Kaitlin Olson Was Kicked Out Of “The Groundlings” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

You also uh started out in the. groundings or did some time in the. ground at the Sunday show. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I did the whole program and then I. was in the Sunday company and then I got. kicked out with Dak Shepard. Is that. what you got kicked out? Well, it's. either you get asked to be, you know, so. or you get kicked out, which sounds. really extreme. It's like there you just. your time is done. Yeah. But yeah, that. was it was very hurtful. That was my um. and you were never heard from again. until this podcast resurrected you.

Thank you so much. And now I can uh. retire. I just needed them to hear this. Yeah. You can live off this podcast. appearance money. Um the uh because that. was kind of where I started too. I was I. came out to be a writer in LA and I was. 22 and immediately started doing improv. on the side because I realized that's. what I liked. I liked getting up on. stage and doing sketch comedy. I did not. want to do standup. Yeah. And but you. liked sketch or you liked improv. Well, this is the interesting thing. I.

realized that I love improvisation when. it's necessary. Yes. But my preference. is to think of something that's going to. work Yeah. ahead of time and and know. it's going to kill and not humiliate. yourself. I like going in with a plan. and then and then playing. And when you. find things in the moment. improvisationally, it's probably the happiest I can I can.

be on this earth. Me, too. But I want to. do everything I can before I go in to. make sure that my odds are pretty good. Oh, I'm improvising with myself at home. and then coming in with all of these new. dialogue tweaks and then playing around. Can I geek out on It's Always Sunny for. a second and ask how much improvisation. are you guys doing? It's first of all, it's the 17th season. Really weird. really strange because it.

all began so improbably and I know. you've talked about it a million times. but you literally just went out which is. my favorite comedy is let's make. ourselves happy which is what I was. doing on late night 93 which is I me and. some like-minded people are going to. make stuff that we think is funny. We've. tricked a network into putting it out. there. They're going to get rid of me. soon but let's just keep doing it. That's how we felt. And uh now it's 17. years later. Yeah, that's a good life.

lesson like and and I. also that uh philosophy goes towards. auditioning too. I was always. auditioning before that, you know, reading the description of the character. and trying to figure out exactly what. they wanted and going in and and doing. an audition that I hoped that it was. what they were looking for. It doesn't. work like that. You got to go and like. do your best version of whatever you. think it is and make yourself like I I. my it turned into my only goal rather.

than like going over the lines in my. head 8 million times was just have fun. Just have fun. Do you say a couple. different words? Who cares? It's fine. Just have fun. It's the only way it. works. And then I started booking stuff. It's funny, too, because we all start out in that. situation where we're trying to make. someone happy and you're told, uh, yeah, they someone it went to. someone else and you think it's a. judgment on you. Totally. When it really. isn't. Not at all. because uh in this.

town in this business I was trying to. explain to people they're seeing 10,000. people and they might you might have. come in and nailed it in some way. Absolutely. But you're a little taller. or more often than not they've already. they've already offered it to someone. else. Yeah. You're going in and spending. days working on this thing, blow drying. your hair, putting makeup on, driving to. that lot, walking across the lot in 100. degree heat. You look like by the.

time you get there. You do your best and. all the while they're just waiting to. get a phone call that the person they. offered to is accepting or rejecting. And then they've got backups that. they're and they're going to keep. offering it. And then if no one accepts. it, then they're going to turn to these. auditions. It's crazy. There were so. many auditions where I was like, I felt. so good about that. plenty of auditions. that I I hated because I it just I would. get anxious and be weird like that's not. what I was meaning to do. Um yeah, but. now being on the other side of it, I'm. like, "Oh yeah, you've already offered. it to someone else." We um auditioned.

like thousands of people to be Conan. O'Brien on Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. when we knew all along it was going to. be me. That's so mean. Everybody had to. do their hair like that. Told you. And I. was behind I was behind a one-way mirror. and I was just laugh I was laughing. Yeah, we were famously trying to replace. you. So I was just laughing and drinking. caramel out of a big picture. warm caramel and laughing and it was. running down my face. Bring in the next.

one. Why? I don't know. I'm broken inside. Um, caramel. Uh, I um, yeah, I I caramel. or caramel. I'm a caramel person. What'. you say? Caramel. Caramel. Caramel. Is. anybody caramel? I think I say caramel. Unless I think that's a city. I think I. know. I think I even say that. But if I. think about it, I'll say it right. Same. with crayon and crayon. Oh, no. I'm. caramel. No idea. No, I'm Caramel. No,

no, no. I'm not the city. I'm the candy. Wait a minute. You're saying it correct. I understand what you're saying. I don't. know what's happening with you. You're. saying I say caramel caramel. No, he. wants caramel. Caramel. Crayon. There we. go. I don't even hear the difference. He. says caramel. I think I was saying that. cuz I'm conscious of it, but I I say. what you say and that goes for life. You. know what? This is going to end up being. the caramel. This will be the moment. that trends. Mhm. Yeah. Get a lot of. feedback. I have a a strong feeling I'm.

wrong. I think it might be caramel. It's. caramel. It's caramel. All right. Or. it's caramel. Caramel. Everyone's. nodding. Maybe it's a It's probably an. East Coast thing. East Coast. West. Coast. I say caramel. Caramel. That's. weird. I'm upset. I think we're done. Caramel. I think I should say that. weird. You sound great. I say things. weird. You sound great. Weirdly. Weirdly. Thank you. I say things weirdly. Like I have a hard G at the end of my. words. Yeah. Don't you say everything? Everything. Oh, everything. Everything.

Yeah. Everything. everything wrong. She. says, "Oh, you're wrong." And it just. drives me crazy because first of all, I'm never wrong, right? Cuz you're never. wrong. It's wrong to say wrong. Okay. All right. Listen, let's just move on. I. hate everybody. I hate everybody. Let's. bring in the next Conan O'Brien. I do. think.