Conan Sat With The “Friends” Cast At Lisa Kudrow’s Wedding | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
I had this great front row seat to. knowing how crazy funny you were and how. you know just fantastic you were and. then for a bunch of years and then it. was just to see you not just nationally. but internationally everyone go yep her. she's suit she's like the funniest and I. thought how cool to see that beforehand. I don't know. That's a That was an. amazing thing to get to see. Yeah. And. also to someone who's. a really good person and deserves it.
But that was. that was passive aggressive. Um. there were definite air quotes. There's a difference between a lie and. passive aggressive. I'm confused now. Tell me how to be. Oh my god. But that was really that was that was. cool. And uh cuz you got married at the. Was it the end of the first season? Yeah, right after the first season. right before the show exploded. Yeah. So, this the show has been it's. been made, but it like kind of blew up. over the summer, but it's just starting.
to blow up and you have your wedding. and I'm invited and you sat me. I've been doing late night for like a. year, I think, or maybe year and a half. You sat me with the cast. Yeah. I'll never forget. I have such a clear. memory of cuz everyone was so young. Yeah. And I'm sitting there and I'm the. vet because I'm a little older than. these people and I've been on TV for. like a year and a half. And so I'll.
never forget. there was this kind of Matt LeBlanc. especially was kind of like, huh, I. mean, I don't know. What do you think's. going to happen? And I was like, I think. you guys are good. I think you guys are. good. And some people were like, "Really? Do you think like this is. insane?" And then I think right around. that time it uh became bigger than. Catholicism, you know, certainly more lucrative. Uh. and I've seen the Vatican.
Vatican is really looking shabby. By the way, same for me to see you. Okay, here's what I have to say. That I. know you had a hard time. Yeah. At first. Yeah. I mean, I saw that you. had a hard time, but you kept just being. you doing your comedy. and then everybody. came around and real it was like. retractions, you know, like, hey, we. were wrong. Um, oh, this is what he does. Oh, this.
is who he is. Oh, it's not his fault. This is what he. does. No, no, no, no, no. It's like, "Oh, this is the comedy." It's hilarious. Like, once they figured it out, but you. just kept showing up as you I know cuz. you don't know, are they ever going to. get it? Are they ever going to. No. And also, they're telling you if. people of America doesn't get it in the. next 3 weeks, right? You're out of here. And I was hearing that a lot. And then I.
would think, nope, we're still going to. do the weird thing tomorrow. That was a huge. life lesson for me. You just show up, you do what you do. Either they get it. or they don't, right? And if you get to. be there long enough, they will. They're just gonna see that's what you. do. And it's different. But then they'll. come around. And it was sort of like, you know, HBO shows, by the way, where. like I've never seen anything like that. What the is this? Yeah. Oh, yeah. You can say, "What the is. this here?" And then they go, "Okay,
well, I guess this is what it is." And. then they and they come around. And. that's what you did by yourself and took. everything and just kept showing up and. kept doing it. And you didn't you it. didn't h it didn't affect you. Oh well, wait a minute. I don't mean personally. I mean every night on your show, right? It didn't. You behaved as if none of. that was happening because you had a. show to do. your situation was so.
intense because. there's, you know, our thing grew slowly. over time and we got to find our rhythm. Your thing got so big and I saw you go. through. that which I can't even begin to imagine. what that's like. And I know that that. level of. Yeah. Oh my god. You know, one of the friends. is buying an avocado. We've got to get a. photograph of it. Do you know what I.
mean? Just the intensity of it. Yeah. But I mean, it I didn't I'm I. don't remember it being too bad for me. But there were there were six of us. together going through I mean the first. time anything happened, you know, we. were doing the publicity stuff we have. to do and there was an entertainment. weekly photo shoot and by the time we're. done it's it's dark out and we're all. walking out to our cars and in the. parking lot it was tons of paparazzi, you know, like you're blinded by the. flash bulbs and and and they're not just.
calling your name out. That was the. other big uh they're mad calling your. like Lisa Lisa like. you. You're not looking at my. blend, you know, David just like. screaming at all of us and like why are. they angry? What happened? What is this? Terrifying. There's a um uh seems like there's a. flip side to that energy. There's a.
great moment in that Scorsesei movie. King of Comedy where Jerry Lewis plays. basically Jerry Lewis and he's walking. down the street and everyone in New York. is shouting out Jerry Jerry cuz he's. playing a big talk show host. Yeah. And he's and and um a woman is on the. phone and she's talking and she goes, "Jerry, Jerry, talk to my son." And. holds the phone out and Jerry Lewis just. goes, "Can't right now." And she goes, "You should get cancer." Yeah.
And I've always thought that is a that. is an amazing. it's an amazing. it captures something that both of us. have seen that's. there's this. those little magnets that flip instantly. like they just kind of it's this little. switch that flips instantly of oh oh. you. So you're always dealing I think I'm. always. trying to get ahead of that and make. sure everyone's happy which can be a. mistake. less. Well, well, that actually only happened to me.
once in England in London, of course. Yeah. Where I mean, I guess they're just so. repressed there, right? I don't know. But I was there with my husband. It was. kind of early on, but Friends was big. there. And we were in a department store. and um he left me to go look, you know, at the men's section. I don't know, something probably. to get an ascot. That's right. Yeah. a silk beret. And where do they have their berets? Yeah. No, I need a baguette. He's really I'm.
sorry, Michelle. And a bicycle. So, he went to the bicycle section with. his baguette parade. and he was trying them out. I was just going to say and first he. went down to the makeup department to. draw a mustache. Not a mine. But anyway, so he stepped. away for two seconds, which was long. enough for a pack of women to come over. Like, oh, I won't do the accent, right? Oh, how exciting to see your own.
friends. Yeah. Oh, could we get Do you. mind signing this? Like, no, not at all. Oh, that's nice of you. Oh, I guess you. shouldn't mind though because you did. sign up for it, didn't you? I mean, there really is no room to complain. And. then one after another, you did ask for. it. Like, they were getting mad at me. and you were giving them what they. wanted. say one word. Yeah. They just did it all on their own from. happy to see you to we need a rope and a. tree branch. That's what it felt like. You know, like a gallows, you know, like.
they went from who was so happy to see. you to string her up right now. There's nothing you can do. How dare she? And my husband and I just was getting. kind of scared cuz I felt like I was two. seconds away from getting physical. and. my husband. appeared back and and they stopped and. just went, "Lovely to meet you." and. walked away. And I went, "You don't know. what just happened.". Yeah. And you won't believe me because you. didn't see it. Cuz when you came up, I was like, "Oh,
that was so scary to me. I didn't say a. word or do anything other than smile and. start signing. like a horror movie." You always hear. groups like I always uh like the. Beatles, they would say, "We had each. other. We went through that thing, but we had. each other." And I think that must have. been a godsend that you guys could. Yes. compare, you know, I was on the set once and.
could just see that like when. I think at once we were all at one point. we were all near the sort of the. dressing room area and everybody was. just sort of chilling before we went out. and did this thing we were going to. shoot and uh I thought, "Oh, they've got. each other." And that's got to be such a. godsend. Oh, it was completely. And also, I mean, and we kept each other in check pretty. well, too, because. not one of you is the star of the show.
You know, you're accountable to five. other people. That was great. That was really good. And I forget what. I was going to say. I'm concerned about a branch. Where's my blood pressure cuff? No one's going to No one cares about me. enough on you. But yeah, I just uh. I I also um was.
very. impressed and proud that you went. through that and then. Oh, wait. But that's what cuz there was. a backlash for us. like after two or three seasons, I don't. remember. But you know, we didn't know. to stop. We're just doing what the. network and studio were asking us all. this publicity to do. And we were way. overexposed and and and so there was. this big backlash and we I remember the. six of us met because we were asked to. do something and it the discussion was.
do we do it or not cuz we always would. discuss everything we were going to do. And what we realized was yeah let's not. do it cuz really all we have to do right. now is just show up at work. Let's have. like a moratorum on all the press. Yeah. And just show up. And I remember saying. like Conan, he just showed up, did his work every. night, even though the press was rough. when he started all that, you just show.
up, do your work, deal with the task at. hand, and then it'll be okay. And so, and they were like, who's coming? That dork from the wedding. I know.
