Inside Late Night: Brian Stack

Former Comedy Central president Doug Herzog joins Mark Malkoff to look back on the decisions that helped shape modern late night. He talks about hiring Jon Stewart for The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel turning the job down, John Mulaney passing years later, Chris Rock offering to host for a year, and Trevor Noah emerging as Stewart’s successor. Herzog also revisits The Colbert Report, Dave Chappelle’s $50 million deal, MTV’s Remote Control, and Norm Macdonald’s unforgettable Bob Saget roast set.

The Paper co-creator Michael Koman joins Mark Malkoff to look back on seven years writing for Late Night with Conan O’Brien, his stint at Saturday Night Live, and co-creating Nathan for You. He talks about the “Walker, Texas Ranger Lever,” collaborating with Brian Stack and Pete Davidson, working briefly at The Colbert Report, and the rare Nathan for You moment that made Nathan Fielder break on camera.

LateNighter’s Monthly Roundtable podcast returns with an October episode diving into Jon Stewart’s two-year Daily Show renewal, Jimmy Kimmel’s still-unsettled future, Bill Maher’s latest Trump drama, and a turbulent start to SNL Season 52.

Comedian and writer Ian Karmel joins Mark Malkoff to look back on his path from Chelsea Lately to becoming co-head writer and James Corden’s on-air comedic foil on The Late Late Show and beyond. He talks about creating “Crosswalk the Musical,” performing stand-up on Conan, working with Mel Brooks, Tom Cruise, and Ellen DeGeneres, and reuniting with Corden for this summer’s FIFA World Cup late-night show.

Nick Bernstein spent more than two decades helping shape late night from behind the scenes at NBC and CBS. He joins Mark Malkoff to share behind the scenes stories of working with Taylor Tomlinson and James Corden, navigating the Leno-Conan transition, and what he learned from Rick Ludwin and Lorne Michaels.

Veteran comedy writer Ian Maxtone-Graham joins Mark Malkoff to look back on his years at Saturday Night Live, from breaking in with help from Jack Handey to helping shape Norm Macdonald’s "Weekend Update." He also shares stories about Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Al Franken, and some of the sketches that defined his time at the show.

Comedian, writer, and producer Chuck Sklar joins Mark Malkoff to look back on four decades in late night, including Politically Incorrect, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Chris Rock Show, The Late Late Show, Lopez Tonight, and Totally Biased.

LateNighter’s Monthly Roundtable podcast returns with an episode looking back at a September that found Jimmy Kimmel at the center of seemingly every major late-night storyline.

Jena Friedman joins Mark Malkoff to look back on writing for David Letterman, field producing on the The Daily Show, the two Conan appearances that led to major job offers, and the live Colbert election-night appearance that brought death threats. She also talks about her Oscar-nominated work on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and her new off-Broadway show, Motherf*cker.

Brian Stack joins Mark Malkoff to revisit 29 years in late night, with stories from his long runs with Conan O’Brien and Stephen Colbert. He gets into classic Conan bits, Amy Poehler, the “Alabaster Ape,” Shrieking Joe, and the shock of The Late Show’s cancellation.