Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac - a daily briefing on comedians, and the comedy industry

Johnny Mac shares recommendations for Derek Stroop’s Netflix special and HBO’s Rooster, then reports Nikki Glaser will return as Golden Globes host on Jan. 10, 2027. He recounts Conan O’Brien’s comments to The Hollywood Reporter and The New Yorker about the murders of Rob and Michelle Reiner and why he hasn’t discussed them on his podcast. An NBC News poll ranks Pope Leo XIV first and Stephen Colbert second in trust/net favorability. Rob Schneider, on Bill O’Reilly’s podcast, claims liberal women control hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Colbert. Ricky Gervais denies telling a joke cited in a nur...

Johnny Mac delivers Daily Comedy News, leading with Men’s Journal coverage of Gabriel Iglesias launching his tequila brand Pocho Fino, positioned as affordable, social, and widely available, with flavors including blanco, grilled pineapple, and “Mexican candy,” and Iglesias describing hands-on involvement and the name’s Mexican American context. Conan O’Brien, in a Hollywood Reporter interview, says appearances like Hot Ones revealed late night is in trouble due to low-overhead shows drawing massive audiences. Seth Meyers jokes about politics and gas prices, while Fox News highlights Andrew Schulz discussing public anger over a potential Iran ground war amid affordability concerns...

Johnny Mac covers Conan O’Brien on Michelle Obama’s podcast discussing optimism, career setbacks, luck, and privilege, and notes Conan is hosting the Oscars with a Hollywood Reporter cover story coming later. He recaps Stephen Colbert receiving the WGA Walter Bernstein Award and joking about Paramount and revolution. New releases include David Cross’s special “The End of the Beginning of the End” (website now, YouTube April 7), Cameron Esposito’s album “Person of No Consequence” (March 20), Derek Stroop’s Netflix special “Nostalgic,” Matt Koff’s Veeps special “Catman,” and Mario Adrion’s YouTube special “My Struggle.” He mentions Kathleen Madigan’s 1978 hoops shoot win and...

Johnny Mac recaps the latest week of Comedy Survivor, where listeners vote in the Daily Comedy News podcast Facebook group to eliminate comedians from Comedy Island. .  Who goes home?????Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac--4522158/support.Daily Comedy News is the number one comedy news podcast, delivering daily coverage of standup comedy, late night television, comedy specials, tours, and the business of comedy.COMEDY SURVIVOR in the facebook group.Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com For Uninterrupted Listening, use th...

Johnny Mack delivers Daily Comedy News, addressing speculation that Theo Von is the Masked Singer character “High Voltage,” then argues the voice and body type don’t match. He reports Conan O’Brien will give the keynote at Harvard’s 375th commencement and recaps Conan’s appearance on Michelle Obama’s podcast discussing performing at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the Oscars, and the difficulty of doing news-driven comedy today.Other items include Jerry Seinfeld dining in Worcester before shows, Amy Schumer dancing on camera at a Knicks game, and book recommendations from John Mulaney (Jim Newton’s Grateful Dead bo...

Johnny Mac discusses mixed-to-negative reviews for Bill Lawrence’s new HBO comedy “Rooster,” starring Steve Carell and John C. McGinley, citing Daniel Feinberg (Hollywood Reporter) and Variety. The LA Times previewed a one-night, untelevised, unrecorded, sold-out March 21 SoFi Stadium show with Jo Koy and Gabriel Iglesias, expected to run four hours with special guests and major production. Hindustan Times recapped Gianmarco Soresi’s India trip, and a field interview with Jeff describes Soresi’s “Theater Adult” cabaret at Joe’s Pub featuring audience participation and Ben Platt. He also highlights a New York Times praise piece on Chris Fleming’s special and notes...

Johnny Mac’s Daily Comedy News reports Jim Gaffigan will play President Grover Cleveland in Season 4 of HBO’s The Gilded Age. Billboard’s January comedy boxscore has Nate Bargatze back at No. 1 with $5.1M and 64,100 tickets across seven shows; other mentions include John Mulaney, Jim Gaffigan, Matt Rife, and Bert Kreischer with their grosses, ticket counts, and show totals. Jimmy Kimmel argues he should host the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, joking that a mentalist (Oz Pearlman) is hosting instead. Chelsea Handler tells cleveland.com comedy should address the uncomfortable and says she won’t make fun of children. Chris Fleming di...

Johnny Mac recaps “My Romcom,” Scrubs Season 10 Episode 3 (aired March 4, 2026), noting ratings and renewal are unknown but expecting a pickup due to buzz. The episode centers on divorced JD and Elliot fighting over discharging a patient, with JD now in a Dr. Kelso-like role; a directing choice keeps them visually separated until they reconnect in a conversation about rebuilding their friendship. Subplots include Turk working with surgical interns, Elliot dealing with an IT guy who shuts down hospital systems, an “Up”-lookalike ex-husband search, and scenes with an annoying new HR lady; Carla appears, and Joel Kim Booster’s character is absent...

Johnny Mac covers late-night jokes from Jimmy Fallon and Michael Kosta about the ongoing Iran story and Trump’s lack of a plan for Iran’s leadership, plus a Colbert riff. He reacts to a Hollywood Walk of Fame clip of Gabriel Iglesias calling himself a “sellout” for taking Saudi Arabia money, calling it a bad look.Marc Maron praises Chris Fleming’s HBO special as inventive and hopeful for standup, and Fleming also appears on Caleb Hearron’s podcast. New Scrubs posts 11.36 million cross-platform viewers in five days, prompting talk of a likely season two.Jim Jefferie...

Marc Maron recalled that he bombed in Australia in the early ’90s, was sent home from a three-week headlining run with only 30 minutes of strong material, and relapsed on the flight back.Dan Soder describes a 2014 set shaken by self-doubt until Conan O’Brien told him the crowd “sucked.”Nate Bargatze explains moving back to Tennessee so his now-13-year-old daughter would have a normal upbringing. Rolling Stone profiles Chris Fleming, who rejects being labeled “weird,” describes his surprising, stream-of-consciousness style, and dismisses virality and follower counts.The Guardian reviews Maria Bamford’s energetic, economically m...

Comedy Ratings, Kyle Kinane’s Phish Weekend, and Colbert’s Reported CBS TensionsJohnny Mac’s Daily Comedy News recaps late-night jokes about the war, including Seth Meyers on Mar-a-Lago security and Stephen Colbert’s “Epic Fury” anagram. He cites Deadline streaming numbers: Katt Williams’ latest Netflix special drew 7.1M first-week views; Dave Chappelle’s Sticks & Stones leads Netflix US debuts, while Shane Gillis’ Live in Austin tops on YouTube; he also notes Amazon and Hulu special performance and how platforms count views differently. Kyle Kinane describes doing comedy during Phish’s Cancun takeover and his outlook on “micro happiness” and t...

Johnny Mac delivers a Daily Comedy News roundup, highlighting Conan O’Brien’s Interview Magazine chat with Chris Fleming and praising Fleming’s HBO Max special as his top special of the year. He covers confusion over Jim Carrey’s appearance at the César Awards, with makeup artist Alexis Stone claiming he impersonated Carrey while the awards deny it and detail Carrey’s planned visit. He notes Stavros Halkias and Manscaped auctioned a hairball for $510 to benefit the Testicular Cancer Society, and previews Gabriel Iglesias receiving a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. He reports a women-of-The-Office reunion at the SAG Awards...

The result comes down to the last few votes...and it appears as if a listener alliance is formiing!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news-with-johnny-mac--4522158/support.Daily Comedy News is the number one comedy news podcast, delivering daily coverage of standup comedy, late night television, comedy specials, tours, and the business of comedy.COMEDY SURVIVOR in the facebook group.Contact John at John@thesharkdeck dot com For Uninterrupted Listening, use the Apple Podcast App and click the banner that says U...

Johnny Mac delivers a messy, off-script Daily Comedy News episode after seeing an email that Netflix Is a Joke Festival added 170+ shows, including “Comedy for the Community” Altadena Eaton Fire Relief hosted by Dion Cole, Timmy No Breaks at The Comedy Store (May 4), and shows from Rosebud Baker and Cheryl Underwood; he notes the news hasn’t hit Deadline or Variety yet. He also covers SXSW Comedy’s 2026 lineup featuring Bill Burr, Chelsea Peretti, Devon Walker, Eric Andre, Frankie Quinones, and Natasha Leggero, plus events tied to Don’t Tell Comedy, The Moth/Comic Relief, Dropout, Facebook, Fox, Funny or Die, and G...

Johnny Mac shares Sunday Comedy News highlights, noting his recent conversation with Pete Holmes and an upcoming “Comedy Survivor” episode. He recaps a Washington Post profile of Robby Hoffman, including her avoidance of TikTok, her move from accounting to writing on “The Chris Gethard Show,” her path to appearing on “Hacks,” and her involvement in “Rooster,” a Bill Lawrence HBO project starring Steve Carell and also featuring John C. McGinley. He covers major profiles of Chris Fleming (New York Times and Vulture), describing Fleming’s densely layered, physical, bruising stage style and mentions an interview with Conan O’Brien. He summarizes Hannah Ga...

Guest Pete Holmes discusses his new special “Silly Silly Fun Boy,” available via early access on 800 Pound Gorilla and later on YouTube Tuesday, March 24th.They discuss Holmes’ success on “Pyramid,” including how seriously he takes the game, then segue into Google results featuring a “cannabis and tech today” image and Holmes’ decision to retire an older massage/dick-joke bit. Holmes explains how he structures and edits a special (cutting warmup, not moving closers), why swearing was heavier early due to the crowd’s energy, and that the special is cut from two shows in Portland. Conversation also covers hosting Mon...

Johnny Mac recaps Scrubs Season 10, Episode 2 (“My Second, First Day,” aired Feb. 25, 2026), noting the absence of John C. McGinley and Judy Reyes and focusing on the “big three” and new characters.JD, now Chief of Medicine, must choose between Turk’s desired surgical robot and Elliot’s alternative purchase, amid tension tied to Elliot’s divorce and feelings Turk avoided her; JD ultimately picks the robot for hospital business reasons.Dr. Park (Joel Kim Booster) is positioned as an antagonist jealous of JD. New doctor Asher treats Stanley, who skips heart meds due to costs, and...

Johnny Mac highlightsChris Fleming’s first HBO special “Live at the Palace,” taped at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre and featuring topics like masculinity, Trader Joe’s, Oreos, and NPR. He discusses a New Yorker interview with Conan O’Brien about preparing to host the Oscars, including writing and testing material at clubs, handling political comedy, why Trump feels hard to parody, and navigating network and Academy rules. Mac notes Taylor Tomlinson’s favorable Hollywood Reporter cover story about her career, marketing concerns around religious material, and starting comedy at 16, including church shows. He mentions Dru Ski’s “Coulda Been Records” episode w...

Johnny Macc delivers a bonus, spoiler-filled scene-by-scene recap of Scrubs Season 10 Episode 1 (“My Return,” aired Feb. 25, 2026), praising the reboot for feeling like classic Scrubs while ignoring Season 9 per Bill Lawrence. The episode opens with a fake prestige-drama cold open before revealing JD doing concierge medicine, then reintroduces the hospital, old characters, and new interns; Turk and JD reunite with the “eagle” gag, Carla appears to be in charge at the nurses station, and Elliot now runs the simulation lab. A major reveal is that JD and Elliot are divorced, framed by Lawrence and Zach Braff as a realistic midlife...

Johnny Mac delivers a political-heavy Daily Comedy News episode centered on late-night reactions to the State of the Union, including jokes and commentary from Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon, plus a Tim Dillon Facebook post imagining an absurd address. He notes social-media criticism of the USA men’s hockey team appearing at the event. Bill Maher argues the State of the Union should end, says he won’t tour due to political anger and fears of being shot, and discusses criticizing both parties. In Houston, the House of Blues booking “The Right Side of Comedy” sparks backlash; comic Kenny We...