Emmy winning comedy writer, Bob Illes, has been in the writers' rooms with some of the biggest names in comedy. From Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Martin Mull, Fred Willard, Bob Einstein, David Letterman, Lorne Michaels, and Norman Lear – to name a few.

Bob is also the author of the new book, Funny Is Money, where he chats about writing for such classic TV shows as The Carol Burnett Show, Fernwood Tonight, Sanford and Son, Silver Spoons, One Day at a Time, and of course, The Captain & Tennille Show.

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Stairway to Stardom was a legendary NYC public access TV show that gave singers, dancers, comedians, and dreamers a chance to become stars. It's a cult classic that fans include Bjork, Alec Baldwin, & Paul Scheer .

Long before social media, there was a Manhattan cable show that let people perform with the same passion they had dancing in front of their bedroom mirror - without fear of being torn down by the trolls.

In this Comedy History 101 audio documentary we explore the rise, fall, and unlikely rediscovery of Stairway to Stardom. Featuring interviews with archivist Mitch Friedman, Joe Pickett of the Found Footage Festival, Artist, HP Mendoza, and past STS performers Rich Halke, Lola Perazzo. All The Kings Men

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We talk with co-directors Charlotte Knowles and Regash about their film, Palestine Comedy Club.

The acclaimed documentary follows a group of Palestinian comedians as they attempt to build a stand-up comedy scene under occupation—navigating checkpoints, restrictions, and censorship while using humor to connect, cope, and tell their stories.

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Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Chris Cluess has had a legendary career writing for SCTV Network, Cheers, Night Court, MADtv, and The Simpsons.

Chris shares stories about John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, National Lampoon, and what made the SCTV Network writers’ room so special with John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, and Joe Flaherty.

We also dive into MADtv, the SNL rivalry, and what it was like watching Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele rise before Key & Peele. A must-listen for fans of comedy history, SCTV, MADtv, SNL, and classic TV comedy.

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CH101 SELECT: We go inside Team Coco, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and Clueless Gamer with Will Becton.

Will shares his comedic journey from UCB and working on the documentary aka Tommy Chong, to becoming an original member of Team Coco, where he worked the entire run of CONAN on TBS and was the engineer of the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

Will tells us what its like to be the Zelig of comedy — working alongside such legends as Conan, Andy Richter, Amy Pohler, and Will Ferrell - to operating Jett Road Studios

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The Marc Maron documentary “Are We Good?” follows the comedian/WTF podcast host as he processes grief while creating some of the most personal stand-up material of his career.

The film features insights from John Mulaney, David Cross, Nate Bargatze, W. Kamau Bell, and Laurie Kilmartin, exploring Maron’s rise from alt-comic to podcast pioneer.

Producer/writer Julie Seabaugh joins CH101 for a deep dive into Maron’s evolution as a comic, the rise of WTF, and how comedians turn personal pain into comedy material on stage.

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CH101 Reprise: The State was the MTV sketch show that launched the careers of Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, David Wain, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Kevin Allison—and several more (the troupe had 11 members).

From dorm-room sketches at NYU to comedy milestones like Reno 911, Stella, Viva Variety, and the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer, The State helped redefine alternative comedy for a generation.

Director Matthew Perniciaro joins CH101 to talk about his new documentary Long Live The State and how this pioneering sketch group shaped the future of alt-comedy.

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I talk with Michael Bonfiglio, who, along with Judd Apatow, directed the new HBO documentary Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!.

Michael shares behind-the-scenes stories from Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, The Producers, and Spaceballs, and we explore how Mel Brooks reshaped American comedy.

We also talk about Bonfiglio’s collaborations with Apatow, including co-directing George Carlin’s American Dream, and how Mel Brooks’ influence extends to comedy and filmmaking legends like Dave Chappelle, Conan O’Brien, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, and even David Lynch.

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Stairway to Stardom was a NYC public access TV show, described in The Onion as "without exaggeration, it was one of the greatest shows ever to be on television."

Airing in the 70s through the early 90s, Stairway to Stardom was YouTube, before YouTube, and has fans ranging from Bjork to the Found Footage Festival.

Performers of very questionable talent, ranging from off-key lounge singers to interpretive dancers, attempted to stairway to stardom – and performed their hearts out – without fear of snark and comment trolls tearing them down.

Archivist Mitch Friedman joins CH101 to explore how the show was nearly lost to history, how he helped save it, and why its' awkward sincerity helped inspire the comedy of Tim & Eric, Adult Swim, and SNL.

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Former Daily Show head writer Elliott Kalan (MST3K, The Flop House), Joke Farming) joins CH101 to discuss his new book, Joke Farming, and the nuts-and-bolts behind professional joke writing.

We go inside the Daily Show writers’ room with Jon Stewart, why MST3K once had too many jokes, how comedians write jokes on deadline, why inspiration is overrated, and how audiences complete every joke.

A behind-the-scenes look at joke writing, comedy craft, and how humor helps us make sense of the world.

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We pulled together the sharpest moments from our 2025 interviews with comedy impresario guests - who shaped modern comedy:

• Larry Charles: Writer and director of Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, & Borat
• Kevin McDonald: Founding member of Kids in the Hall
• Ryan Cunningham: Producer of Broad City and Inside Amy Schumer
• Alex Braverman: Director of Thank You Very Much on Andy Kaufman
• Will Becton: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Team Coco, Clueless Gamer
• Paul Myers: Author of John Candy: A Life in Comedy

• Michael Seth Starr: Author of Rodney Dangerfield: Nothing Comes Easy
• Seth Porges: Director of Class Action Park and the new Santacon documentary

Plus Jean-François Brisson with the Nubian Show and a special Canadian Comedy History 101 recap.

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