E102 - The Secret Life of Canned Laughter (with Holly Brown)
Published: July 9, 2026
Duration: 1:16:51
One of the most divisive figures in television history is not a person, but a box. One that was kept under lock and key for most of its owner’s life: The Laff Box. This tool, which generated fake laughter on countless of television comedies, has an improbable start, and a wild history. Joining Tess to talk through the fascinating life and death of the laugh track is comic and podcaster Holly Brown @hollybrowncomedy (Everyone Knows But Me.)
Read Charles Douglass obituary in the LA Times
Read NY Times “Lives They Lived Making Us Laugh”
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