Here, we salute the essential recurring bits, gags, guests, and laughs that O’Brien lorded over whilst at Late Night With Conan O’Brien – and yes, there’s even a key moment from his seven-month stint as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show.
In a 1993 bit that the show hilariously continued to trot out past the year 2000, the lights would dim, La Bamba would bust out his best falsetto, and Conan and either Andy Richter or a celebrity guest would hold flashlights to their faces and trade outlandish predictive punchlines such as, “Militant atheists take over the United States and order the closings of all churches, synagogues, and T.G.I.
A direct shot at Headlines, in which The Tonight Show host Jay Leno would hold up real-life wacky newspaper clippings.
Never one to play fair, Conan triumphed in almost every staring contest by enlisting an eclectic cast of characters to perform some outrageous acts right next to his desk – which was, of course, smack dab in Andy’s eye-line.
Armed with nothing but a green-screen and a steering wheel, the host and Andy – and later, random members of the audience – attempted to take viewers on a leisurely road trip around New York City .
Introduced in a “New Fall Characters” sketch, this flashy silver hustler – who “combines the sensibilities of a 1950s robot with the dynamic flair of a 1970s street pimp” – probably wouldn’t get the greenlight from NBC standards and practices today.
“The thing that’s funny to me is that he’s wearing a diaper and he’s also not crudely masturbating – he’s batting at his genitalia frantically, which makes it acceptable to standards,” O’Brien once told EW.
While he famously scored/excoriated at the Westminister Dog Show, Triumph’s finest moment was the skewering of Star Wars nerds at the 2002 premiere of Attack of the Clones: : “Which of these buttons calls your parents to pick you up?” As O’Brien once summed up to EW: “There’s something anarchic about it.
“Ted Bundy was framed” is a weird thing to say at any time, but it’s especially bizarre coming from a grandma whose cute grandson just complimented her homemade cookies.
knockoff flick Mac and Me, in which a boy in a wheelchair rolls out of control down a hill, off a cliff, and plummets into water before a silly-looking alien pops up on the screen with an astonished look.
The most notable clip was one that Conan admitted to being “afraid” to show – he got up and walked away from his desk after playing it – and, well, let’s just say that Haley Joel Osment delivered a line that you definitely were not expecting.
Conan’s exquisite disdain for his erudite associate producer knows no bounds, though he’d certainly like to bound and gag him.
Later in the episode, Hanks took a seat on the couch – and led the audience in a rousing chant of “Coco! Coco! Coco!” After just 7 months, Conan’s reign as the Tonight Show host was over – but fans rallied around him, declaring “I’m With Coco” through social media.
When he wasn’t getting distracted by random and irrelevant questions – Does Tony Hawk: Pro Skater 5 have in-game snacks? What’s the best way to flirt with the strippers in Grand Theft Auto V? – Conan and his guests delivered MST 3K-style commentary about the on-screen action.
Sona Movsesian is Conan’s trusty-feisty assistant, his podcast co-host, and an amusing foil who was unafraid to tell her boss that she has enjoyed working for him for the last 10 years, even if there are times when she wants to poison his food and kill him slowly.
Conan, Cube, and Kevin may not be the most responsible instructors – we’re pretty sure throwing pennies out the window and yelling “you’re my bitch!” at fellow motorists are not AAA-sanctioned maneuvers – but we’d let them drive our car anytime.
In a series of compelling globetrotting specials that showcase O’Brien’s fleet-footed observational humor , our host has: tried to raise money in Mexico for the border wall; rented a family in Japan; received punishment from a dominatrix in Germany; visited a Buddhist temple with Steven Yeun in Korea; and delivered a conciliatory speech in Creole to Haitians who were angered over Donald Trump’s comments about their country.