Conan O'Brien

Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and podcaster. He hosted several late-night talk shows, beginning with Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993–2009) and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (2009–2010) on the NBC television network, and Conan (2010–2021) on the cable channel TBS. Before his hosting career, O'Brien was a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1988 to 1991, and the Fox animated sitcom The Simpsons from 1991 to 1993. He has hosted the podcast series Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend since 2018, and starred in the travel show Conan O'Brien Must Go on HBO Max since 2024.

Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, O'Brien was raised in an Irish Catholic family. He served as president of The Harvard Lampoon while attending Harvard University, where he graduated with a degree in history and literature. He 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 and NBC to take over David Letterman's position as host of Late Night in 1993. Despite unfavorable reviews and threats of cancellation in the show's first years, O'Brien and the show developed and became highly regarded, earning a Primetime Emmy Award. He hosted Late Night for 16 years, and as of 2025 is still the longest-serving host in the history of the franchise.

In 2009, 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 (2011). He then hosted Conan from 2010 to 2021. Throughout his career, he has also hosted a number of awards shows and television specials, including the Emmy Awards in 2002 and 2006, the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 1995 and 2013, and the Academy Awards in 2025, 2026, and 2027. O'Brien was named one of Times 100 Most Influential People in 2010, and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2025. He is the 2025 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. His remotes have also become some of his best-received work, including the international travel series Conan Without Borders. With the retirement of David Letterman on May 20, 2015, O'Brien became the longest-working late-night talk show host active in the United States. 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 nearly 30 years.

Early life Conan Christopher O'Brien was born on April 18, 1963, in Brookline, Massachusetts. His mother, Ruth O'Brien (née Reardon; 1931–2024), was an attorney and partner at the Boston firm Ropes & Gray. O'Brien has three brothers and two sisters, and is a third cousin once removed of fellow comedian Denis Leary. His family had a tradition of attending the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, for college; O'Brien later recalled, "Half my family went to Holy Cross. And they call it ‘The Cross.’"

O'Brien attended Brookline High School, where he served as the managing editor of the school newspaper, then called The Sagamore. After graduating as valedictorian in 1981, O'Brien entered Harvard University. He lived in Holworthy Hall during his first year with future businessman Luis Ubiñas and two other roommates, and in Mather House during his sophomore and two upper-class years. He majored in history and literature, and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts 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 Faulkner and O'Connor.

During college, O'Brien briefly played drums in a band called the Bad Clams and was a writer for the Harvard Lampoon humor magazine. During his sophomore and junior years, he served as the Lampoons president. At this time, O'Brien's future boss at NBC, Jeff Zucker, was serving as president of the school newspaper The Harvard Crimson.

Career Early writing jobs and Saturday Night Live (1985–1991)

After graduating from Harvard, O'Brien moved to Los Angeles to join the writing staff of HBO's sketch comedy series Not Necessarily the News, where he worked for two seasons. Around this time, he started taking improvisation classes with Cynthia Szigeti and The Groundlings. His next job as a writer was on the short-lived The Wilton North Report. In January 1988, Saturday Night Live (SNL) executive producer Lorne Michaels 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 and Jon Lovitz.

While on a writers' strike from Saturday Night Live following the 1987–88 season, O'Brien put on an improvisational comedy revue in Chicago with fellow SNL writers Bob Odenkirk and Robert Smigel called Happy Happy Good Show. While living in Chicago, O'Brien briefly shared an apartment with Jeff Garlin near Wrigley Field. In 1989, O'Brien and his fellow SNL writers received an Emmy Award 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 was inducted into the SNL "Five-Timers Club" for hosting his fifth episode in 1990. O'Brien and Robert Smigel wrote the television pilot for Lookwell starring Adam West, which aired on NBC in 1991. Even with support from NBC president Brandon Tartikoff, 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, after the failure of his sitcom, O'Brien also had an engagement to be married fall through and he quit Saturday Night Live, citing burnout. O'Brien would later return to the show as host in 2001, and in a 2022 cameo appearance.

The Simpsons (1991–1993) 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.

On April 18, 2024, HBO released a four-episode international travel series titled Conan O'Brien Must Go on Max to widespread critical acclaim. The series featured O'Brien traveling to Norway, Argentina, Thailand, and Ireland to meet fans whom he had previously featured via video calls in his podcast series Conan O'Brien Needs a Fan. The show was renewed for a second season of six episodes in May 2024.

In January 2025, it was announced that O'Brien would be the 2025 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He received the award on March 23 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The recording of the presentation later garnered him an Emmy in 2025 for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).

In May of 2026, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree by his alma mater, Harvard University, at the institution's annual commencement ceremony, where he also gave the commencement speech.

In June 2026, has partnered with AI cybersecurity company Adaptive Security to create a 15-part training series that teaches employees how to recognize and respond to AI-powered cyber threats such as deepfakes, voice cloning, phishing attacks, impersonation scams, and physical security risks. The series, filmed in Los Angeles, combines humor with cybersecurity education. Scripts were co-written by O’Brien’s production company Team Coco and Adaptive Security, with O’Brien contributing his trademark improvisational style.

Other work Television production

O'Brien was executive producer and co-wrote the pilot of the 2007 NBC adventure/comedy series Andy Barker, P.I., starring O'Brien's sidekick Andy Richter. 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 ordered a pilot episode of the medical-themed Operating Instructions, which was produced by O'Brien's production company Conaco. In January 2010, NBC ordered two pilots from Conaco, the one-hour courtroom drama 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 season five Simpsons episode "Bart Gets Famous", interviewing Bart Simpson during his rise to fame as a catchphrase comedian. O'Brien has made multiple voice appearances on the Adult Swim series Robot Chicken, including the specials Robot Chicken: Star Wars and Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II.

Other voice work performed by O'Brien includes 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 Movie Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Part 2), the voice of the character Kuchikukan in the "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". In 2026, O’Brien joined Disney’s Toy Story universe as Smarty Pants in the fifth installment of the film series.

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", O'Brien 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 American version of The Office. In the episode "Valentine's Day", Michael believes that he spots former SNL cast member Tina Fey but has actually mistaken another woman for her. In the meantime, O'Brien 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) 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. He hosted the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2002 and the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006, to critical acclaim. He 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.

He 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 NFL Honors in San Francisco, California. He also hosted a reunion special in Northern Ireland for Game of Thrones in 2018 for the final season of the series. The special was released on HBO Max in 2021.

On March 2, 2025, O'Brien hosted the 97th Academy Awards for the first time. He received wide acclaim for his performance, with the ceremony achieving its best U.S. television ratings in five years, and the Academy announced just two weeks later that he would return to host the 98th Academy Awards, which also received acclaim for his performance. O'Brien is set to return again as host in the 99th Academy Awards in 2027.

Actor O'Brien played a fictional non-comedic live-action character for the first time in the 2025 American drama film If I Had Legs I'd Kick You written and directed by Mary Bronstein.

Music In 2026, O’Brien formed a rock band, named The Vigodas in honor of frequent Late Night collaborator Abe Vigoda. The group, in which O’Brien performs vocals and guitar, made its debut at a live show in Los Angeles on August 10.

Influences and style

On Late Night, O'Brien became known for his active and spontaneous hosting style, 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.

O'Brien lists among his comedic influences Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart, David Letterman, Peter Sellers, Sid Caesar, Warner Bros. Cartoons, Ernie Kovacs, Bob Hope, and Woody Allen; and upon his retirement from Conan, he described his style as the pursuit of a "strange, phantom intersection between smart and stupid". 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, Colin Jost, Kumail Nanjiani, Ron Funches, John Mulaney, Eric André, and Taylor Tomlinson. The military working dog Conan is reportedly named after O'Brien according to Newsweek.

Personal life

O'Brien met Elizabeth Ann "Liza" Powel in 2000, when, as a senior copywriter for the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding, she appeared in a pre-taped sketch on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in which O'Brien sought to craft a more effective TV commercial for Hilton Furniture, a store in Houston, where his show aired in an undesirable timeslot of 2:40am. 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, and a son, Beckett (born 2005). O'Brien was included in People magazine's list of the nation's "100 Most Eligible Bachelors" for the year 2000. Before meeting Powel, O'Brien was in a relationship with Lynn Kaplan, talent booker for Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He briefly dated Lisa Kudrow before her Friends success.

O'Brien often speaks about his Irish Catholic 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.

He has been a registered Democrat since casting his first vote for president in 1984 for Walter Mondale. He considers himself a 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 stalked by Father David Ajemian of the 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 laicized. As part of the plea deal, Ajemian volunteered a restraining order to stay away from O'Brien for two years. , no further harassment of O'Brien has been reported.

In January 2008, after his show was put on hold for two months owing to the 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 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 (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 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 ocean-front house in Carpinteria, California in 2016. He listed the Carpinteria 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 in New York, at that time one of the few states in the US where gay marriage was legal. The wedding, between a member of O'Brien's staff and his partner, was held on the stage of the 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.

In 2015, O’Brien visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan alongside his assistant of Armenian descent, Sona Movsesian, as part of his visit to Armenia in Conan Without Borders in order to spread awareness about the genocide.

The 2025 Palisades fire burned up to the property line of O'Brien's Brentwood mansion, damaging trees and vegetation in the yard, but sparing the house as what CNN characterized as "one of lucky few" Pacific Palisades properties to be still standing, while associates such as writer and producer Frank Smiley and assistant and co-host Sona Movsesian lost theirs to the various fires.

Filmography

Film

+Conan O'Brien film appearances Year Film Role Notes 1998 Tomorrow Night Himself Cameo 2001 Pootie Tang Himself Uncredited cameo Vanilla Sky Himself Cameo Storytelling Himself 2002 The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch Himself TV film 2005 Bewitched Himself 2006 Queer Duck: The Movie Himself Voice Pittsburgh Himself 2008 The Great Buck Howard Himself 2011 Conan O'Brien Can't Stop Himself Documentary 2013 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 David Endocrine Voice Now You See Me Himself The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Himself 2015 Being Canadian Himself Documentary 2017 The Lego Batman Movie The Riddler Voice Sandy Wexler Himself 2019 Dads Himself Documentary 2021 The Mitchells vs. the Machines Glaxxon 5000 Voice 2022 Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special Himself Stand-up special Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Andy Warhol 2023 Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain Farley 2025 If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Linda's therapist John Candy: I Like Me Himself Documentary 2026 Toy Story 5 Smarty Pants Voice Lorne Himself Documentary

Television

+Conan O'Brien television appearances Year Series Role Notes 1983–1987 Not Necessarily the News 13 episodes; writer 1987–1988 The Wilton North Report 1992–1994; 2024 The Simpsons Himself Also writer (4 episodes) and producer (29 episodes)Voice; appeared in episodes: "Bart Gets Famous" and "Bart's Birthday" 1993–2009 Late Night with Conan O'Brien Himself (host) 2,277 episodes; also writer and producer 1996 The Single Guy Cameron Duncan Episode: "Rival" Arli$$ Himself Episode: "Colors of the Rainbow" 1997–2002 Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Himself Voice, 2 episodes 1998 Veronica's Closet Himself Episode: "Veronica's Night Alone" Spin City Himself Episode: "Dead Dog Talking" 1999 LateLine Himself Episode: "Pearce on Conan" Space Ghost Coast to Coast Himself Episode: "Fire Ant" Futurama Himself Voice, episode: "Xmas Story" 2000 DAG Himself Episode: "Pilot" 2001 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Conan O'Brien/Don Henley" 2002 54th Primetime Emmy Awards Himself (host) Television special 2003 Andy Richter Controls the Universe Freddy Pickering Episode: "Crazy in Rio" 2005–2008 Robot Chicken Various voices 4 episodes 2006 O'Grady Chip Voice, episode: "Frenched" The Office Himself Episode: "Valentine's Day" 58th Primetime Emmy Awards Himself (host) Television special 2006, 2013 30 Rock Himself 2 episodes 2007 Andy Barker, P.I. Creator, writer and executive producer 2009–2010 The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien Himself (host) 145 episodes; also writer and executive producer 2009 The Backyardigans Santa Claus Voice, episode: "The Action Elves Save Christmas Eve" 2010 Outlaw Executive producer 2010–2021 Conan Himself (host) 1,510 episodes; also creator, writer and executive producer 2012 Web Therapy Himself 3 episodes 2013 Newsreaders Himself Episode: "Jr. Newsreaders" Deon Cole's Black Box Himself Also executive producerAppeared in Episode: "Deon Tries to Reach Out to White People" Clear History Himself Television film White House Correspondents' Dinner Himself (host) Television special Arrested Development Himself Episode: "The B. Team" Nashville Himself Episode: "Never No More" It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Himself Voice, episode: "The Gang Broke Dee" Real Husbands of Hollywood Himself Episode: "Rock, Paper, Stealers" Brody Stevens: Enjoy It! Himself Episode: "Conan!" 2013–2014 Super Fun Night Executive producer The Pete Holmes Show 2013 Family Guy Himself Voice, episode: "Into Harmony's Way" 2014 2014 MTV Movie Awards Himself (host) Television special Maron Himself Episode: "The Joke" Video Game High School Newsanchor Episode: "OMGWTFPS!?" The Comeback Himself Episode: "Valerie Gets What She Wants" Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda Himself Television film 2015 The Jack and Triumph Show Executive producer Ground Floor Himself Episode: "The Mansfield Who Came to Dinner" Stranger's Soul (Ուրիշի հոգին) Mob boss 2 episodes Clipped Red-Head Customer Episode: "Dreamers" ArmComedy Himself 1 episode The Penguins of Madagascar Kuchikukan Voice, episode: "Operation: Lunacorn Apocalypse" One More Happy Ending (한번 더 해피엔딩) Himself1 episode 2016–2017 People of Earth Executive producer 2016Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten Johnny J. Smith 1 episode 2017Mi adorable maldición Joseph Robinson Episode: "La fiesta de Apolonia" 2018–2021 Final Space Clarence Voice; also executive producer 2018 Un Posto al Sole Man on computer 1 episode Kidding Himself Episode: "Green Means Go" 2019 Silicon Valley Himself Episode: "Exit Event" 2022 Murderville Himself Episode: "The Magician's Assistant" Saturday Night Live Himself Episode: "John Mulaney/LCD Soundsystem" 2024 Curb Your Enthusiasm Himself Episode: "The Colostomy Bag" Ros na Rún Fear na mBalún (Balloon Man) 1 episode Shortland Street Dr. Aiden Archer 2024–present Conan O'Brien Must Go Himself (host) 7 episodes; also creator and executive producer Conan O'Brien: The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Himself Sanggang-Dikit FR The Lunatic Foreigner 1 episode 2026 98th Academy Awards Himself (host) Television special

Video games

+Conan O'Brien video game appearances Year Video game Voice role 2012 Halo 4 Soldier # 1 2014 Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Himself 2019 Death Stranding The Wandering MC

Music videos

+Conan O'Brien music video appearances Year Title Artist 2005 "The Denial Twist" The White Stripes 2016 "Fire" Park Jin-young (feat. Conan O'Brien, Steven Yeun & Jimin Park) 2019"For Love"Kuami Eugene (feat. Conan O'Brien) 2024"Mister Los Angeles"Dawes

Awards and nominations