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It’s taken just over a decade for Ike Barinholtz to fully make it in Hollywood, with starring roles in big films like Blockers and high-profile streaming shows like The Afterparty. Now, with History of the World, Part II, he’s returning to his sketch comedy roots.
In this episode of The Last Laugh podcast, the Second City and MADtv alum talks about how he ended up becoming one of the driving forces behind the continuation of his comedy hero Mel Brooks’ 1981 classic and how he thinks about what it means to be “offensive” in 2023. Barinholtz also shares stories about MADtv going up against SNL in the early 2000s, convincing Mindy Kaling he was really Russian on Eastbound and Down, his breakthrough movie performance in Neighbors, and a lot more.
When Barinholtz appears on the screen for our conversation, his Celebrity Jeopardy trophy is displayed prominently in the background. “Oh, this right here?” he asks with a sly smile. “It’s just to remind people, if you get in an argument with me, I’m probably right.”