Conan Reflects On The 30th Anniversary Of “Late Night” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I think we're celebrating recently a. very special anniversary yeah uh we tape. a little bit ahead um so I don't know. exactly when this is going to come out. but today uh is September. 13th and my whole career in late night. started on September 13th 1993 so it's. been exactly 30 years Wow since I. started and it feels like a long cuz so. much has happened it feels like a long. time ago but I will always remember that. day yeah that we did our first.

television show and a lot of young. people uh don't know or rightly don't. care but at the time it was kind of a um. who is this guy I was a complete unknown. and uh hadn't been on television and so. people were I think half the audience. was tuning in just to see someone try to. jump their motorcycle over a canyon and. fail uh I have very fond memories of the. show it was a really fun first show it.

was electrifying to get to do it you. were a baby I was 29 when I auditioned. that's crazy and then I had just turned. 30 when I got the job and uh then we put. it together very quickly in a couple of. months and I do have to get this all. down on paper someday cuz it is a wild. story but uh with the help of really. talented funny people and got a good. crew together some of whom are still. with me today Jeff Ross still with me Mr.

Frank Smiley still with me Paula Davis. Davis uh Gina um of course Batista and. and Andy I I still see Andy almost every. day cuz he does his podcast here in the. building and so we see each other a lot. and Andy was out there with me uh and he. had been hired as a writer and. immediately I thought this guy I just. want him next to me because I'm I'm. going to on the nose cone of a rocket. into space I'm probably going to get. killed I'd like to have this funny guy. next to me and so was a blessing so.

there was no original plan for you to. have a sidekick no there was no original. plan for anything and the whole thing. had to come together very. quickly uh but that first. show we worked really hard and uh Robert. Smigel my original headwriter he and I. had this vision of what we wanted and we. worked very hard and Jeff Ross was there. helping us make it happen and he was. instrumental in the whole. operation and we decided uh that we.

wanted this very silly kind of sense of. humor and we worked so hard we had. pre-tapes we had everything just lined. up so we knew our first show was going. to be good we knew it was going to be. loaded with a lot of good stuff so. people subsequently said you must have. been terrified that day and I remember. thinking no I was just excited to get. going really yeah I was uh I was excited. I was so excited to get going because. the whole summer people were like who.

the are you and that was my mom um. speaking of that you know how I heard. about you from my mom I was away at. college and she said this is the new guy. they're putting on Conan O'Brien and. then she really liked you she watched. the show that's nice I didn't have a TV. at college or I would have tuned in it. was a different time no one had it's. funny I go back to colleges now and they. have televisions and computer whatever I. just I I didn't have a of course uh. there weren't televisions when I went to. college um we had uh curv toop radios.

but um anyway it was a really special. day and so it was just funny to wake up. today and think huh I had some texts. from people saying wow 30 30 years ago. today and that changed my life. completely and uh was great and um you. know obviously lots of ups and downs but. just I wouldn't change a thing AB. absolutely amazing and then I just keep. thinking about the different eras or. sections so when through that whole late.

night thing and then Sona I don't meet. you till really the end of the late. night thing and the beginning of the. Tonight Show MH thanks for your help. with that. oh sounded like you were blaming me L. people are lot okay oh I didn't know. that sorry well you were the one thing. that changed oh okay everything was. going along swimmingly then I came along. like I can help oh no look out um but no. uh you showed up and then that whole era.

like the tour and everything at TBS was. and this podcast and meeting you mad I. me I know it sounds sappy but I cannot. believe my good fortune I just keep. meeting new people that challenge me in. different ways and I get to have more. and more fun it's just seems uh like I'm. off the charts blessed so half your life. you have been a figure that would make. me 60 no oh I'm sorry oh yeah we're. putting out a press release I am one. third of your life.

years 44 oh we're putting it my my uh my. publicists had this idea this morning. I'm going to 44 now do you want to go. back at the opening of this segment and. say we recorded this in. 1998 yes I do okay well I think. President Clinton's doing a bang-up job. I also just want to take a second to say. no uh yeah I'm 60 now and I was yeah 29. audition then 30 when we did the show.

and yeah and it's so funny when I look. at clips now from that first show or. that first year of that first show I. can't believe they let that guy on. television he's so young and Goofy and. my hair was insane I don't know why but. I feel like you know you found your. stride very quickly too though I mean I. feel like you started and everyone just. started talking about you it's true I. heard about you from my mom but then it. was all my friend circles and we would.

just watch and eat it up I would never. tell you probably enough what a fan I. was of you you have never mentioned it. I've mentioned it at least once talked. about this yeah maybe in my sleep it. came out no I really well you know what. it's interesting and I actually think. this is the way things should be but. most of what we heard about back then. because there wasn't an internet was we. just heard from TV critics who were not. happy and so we heard all this. negativity and the and the network. wasn't happy and so.

we were only mostly just getting uh. negativity and then um I remember the. first summer that we you know we we made. it through the fall and this long dark. winter and a lot of criticism and uh it. was tough and then we made it to the. summer and kids got out of college and. they came to see the show live in rock. far Center and suddenly I'd walk out and. the A and and Robert Smigel I talked to. him about this he remembers it too. starting in June I'd walk out for the.

monologue or for the warm-up and the. crowd would go crazy and I would think. is there someone behind me that they. want they that they want to see but I I. had no we had no idea we had no idea. then of course they all went back to. school in the fall a do you think that. it would have you would have read stuff. if people talked about it cuz you're. very big on not reading no but I would. have it wouldn't maybe would have there. all these young performers today uh. comedians uh who were watching then who.

tell me who are so established and good. and they tell me that they were watching. then and really liking it and my. reaction is always to a hater or melany. or Nick croll or any of these people why. didn't you tell me and they're like I. was a kid. idiot we didn't know I thought everyone. hated me and I did I sent. letters I shredded all the. letters if there wasn't cash in there I. shredded them but uh but 30 years that's. truly remarkable and impressive so.

congratulations and it is an amazing cuz. it won't I don't ever see anything like. that happening again where they just. take someone who no one has ever really. heard of and then make them host like a. stored franchise well also I think the. thing the television business has. changed so much that at the time now. there's so much television that you're. always you you can go home at night and. you can watch. 10,000 uh television shows literally on. all these streaming services and they. can be populated with people you've.

never heard of or you can go on the. computer and watch YouTube clips and. it's everybody you've never seen before. but this is back in this other era where. literally there's well there's two late. night shows and uh you know and now. there's going to be this there's this. third one so we're giving a third person. in America a chance who shall it be. what's the population of America about. 340 million all right who should it be. Lauren Michaels what do you think I. think maybe con O'Brien done let's see.

we'll need another. man yeah yeah and so it's just so weird. because it's crazy it's crazy I. shouldn't have had that chance and uh. got it and I've just been um and then as. you know Sona met my met Liza shooting a. remote on the show so that would never. have happened and you met your husband. because of the show the show yeah and um. I'm marrying Matt gorley because he's.

have happened if it weren for the other. people on the show married each other. and met because of the show like there's. there's babies because of the show oh. yeah also I think many many people made. babies at 12:30 at night back then. that's true there was nothing else so. many people used to say I watched you. last night cuz I was up. I'd say what an awful phrase. that's too much TMI that's the key to. your longevity is that you're an AP iiac.

and then you made another generation of. people that to you they made it very. clear they were having sex when a cat. stepped on the remote and the TV came. off God damn it I can't finish why cuz. that idiot's on hair's going every which. way he's jerking around he's talking too. much his voice is weird that comedy is. abrasive and strange and this is you. talking with an. accent all right well very uh feel very. fortunate today to just have to to have.

been around for this ride and now. goodbye for oh wait that was unforeseen. well I it just felt like I should ride. off now no no I'll sck around keep going. all I have a house to be I've seen it. it's a nice house.