This is a fraught time to be a political comedian in America. It’s something Stephen Colbert learned when CBS suddenly canceled ‘The Late Show.’ And it’s something comedian Jena Friedman experienced in an even more visceral way the last time she crossed the border back home to the U.S. In her fourth appearance on The Last Laugh, Friedman weighs in on the end of the late-night show that served as her very first TV writing gig and tells the harrowing story of being grilled about her jokes by U.S. Customs and Border Security. She also talks about putting together her new TED talk on comedy and AI, recalls the time she nicknamed her fetus “Jeffrey Epstein” on Colbert’s show, and previews her new stand-up hour ‘Motherf---er’ about becoming a mom and losing her own mom at the same time. Get tickets to see Jena Friedman liveFollow Jena Freidman on Instagram @jenafriedmanFollow Matt Wilstein on Bluesky @mattwilstein Follow The Last Laugh on Instagram @lastlaughpodWatch this episode of The Last Laugh on YouTubeHighlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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