother will hear it. He riffs on a Daily Beast “controversial comedian” label for Nate Bargatze, recommends Shane Gillis’ “Tires” and notes a new “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” episode, and mentions a viral clip of Gillis swapping a Dos Equis for a Bud Light on camera. He highlight...

Johnny Mac recaps Daily Comedy News, starting with The Daily Beast’s reaction to a Joe Rogan episode featuring Shane Gillis, Ari Shaffir, and Mark Normand discussing attending a Trump White House/UFC-related event, VIP-room photos involving Nate Bargatze, and a past Trump photo. The episode also includes the group’s talk about communism versus policies like free healthcare and education, and Rogan’s criticism of Trump-related crypto corruption and business dealings. On Popcast, Stavros Halkias says comedians have had “dumb” political opinions, resents being pushed into politics, and argues podcasters either naively or cynically platformed politicians; he also criticizes A-list com...

John reacts negatively to James Austin Johnson’s trailer for his special “Hell Yeah,” out August 31, noting the trailer’s premise and that it shows him performing at venues including the Den Theatre in Chicago, Cobb’s in San Francisco, and Zanies in Nashville. Comedy Dynamics also announces Dan Ahdoot’s special “Yes I Am Falafel Phil,” available on Prime and Apple TV, covering topics like post-breakup fitness, foodie culture, dating, family, and his Disney Channel role as Falafel Phil. The host comments on Christina P. hosting a Comedy Mothership Comedy Dating Show where comedians “shoot their shot” with her, and mentions Amy Sch...

Johnny Mac covers Tom Segura discussing his divorce from Christina P on his podcast, saying they’ve recorded separately for months, are non-combative, talk daily, and are focused on their children, while calling the public nature of it awful. He previews season seven of David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with guests including Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Jimmy Kimmel, and rock climber Alex Honnold. Jay Leno backs “Leno’s Law 2.0” to expand smog exemptions for older collector cars and says he’d likely avoid Trump jokes if hosting The Tonight Show. Joe Rogan comments on a report about the pr...

Johnny Mac reviews What’s on Netflix’s guide to Netflix comedy series returning in 2026–2027 and beyond, highlighting projects including A Hundred Percent (single-camera ensemble about the “thought leader industrial complex”), adult animated series Dad’s House, Ding, Dealies, Living the Dream, Scooby-Doo Origins (live-action), and an untitled Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo relationship comedy. He notes rumored upcoming stand-up releases listed on Wikipedia: Kelsey Cook’s Happy Hour (Aug. 18) and Stamped Town (Aug. 25), plus specials in development from Bert Kreischer, Gabe, Leanne Morgan, Nate Bargatze, and Nimesh Patel. He summarizes The Hollywood Reporter interview with Rory Scovel about his new special, e...

Two days before he died, Ralphie May won Casino Comedian of the Year. He was forty-five, he had pneumonia, and he went to the ceremony anyway and posted about it with the hashtag NoApologies. Johnny Mac makes the case for a comedian who built a platinum album, six specials, and two decades of sold-out rooms through crowd work and audience relationship rather than industry validation, and asks why the comedy conversation still hasn't fully reckoned with what it lost when he died."What happened to Ralphie May?""Why did Ralphie May finish second on Last Comic Standing?"<...

Johnny Mac gives a poolside update on cleaning a vandalized, still-green pool now filled with added leaves, then recommends listening to Joe Rogan’s episode with Mark Normand, Shane Gillis, and Ari Shaffir, plus Stavros Halkias on the Popcast. He notes the Daily Beast criticizing Nate Bargatze by labeling him “MAGA comedian” and mentions Gillis telling Rogan he refused to go into a VIP room or be photographed. Mac plans to play related clips on Tuesday’s audio podcast, including Stavros’s comments that some comedians have “the dumbest opinions on Earth” and that getting rich can make comics lose touch. He also...

Johnny Mac covers comedy news including reports that Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser abruptly fired UTA after being signed since 2018 and moved to WME across multiple areas. He highlights new Bud Light commercials featuring Shane Gillis and Peyton Manning, and Theo Von returning to Vanderbilt to deliver a more serious football speech and spend time at fall camp. He discusses a Radar Online item claiming a Sandler–Ryan Reynolds rivalry tied to Taylor Swift, plus Sunny Sandler’s Tonight Show appearance describing Adam Sandler’s pool “socks” habit. Other items: Joe Rogan responds to Chelsea Handler’s $82M comment, Conan O’Brien play...

From lakeside update, Johnny Mac highlights Page Six reporting that Nikki Glaser fired UTA and signed with WME, allegedly influenced by her connection to Kim Kardashian, who is producing and co-starring with Glaser in the upcoming Netflix film The Fifth Wheel; Glaser praises Kardashian’s advice and says the cast stays in touch. The host notes David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction returning for season seven with guests Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Jimmy Kimmel, and rock climber Alex Honnold. Jon Lovitz tells Fallon Adam Sandler casts him as a pervert because “I think it’s funny,” and praises Sa...