Dave Chappelle on Saudi Comedy Money, Kimmel on Pro-Trump Comics, and Late-Night Uncertainty

About this episode

Johnny Mac discusses various comedians' perspectives on political issues and industry developments in the comedy world.

Johnny Macc delivers a daily comedy news briefing with political and industry updates. Dave Chappelle tells NPR his concerns about performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival faded given U.S., Netflix, and film industry business ties with Saudi Arabia, arguing all money is connected to something “terrible.” Jimmy Kimmel, on Michelle Obama’s podcast, criticizes comedians who support Donald Trump as opportunistic and says people often compromise for money; he also discusses backlash to his politics and welcoming public admissions of being wrong. Radar Online reports a dark, toxic vibe as Stephen Colbert’s Late Show winds down and dismisses a rumored Netflix deal, while John Oliver jokes about constant anxiety over his show amid mergers. W. Kamau Bell discusses being “terminally online” and performing after Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover news; James Austin Johnson riffs at Notre Dame. Other items: Paul Ilia’s special “Good Son” also releases on Watermelon Plus after Google promotion limits; Zach Galifianakis debuts Netflix’s “This Is a Gardening Show”; Comedy Gives Back hosts a Los Angeles benefit; Jeff Ross says he’s fully recovered from colon cancer; a 2026 comedian draft is teased…

People in this episode

Host: Johnny Mac

Topics covered

• Dave Chappelle
• Jimmy Kimmel
• Late-night comedy
• Political commentary
• Comedy industry news
• Comedian health updates

Keywords

• Dave Chappelle
• Jimmy Kimmel
• Stephen Colbert
• John Oliver
• W. Kamau Bell
• comedy news
• politics
• Netflix
• comedians
• health updates

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NPR, Netflix, Comedy Gives Back, Watermelon Plus

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