It’s been more than a year since Roy Wood Jr. left ‘The Daily Show’ and he’s not looking back. This week, the comedian is dropping what is arguably his best stand-up special yet on Hulu and next month will see the second season premiere of his CNN comedy quiz show ‘Have I Got News for You.’ In his return to the podcast, Wood discusses why he wanted to make his yearning for connection the central theme of his new hour, ‘Lonely Flowers.’ He also opens up about his decision to leave ‘The Daily Show’ behind before Comedy Central brought back Jon Stewart and elevated his former correspondent colleagues to become rotating hosts—as well as what it’s been like to bring some much needed humor to CNN in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s re-election.

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Stephanie Hsu broke through—and landed her first Oscar nomination—three years ago in Best Picture winner ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ That film had some oddball laughs for sure, but if you had only seen her in the dual roles of the diminutive Joy Wang and villainous Jobu Tupaki, you would have no idea she was capable of playing a classic rom-com lead like she does in the new Peacock series ‘Laid.’ In this episode, Hsu talks about how a background in comedy helped prepare her to portray a deeply flawed character who discovers that all of the men she has slept with are dying and why getting cast in the show felt like a “huge step” in the fight for representation on TV. She also gets into the wild journey from her audition for ‘Everything Everywhere’ to the Oscars, explains why she turned down the chance to possibly play Glinda in John M. Chu’s ‘Wicked,’ and teases her upcoming buddy comedy with ‘Abbott Elementary’s’ Quinta Brunson.

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Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

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Jim Gaffigan is heading into 2025 an even bigger comedy star than he was before—thanks to a guest-starring gig on ‘Saturday Night Live’ as vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, a headlining spot alongside Donald Trump at the Al Smith dinner, his latest stand-up special ‘The Skinny’ (which delves into the secret behind his massive weight loss) and a big national tour with Jerry Seinfeld. In his return to the podcast after more than five years, Gaffigan goes deep on the state of his career and how his approach to stand-up has evolved over time. He talks about being in the room with Trump and Kamala Harris at key points during their campaigns and reflects on his decision to risk his clean comedy brand by unleashing a profanity-laced tirade against Trump during the previous election.

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Highlights from this episode and others at The Daily Beast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.