Comedy

A few years ago, Will Ferrell found out that his close friend and former Saturday Night Live writing partner was coming out as a trans woman named Harper Steele. The new Netflix documentary, Will & Harper, follows Ferrell and Steele as they drive from New York to California, talking about their friendship and Steele's transition.

Stand-up comedian and late-night talk show host Taylor Tomlinson. She hosts CBS' "After Midnight," which bills itself as the smartest show on TV about the dumbest things on the internet.

Donahue, who died Aug. 18, hosted an issue-oriented, afternoon talk show that paved the way for Oprah and others. David Bianculli offers an appreciation, and we listen back to a 1985 interview.

Paul W. Downs co-created and stars in the HBO Max Series 'Hacks'. The series centers on Deborah Vance (played by Jean Smart), a veteran comedian whose career is waning. In response, Deborah's manager (played by Downs) brings in a Gen-Z comic named Ava (Hannah Einbinder) to help freshen up her act. Along the way, Hacks explores themes of sexism in comedy and the nuances of "cancel culture" — as when some of Deborah's old offensive jokes resurface.

Comic Nikki Glaser. One of her favorite subjects onstage is sex, and that's true of her new comedy special, "Someday You'll Die," which is streaming on Max. In the special, she also talks about why she doesn't want to have children, her thoughts on monogamy, her experiences with depression and suicidal thinking, getting older - she's 40 now - and how comics are often afraid of getting canceled.

David Bianculli offers an appreciation of the star of Newhart and The Bob Newhart Show, who died July 18. In 1998, Newhart told Terry Gross that his signature stammer was not an affect.

Auslander has written for decades about growing up in a dysfunctional household within an ultra-orthodox Jewish community. The title of his latest memoir comes from the Yiddish word for "yuck."

Mull, who died June 27, appeared in the 1970s series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and later starred in Fernwood 2 Night. David Bianculli offers an appreciation, then we revisit a 1995 interview.

As a comedy writer for shows like The Late Late Show with James Corden, Ian Karmel spent most of his life making fun of his weight, starting at a very young age. His new memoir is called T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories of Being Fat in a World of Thin People. It chronicles how he used comedy to cope growing up, and now that he's lost hundreds of pounds, what he's discovered about himself and society.

Stand-up comedian, actor and author Michelle Buteau. She stars in the new movie "Babes" alongside her real-life friend, Ilana Glazer. It's a comedy about friends who have grown up together and confide in each other as they take different paths toward motherhood. Michelle Buteau also stars in the semi-autobiographical series "Survival Of The Thickest," which has been picked up for a second season on Netflix.

Einbinder co-stars with Jean Smart in the HBO Max series Hacks. Her new Max special is Everything Must Go. Einbinder grew up in a comedic household — her mom, Laraine Newman, is an original SNL cast member. Being funny was "the main currency in our home," she says. "It was a love language for sure."

Wiig was a cast member on SNL until 2012. She's also starred in films, including Bridesmaids, which she co-wrote, Ghostbusters and the Despicable Me movies. In the new Apple TV+ show Palm Royale, she plays a former pageant queen who wants to break into the upper echelons of Palm Beach, Fla., high society in the late 1960s.

Each episode of Mulaney's six-part Netflix special is structured loosely around a specific L.A. topic — earthquakes, palm trees, coyotes — and features a mix of real-life experts and stand-up comics.

Writer and actor Jenny Slate. Her new comedy special, "Seasoned Professional," is streaming on Amazon.

Julio Torres, is a comic, actor and writer. You may know him from his comedy specials on HBO and Comedy Central, from the short films he used to do on "Saturday Night Live," his bits as a correspondent on "The Tonight Show" and as a writer and actor on the HBO series "Los Espookys." Now he's making his debut as a movie director with his new satirical film "Problemista," which he also wrote and stars in. Emma Stone is a producer of the film. Isabella Rossellini is the narrator. RZA co-stars.

The Brooklyn-born comic made his standup debut in 1971. His routines were full of biting takes on love, life, and physical and mental health. Lewis died Feb. 27. Originally broadcast in '88 and 2000.

Busy Philipps, co-stars in the series "Girls5eva," which begins its third season next month on Netflix. It's just one of the Tina Fey projects Philipps has premiering this year. She's also in the new movie musical version of the 2004 film "Mean Girls." Busy Philipps spoke with Fresh Air's Ann Marie Baldonado.

Brown won Emmys for his roles in The People v. O.J. Simpson and This is Us. Now he's nominated for the best supporting actor Oscar for American Fiction. Originally broadcast Jan. 4, 2024.

Tom Smothers, who died Dec. 26, was one half of the comedy duo The Smothers Brothers. We listen back to an interview with Tom and Dick Smothers from 1985, and an interview with just Tom in 1997.

The British actor, who died Dec. 30, appeared with Helen Mirren in the series Prime Suspect and later earned Oscar nominations for In the Bedroom and Michael Clayton. Originally broadcast in 2005.