Matt Solomon

Madison

ComedyNerd at @cracked, former contributor guy at @TheOnion. Co-author of Deck Z and The Giant Smugglers. Larry Dallas on television's Three's Company.

Articles

Conan O’Brien Almost Pulled Prank on David Letterman That Could Have Gotten Him Fired

4 days ago | cracked.com | Matt Solomon

Shortly after taking over the NBC late-night spot formerly occupied by David Letterman, Conan O’Brien found himself on the precipice. Early critical reaction to Late Night With Conan O’Brien was lukewarm, and the ratings weren’t much better. “It was very raw. I was very inexperienced,” Conan remembered this week on the Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend podcast.
The ‘Dick Van Dyke Show’ Episode That Inspired Robin Williams’ ‘Mork & Mindy’

4 days ago | cracked.com | Matt Solomon

Robin Williams owes his big break to George Lucas and Dick Van Dyke. That’s because Garry Marshall’s kid was a huge fan of Star Wars when it took over the galaxy in 1977. The son begged his father, who just happened to be the producer of the hit sitcom Happy Days, to create comedy about a visitor from outer space.
Johnny Carson Regretted His Failures As A Father

4 days ago | cracked.com | Matt Solomon

Johnny Carson’s oldest son, Chris, passed away earlier this year at the age of 74, as reported by multiple sources. Chris had two younger brothers — Cory, still alive, and Rick, who died in a car accident in 1991. The death was a reminder that the late Tonight Show host had several regrets as a father. Carson divorced Chris’ mother while Chris and his brothers were still young, rationalizing that it was the best thing for his sons.
Milton Berle Delivered Brutal Roast of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

5 days ago | cracked.com | Matt Solomon

Milton Berle’s testimonial at a November 1958 Friars’ Club roast of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz was full of racially charged one-liners that wouldn’t fly today. But those jokes weren’t the most offensive part of the routine, at least to Ball and Arnaz, who took the brunt of some intensely personal punchlines.
Ricky Gervais Says He Defeated Cancel Culture: ‘We Won’

5 days ago | cracked.com | Matt Solomon

No wonder Ricky Gervais got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Not only did he create the original version of The Office, star in other award-winning comedies and headline several stand-up specials, but he also defeated cancel culture. What a resume!“We've had a few weird years of cancel culture, people telling you what you can and can’t laugh at or talk about,” Gervais told the assembled on the sidewalk as he accepted the honor.
Jack Nicholson Played Two Different Characters on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’

1 week ago | aol.com | Matt Solomon

Before Easy Rider, before Five Easy Pieces and before One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, three-time Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson made regular visits to Mayberry. You read that right — Nicholson appeared in multiple episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. Shazam!The guy who put an axe through a door and announced “Here’s Johnny” in The Shining was the same guy who appeared in Season Eight’s “Opie Finds a Baby” episode.
Jack Nicholson Played Two Different Characters on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’

1 week ago | cracked.com | Matt Solomon

Before Easy Rider, before Five Easy Pieces and before One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, three-time Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson made regular visits to Mayberry. You read that right — Nicholson appeared in multiple episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. Shazam!The guy who put an axe through a door and announced “Here’s Johnny” in The Shining was the same guy who appeared in Season Eight’s “Opie Finds a Baby” episode.
Ricky Gervais Says He Only Pretends to Be A ‘Loose Cannon’

1 week ago | cracked.com | Matt Solomon

The idea that Ricky Gervais might offend at any moment is simply marketing, says the man himself. His dangerous reputation as a Golden Globes host? “The marketing thing is that, ‘It’s live. He could say anything. Oh, my God. He’s brutal. Oh, he doesn’t care about anything.’ All those are untrue,” Gervais told Variety. “I write those jokes. I look at them from every angle. I make sure they’re bulletproof. I go out with a beer, I pretend to be a loose cannon, but I’m not. I’m never drunk. I have like a sip.
Eve Plumb Ditched Her ‘Brady Bunch’ Image By Playing Teen Sex Worker

1 week ago | cracked.com | Matt Solomon

While The Brady Bunch has become a nostalgic touchstone for multiple generations of sitcom lovers, it was never cool in real time, says Eve Plumb, the actress who played angsty middle-child Jan. “You have to remember, The Brady Bunch was really not popular or considered interesting at the time,” she told Yahoo! Entertainment in 2023 while auctioning off some of her Brady memorabilia.
Eddie Murphy’s Takeaway From ‘SNL50’: ‘Everybody Was Real Old’

1 week ago | cracked.com | Matt Solomon

Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary show was mind-blowing for Eddie Murphy, for all the obvious reasons. But one fact in particular caught his attention. “It was a trip,” he told Jennifer Hudson this week on her eponymous talk show. “Because everybody was real old.”No kidding. Octogenarian Lorne Michaels produced the show, a birthday party attended by 77-year-old Jane Curtin, 81-year-old Chevy Chase and 88-year-old Garrett Morris.