John Swartzwelder, Sage of The Simpsons
The first major interview with The Simpsons’ most prolific and legendary writer.
Comedy
If He Hollers Let Him Go
Searching for Dave Chappelle ten years after he left his show.
Michaela the Destroyer
How a young talent from East London went from open-mic nights to making the most sublimely unsettling show of the year.
King of Comedy
The making of Caddyshack.
Mal On the Street: The Ambush Humor of Mal Sharpe
Before The Jerky Boys and Longmont Potion Castle there was Mal Sharpe.
The Incredibly Happy Life of Larry David, TV's Favorite Grouch
A profile of Larry David.
The Big Show Never Ends
How Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann revolutionized sports broadcasting with SportsCenter.
'Fight Club' With Better Jokes
An oral history of Garry Shandling’s secret pickup basketball game.
Melissa McCarthy Wants to Cheer You Up
She’s trying to keep comedy alive at a moment when Hollywood—and its audience—can’t seem to crack a smile.
How Maya Rudolph Became the Master of Impressions
A profile.
A Pryor Love
On the life and career of Richard Pryor, as he neared the end of both.
Portrait of an Artist as an Old Man
Mel Brooks in his 90s.
How Facebook Is Killing Comedy
An interview with a Funny or Die writer after the entire editorial team was laid off.
Interview: Jerry Lewis
An 11-hour conversation about “well, just about everything that’s ever been funny.”
This Is the Comedy Godfather of Television
A profile of Norman Lear, the producer behind All in the Family and The Jeffersons, who is still making TV at age 94.
Kumail Nanjiani’s Culture-Clash Comedy
On a comic offering portrayals of secular Muslims that American audiences rarely see.
Chris Rock in a Hard Place
On the road with the comic after a bitter divorce.
Can Anyone Repair National Lampoon’s Devastated Brand?
Over the past 15 years, three people have attempted to restore the humor brand to its former glory. What happened instead was direct-to-video movies, lawsuits, crippling debt, and two prison sentences.
The Gospel According To Bill Hicks
On his twelfth appearance on Letterman, Bill Hicks killed. The network refused to air it.
Joan Rivers’ Remarkable Rise to (and Devastating Fall from) Comedy’s Highest Ranks
Excerpted from Last Girl Before Freeway.
Ali Wong’s Radical Raunch
A profile of the comic.
Gene Wilder Plays Son of Mel Brooks
“In some ways fame is gratifying, but you have to be very careful of what you wish for because you just might get it.”
How the Upright Citizens Brigade Improvised a Comedy Empire
When improv goes big time.
Always Funny, Finally Famous
A profile of comedian Leslie Jones, who made Saturday Night Live after 25 years as a road comic.
Beyond Laughter
A profile of Andy Kaufman.
