TV host and comedian Conan O’Brien has been active in the industry for four decades and has worked as a writer for Saturday Night Live and the popular animated sitcom The Simpsons. However, he is popularly known for being the face of several late-night TV shows. The Primetime Emmy recipient has credited his successful late-night TV show host career to the FRIENDS star Lisa Kudrow, who encouraged him to take the stage.
During an interview with Howard Stern, the 60-year-old comedian opened up about how his ex-girlfriend believed in him despite O’Brien having doubts about taking the step.
Conan O’Brien Had Doubts Taking Over David Letterman
After working on several TV shows as a writer, Conan O’Brien landed his first late-night talk show, Late Night With Conan O’Brien, which ran for over a decade. After David Letterman decided to move to CBS for a new talk show, executives started suggesting the former SNL star as a replacement for Letterman.
However, he was conflicted about taking over David Letterman, who has been the host of the NBC night talk show for a decade. “In 1993, Lorne [Michaels] was toying with the idea of, ‘Well maybe, Conan could do late night,'” he shared on The Howard Stern Show.
O’Brien was doubtful about the offer, as it would have been pretty hard to take over a popular talk show host, especially being an unknown writer. “I was an unknown writer. Nothing like that had happened in the history of television,” he told Howard Stern.
However, one person who has been his biggest supporter throughout all this was his ex, Lisa Kudrow, who believed in him. During his appearance on The Howard Stern Show, the comedian was asked how much of a support system has The Comeback actress been for him, and he shared that he was able to take the job due to Kudrow’s confidence in him.
Lisa Kudrow Believed in Conan O’Brien
Long before they became some of the most popular faces in Hollywood, Conan O’Brien and Lisa Kudrow were involved in a brief romantic relationship after they met in an improv class. The two dated for a bit before they agreed that they were better off as friends.
And they continued supporting each other, whether it’s the FRIENDS star’s doubts regarding her acting career or O’Brien’s doubts about attempting to secure a top spot in the late-night genre of talk shows. And despite his doubts, the actress believed in him and was “adamant” that he was simply perfect for the job.
“I had my strong doubts, and Lisa Kudrow was adamant. She just kept saying: ‘You’re the perfect person to do it. You’re going to do it. It’s going to be a big success. This is what you’re destined to do.”
It turned out to be pretty helpful to boost his confidence, and he decided to give it a try. “Well, Lisa thinks I can do it, so I’m gonna go with that,” he shared on The Howard Stern Show. And she was right when she said that as O’Brien has since become the longest-working late-night host on television.
Source: The Howard Stern Show
