"We've learned to make people laugh; now we have to make them think." ~ Conan O'Brien
In 1998, Rolling Stone magazine called Late Night with Conan O'Brien "the hottest comedy show on television." The big deal over replacing Dave Letterman was over. Conan was the man, able to make 'em laugh... and think.
Born on this day in Massachusetts, talk show host Conan Christopher O'Brien (1963-) is a bright guy. Not only did he pick Bruce Springsteen's drummer Max Weinberg to lead his band, Conan graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a double major in American history and literature in 1985.
O'Brien also has the rare distinction of serving as president of The Harvard Lampoon, the school's world famous magazine, for two years.
The 6'4½" comic debuted as a writer on HBO's Not Necessarily the News in 1983, then became a writer for Saturday Night Live. In 1991, he was hired as a writer and producer for The Simpsons. With an endorsement from SNL head honcho Lorne Michaels, the Irish redhead grabbed the Late Night gig in 1993.
A hard-worker who plays the guitar and loves karaoke, he once admitted, "I'm very moody... Anyone who's known me in my life has known that my highs are high and my lows are low."
Conan replaced Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show in June 2009 and designed his show to capture life's silliness with monologue bits, sketches, and visual gags a là Johnny Carson. "Conan... loves that we can turn the sound off and the show can still be entertaining," explained one of his show's producers.
Leaving NBC for TBS in 2010, O'Brien moves full throttle to the future...
Help others to laugh... and think.