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Los Angeles Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
On his travel show, Conan O'Brien is on a treasure hunt for the unexpected
If we had planned it better (and had the budget for it), this interview with Conan O'Brien would been better suited to happen in Vatican City rather than a Zoom room. Our conversation coincided with the start of the papal conclave, the hush-hush assembly of cardinals who gathered to elect a successor to Pope Francis, and O'Brien can't help but reference the event when explaining his slight delay: 'Sorry, it took me a second to figure out there was a passcode to get into this secret room,' he says. 'It felt like I was joining a conclave.' 'I think you and I should put our own vote in,' he continues. 'Why can't they listen to us? Are you paying attention? Are you rooting for somebody?' 'I'm not rooting for anyone except Stanley Tucci,' I tell him, referring to the actor's turn as a shrewd and calculated cardinal in last year's 'Conclave.' 'I love that you want Tucci. I love that you blurred the line between reality and drama.' (As we know by now, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the first U.S.-born pontiff, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. Sorry, Tucci.) Absorbing the scene outside St. Peter's Basilica alongside thousands of visitors from around the world is the sort of thing O'Brien and his crew might revel in on his Max travel show 'Conan O'Brien Must Go.' The series, which will conclude its three-episode second season on Thursday, plays like a video postcard of silly and enlightening adventures as O'Brien travels around the world to meet with fans and experience different cultures. It carries on the tradition from his talk show era of international getaways and blends it with his podcast 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend.' After venturing to Norway, Ireland, Thailand and Argentina in the show's debut season, the second landed him in Spain, where hijinx included cuddling with actor Javier Bardem and doing Spanish voice-overs, and New Zealand, where he got lessons from one of Aotearoa's leading cultural advisors and attempted to break a haka world record with filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi. It culminates with this week's finale, which was filmed in Austria. At this moment, he's not on the go. He is beaming in from his home in Pacific Palisades, which he recently returned to after months of living in a hotel while smoke remediation and other restorative measures took place in the wake of January's wildfires. 'We were so lucky, crazy lucky,' he says. 'We live far enough so that we don't have that thing where you walk out your front door and it looks like you're on the moon.' It's one reason why the season is truncated: 'Initially we were going to do four [episodes], but between my parents passing away and the Oscars and the fires, we just were like, 'We could do three.' I hope it doesn't feel too short to people, but this is what we could do this time around.' O' Brien discussed standout moments from this season of 'Conan O'Brien Must Go,' which has been renewed for a third season, his plans for his Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and making his feature film debut. You cuddled with Javier Bardem. You did Spanish voice-overs. You dressed as Freud. You went to the snow globe museum. What moment stood out for you from these trips? You can't cuddle with Javier Bardem and wipe it from your memory. Be you man, be you woman — I don't care which. It doesn't matter. He crosses over all gender barriers. It was really fun to be in these ridiculous pajamas. A highlight with him is, there's a scene where we're eating together in a restaurant and we're doing improv together. I've done improv with all the best improvisers in entertainment, he's as good as anybody. I loved being on the hill where Julie Andrews did 'The Sound of Music.' And one of our writers, Jose Arroyo, wrote — obviously, you can't do that song — this song about how we can't do the song, which I loved and it's one of the things I love to do, is come close to the thing. Like on the Oscars, do a musical number called 'I won't waste your time' — I love doing the thing and making it about not doing the thing. I have to say, [dressing up as] Freud was a standout, because I think I went a little insane. Sometimes when you put me in makeup and dress me up, I become the thing that I'm pretending to be. And doing the haka [a traditional dance form of the Māori people] in New Zealand with thousands and thousands of people. I thought we were just going to do it once. As we're doing it, I'm finding out in real time — because, you know me, when I do something, I do it 110% whether it's going on 'Hot Ones' or dancing the haka, I will put all the dials to 11 — so when I start dancing, I'm going all out and I've got Taika and I've got this whole crowd with me. Then I realized they're not stopping. They're doing it over and over and over again and you can't stop because you're in a stadium. When that was done, I felt like I needed to go to the hospital. When you come up that hilltop in the lederhosen, I just thought, 'What would Martin Short have to say about these shorts?' Oh my God, you're right. Marty Short would have 1,000 jokes about my legs: spam, freckles, pale. He would just be an immediate encyclopedia. I have to make sure that that episode does not air in Toronto, because I think he goes to Toronto for the summer. A moment that killed me was at the snow globe museum when you asked about that life-size doll on the shelf, and the woman said it's her father. But that wasn't the best part. When you asked what his best advice for her was, and she said, to 'f— around as much as possible as long as you're not married.' What's fun is it reminds me of that thing that I've learned over and over and over again, and it's one of the things that the travel show takes advantage of, and remotes [on location segments] in general take advantage of: You're always on the hunt for a mistake. You're always on the hunt for someone to say something you don't expect. I couldn't in a million years script what she said. The doll is so creepy that's peeking out the window. I think one of the things that I really love about the travel show is I'm curious about other cultures. I'm curious about other people. I'm kind of on a mission to show Americans as humble and willing to be laughed at. But the ultimate treasure is someone saying something awkward or weird that I wasn't expecting to me; once I get one of those, I'm like Gollum with the ring. I'm like [imitates Gollum voice], 'Yes, yes, I can go back to my cave now,' and just 'my precious, my precious.' 'Conan O'Brien Must Go' is essentially work trips. But how would your family describe your traveling persona? I would say my wife, Liza, is the one who wants to be at the airport while they're still building the plane. If she could, she'd be there days in advance. She's the one who takes the lead on, 'Here's where we're staying; I got a guide for this, I got a guide for that.' She is very organized about those things, which is a luxury. On the flight, I don't sleep that much. My goal is show up in a country and get on their sleep schedule immediately — that I'm religious about. If that means I have to get a coffee enema, I'm getting a coffee enema. I'm going to do whatever I have to do, to stay up and get on their time zone. I love to just wander. This is where my wife and I disagree — and it will be, eventually, the thing that destroys our marriage — is that she wants to go to the place that has the very best food. 'Oh, it's been written up in all these food magazines.' I don't care about that. I want to go to the place where you sit outside and you see everybody. I love a tourist trap. The show has been renewed for a third season. Are you in the process of narrowing down the places you'll visit? Yes, we're in the process of looking through [locations]. Are you worried about the Trump tariffs? What this will mean of how you're received or what's possible? It's possible. I went to Haiti during Trump's first term, after he called them a 's—hole country.' We went there and, at one point, there was a group of men who seemed very hostile; our interpreter said, 'They're not happy. They know you're American and they're not happy about you being here.' My instinct is always to go toward the thing and not just, 'Get in the van and let's get out of here.' With my interpreter, we showed them clips of who I am and what I do. We looked at about three minutes of 'Conan' clips, and they're like, 'OK, he's harmless. He seems to have no dignity, so let's leave him alone.' But it's a changing world. We're in a moment right now where we seem to have a leader or a government that's terrified of the outside world and wants to say, 'OK, let's build a moat and America first.' My instinct is known. I mentioned it in the Twain award speech, but now more than ever, we need to be out there representing our country in a positive way and trying to spread positivity. I'm hoping that we won't be affected by it, and if we are, if we encounter a hostility, if we encounter difficulty, that will be part of the show. And if it's not particularly funny, the show can allow for me making an attempt to bridge a gap or make a friend. Speaking of your speech for the Mark Twain Prize, have you found a spot for the award now that you're back in your home? I'm weird about awards. I tend to put them in a closet. This one's a little strange because it's Mark Twain and he's bare-chested. It's like, what? Why can't he put on a shirt? I might buy a little shirt for him, a little white suit. I'll do something. I'll figure it out. I don't like a bare-chested Mark Twain, I'm sorry. I think it stops right at the nipple. You always look like you're having fun. Does the work you do now gratify you any differently than it did when you were starting out? I've been thinking about it a lot, and it's not that I didn't like what I did before, but you have to meet whatever age you are. You have to meet wherever you are in your life. When I started in 1993 behind a desk in that format, I loved it. It was terrifying at times and there were a lot of difficulties and we almost didn't make it, but I loved going in there and living in Studio 6A; then I loved the different iterations of the show over the years, and even the brief time I was doing 'The Tonight Show.' But then I got to a point where it became clear to me, 'I've done this for 28 years. I need to go and explore these other things.' Because you can't stay still. You have to, for lack of a better word, evolve. And there was a nice series of events — trying the podcast, which is now almost six years old, and realizing: Oh my God, I've talked to these people before for a total of seven minutes at a time and then I would have to throw to commercial, and the band would play. Now I'm talking to them for 45-50 minutes and it's magical. That, of course, led to the travel show — also the previous travel shows had shown me that I had a real wanderlust. When you're at a talk show desk, the idea of going to Geneva and getting into an altercation with somebody at a chocolate bunny factory just sounds amazing. I was doing that even before I had time to do it on the TBS show. And now being able to do it at Max affords us the ability to do it with drones. I love the open of our show because it's sets just the right tone so solemn and self important and and also vicious towards me. All of that makes me really happy. How about deciding to act in 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You'? Did it feel like you were pushing yourself out of your element? I was definitely pushing myself out of my element. When I said yes to the Oscars, it was, 'You get one life, try these things.' 'Legs' happened because [the film's writer and director] Mary Bronstein contacted me; she had a script and she said, 'Please read the script. It's an A24 script.' Adam Sandler also called me on behalf of the Safdies [Josh Safdie is a producer on the film] and said [launches into his Sandler impersonation], 'Buddddy, buddddy ... read the script.' I read the script and loved it. I have no aspirations to be an actor. I tried to talk to Mary Bronstein; I said, 'You could get a real actor.' And she was like, 'I'm telling you, I envision you doing this.' To her credit, she was tough. She said, 'I'm going to come out to L.A. and I'm going to work with you.' And she trained me. It was like a 'Rocky' montage. She would work with me. She would ask me, 'Who is this character? Let's dive deep on this character. Let's rehearse these lines.' Then on set, she is such an impressive person, Mary. And I have to say, who isn't in love with Rose Byrne? When I heard Rose was doing it, I was a little intimidated because I think she is a stellar actor. I realized all my scenes are with Rose, and they can get pretty intense. I don't want to let her down. I have to be a good scene partner for Rose Byrne. I was scared. And there's no audience. It's not my show. It's not me being me. I'm a very different person. I even look different. I saw the film and I think they did an amazing job. I'm so proud of Rose and Mary. The night before your first day of shooting, could you sleep? Do you get stage fright? I could sleep, but I will tell you ... it was shot on a location in what might actually be a therapist's office; very small room on the Upper West Side. There's a lot of fussing around. Then everyone leaves the room and they shut the door, and it's just me with Rose; and you hear way down the hall, 'Action!' And the first time around, I was in my head. I knew it wasn't good. But to her credit, Mary came back in and she was like, 'Great, great, great.' And she said the subtlest thing. She didn't say, 'Conan, what the hell! I've made a mistake.' She just said, 'On this next one, just a little more this way.' I realized, 'Oh, you get a couple of chances.' She gave me a good note. By the second time, third time and the fourth time, I just wasn't thinking about it. I was not in my head. I was just doing it. You're returning to host the Oscars; this time you have a little bit more runway. Do you have a sense of when you'll start prep? You really can't get the room together and fully up until early January, just because that's when you have the budget to really bring the writers in and everything. We need to wait to see what comes out — what's the narrative? Who are the players? But I know me, I will start the process before we officially start the process. One idea is that I have radical facelifts now, so that people when I walk out in the next calendar year as the Oscar host, I want there to be an audible gasp from the audience, like, what has he done? I mean, I've got injections, fillers, things are pulled back, things are misaligned. Hairline is down, eyebrows are gone. Or you can come out as Freud. And psychoanalyze all the movies on a Freudian level. Hey, you've got good ideas. If you want in, I'll get you in. You can give us some ideas.
Perth Now
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Conan O'Brien grateful for younger online fanbase
Conan O'Brien believes the internet saved his career. The 62-year-old comic recalled how his stint hosting 'The Tonight Show' - which he took over in June 2009 but left just seven months later when Jay Leno wanted to return to the timeslot - "blew up" and left him fearing he was "in real trouble" - only to realise he had a younger generation of people praising his skills online. Speaking to Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler on their 'MeSsy' podcast, he said: "I've had multiple times in my career where things kind of blew up or went sideways. "I had no regrets about giving ['The Tonight Show'] a shot. And when, for all these complicated reasons, it blew up, I was deeply upset. I thought, 'I'm in real trouble and this could be the end of my career [at 46].' "But lo and behold, this thing called the internet rose up, and I got this huge groundswell of love and appreciation that I didn't expect. "Because [when] you're doing a show like ['Late Night'], day in and day out, for 16 years, it's submarine duty. "You don't get a chance to understand fully that there's a generation of people out there that have been watching, they're younger than me, and they all knew how to use the internet. So, they all got on social media and it was this big thing." The 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend' podcaster thinks the fact he gets "very restless" and enjoys new challenges has helped him to maintain a lengthy career on the small screen. He said: "The one thing that saved me is I'm very restless, and I'm willing to change it up. The idea of doing one thing for 35 years in television and getting a gold watch and leaving just sounded awful to me and still does. "Although a gold watch would be great." Conan hosted the Academy Awards this year and his stint was such a hit with viewers and organisers, he has been invited back to helm the ceremony again in 2026. But Conan joked he only agreed to return so he could hear the rest of 'The Brutalist' star Adrien Brody's speech after the Best Actor winner was forced to cut it short after speaking for a record-breaking five minutes and 40 seconds. He quipped: 'The only reason I'm hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech.' As well as Conan, executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will be involved for a third time, and Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will produce once again. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and outcoming president Janet Yang said in a statement: 'We are thrilled to bring back Conan, Raj, Katy, Jeff and Mike for the 98th Oscar. "This year, they produced a hugely entertaining and visually stunning show that celebrated our nominees and the global film community in the most beautiful and impactful way. "Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humour, warmth and reverence. It is an honour to be working with them again.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Controversial Book Adaptation Is A Top Show On Netflix Right Now
'Forever' is currently the second most popular show on Netflix, according to the platform's public ranking system. The new teen drama is an adaptation of Judy Blume's controversial 1975 novel about teenage love and sexuality. Released on May 8, the series is set in 2018 and revolves around two young athletes under pressure to gain college scholarships. 'Forever' stars Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr., along with Xosha Roquemore, Karen Pittman, Wood Harris and Barry Shabaka Henley. Read on for more trending shows of the moment across streaming services, including Apple TV+, Max, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. And if you want to stay informed about all things streaming, subscribe to the Streamline newsletter. 'Conan O'Brien Must Go' is currently trending on Max following the premiere of the second season on May 8. The weekly travel show follows the titular late-night host as he travels to different destinations, with the latest installment taking him to Spain, New Zealand and Austria. 'Conan O'Brien Must Go' is a spin-off of his podcast 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend' and a follow-up to his 'Conan Without Borders' travel specials. Another celebrity travel series, 'Long Way Home,' premiered on Apple TV+ on May 9. The show revolves around Ewan McGregor and his best friend Charley Boorman as they embark on a long-distance motorcycling journey from McGregor's home in Scotland to Boorman's in England. It's the duo's fourth 'Long Way' series, following 'Long Way Round,' 'Long Way Down' and 'Long Way Up.' The ABC police procedural 'Will Trent' is currently one of the top shows on Hulu. Based on Karin Slaughter's bestselling series of mystery novels, the show follows a special agent in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation played by Ramón Rodríguez. The third season finale will air on May 13. 'Octopus!' premiered on Amazon Prime Video on May 8. Narrated by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the two-part docuseries dives into the world of these eight-legged cephalopods and how they live. The program features interviews with those who have taken a strong interest in these creatures ― including comedian Tracy Morgan. 'The Last Of Us' Reveals The Limits Of The Video Game Adaptation These TV & Film Moms Shaped Our Lives When We Needed Them Most Kerry Washington Says She Built Her 'Own Table' To Evolve In Hollywood
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Conan O'Brien loved this Worcester museum as a kid: 'Greatest days of my life."
Late night legend Conan O'Brien just made a deep-cut reference only Massachusetts fans might get. During his podcast, "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend," O'Brien was telling a seemingly fictitious story about his podcast co-host, Sona Movsesian, walking out of a museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, wearing a stolen suit of armor, then attempting to recall the name of the establishment before one of his staff shouted it out to him. "Yes!" O'Brien, born in 1963, said. "Higgins Armory, it was the one thing, when I would go to visit my cousins." O'Brien is originally from Brookline, Mass. O'Brien then said that he and his cousins would ask his aunt what they would be doing on a rainy Worcester day, she would drive them to the now-defunct Higgins Armory Museum. "And there was no attempt to make it look interesting," O'Brien said. "Just literally a giant warehouse then, and someone had lots of suits of armor that they just laid out. They didn't even have mannequins in them." Movsesian then said that Brookline comedian would have loved something like that and asked if he was pretending not to like it because he was trying to be cool in front of his cousins. "Truth be told? Greatest days of my life," O'Brien said. "Boy, did this little orange-haired boy love a suit of armor." O'Brien also said that fans should visit the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester. Unfortunately, the Higgins Armory Museum closed near the end of 2013 due to a lack of funds, after being open since 1931. The building where the museum operated is now a venue that can be rented out for events. The Higgins Armory Collection was transferred to the Worcester Art Museum. It is the second-largest collection of its kind in the Americas. Comprising arms, armor and metalwork from around the world and from antiquity to the 19th century, the collection is particularly known for its rare grouping of suits of plate armor from 15th- to 17th-century Europe. However, there still may be hope for both the intrepid armor enthusiast and, possibly, O'Brien, if he were to choose to relive his adolescent days of wonder. The Worcester Art Museum has unveiled updated design plans for its keenly awaited new Arms and Armor Galleries, which it says are under construction and will open in late 2025. Learn more: Worcester Art Museum updates plans for showcasing Higgins Armory Collection Richard Duckett contributed to the reporting of this article. Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@ This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Conan O'Brien said 'greatest days' of his life spent at Worcester spot
Wales Online
07-05-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
Christina Applegate says her illness is 'the worst thing'
Christina Applegate says her illness is 'the worst thing' The star has described her daily pain and says people 'wouldn't be able to do it' Christina Applegate (L) speaks onstage during the Light Up The Blues 7 Concert Christina Applegate says she has found living with multiple sclerosis (MS) to be the "worst thing" she's ever experienced. The 53-year-old actress was diagnosed with MS - a degenerative neurological condition - back in 2021, and Christina admits that living with the autoimmune disease has been the biggest challenge of her life. During an appearance on the 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend' podcast, Christina said: "This is the worst thing I've ever had in my life. It's the worst thing I've ever gone through." Christina rarely leaves her house these days, as she struggles with her symptoms. The Hollywood star shared: "If people saw what my life was like on the daily, they wouldn't ... they wouldn't be able to do it. Because I can sometimes not do it. It's really, really hard. I don't really leave the house anymore." MS can cause issues such as muscle weakness, vision changes and numbness. And Christina admitted that she's experienced "extraordinary" pain since being diagnosed with MS. She said: "I was losing balance, but the pain was extraordinary. And when I say numb, it's numb, but it hurts." Christina previously admitted to "screaming" in pain amid her struggles with MS. Article continues below The actress revealed the physical toll that the autoimmune disease has taken on her body. She said on the 'MeSsy' podcast: "I lay in bed screaming - like, the sharp pains, the ache, that squeezing." Christina confessed that she now struggles to perform everyday tasks, including answering her phone and using her TV remote. The actress shared: "I can't even pick up my phone sometimes because now it's travelled into my hands, so I'll, like, try to go get my phone or get my remote to turn on the TV or sometimes, I can't even hold them. I can't open bottles now." Christina also struggles to get out of bed in the morning, explaining that her bedroom floor feels like "lava". She said: "I put my feet on the ground and they're hurting, like, extraordinarily bad to the touch. I was like, yep. Gonna get back in my bed and pee in my diaper because I don't feel like walking all the way to the damn bathroom. Article continues below "I actually don't lay here and pee in my bed diaper. That's just a joke. But it's like it's so freaking painful and so hard and so awkward."
