Danny McBride’s Karate Demo Angered Conan’s “Late Night” Audience | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

Hi, my name is Danny McBride and I feel. very righteous about being O'Brien's. friend. Nice. Nice. And a little plug. for the series Righteous Gemstones. I. like it. That was very well done. Thought out. You thought it out. You're. like a, you know, I have to start. This. is the most obvious place to start, but. I have to start with uh How I Met You, which is one of my favorite things ever, which is back in 2006. You're a complete. unknown and you make this movie called.

The Footfist Way. And I think I got a. call from Will Ferrell who's just saying. like, "This guy's really hilarious. You. have to have him on the show." Um. because Adam McKay and Frell had seen. the film and they were giving it a big. boost and you got to have Danny on the. show. So we booked you on the show and. your concept was to come out as. uh Fred uh Fred, what's his last name? Fred Simmons. Yeah, Fred Simmons. That's. right. I'm Fred Simmons. I'm the king of. the of the of the demo. You can just.

talk to me or Yeah, whatever you want to. do. All right. I'm sorry. Uh yeah, I'm. Fred Simmons. I'm the king of the demo. King of the demo. Yeah. Okay. And I'll. never forget this. We didn't And we used. to love to do like this on late. night. We didn't tell the audience. anything. And they don't know. You. couldn't do this now cuz you're Danny. McBride, but they didn't know who you. were. The movie was just about to come. out. You're a complete unknown. So you. come I just announced you and you were. you we talked about it and you said I.

want this announced as like this is this. the real deal. We have a guy here and. he's going to give a karate karate. demonstration demonstration. and he's works with these kids and you. brought these kids out and I'm sure you. can see this on YouTube. You come out. and you what you have to remember when. you watch this clip is everyone in the. audience thinks I'm totally dead serious. about it and you come out and you start. trying to get the kids to break boards. and do stuff and when it it's not going. your way you start yelling at them. Come. on, Julio. Do something.

Okay. All right. Come on. You're messing. up the whole bit. Okay. And getting really mad at them. And the. kids look a little upset. And I'm. looking at the crowd and the crowd is. horrified. And it's great. It's one of my favorite. things. One of my favorite memories of a. of a almost 30-year late night career is.

you out there going, "Come on, try to. Yeah. Get over here. Where you going?". And you're shouting at them. It's not. going well. And I think it ends with. some of the kids getting upset and. running away. Yep. And then you get mad. and and you run away this show. What the hell y'all doing? Come on, follow me. And I'll never forget, I'm standing. there in studio uh 6A, which is where we.

where Letterman had his late night show. and I had my late night show. And you. had just run away and everyone's run. away. And I say I played the part of. looking kind of like a confused upset. host. And I just went, "Uh, okay. I. guess we'll figure this out and we'll. we'll be right back. Go to commercial.". And and Max and the band start to play. And these two guys who are about 19 or. 20 years old are sitting right near the. front row and they go like, "Cona, what. the fuck?".

And I went, "Guys, I don't know. I don't. know." I didn't even tell them cuz I. thought that's breaking the rule. I. didn't say to them. Breaking the. illusion. So, um we did that and then uh. you do Footfist Way and then you go on. to all this crazy success and uh. welldeserved by the way, but Eastbound. Down, Vice Principles, Righteous. Gemstones movies. Uh everybody knows and. loves Danny McBride. And I'm thinking. there's something I really love about.

that moment in time when no one knew you. and you're being a total. I often wish I could go back and do it. again. That was that was the first time. I'd ever even done press. Like I had. never even had an interview before. I'd. obviously never been on a late night. show. And I remember I couldn't eat for. like two days before we did it. I was so. nervous about what we were doing. And uh. it was so much fun. And you're right, you played along and it felt like we.

were really offending people and. upsetting people. I think after I was on. I we looked online and there were people. were mad about it. They were like, "They. should take his school away. He. shouldn't be allowed to be around. He. shouldn't be allowed to be around kids.". And the kids were good. The kids didn't. let on at all. Not at all. And it was. perfect because it was kind of this mini. scandal like this guy lost it on kids on. Conan's show. It just made me so happy. and I remembered thinking like a lot of. people and then I saw Footfist Way and.

The Footfist Way and it's a really funny. movie and again you're you mine a. similar area in all your different. characters where you're not particularly. good at something or legit, but you but. you have this fervent belief in. yourself. Oh yeah. So you're not good at. you're trying to build up this school. You're trying to teach martial arts. There's one part in the movie that set. everything apart for me, which is that. you're trying to show. in the movie who this character is. And.

at one point, I don't know if it's your. I think it's your wife comes home or. your girlfriend, she comes home and you. want to play a prank on her. And I'll. never forget this. It's and I have not. gone back and looked at this since so. I'm probably misrepresenting a little. bit. But your idea of a prank is you. jump out with a knife and you go like. that and she goes and then and then you. just go ah just a prank. you.

And I'm like who says? And I remember watching it and this is. back in 2006 so I'm sure I had like a. DVD or that they gave me or something. You know, there was no today they'd send. me a link to watch the film, you know, but not as special. Yeah, but whatever. I got a brick of some kind and fed it. into a machine that doesn't exist. anymore. And when you jumped out and did. this, it's that's not a prank first of. all, but then when your response when. the prank is you you do it and then you. go, "Ah, you." And I was just I it.

blew my mind and I was like, I got to. know I've got to know this Danny. McBride. Who is this Danny McBride? I. think it's funny to play characters who. have terrible senses of humor at that. Yeah.