Jim Gaffigan Returns: SNL, Trump, ‘The Skinny’ and More

The Last Laugh

The Daily Beast

Comedy Interviews, Comedy, Interviews, Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Tv, Movies, Film

4.6 • 661 Ratings

🗓️ 1 January 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Last Laugh.
0:06.8	I'm Matt Wilson from The Daily Beast, and we have an exceptional new episode for you all on this very first day of 2025 because the great Jim Gaffigan is back for his second appearance on the show.
0:19.1	As I mentioned to Jim in the episode,
0:23.6	he has put out four whole hour-long specials since he was last on this podcast in 2019.
0:26.6	The most recent one, The Skinny, is streaming now on Hulu
0:29.6	and is as great as you would expect
0:31.7	from one of the absolute stand-up masters of his or any other generation.
0:37.0	Jim is coming off a very big 2024. In addition to taking off
0:41.1	50 pounds and putting out the skinny, he made his S&L debut playing vice presidential hopeful Tim Walls
0:47.2	opposite Maya Rudolph's Kamala Harris. And he hosted the Al Smith dinner during which he shared the
0:52.9	stage with Donald Trump, much to the
0:54.9	chagrin of his more left-leaning fan base. We get into all of it in this conversation, in which
1:00.0	he also discusses his ambitions to host SNL, how his comedy has evolved over the last several years,
1:05.5	and so much more. I was also definitely recovering from a cold during the interview, so please
1:10.2	excuse my sexier-than-usual voice.
1:12.6	Before we get into it, here's a clip from his new special that I found most relatable for reasons
1:18.2	that should become obvious pretty quickly.
1:21.0	I love doing stand-up comedy.
1:23.1	Occasionally I'll be hired for an acting job, and sometimes the directors of these projects will say to me, like, Jim, I think I'd like to see you clean-shaven, and I'll be hired for an acting job. And sometimes the directors of these projects will say to me,
1:28.3	like, Jim, I think I'd like to see you clean-shaven.
1:30.3	I'll be like, I don't think you do.
1:32.3	I always do it, but after I shave my beard,
	...

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