Lisa Kudrow and Conan O’Brien.Photo:getty (2)
getty (2)
WhenConan O’Brienintroduced himself to late night viewers in September 1993, he was, as he puts it, a “complete unknown” — a factLisa Kudrowalso pointed out at the time.
InVanity Fair’s new oral history chroniclingLate Night with Conan O’Brien’sfirst year, several key players in O’Brien’s life then, including his now-ex-girlfriend Kudrow, recalled that special period, which proved to be a mix of heavy uncertainty and on-air magic.
“I don’t know how much we talked about it. I just knew, ‘You’re trying to replace David Letterman. No one replaces David Letterman.You’reno one,” Kudrow, 60, explained. “It can’t be anybody that an audience would know.”
Kudrow meant her comment in the best possible way. To go head-to-head with a late night heavyweight likeDavid Letterman, who ultimately hosted late night talk shows from 1982 through 2015, theFriendsalum contended that choosing a new face like O’Brien, a scribe onThe Simpsons,was the best way to go. (According toVanity Fair, NBC was consideringGarry Shandlingat the time.)
Lisa Kudrow and Conan O’Brien.Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television
The network seemed to agree with Kudrow. But O’Brien, 60, says his hosting audition felt like “linguine meeting marinara sauce for the first time," his debut season was riddled with negative reviews and disappointing ratings.
“We were very naïve. I just had to go through the spanking machine. I had to develop from a fetal pig to a full-size pig in front of America,” O’Brien toldVanity Fair. “And that just had to happen. There was no way around it.”
The show was on the verge of cancellation several times, but one major turning point proved to be Letterman’s “gracious” appearance onLate Night with Conan O’Brienin February 1994. It was a moment that boosted O’Brien’s confidence and encouraged some viewers to give the show another look.
“Suddenly the audiences became great. I didn’t know what was happening. And then it dawned on me,” O’Brien explained. “Colleges let out. So college students started to come.”
Conan O’Brien on ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’ in 1993.Lesly Weiner/NBCU
Lesly Weiner/NBCU
Late Night with Conan O’Brienwould run until 2009, picking up 28 nominations and one Emmy in 2007 for outstanding writing for a variety, music or comedy program.
In 2009, O’Brien was recruited to take over forJay LenoonThe Tonight Show,but he left after just one year, saying in a statement at the time that he could not “participate in what I honestly believe is [The Tonight Show’s] destruction.“Jimmy Fallontook over and has remained on air ever since.
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In 2010, O’Brien joined TBS withConan, hosting more than 1,400 episodes of the show beforebidding farewellto late night television in 2021.
“My advice to anyone watching right now — and it’s not easy to do, it’s not easy to do, but try; try and do what you love with people you love,” O’Brien said duringConan’sfinal episode in 2021. “If you can manage that, it’s the definition of heaven on Earth.”
source: people.com
