Best Jason Linn Podcasts (2026)

It's the end of 2025, which means it's time once more for my annual December to remember the year in comedy with my friend and colleague in comedy criticism, Jason Zinoman from The New York Times. Which funny people met the moment to become Comedy's Most Valuable Performer for 2025? Late-night TV certainly faced a political crisis on top of its exi…

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Episode #485: Mike Bridenstine, author, director and GM of the Lyric Hyperion 35:05

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18d ago35:05

35:05

Mike Bridenstine appeared on this podcast three years ago in Episode 417. Since then, he has written and published his second book about comedy, “Kansas …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Mike Bridenstine: author, director, and GM of the Lyric Hyperion 35:06

18d ago35:06

35:06

Mike Bridenstine appeared on this podcast three years ago in Episode 417. Since then, he has written and published his second book about comedy, "Kansas City Comedy: The Unbelievable True Story of Stanford & Sons, Its Outlaw Owners and the Most Infamous Stand-Up Sets of All Time." Brido also has begun working behind the scenes as general manager of…

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Episode #484: Xhloe & Natasha 37:47

25d ago37:47

37:47

Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland met in high school in Maryland and have been making magical two-handed theater shows ever since. Now based in New …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Xhloe & Natasha 37:48

26d ago37:48

37:48

Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland met in high school in Maryland and have been making magical two-handed theater shows ever since. Now based in New York City, they have taken three shows to the Edinburgh Fringe since 2022, winning The Scotsman's Fringe First Awards for writing for each of them: And Then The Rodeo Burned Down; What if They Ate the Baby?…

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Episode #483: Jono Zalay 38:06

2M ago38:06

38:06

Jono Zalay began his stand-up career in Boston while simultaneously earning his Doctorate in Neuroscience, where his research work included giving cocaine to rats. Since …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Jono Zalay 38:07

2M ago38:07

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Jono Zalay began his standup career in Boston while simultaneously earning his Doctorate in Neuroscience, where his research work included giving cocaine to rats. Since dropping his science hobby to pursue comedy full-time, Jono has done standup for The Late Late Show on CBS, Netflix is a Joke, and LMAOF on OnlyFansTV. He also has worked behind the…

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Episode #482: Jamie Linn Watson 29:53

2M ago29:53

29:53

Jamie Linn Watson is an NYC-based actor and comedian. You may have seen her as Joanna Roscoe in season 5 of What We Do in …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Jamie Linn Watson 29:54

2M ago29:54

29:54

Jamie Linn Watson is an NYC-based actor and comedian. You may have seen her as Joanna Roscoe in season 5 of What We Do in the Shadows, a judgy church girl in Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, or as the Sprintern in many national commercials for the company formerly known as Sprint. Watson performs with the Upright Citizens Briga…

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Episode #481: Saaniya Abbas 34:36

2M ago34:36

34:36

Saaniya Abbas grew up in New Delhi, attended an all-girls Catholic school in the Himalayas, and only discovered herself once she found herself divorced in …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Saaniya Abbas 34:36

2M ago34:36

34:36

Saaniya Abbas grew up in New Delhi, attended an all-girls Catholic school in the Himalayas, and only discovered herself once she found herself divorced in Dubai and starting a new life as a stand-up comedian. She amassed a half-million followers on Instagram hosting live videos in the pandemic, and as a comedian has toured the UK and India, and too…

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Episode #480: Lou Wall 35:32

3M ago35:32

35:32

Lou Wall is an Australian comedian whose two most recent shows were both nominated for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Wall …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Lou Wall 35:32

3M ago35:32

35:32

Lou Wall is an Australian comedian whose two most recent shows were both nominated for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Wall has appeared on Australian TV panel shows, and also appeared in the ABC Australia and Netflix series, Fisk. I've seen and reviewed all three shows Wall has taken thus far to the Edinburgh …

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Episode #479: Chanel Ali 29:18

4M ago29:18

29:18

Chanel Ali is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actress based in New York City. You may have seen her on MTV’s Girl Code, TruTV’s Laff …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Chanel Ali 29:19

4M ago29:19

29:19

Chanel Ali is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actress based in New York City. You may have seen her on MTV's Girl Code, TruTV's Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks, Starz's Night Train with Wyatt Cenac, or two showcases she did for Comedy Central in partnership with Refinery29. She also released a full special for Unprotected Sets, available on MGM+. Deadline…

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Episode #478: Dylan Adler 27:53

4M ago27:53

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A San Fransisco native who’s based in both New York City and Los Angeles, Dylan Adler is a musical comedian who performed and wrote for …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Dylan Adler 27:53

4M ago27:53

27:53

A San Fransisco native who's based in both New York City and Los Angeles, Dylan Adler is a musical comedian who performed and wrote for The Late Late Show with James Corden. Before that gig, Adler was named a Comic to Watch by the New York Comedy Festival and a Comedian You Should and Will Know by Vulture. He took his solo hour, Haus of Dy-lan, to …

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Episode #477: Britt Migs 33:08

5M ago33:08

33:08

Britt Migs is a stand-up and sketch comedian based in New York City who was named a Creator to Watch at the 2024 New York Comedy …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Britt Migs 33:08

5M ago33:08

33:08

Britt Migs is a stand-up and sketch comedian based in New York City who was named a Creator to Watch at the 2024 New York Comedy Festival for characters such as her Italian publicist for the Pope. Migs manages Cracked magazine's social media and runs the Cracked Comedy Club showcases. In addition, she also has written for Reductress, co-hosts Sunda…

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Episode #476: Grace Helbig 35:59

5M ago35:59

35:59

Grace Helbig is a legendary YouTuber, etched officially into the VidCon Hall of Fame earlier in 2025. The comedian and actress who began documenting her …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Grace Helbig 36:00

5M ago36:00

36:00

Grace Helbig is a legendary YouTuber, etched officially into the VidCon Hall of Fame earlier in 2025. The comedian and actress who began documenting her daily life in 2007 through solo videos, two-hander sketches with her college bestie and Brooklyn roomie Michelle, and then DailyGrace on MyDamnChannel, eventually went on to write two New York Time…

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Episode #475: Ismael Loutfi 33:57

5M ago33:57

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Ismael Loutfi is a comedian and TV writer currently working on the animated series Mating Season from the makers of Big Mouth. His previous credits include …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Ismael Loutfi 33:58

5M ago33:58

33:58

Ismael Loutfi is a comedian and TV writer currently working on the animated series Mating Season from the makers of Big Mouth. His previous credits include writing for After Midnight, Ramy Youssef's #1 Happy Family USA, and Netflix's Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. As a stand-up, he has a half-hour on Comedy Central to his credit, along with appeara…

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Episode #474: Tamara Yajia 31:06

5M ago31:06

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Tamara Yajia’s family immigrated to America from Argentina twice before she became a teenager, and the second time prevented her from becoming potentially Argentina’s version …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Tamara Yajia 31:07

5M ago31:07

31:07

Tamara Yajia's family immigrated to America from Argentina twice before she became a teenager, and the second time prevented her from becoming potentially Argentina's version of Britney Spears, for better or for worse. Yajia documents it all in her new memoir, CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA: My Life as a Failed Child Star, and she sat down with me to talk a…

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Episode #473: Veronica Osorio 38:54

7M ago38:54

38:54

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Veronica Osorio moved to New York City after spending her teen years clowning and acting in South America. Once in America, …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Veronica Osorio 38:54

7M ago38:54

38:54

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Veronica Osorio moved to New York City after spending her teen years clowning and acting in South America. Once in America, she joined the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, where she performed on house sketch teams with Kate McKinnon, Nicole Byer, and Natasha Rothwell, among others. In New York and Los Angeles, s…

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Episode #472: Nimesh Patel 35:31

8M ago35:31

35:31

I spoke with comedian Nimesh Patel when he thought he had licensed his new hour, Instant Karma to Netflix. Shortly after our chat, Netflix decided to …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Nimesh Patel 35:31

8M ago35:31

35:31

I spoke with comedian Nimesh Patel when he thought he had licensed his new hour, Instant Karma to Netflix. Shortly after our chat, Netflix decided to film a brand-new hour with Patel instead later in 2025. So our chat found him at a crossroads — Patel had just filmed an episode of CNN's Have I Got News For You, and subsequently performed a second t…

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Episode #471: James Tom 30:29

8M ago30:29

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The comedian James Tom now jokes about having told they/them pronoun jokes as far back as 2013 quote-unquote “before most non-binary people were born.” Back …By Sean L. McCarthy

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James Tom 30:29

8M ago30:29

30:29

The comedian James Tom now jokes about having told they/them pronoun jokes as far back as 2013 quote-unquote "before most non-binary people were born." Back then, Tom felt alone in the world and in the comedy community. But now, living and performing as a gay trans man, Tom told me over Zoom that he feels more like "the estranged father of the non-…

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Episode #470: Rory Rosegarten 36:38

9M ago36:38

36:38

Rory Rosegarten started his career as a comedy manager by the time he was 20 with a whopper of a first client: the already legendary Robert …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Rory Rosegarten 36:39

9M ago36:39

36:39

Rory Rosegarten started his career as a comedy manager by the time he was 20 with a whopper of a first client: the already legendary Robert Klein. More than four decades later, as founder and still president of The Conversation Company, Rosegarten manages a small but highly successful comedy clientele — his longtime roster includes both Brian Regan…

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Episode #469: Mike Drucker 34:28

9M ago34:28

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Mike Drucker is an Emmy-nominated and WGA-winning writer and comedian living in New York. Drucker’s comedy career really began with an internship at Saturday Night Live, where …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Mike Drucker 34:29

9M ago34:29

34:29

Mike Drucker is an Emmy-nominated and WGA-winning writer and comedian living in New York. Drucker's comedy career really began with an internship at Saturday Night Live, where he later contributed to SNL's Weekend Update as well as The Onion before leaving the city and the East Coast for a gig writing for video games with Nintendo of America. So it…

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Episode #468: Abby Govindan 58:44

10M ago58:44

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Fooling media outlets into thinking she created the Netflix series “Emily in Paris” may have won the comedian and Fordham grad Abby Govindan plenty of new followers on Twitter …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Abby Govindan 58:44

10M ago58:44

58:44

Fooling media outlets into thinking she created the Netflix series Emily in Paris may have won the comedian and Fordham grad Abby Govindan plenty of new followers on Twitter in 2021, but it didn't go a long way in making her the pride of her Indian American family back home in Houston. It's just one of the stories Govindan shares in her debut Off B…

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Episode #467: Brad Alexander 59:26

11M ago59:26

59:26

Brad Alexander composes music for television and musical theater, whose notable works include the music for See Rock City & Other Destinations, which won the …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Brad Alexander 59:26

11M ago59:26

59:26

Brad Alexander composes music for television and musical theater, whose notable works include the music for See Rock City & Other Destinations, which won the 2011 Drama Desk Award, Richard Rodgers Award and BMI Foundation's Jerry Bock Award, and more recently served as lead composer for the PBS/Amazon animated series, Clifford The Big Red Dog. I re…

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Episode #466: 800 Pound Gorilla Media 39:41

11M ago39:41

39:41

What’s in a name? Since its launch in 2016 by comedy managers Ryan Bitzer and Damion Greiman, along with founding members Ian Adkins and Anthony …By Sean L. McCarthy

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800 Pound Gorilla Media 39:42

11M ago39:42

39:42

What's in a name? Since its launch in 2016 by comedy managers Ryan Bitzer and Damion Greiman, along with founding members Ian Adkins and Anthony Leo, 800 Pound Gorilla Media has grown from a small record label into a king kong of comedy distribution, working with everyone from Kevin Hart's LOL Network to Bill Burr and Al Madrigal's All Things Comed…

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Episode #465: Comedy MVPs of 2024 with Jason Zinoman 36:14

1y ago36:14

36:14

We did it, comedy fans. We withstood another year of craziness, hundreds upon hundreds of comedy specials, and have gotten my friend and colleague in …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Comedy MVPs of 2024 with Jason Zinoman 36:14

1y ago36:14

36:14

We did it, comedy fans. We withstood another year of craziness, hundreds upon hundreds of comedy specials, and have gotten my friend and colleague in comedy criticism, Jason Zinoman from The New York Times, to join me for another December to Remember and try to make sense of it all. 2024, a year that started with a fake AI George Carlin and a capti…

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Episode #464: Kelly McCaughan 36:12

1y ago36:12

36:12

Kelly McCaughan is an actor, writer, comedian and clown whose show, Catholic Guilt, was nominated for Best Newcomer by the 2023 ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards, …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Kelly McCaughan 36:13

1y ago36:13

36:13

Kelly McCaughan is an actor, writer, comedian and clown whose show, Catholic Guilt, was nominated for Best Newcomer by the 2023 ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards, and then brought back the following Fringe, where her show received a Best Show nomination from the 2024 ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Originally from outside of Pittsburgh, McCaughan went to co…

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Episode #463: Chad Daniels 36:30

1+ y ago36:30

36:30

Chad Daniels is a Minnesota stand-up comedian with more than a billion streams to his credit, and in July 2024 released his 10th comedy special and first …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Chad Daniels 36:30

1+ y ago36:30

36:30

Chad Daniels is a Minnesota stand-up comedian with more than a billion streams to his credit, and in July 2024 released his 10th comedy special and first for Netflix, Empty Nester, marking his freedom from raising two kids as a single dad in small-town Minnesota. Daniels sat down with me over Zoom to talk about how he balanced it all in his early y…

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Episode #462: Kyle Ayers 39:42

1+ y ago39:42

39:42

Kyle Ayers is a comedian from Missouri currently based in Los Angeles who hosts the popular podcast and live show, Never Seen It, where comedians …By Sean L. McCarthy

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Kyle Ayers 39:43

1+ y ago39:43

39:43

Kyle Ayers is a comedian from Missouri currently based in Los Angeles who hosts the popular podcast and live show, Never Seen It, where comedians rewrite famous movies and TV shows they've never seen. You may have seen Ayers perform his stand-up on Conan or on the OnlyFans comedy showcase, LMAOF. Ayers also created and hosted the live comedy show, …