The Gist: Jon Macks on late night TV monologues, and ISIS attacks Texas.

The Man Behind About 18,000 Late Night Monologue Jokes

The Man Behind About 18,000 Late Night Monologue Jokes

A daily news and culture podcast with Mike Pesca.
May 5 2015 7:22 PM

100 Jokes a Day

After 22 years writing jokes for late night TV, would Jon Macks take any back?

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Jay Leno
The craft of the late night monologue explained by one of Jay’s longtime writers.

Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Dan Steinberg/Getty Images.

Listen to Episode 250 of Slate’s The Gist:

gist_dailyemails

Today on The Gist, we celebrate our first year as a show! Will you tell a friend about us? Plus, Jon Macks joins us to explain which celebrities have provided the most fodder during the 22 years of jokes he’s written for late night television. He’s the author of Monologue: What Makes America Laugh Before Bed. For the Spiel, did ISIS attack a town in Texas?

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Mike Pesca is the host of the Slate daily podcast The Gist. He also contributes reports and commentary to NPR.