Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted
late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musi ...
'' (1993–2009) and ''
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, as part of NBC's ''Tonight Show'' franchise. O'Brien had previously hosted NBC's ''Late N ...
'' (2009–2010) on the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
television network, and ''
Conan'' (2010–2021) on the cable channel
TBS. Before his hosting career, he was a writer for ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
'' (1988–1991) and ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' (1991–1993). He has also been host of the podcast series ''
Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend'' since 2018 and is expected to launch a new show on
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netwo ...
.
Born in
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and ...
, O'Brien was raised in an
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...
family. He served as president of ''
The Harvard Lampoon
''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Overview
The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates ...
'' while attending
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
, and was a writer for the sketch comedy series ''
Not Necessarily the News''. After writing for several comedy shows in Los Angeles, he joined the writing staff of ''Saturday Night Live''. O'Brien was a writer and producer for ''The Simpsons'' for two seasons until he was selected by
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...
and
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
to take over
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of '' Late Night with David Letterma ...
's position as host of ''
Late Night'' in 1993. A virtual unknown to the public, O'Brien's initial ''Late Night'' tenure received unfavorable reviews and remained on a multiweek renewal cycle during its early years. The show generally improved over time and was highly regarded by the time of his departure in 2009. Afterwards, O'Brien moved from New York to Los Angeles to host his own incarnation of ''The Tonight Show'' for seven months until highly-publicized network politics
prompted a host change in 2010. After this departure, O'Brien hosted a 32-city live comedy tour titled
The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour, which was the subject of the documentary ''
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop''. He then hosted ''Conan'' from 2010 to 2021. Throughout his career he has also hosted a number of awards shows and
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of e ...
s, including the
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s and the
White House Correspondents' dinner twice each.
Known for his spontaneous hosting style, which has been characterized by ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' as "awkward, self-deprecating humor", O'Brien's late-night programs combine the "lewd and wacky with more elegant, narrative-driven short films".
His segments outside the studio, dubbed "remotes", have also become some of his best-received work, including the
international travel series ''
Conan Without Borders
''Conan Without Borders'' is an American travel show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired on TBS (American TV channel), TBS in the United States as a series of Television special, specials on O'Brien's talk show ''Conan (talk show), Conan''. The se ...
''. With the retirement of
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of '' Late Night with David Letterma ...
on May 20, 2015, O'Brien became the longest-working late-night talk show host active in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
.
This active streak ended with O'Brien's retirement from late-night television in June 2021, with his entire run as a late-night host lasting almost 28 years. Conan was named one of
''Time''s 100 Most Influential People in 2010.
Early life
O'Brien was born on April 18, 1963, in
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and ...
.
His father, Thomas Francis O'Brien (b. 1929), is a physician and professor of medicine at
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools ...
where he specializes in
epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...
.
His mother, Ruth O'Brien (née Reardon; b. 1931), is a retired attorney and former partner at the Boston firm
Ropes & Gray
Ropes & Gray LLP is a global law firm with 13 offices located in the United States, Asia and Europe. The firm has more than 1,500 lawyers and professionals worldwide, and its clients include corporations and financial institutions, government agen ...
. O'Brien has three brothers and two sisters. O'Brien attended
Brookline High School, where he served as the
managing editor
A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication.
United States
In the United States, a managing edito ...
of the
school newspaper
A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also rep ...
, ''
The Sagamore''.
He was a
congressional intern for
Congressman
A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivale ...
Barney Frank
Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committ ...
and in his senior year, he won the
National Council of Teachers of English
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a United States professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. Since 1911, NCTE has provided a foru ...
writing contest with his short story "To Bury the Living".
After graduating as
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA) ...
in 1981, O'Brien entered Harvard University. He lived in
Holworthy Hall during his first year with future businessman
Luis Ubiñas
Luis Antonio Ubiñas (born 1963) is an American investor, businessman and nonprofit leader. He served as the president of the Ford Foundation from 2008 through 2013. Prior to joining the Ford Foundation, he had an 18-year career as a senior partn ...
and two other roommates, and in
Mather House during his three upper-class years. He majored in History & Literature, and graduated
''magna cum laude'' with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree in 1985.
O'Brien's senior thesis, entitled ''Literary Progeria in the Works of William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor'', concerned the use of children as symbols in the works of
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most ...
and
Flannery O'Connor
Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries.
She was a Southern writer who often ...
. During college, O'Brien briefly played drums in a band called the Bad Clams and was a writer for the ''
Harvard Lampoon
''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate Humor magazine, humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Overview
The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven ...
'' humor magazine. During his sophomore and junior years, he served as the ''Lampoons president. At this time, O'Brien's future boss at
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
,
Jeff Zucker
Jeffrey Adam Zucker (born April 9, 1965) is an American former media executive. Between January 2013 and February 2022, Zucker was the president of CNN Worldwide. Zucker oversaw CNN, CNN International, HLN, and CNN Digital. He was previously ...
, was serving as president of the school newspaper ''
The Harvard Crimson
''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...
''.
Career
''Saturday Night Live'' (1988–1991)
After graduating from Harvard, O'Brien moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
to join the writing staff of
HBO's sketch comedy series ''
Not Necessarily the News''.
He was also a writer on the short-lived ''
The Wilton North Report
''The Wilton North Report'' is a late-night combined newsmagazine, talk show, and variety show that aired on Fox in December 1987 and January 1988. It was Fox's second attempt at a regular late-night show, replacing ''The Late Show''. The series ...
''.
He spent two years with that show and performed regularly with
improvisation
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
al groups, including
The Groundlings
The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniq ...
. In January 1988, ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
'' (SNL) executive producer
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...
hired O'Brien as a writer.
During his three years on ''SNL'', he wrote such recurring sketches as "Mr. Short-Term memory" and "The Girl Watchers"; the latter was first performed by
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
and
Jon Lovitz.
While on a
writers' strike from ''Saturday Night Live'' following the 1987–88 season, O'Brien put on an
improvisational comedy
Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...
revue in Chicago with fellow ''SNL'' writers
Bob Odenkirk
Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his role as Saul Goodman on ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). For the latter, he has re ...
and Robert Smigel called ''
Happy Happy Good Show''. While living in Chicago, O'Brien briefly shared an apartment with
Jeff Garlin
Jeffrey Garlin (born June 5, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Murray Goldberg, patriarch of the eponymous family in the ABC sitcom '' The Goldbergs'', and Jeff Greene on the HBO sitcom ''Curb You ...
near
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago W ...
. In 1989, O'Brien and his fellow ''SNL'' writers received an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
O'Brien, like many ''SNL'' writers, occasionally appeared as an extra in sketches; his most notable appearance was as a doorman in a sketch in which
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
was inducted into the SNL "
Five-Timers Club
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is a late-night sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. It premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the title ''NBC's Saturday Night''. The show usually satirizes contemporary American popu ...
" for hosting his fifth episode in 1990. O'Brien and
Robert Smigel
Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his ''Saturday Night Live'' "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Do ...
wrote the television pilot for ''
Lookwell
''Lookwell'' was a television pilot written and produced by Conan O'Brien and Robert Smigel, the latter of whom would become a primary creative voice for O'Brien's late night show. It starred Adam West. Despite being a "personal favorite" of NBC ...
'' starring
Adam West, which aired on NBC in 1991. Despite the support from
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
president
Brandon Tartikoff
Brandon Tartikoff (January 13, 1949 – August 27, 1997) was an American television executive who was the president of NBC from 1981 to 1991. He was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with such hit series as ''Hill Str ...
, the pilot never went to series. Despite the negative reviews, it became a
cult hit. It was later screened at ''The Other Network'', a festival of unaired TV pilots produced by
Un-Cabaret; it featured an extended interview with O'Brien and was rerun in 2002 on the
Trio network.
In 1991, O'Brien quit ''Saturday Night Live'', citing
burnout
Burnout or burn-out may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Burnout'' (film), a 2017 Moroccan film
* ''Burn Out'' (film), a 2017 French film
* Burnout (ride), a Funfields amusement ride in Australia
* ''Burnout'' (series), a racing game series created by ...
and his recent engagement to be married.
"I told Lorne Michaels I couldn't come back to work and I just needed to do something else," O'Brien recalled. "I had no plan whatsoever. I was literally in this big transition phase in my life where I decided, I'll just walk around New York City, and an idea will come to me."
After leaving the show, O'Brien returned to host the show in 2001 during its 26th season. He returned to ''Saturday Night Live'' on the February 26, 2022 episode as a guest during a
Five-Timers Club
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is a late-night sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. It premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the title ''NBC's Saturday Night''. The show usually satirizes contemporary American popu ...
skit.
''The Simpsons'' (1991–1993)
Mike Reiss
Michael L. Reiss ( '; born ) is an American television comedy writer and author. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series ''The Simpsons'' and co-created the animated series '' The Critic''. He created and wrote ...
and
Al Jean
Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...
, then
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...
s of the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', called O'Brien and offered him a job.
The series was prestigious in the writing community at the time; O'Brien recalls "everyone wanted to be on that show, but they never hired."
O'Brien was one of the first hires after the show's original crew. With the help of an old Groundlings friend, actor
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She rose to fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004), which has since been named one of the greatest television cha ...
, O'Brien purchased an apartment in
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
.
He and Kudrow became involved as well, and Kudrow believed he should begin performing rather than writing. O'Brien disagreed, feeling that Kudrow was flattering him, and asserting he was happy as a writer. In his speech given at Class Day at Harvard in 2000, O'Brien credited ''The Simpsons'' with saving him, a reference to the career slump he was experiencing before being hired for the show.
From 1991 to 1993, O'Brien was a writer and producer for ''The Simpsons''. When O'Brien first arrived at the Fox lot, they temporarily gave him writer
Jeff Martin Jeff Martin may refer to:
* Jeff Martin (American musician) (born 1957), lead vocalist for the bands Surgical Steel and Racer X; drummer for Badlands
*Jeff Martin (Canadian musician) (born 1969), guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the Tea Party
...
's office. O'Brien was nervous and self-conscious, feeling that he would embarrass himself in front of what he regarded as an intimidating collection of writers.
O'Brien would pitch characters in their voices, as he thought that was the norm, until Reiss informed him that no one did this.
[O'Brien, Conan. (2003). Commentary for "]Marge vs. the Monorail
"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 14, 1993. The plot revolves around Springfie ...
", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. He fit in quickly, commanding control of the room frequently; writer
Josh Weinstein
Josh Weinstein (born May 5, 1966) is an American television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series ''The Simpsons''. Weinstein and Bill Oakley became best friends and writing partners at St. Albans School; Weins ...
called it a "ten-hour Conan show, nonstop".
According to John Ortved, one of his fellow writers said that Conan had been a shoo-in to take over as showrunner.
O'Brien wrote some of the series' most acclaimed episodes: "
Marge vs. the Monorail
"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 14, 1993. The plot revolves around Springfie ...
" and "
Homer Goes to College".
[The Family Dynamic](_blank)
''Entertainment Weekly''. Retrieved February 13, 2007 The show was initially a highly realistic family sitcom; after O'Brien's debut, the show took a rapid shift in the direction of the surreal.
O'Brien also has sole writing credits on "
New Kid on the Block
"New Kid on the Block" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series '' The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 12, 1992. After meeting his new neighbor, La ...
" and "
Treehouse of Horror IV", on which he wrote the episode
wraparounds.
Wallace Wolodarsky
Wallace Wolodarsky, also billed as Wally Wolodarsky, is an American actor, screenwriter, television producer, and film director known for being one of the writers for ''The Simpsons'' during the first four seasons with his writing partner Jay ...
described a "room character" Conan put on for the writers: "Conan used to do this thing called the Nervous Writer that involved him opening a can of
Diet Coke
Diet Coke (also branded as Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Diet or Coca-Cola Light Taste) is a sugar-free and low-calorie soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. It contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Unveiled on ...
and then nervously pitching a joke. He would spray Diet Coke all over himself, and that was always a source of endless amusement among us."
During his time at ''The Simpsons'', O'Brien also had a side project working with Smigel on the script for a musical film based on the "
Hans and Franz
Hans and Franz are characters in a recurring sketch called "Pumping Up with Hans & Franz" on the television sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', played by Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon, respectively.
Description
In the sketch, Carvey and ...
" sketch from ''Saturday Night Live'', but the film was never produced.
Meanwhile,
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of '' Late Night with David Letterma ...
was preparing to leave the talk show ''
Late Night'', prompting executive producer Lorne Michaels to search for a new host. Michaels approached O'Brien to produce; then-agent
Gavin Polone stressed that O'Brien wanted to perform, rather than produce.
He arranged with Michaels that O'Brien would do a test audition on the stage of ''
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010� ...
''.
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series ''Se ...
and
Mimi Rogers
Miriam Rogers (née Spickler; born January 27, 1956) is an American actress. Her notable film roles are ''Gung Ho'' (1986), '' Someone to Watch Over Me'' (1987), '' Desperate Hours'' (1990), and ''Full Body Massage'' (1995). She garnered the grea ...
were the guests, and the audience was composed of ''Simpsons'' writers.
Wolodarksky recalled the experience: "Seeing this friend of yours, this guy that you worked with, walk out from behind that curtain and deliver a monologue was like something you could only dream up that you couldn't ever imagine actually happening."
The performance was beamed by satellite to New York, where Lorne Michaels and NBC executives watched.
The audition was not well received by media commentators, citing his "awkward" humor.
O'Brien was picked as the new host of ''Late Night'' on April 26, 1993.
During pre-production, writer
Robert Smigel
Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his ''Saturday Night Live'' "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Do ...
suggested fellow writer
Andy Richter
Paul Andrew Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and talk show announcer. He is best known as the sidekick for Conan O'Brien on each of O'Brien's talk shows: '' Late Night'' and ''The Tonight Show'' on NBC ...
to sit beside O'Brien and act as a
sidekick
A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany.
Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...
. As the writers headed to the voice record for "Homer Goes to College", O'Brien received a phone call from Polone informing him of the decision. "He was passed out facedown into this horrible shag carpet. He was just quiet and comatose down there on that carpet," recalled postproduction supervisor Michael Mendel. "I remember looking at him and saying, 'Wow. Your life is about to change, in a really dramatic way.'"
Fox, however, would not let O'Brien out of his contract. Eventually, NBC and O'Brien split the cost to get him out of the contract.
[O'Brien, Conan. (2004). Commentary for " Homer Goes to College", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox.][Jean, Al. (2004). Commentary for "]Cape Feare
"Cape Feare" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series '' The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 1993. The episode features guest star Kelsey Gramme ...
", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season'' VD 20th Century Fox. After O'Brien's departure, the writers at ''The Simpsons'' would watch videotaped episodes of ''Late Night'' at lunch the day following their midnight broadcast and analyze them.
''Late Night'' (1993–2009)
''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', originating from Studio 6A at
30 Rockefeller Plaza
30 Rockefeller Plaza (officially the Comcast Building; formerly RCA Building and GE Building) is a skyscraper that forms the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Completed in 1933, the 66-s ...
in New York City, premiered on September 13, 1993, to unfavorable reviews from contemporary critics. This reception was not completely unsurprising; O'Brien wrote a self-deprecating ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' piece titled "O'Brien Flops!" on the day of the show's premiere. Critics attacked O'Brien:
Tom Shales
Thomas William Shales (born November 3, 1944) is an American writer and retired critic of television programming and operations. He was a television critic for ''The Washington Post'' from 1977 to 2010, for which Shales received the Pulitzer ...
of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' suggested that "the host resume his previous identity, Conan O'Blivion."
Generally, critics viewed O'Brien as nervous and fidgety on-camera, and that he was "too smart, too East Coast, too sophisticated, too young and even too tall to be successful."
The show was constantly at risk for cancellation; at one low point in 1994, NBC threatened to put him on a week-to-week contract. Executives were anxious to replace him with
Greg Kinnear
Gregory Buck Kinnear (born June 17, 1963) is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in '' As Good as It Gets'' (1997).
Kinnear has appeared in many popular films, including '' Sabrina'' (1 ...
, who followed O'Brien with ''
Later
Later may refer to:
* Future, the time after the present
Television
* ''Later'' (talk show), a 1988–2001 American talk show
* '' Later... with Jools Holland'', a British music programme since 1992
* '' The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts'', or ...
'' at 1:30 am.
Interns filled empty seats in the audience while affiliates began to inquire about replacement hosts.
In one installment after a short stretch of reruns, sidekick
Andy Richter
Paul Andrew Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and talk show announcer. He is best known as the sidekick for Conan O'Brien on each of O'Brien's talk shows: '' Late Night'' and ''The Tonight Show'' on NBC ...
described his vacation activities as follows: "I sat back and reminded myself what it's like to be unemployed." The in-joke alluded to the rumors floating in the trades that NBC was near canceling the program.
''Late Night'' under O'Brien slowly but steadily acquired commercial and critical success. Banter between O'Brien and Richter improved, and sketches grew in popularity ("If They Mated", "Desk Drive", "In the Year 2000").
A reliable staple involved a TV screen, lowered behind O'Brien's desk and displaying a still photo of a news figure. The lips and voice of these characters – frequently a party-crazed hillbilly interpretation of
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...
– were supplied by writing partner
Robert Smigel
Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his ''Saturday Night Live'' "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Do ...
.
A turning point was David Letterman's February 1994 appearance. "It was a morale boost," said O'Brien. "I'm thinking, If the guy who created the 12:30 thing comes on and says we're smart and funny, let's go."
The show went through a wobble in January 1995 when Robert Smigel, feeling burned out, quit as head writer.
The show's quality improved slowly over time, and most credit O'Brien's growing comedic performance. Within a year, a comedic formula began to arise: the show would combine the lewd and wacky with a more elegant, narrative-driven remotes.
Aside from the studio sketches, the show featured segments that occurred in the field, called
remotes. One famous remote was when Conan visited a historic, Civil War-era baseball league.
That piece was one of O'Brien's personal favorites, later remarking, "When I leave this earth, at the funeral, just show this, because this pretty much says who I'm all about."
O'Brien's audience, largely young and male (a coveted demographic), grew steadily and the show began to best competitors in the ratings, and continued to do so for 15 seasons.
In the early days of the Internet, fans launched unofficial websites, compiling precise summaries of each episode.
Even Tom Shales was a convert: he called the show "one of the most amazing transformations in television history."
Beginning in 1996, O'Brien and the ''Late Night'' writing team were nominated annually for the
Emmy Award for Best Writing in a Comedy or Variety Series, winning the award for the first and only time in 2007. In 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004, he and the ''Late Night'' writing staff won the
Writers Guild Award for Best Writing in a Comedy/Variety Series. In 2001, he formed his own television production company,
Conaco, which subsequently shared in the production credits for ''Late Night''.

, ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' had for eleven years consistently attracted an audience averaging about 2.5 million viewers.
The apotheosis of the ''Late Night'' remotes centered on the realization, in 2006, that O'Brien bore a striking resemblance to
Tarja Halonen
Tarja Kaarina Halonen (; born 24 December 1943) is a Finnish politician who served as the 11th president of Finland, and the first woman to hold the position, from 2000 to 2012. She first rose to prominence as a lawyer with the Central Organisa ...
, entering her second term as president of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
. Capitalizing on the resemblance and on the
2006 Finnish presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Finland on 15 and 29 January 2006 which resulted in the re-election of Tarja Halonen as President of Finland for a second six-year term.
The first round of voting in Finnish presidential elections always tak ...
, O'Brien and ''Late Night'' aired mock political ads both in support of Halonen and against her main opponent, which influenced popular perception of the race, and traveled to Finland shortly after the election. "We took the show to
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
for five days," O'Brien recalled, "where we were embraced like a national treasure."
As part of the five-day trip, which was released as a one-hour special episode of ''Late Night'', O'Brien met with Halonen at the Finnish
Presidential Palace.
During the
writers' strike in 2008, O'Brien staged a
mock feud with
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy program ...
's
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted '' The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts '' ...
(of ''
The Daily Show
''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form fr ...
'') and
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 t ...
(of ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focu ...
'') over a dispute about which of the three were responsible for giving a "bump" to
Mike Huckabee
Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nominat ...
's campaign to become the
Republican presidential nominee. This feud crossed over all three shows during the
2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike
From November 5, 2007, to February 12, 2008, all 12,000 film and television screenwriters of the American labor unions Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) went on strike.
The Writers Guild of Americ ...
.
On February 20, 2009, NBC aired the last episode of ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. The show consisted of a compilation of previous ''Late Night'' clips and included a surprise appearance by former sidekick Andy Richter.
Will Ferrell
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 20 ...
,
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...
, and the
White Stripes also appeared. O'Brien ended the episode by destroying the set with an axe, handing out the pieces of the set to the audience, and thanking a list of people who helped him. Among those thanked were Lorne Michaels, David Letterman,
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2 ...
, and O'Brien's wife and children.
In 2019, clips from O'Brien's time on ''Late Night'' began to be posted on his TBS website and on the Team Coco YouTube channel.
''The Tonight Show'' (2009–2010)

As part of a new contract negotiated with
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
in 2004, the network decided that O'Brien would take over ''The Tonight Show'' from
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2 ...
in 2009. Leno then moved to a
prime time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
slot, named ''
The Jay Leno Show
''The Jay Leno Show'' is a talk show created and hosted by Jay Leno. Premiering on NBC on September 14, 2009, the program aired on weeknights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, ET/Pacific Time Zone, PT through February 9, 2010. The program w ...
''. Hosting ''The Tonight Show'' was a lifelong dream of O'Brien's, and the promise of succeeding Leno kept him in NBC's employ despite the fact that he likely could have secured a more lucrative deal at another network. O'Brien was a guest on Jay Leno's final episode of ''The Tonight Show''. On June 1, 2009,
Will Ferrell
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 20 ...
became Conan's first ''Tonight Show'' guest on the couch and
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, ...
appeared as his first musical guest.
Conan acquired the nickname "Coco" after its use in the first "Twitter Tracker" sketch during the second episode of his ''Tonight Show'' run. Guest Tom Hanks used the nickname during his subsequent interview, even getting the audience to chant it. In reaction to the
moniker
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
, Conan remarked to Hanks in jest, "If that catches on, I'll sue you." During the taping of the Friday, September 25, 2009, episode of ''The Tonight Show'', O'Brien suffered a mild concussion after he slipped and hit his head while running a race as part of a comedy sketch with guest
Teri Hatcher
Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress best known for her portrayals of Lois Lane on the television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (1993–1997); Paris Carver in the ''James Bond'' film '' Tomo ...
. He was examined at a hospital and released the same day. A rerun was aired that night, but O'Brien returned to work the following Monday and poked fun at the incident.
By November 2009, ratings for O'Brien's ''The Tonight Show'' declined by around 2 million viewers since the previous year when Leno was host. On January 7, 2010, NBC executive Jeff Zucker met with Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien to discuss how to move Leno out of prime time, where his ratings were lackluster, and back into late night. It was proposed that O'Brien would remain as host of ''The Tonight Show'', which would run at 12:05 am with Leno hosting a 30-minute show at 11:35 pm. Three days later,
NBC Universal
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
Television Entertainment chairman
Jeff Gaspin confirmed that ''
The Jay Leno Show
''The Jay Leno Show'' is a talk show created and hosted by Jay Leno. Premiering on NBC on September 14, 2009, the program aired on weeknights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, ET/Pacific Time Zone, PT through February 9, 2010. The program w ...
'' would be moved to 11:35 pm following NBC's coverage of the
2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May Doan Nancy GreeneWayne Gr ...
.
Sources familiar with the situation stated that O'Brien was unhappy and disappointed with NBC's plan. On January 12, O'Brien released this statement: "I sincerely believe that delaying ''The Tonight Show'' into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. ''The Tonight Show'' at 12:05 simply isn't ''The Tonight Show.''" On January 21, 2010, it was announced that Conan had reached a deal with NBC that would see him exit ''The Tonight Show'' the next day. The deal also granted him $45 million, of which $12 million was designated for distribution to his staff, who had moved with Conan to Los Angeles from New York when he left ''Late Night''.
The final ''Tonight Show'' with Conan aired January 22, 2010, and featured guests
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
,
Steve Carell
Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in '' The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where C ...
(who did an exit interview and shredded Conan's
ID badge
An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID card, citizen c ...
),
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...
(singing "
Long May You Run"), and
Will Ferrell
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 20 ...
. For Ferrell's appearance, Conan played guitar with the band and Ferrell sang "
Free Bird
"Free Bird", also spelled "Freebird", is a song written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant and performed by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. The song featured on the band's debut album in 1973.
Released as a single in November 1974, "F ...
" while reprising his ''
SNL
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
''
cowbell
A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are ...
. Ferrell's wife,
Viveca Paulin
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 200 ...
, together with
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perf ...
,
Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...
, and
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature so ...
guitarist
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician who is the guitarist and lead singer of the rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the band the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded a full-length album entitled, '' Flas ...
, also joined the band for this final performance.
Jay Leno returned to ''The Tonight Show'' following NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Under the $45 million deal with NBC, Conan was allowed to start working for another network as soon as September 2010. Conan's rumored next networks ranged from Fox to
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy program ...
. Other networks reportedly interested in O'Brien included
TNT,
HBO,
FX,
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
,
Revision3, and even the
NBC Universal
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
–owned
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Mad ...
.
Television hiatus and comedy tour (2010)

On February 8, 2010, it was reported that O'Brien was attempting to sell his
Central Park West
Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan ...
penthouse in New York with an asking price of $35 million. He had purchased the apartment in 2007 for $10 million. Two years earlier, O'Brien had purchased a home in the
Brentwood section of Los Angeles for over $10.5 million.
Some industry insiders have speculated that O'Brien had chosen to stay on the west coast in order to facilitate a return to late night television and because he did not want to put his children through another move.
O'Brien was included in the 2010
''Time'' 100, a list compiled by ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
'' of the 100 most influential people in the world as voted on by readers.
After being prohibited from making television appearances of any kind until May, O'Brien spoke about the ''Tonight Show'' conflict on the
CBS newsmagazine ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...
'' on May 2, 2010.
During the interview with
Steve Kroft, O'Brien said the situation felt "like a marriage breaking up suddenly, violently, quickly. And I was just trying to figure out what happened." He also said he "absolutely" expected NBC to give him more of a chance and that, if in Jay Leno's position, he would not have come back to ''The Tonight Show''. However, Conan said he did not feel unfortunate. "It's crucial to me that anyone seeing this, if they take anything away from this, it's I'm fine. I'm doing great," said O'Brien. "I hope people still find me comedically absurd and ridiculous. And I don't regret anything."
On March 11, 2010, O'Brien announced via his Twitter account that he would embark on a 30-city live tour beginning April 12, 2010, entitled, "
The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour". Co-host
Andy Richter
Paul Andrew Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and talk show announcer. He is best known as the sidekick for Conan O'Brien on each of O'Brien's talk shows: '' Late Night'' and ''The Tonight Show'' on NBC ...
, along with members of the former
Tonight Show Band
The Tonight Show Band is the house band that plays on the American television variety show '' The Tonight Show''. From 1962 until 1992, when the show was known as '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', the band was a 17-piece big band, and ...
, joined O'Brien on the tour.
Max Weinberg
Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' a ...
, however, was not able to join, except for a guest appearance at one of Conan's New York City shows. On April 12, 2010, O'Brien opened his two-month comedy tour in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.
As of the 2020 United States Census ...
, with a crowd of 2,500 and no TV cameras. The tour traveled through America's Northwest and Canada before moving on to larger cities, including Los Angeles and New York City, where he performed at
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and theater at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplace of the Nation", it is the headquarters for th ...
, next to his former ''Late Night'' studios. The tour ended in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
on June 14. In 2011, the documentary film titled ''
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop'' was released which followed O'Brien throughout his comedy tour. The film premiered March 2011 at the
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...
media festival to positive reviews. It was directed by
Rodman Flender who is O'Brien's personal friend and classmate at Harvard University.
''Conan'' (2010–2021)

The day his live tour began, O'Brien announced that he would host a new show on cable station
TBS.
The show,
''Conan'', debuted on November 8, 2010 and aired Monday through Thursday at 11:00 pm ET/10:00 pm CT. O'Brien's addition moved ''
Lopez Tonight'' with
George Lopez
George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rec ...
back one hour.
Refusing at first to do to Lopez what had happened to him at NBC, O'Brien agreed to join the network after Lopez called to persuade him to come to TBS.
In February 2015, following the onset of the
Cuban thaw, O'Brien became the first American television personality to film in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
for more than half a century. O'Brien then visited
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ...
for his next show abroad, during which he featured his assistant
Sona Movsesian, who is
Armenian American
Armenian Americans ( hy, ամերիկահայեր, ''amerikahayer'') are citizens or residents of the United States who have total or partial Armenian ancestry. They form the second largest community of the Armenian diaspora after Armenians i ...
. While visiting, Conan guest-starred as a gangster on an Armenian soap opera. In April 2016, O'Brien visited
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
in response to a fan letter urging him to visit, as well as a growing fan base online. His visit included a trip to the
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone ( Korean: ; Hanbando Bimujang Jidae) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in ha ...
, which resulted in O'Brien and
Steven Yeun also visiting
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
on a technicality by stepping across the border line at the
DMZ. Conan commented on the significance during the sketch, claiming, "The idea that you and I could be in North Korea, talking and communicating freely, seems like kind of a cool message." These remotes were later branded ''
Conan Without Borders
''Conan Without Borders'' is an American travel show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired on TBS (American TV channel), TBS in the United States as a series of Television special, specials on O'Brien's talk show ''Conan (talk show), Conan''. The se ...
'' and became part of their own series, with O'Brien eventually traveling to thirteen countries in total.
The series became some of his most popular work, winning an Emmy in 2018.
The international shows became available on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
before moving to
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netwo ...
.
TBS extended the show through 2018 in 2014 and through 2022 in 2017. In late 2018, ''Conan'' took a three-month hiatus while O'Brien launched another national comedy tour. The show returned January 22, 2019, in a new half-hour format without the live band.
In response to the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
As of 2022, the COVID‑19 pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV‑2). Its impact has been broad, affecting general society, the glo ...
, the program switched to a remotely-produced format from O'Brien's home beginning March 30, 2020.
In July 2020, it was announced that ''Conan'' would continue with this format, but would be filmed with limited on-site staff from the
Largo at the Coronet
The Coronet Theatre is a theatre located at 366 North La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. During its peak in the mid 20th century, the theatre was an art and experimental movie venue, showing the work of people such as Kenneth Ang ...
in Los Angeles and no studio audience — making it the first American late-night talk show to return to filming outside of the host's residence (albeit still not from its main studio). In November 2020, TBS announced that ''Conan'' would end in June 2021. The final show aired on June 24, 2021, featuring a live audience and marking the end of O'Brien's twenty-eight year run as a late-night host. It was announced that O'Brien will move to a weekly untitled variety show on fellow
WarnerMedia
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
property
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netwo ...
, where he is expected to focus more on his podcast and travel shows with a relaxed production schedule. On his final show, O'Brien featured fictional character
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' short ...
, marking also the three episodes that O'Brien wrote for the series. Comedians
Will Ferrell
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 20 ...
and Jack Black also paid their farewell to the show in the series finale.
''Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend'' and digital media (2018–present)
In 2018, O'Brien's production company, Team Coco, partnered with Earwolf to launch his own weekly podcast, ''
Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend''. The podcast debuted November 18, 2018, with
Will Ferrell
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 20 ...
as the first guest.
O'Brien stated the title is tongue-in-cheek, saying he would like to see if celebrity guests would actually be his friends. In each episode, Conan is joined by his guest, as well as his assistant
Sona Movsesian and the show's producer Matt Gourley.
Guests on the podcast have included Barack Obama, Barack and Michelle Obama,
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 t ...
, and Bob Newhart among others. The podcast has received strong reviews and became the top podcast on iTunes. The podcast has also won numerous awards throughout its run. ''Deadline Hollywood'' reported that, as of August 2021, the podcast had been downloaded over 250 million times and was averaging more than 9 million downloads per month.
In May 2022, the podcast, as well as the entire Team Coco digital media business, was sold to SiriusXM for $150 million. This sale included all other Team Coco podcasts including ''Inside Conan'' and ''Parks and Recollection'', as well as the development of a comedy channel for SiriusXM radio service.
Other work
Television producer
O'Brien was executive producer and co-wrote the Television pilot, pilot of the 2007 NBC adventure/comedy series ''Andy Barker, P.I.'', starring O'Brien's sidekick
Andy Richter
Paul Andrew Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and talk show announcer. He is best known as the sidekick for Conan O'Brien on each of O'Brien's talk shows: '' Late Night'' and ''The Tonight Show'' on NBC ...
. After six episodes and low ratings, the show was canceled despite being named one of the Top Ten Shows of 2007 by ''Entertainment Weekly''. Later,
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Mad ...
ordered a pilot episode of the medical-themed ''Operating Instructions'', which was produced by O'Brien's production company
Conaco. In January 2010
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
ordered two pilots from Conaco, the one-hour courtroom drama ''Outlaw (TV series), Outlaw'' and a half-hour comedy. ''Outlaw'' was produced in eight episodes and premiered on September 15, 2010.
Voice work
O'Brien's first guest appearance after beginning his late-night career was playing himself in the The Simpsons (season 5), season five ''Simpsons'' episode "Bart Gets Famous", interviewing Bart Simpson during his rise to fame as a catchphrase comedian.
In 1999, O'Brien made an appearance on ''Futurama'' in the second-season episode "Xmas Story". O'Brien played himself as a Isolated brain, head in a jar and still alive in the year 3000. O'Brien has made multiple voice appearances on the Adult Swim series ''Robot Chicken'', including the specials ''Robot Chicken Star Wars, Robot Chicken: Star Wars'' and ''Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II''.
Other voice work performed by O'Brien has included the voice of Robert Todd Lincoln in the audiobook version of ''Assassination Vacation'' by Sarah Vowell, the voice of talk show host Dave Endochrine in the 2013 DC Universe Animated Original Movies, DC Universe animated original movie ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (film), Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Part 2)'', the voice of the character Kuchikukan in the "List of The Penguins of Madagascar episodes, Operation: Lunacorn Apocalypse" episode of Nickelodeon's ''The Penguins of Madagascar'',
and the voice of Santa Claus in ''The Backyardigans'' episode "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve".
Guest appearances

On the TV show ''30 Rock'', O'Brien is depicted as an ex-boyfriend of lead character Liz Lemon, who works in the same building. In the episode "Tracy Does Conan", Conan appears as himself, awkwardly reunited with Lemon and coerced by network executive Jack Donaghy into having the character Tracy Jordan on ''Late Night'', despite having been assaulted in Jordan's previous appearance. O'Brien also made a cameo appearance on the U.S. version of ''The Office (American TV series), The Office''. In the episode "Valentine's Day (The Office), Valentine's Day", Michael Scott (The Office), Michael believes that he spots former ''
SNL
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' cast member, Tina Fey, but has actually mistaken another woman for her. In the meantime, Conan has a quick walk-on, and the camera crew informs Michael when he returns from talking to the Tina Fey lookalike. In 2011, he starred as himself in the web series ''Web Therapy'' (opposite
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She rose to fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004), which has since been named one of the greatest television cha ...
) for three episodes.
O'Brien also made a guest appearance as the "Wandering MC" in the 2019 video game ''Death Stranding'',
where he communicates with the player using voice lines and facial expressions recorded during his visit to Kojima Productions' headquarters.
Hosting duties
O'Brien has hosted several awards shows and television specials. O'Brien hosted the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2002 and the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006, to critical acclaim.
O'Brien also hosted the 2014 MTV Movie Awards. In 2011 and 2012, O'Brien hosted the ''Christmas in Washington'' special for TBS' sister network,
TNT, featuring celebrity performances and a special appearance by the Obama family both years.
Conan has served as the master of ceremonies for the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C. twice, in 1995 and 2013. In 2016, O'Brien hosted the 5th Annual NFL Honors in San Francisco, California. He also hosted a reunion special in Northern Ireland for ''Game of Thrones'' in 2018 for the Game of Thrones (season 8), final season of the series. The special was released on
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netwo ...
in 2021.
Influences and style
O'Brien lists among his comedic influences
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of '' Late Night with David Letterma ...
, Peter Sellers, Sid Caesar, Warner Bros. Cartoons,
Johnny Carson, Ernie Kovacs, Bob Hope, and Woody Allen. In turn, actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling, Pete Holmes, Seth Meyers, Nikki Glaser, John Krasinski, Moses Storm, Sam Richardson (actor), Sam Richardson, Colin Jost, Kumail Nanjiani, Ron Funches, John Mulaney, and Eric André. The Dogs in warfare, military working dog Conan (dog), Conan is reportedly named after O'Brien according to ''Newsweek''.
On ''Late Night,'' O'Brien became known for his active and Ad libitum, spontaneous hosting style,
which has been characterized as "Self-deprecation, self-deprecating" by both media outlets and O'Brien himself. This spontaneity is also apparent in remotes in which he is put in novel and open-ended environments. Some of these, such as a "Civil War-era baseball" remote during ''Late Night'' and his international ''Conan Without Borders'' shows, are among his best-received work.
Personal life

O'Brien met Elizabeth Ann "Liza" Powel in 2000, when she appeared on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' in an advertising skit involving Hilton Koch, Hilton Furniture and Draftfcb, Foote, Cone & Belding, where she worked as senior copywriter. The couple dated for nearly 18 months before their 2002 marriage in Powel's hometown of Seattle. O'Brien and Powel have a daughter, Neve (born 2003) and a son, Beckett (born 2005).
O'Brien often affirms his
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...
heritage. On a 2009 episode of ''Inside the Actors Studio'', he stated that ancestors from both sides of his family moved to America from Ireland starting in the 1850s, subsequently marrying only other Irish Catholics, and that his lineage is thus 100% Irish Catholic.
His entirely homogenous ancestry was confirmed via DNA test a decade later, which he shared on ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert''. O’Brien noted that being entirely descended from just one ethnic group is extremely rare, and that him being so “shocked” his doctor.
He has been a registered Democratic Party (United States), Democrat since casting his first vote for president in 1984 for Walter Mondale. He considers himself a Centrism, moderate on the political spectrum.
O'Brien founded the anti-hunger organization ''Labels Are For Jars'' with his friend and former Harvard dormmate Father Paul B. O'Brien. He also helped open the ''Cor Unum'' meal center in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 2006.
Starting in September 2006, O'Brien was Stalking, stalked by Father David Ajemian of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, Archdiocese of Boston, who, despite multiple warnings to stop, sent O'Brien letters signed as "your priest stalker". Ajemian later sent O'Brien death threats and tried to forcefully enter a taping of ''Late Night'' before being arrested. On April 8, 2008, Ajemian pleaded guilty to stalking, and was later Loss of clerical state (Catholic Church), laicized.
In January 2008, after his show was put on hold for two months owing to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, strike by the Writers Guild of America, he reemerged on late-night TV sporting a beard, which guest Tom Brokaw described as making him look like "a draft dodger from the Civil War." After leaving ''
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, as part of NBC's ''Tonight Show'' franchise. O'Brien had previously hosted NBC's ''Late N ...
'' in 2010, O'Brien again grew a beard, which he kept until May 2011, when it was partially shaved on the set of ''
Conan'' by
Will Ferrell
John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 20 ...
(and completely shaved off-screen by a professional barber).
O'Brien purchased a $10.5-million mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, to prepare for his move there in 2009 from New York City to host ''
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010� ...
'' at Universal Studios Hollywood. As part of a long-running gag, he brought his 1992 Ford Taurus SHO with him to California, showcasing it on both the inaugural episodes of ''The Tonight Show'' and ''Conan''. O'Brien purchased an Beach house, ocean-front house in Carpinteria, California in 2016.
He listed the house for sale for $16.5-million in July 2022.
On June 12, 2011, O'Brien was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College. In addition to the honorary degree, he delivered the commencement speech. On October 21, 2011, O'Brien was ordained as a minister by the Universal Life Church Monastery,
allowing him to perform a same-sex marriage while back in New York, then one of the few states in the US where gay marriage was legal, to tape a week's worth of shows. The wedding, between a member of O'Brien's staff and his partner, was held on the stage of the Beacon Theatre (New York City), Beacon Theatre on November 3, 2011, and broadcast on ''Conan''. The same-sex marriage ceremony was the first to be broadcast on American late night television.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Music videos
Awards and nominations
Sources
Notes
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Conan
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