When Creepy Celebrities Exposed Themselves on Conan

For over 30 years, Conan O'Brien has been doing something different from every other late night host. While some

fake laugh and others preach about how amazing their guests are at everything, Conan just lets things happen. His loose

improvisational style creates space for guests to just be themselves. And when

they turn out to be drunk, delusional, or catastrophically arrogant, it's on the internet forever. And the best part is is that Conan knows exactly what he's doing. When he launched his podcast in

doing. When he launched his podcast in 2018, the description said, quote, "After 25 years at the late night desk, Conan realized that the only people at his holiday party are the men and women

who work for him." Over the years, and despite thousands of interviews, Conan has never made a real and lasting friendship with any of his celebrity guests. Sure, it's tongue-in-cheek with

guests. Sure, it's tongue-in-cheek with his trademark self-deprecation written all over it, but it confirms something he's been showing and telling for decades. The celebrity world is just a

decades. The celebrity world is just a performance, and he's been documenting that performance through every compromised guest who's walked onto his set, with some exposing more about

themselves and the system they exist in than others. Years later, he'd finally

than others. Years later, he'd finally put words to what he'd been doing all along. But back then, he just kept

along. But back then, he just kept letting the camera roll. In the late '9s, Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of the Virgin Group, appeared on Late Night with actress Sama Hayek. It

made for an interaction that really aged like milk. Branson keeps touching Sour

like milk. Branson keeps touching Sour on the couch persistently enough that Conan has to tell him to stop on air.

>> I have a boyfriend. He's English, too.

>> He's English. What's his name?

[laughter] >> Where does he live?

>> Does this work for you? Is this Is this work for you wherever you go? When Conan

says only a billionaire could grab Sal Mahayek, he's only half joking and later starts to look a lot more serious about the awkwardly entitled experience unfolding in front of him.

>> You touch her one more time, I'll rip your head off, pal.

>> I don't care how much money you have.

>> Branson goes on to talk about scouting model Kate Moss, who was so young at the time that his team had to speak to her parents. He also talks about things like

parents. He also talks about things like Pamela Anderson shaped virgin cola bottles and legitimizing the Mile High Club by putting double beds on airplanes. Then he slaps close to

airplanes. Then he slaps close to Conan's face after saying he'd throw Salahek out of his hot air balloon. On

Reddit reactions years later, viewers describe Branson molesting Hayek on live TV and how his behaviors were creepy, over-the-top, and out of touch with the audience. This moment exposes how elites

audience. This moment exposes how elites view the rest of us. Branson wasn't

worried about consequences because in his world there aren't any. When you're

rich enough, powerful enough, the normal rules just don't apply. This is the narcissism baked into a celebrity culture where Conan occupies a middle ground. He's successful enough to be in

ground. He's successful enough to be in the room with these people. But he came up through comedy writing, not the traditional Hollywood show business route. [music] He sees both worlds, the

route. [music] He sees both worlds, the elite performance and the uncomfortable reality underneath it. And you probably won't be surprised that Branson has featured prolifically in some of the

recent Epstein images, going to show just how out of touch most billionaires truly are to the wider public. And you

can see how good Conan is at playing along while simultaneously subtly criticizing. An art form that runs

criticizing. An art form that runs through his work, even when late night moments descend into complete chaos.

There's this great 30 Rock episode where Tracy Jordan shows up at Conan's show acting erratically, seemingly trying to stab Conan with a knife, creating this awkward comedy moment. This was actually

paroding real life talk show moments that went totally off the rails in a manner not too dissimilar to the sketch.

In the mid200s, someone acted so out of turn on Conan that they were banned from the show. This is actor Dak Shepard, who

the show. This is actor Dak Shepard, who within seconds of walking on stage, fell backward over Conan's chair and crashed through a side table, smashing the furniture.

>> You're paying for that table.

>> I'm going to show you.

>> He shows up convinced he's going to crush it. Instead, he laughs at his own

crush it. Instead, he laughs at his own jokes, takes endless pauses, rambles, and never quite lands a coherent thought. When Dax and Conan discussed it

thought. When Dax and Conan discussed it years later, Dax admitted it was the only thing he did to wreck his career and that he was banned until he got sober. It's nothing deep, but it did

sober. It's nothing deep, but it did turn out to be a classic late night moment that capped off the '9s and early 2000s talk show era when the handbrekes were off and the celebrity lifestyle was

publicly out of control. An even more notorious incident involved Kari Wuha following comedian Steven Wright on late nights. Wright is a dead pan dry

nights. Wright is a dead pan dry comedian. Carrie is something else

comedian. Carrie is something else entirely. Within 90 seconds, she's

entirely. Within 90 seconds, she's insulted Steve Wright to his face.

>> We talked about this before. He knows I just can't stand him.

>> Are you retiring? Excuse me.

>> I know, Kitty. I love him. Not really. I

do.

>> Rice looks genuinely offended. And

Conan's face really says it all. He

definitely starts to lose his patience while he salvages anything worthwhile for the audience to see.

>> You have like eight personalities, don't you?

>> Psychotic.

>> Yeah, you hated him. You wanted him to retire and he excited you backstage.

>> It gets weirder. She flirts obnoxiously and badly with Conan. Randomly shouts,

"Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge for no reason." Alex Tbeck was talking to me. I

reason." Alex Tbeck was talking to me. I

kept hearing Marcia go Baton Rouge.

Baton Rouge. I was terrified.

>> I'm terrified now.

>> So, you're on acid right now?

>> YEAH. [laughter]

>> Throughout the interview, whenever Conan gets a laugh, Carrie turns sour and glares at him like she resents any laugh that isn't about her. Here's someone

like many in Hollywood who can't exist unless they're the most fascinating person in the room [music] with a desperate need to dominate every second.

Watch her face when the audience laughs at Conan's jokes instead of hers. That

glare of resentment. It's someone who cannot tolerate not being the main character for even [music] 5 seconds.

This [snorts] is what elite celebrity culture produces. People so detached

culture produces. People so detached from normal human interaction that a late night interview becomes about validation. You can see how Conan is

validation. You can see how Conan is doing everything he can to save it and manages to make it funny rather than a total car crash for all involved, especially given that his career is on

the line in these kinds of moments. But

that still isn't what he considers his worst talk show experience. [music]

There's this one appearance that Conan himself has consistently named his absolutely worst guest [music] in over 25 years, and he's never changed his answer. Legendary director Abel Ferrer

answer. Legendary director Abel Ferrer is scheduled for late night. Before his

segment begins, he flees the set, gets into the elevator, and runs out onto the street. Producer Frank Smiley chases him

street. Producer Frank Smiley chases him through Manhattan Street and physically drags him back to the building uh in charge of him, and he fled during the

show before his segment. He ran away, got on the elevator, and was out on the street running away, and Frank gave chase. Then a bell comes on camera,

chase. Then a bell comes on camera, essentially against his will at this point, and it gets so much worse. He's

slumped, waving an unlit cigarette, mumbling, avoiding eye contact with Conan and Andy. At one point, he just starts yelling at Conan. [music] It's so incomprehensible that Conan jokes

viewers would need subtitles. [music]

>> You thought that was a pleasant sound at Chainsaw.

>> It was a pleasant sound.

>> Okay.

>> At a local drive-in.

>> All right.

>> We grew up at a drive-in theater.

>> Okay, good deal.

We're going to get those Stallone subtitles in here right away.

>> William Defoe referenced this years later.

>> I always remember your interview with um my [music] good friend Abel Ferrara.

That's a classic.

>> Oh my god. Great director. Do you

remember this? He was in the 1990s and he was so great but eccentric. Fair to

say that.

>> Yeah, he he did that. He did exactly that. You can look it up online. Other

that. You can look it up online. Other

hosts would have scrapped this segment, protected his image, and maintained the illusion that everyone's professional.

Conan, however, aired it, making for a ridiculous but timeless piece of television. [music]

television. [music] Obviously, it's just a difference era, but the fact that extremely drunk or inebriated guests were a regular fixture on late night TV tells you just how fake and created it's become today. It's the

reason it's dying today. It's the

opposite of what it used to be, dominated by carefully scripted Instagram and Tik Tok friendly content.

Cordon's carpool karaoke is just the perfect example. It's known as TV's

perfect example. It's known as TV's biggest con for its grueling fake formula. Some footage proves that Cordon

formula. Some footage proves that Cordon isn't even driving. This sanitization is exactly why podcasts like the Joe Rogan Experience exploded. People were

Experience exploded. People were starving for something real. Even if

real meant messy, drunk, high, or chaotic, Rogan built an empire on unscripted conversations where guests could get [music] stoned and actually just be themselves. Network television

had become so controlled, so desperate to avoid offense that it stopped being interesting. The authenticity Conan had

interesting. The authenticity Conan had been practicing [music] for decades became the entire business model of modern podcasting. Except by then, late

modern podcasting. Except by then, late night TV had completely [music] abandoned it. But Conan's willingness to

abandoned it. But Conan's willingness to let guests be themselves and his resistance to network censorship has occasionally backfired. There was a

occasionally backfired. There was a point when his career might not have taken off at all. Back in the 90s, NBC had an executive named Don Olmier who was personal friends with OJ Simpson.

Norm Macdonald was hosting Weekend Update on SNL and kept making jokes calling Simpson a murderer. And the Pope came out with a book this week which contains a series of essays examining faith and morality in today's secular

world and the changing role of the Catholic Church as it approaches the 21st century. The book is entitled, "God

21st century. The book is entitled, "God Himself told me that OJ is guilty." So

Dawn fired Norm from SNL, then told Conan not to stop booking him on late night. So an executive was using his

night. So an executive was using his power to censor a comedian because his celebrity friend didn't like the jokes.

Conan then wrote back saying, "You hired me to do the best show and Norm is my best guest." So Dawn's response was,

best guest." So Dawn's response was, quote, "I expected better from you."

Really meaning that he expected obedience. The NBC executive trying to

obedience. The NBC executive trying to ban Nor McDonald was the system working exactly as we all expected to by protecting its own image or smothering people's right to criticize. And here's

the thing, most people in Conan's position would have folded. You don't

rise to hosting the Tonight Show by making enemies of network executives.

But Conan's career had developed in a different world before he hit the mainstream. He had spent years in the

mainstream. He had spent years in the writer's room at Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, where being funny was the point, not making executives happy. So,

he just refused and essentially ignored the instructions coming from above him.

Normally, that doesn't end well for people in the industry. Conan kept

booking Norm anyway on at least 25 more occasions. Fast forward, and NBC

occasions. Fast forward, and NBC promised Conan he'd take over the Tonight Show when Jay Leno retired.

After 7 months of waiting around for that to finally happen, they tried to move Conan to the 12:05 a.m. so Leno

could come back at 11:35, meaning this wouldn't even be the Tonight Show at all. He eventually unleashed criticism

all. He eventually unleashed criticism of the whole fallacy and left publicly saying, quote, "I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is the Tonight Show's destruction." This is where the

Show's destruction." This is where the idealism dies. Conan had finally reached

idealism dies. Conan had finally reached the pinnacle being the Tonight Show desk. Then they tried to give it back to

desk. Then they tried to give it back to Jay Leno. The promise meant nothing. The

Jay Leno. The promise meant nothing. The

contracts meant nothing. It was all just business. He wasn't just talking about a

business. He wasn't just talking about a time slot, but about what the show was supposed to represent. Meaningful comedy

for the public good. And you have to wonder whether this was the experience that made him realize that to the executives, it was never about maintaining the meaningful product of late night comedy. It was just another

asset to squeeze every last drop out of before disposing of the formula and moving on. It would take him decades to

moving on. It would take him decades to articulate why this mattered, but the principle was already there. Conan spent

his final nights on the Tonight Show roasting NBC and Jay Leno with over-the-top comedy bits that mocked the network. The most famous example is when

network. The most famous example is when he unveiled the Bugatti Veyron mouse, a $2 million Bugatti sports car with fake mouse ears and whiskers and said it

would cost NBC a total of $1.5 million.

It's a smart comedic reaction to what's happening, but not an angry one. And it

got everyone on his side. You can see how he's threading the needle, balancing his role in Hollywood with what is essentially anti-establishment humor.

Like when he hosted the Oscars and took the opportunity to be sincere, funny, and witty without overpoliticizing, as has often been the tradition. Any award

[music] show can seem self-indulgent and superfluous. But what I want to do is

superfluous. But what I want to do is have us all remember why [music] we gather here tonight. Okay. Now, for

almost a century, we have paused every spring to elevate and celebrate an art form that has the power at its [music]

very best to unite us. Imagine looking

back to 30 years in the late night slot with thousands of celebrities coming through those revolving doors onto the set with drunk [music] guests, chaotic interviews, and stubborn fights with industry executives that are always

putting you under constant pressure. But

one thing survived it all, the comedy itself, which Conan had always tried to keep at the forefront of his professional and personal self. He

elaborated on this philosophy at Oxford Union in January 2026, talking about how modern comedians have lost their way.

Some comics go the route of I'm going to just say f Trump every all the time or that's their comedy. And I

think, well, now a little bit you're being co-opted because you're so angry.

[music] You've been lulled. It's like a siren leading you into the rocks. You've

been lulled into just [music] saying, "F Trump. F Trump. F Trump. Screw this

Trump. F Trump. F Trump. Screw this

guy." Um, you know, [music] and I think you've now put down your best weapon, which is being funny, and you've exchanged it for anger. Controversy gets

views and engagement, but it's a race to the bottom. comedy becomes about making

the bottom. comedy becomes about making half your audience cheer while the other half seeds you're just picking sides in a culture war. He says how comedy is vital for social and political critique

and discourse, but that it's a tougher and tougher balance to strike when everyone's trying to vilify others or portray their attitudes as superior or holier than thou. If you're a comedian, you always need to be funny. You just

have to find a way and you you just have to find a way to channel that anger into a way that is cuz good art will always be a great weapon,

>> will always be a perfect uh weapon against power, >> but if you're just screaming and you're just angry, >> [music]

>> um you've lost your best tool in the toolbox. Conan has platformed many

toolbox. Conan has platformed many politicians from all sides of the political spectrum over the years. So,

he's not making a political affiliation here. Despite calling himself a moderate

here. Despite calling himself a moderate Democrat, his writer said that while some want to convince everyone of their political points of view, Conan just likes silly stuff that makes people laugh. That doesn't mean resorting to

laugh. That doesn't mean resorting to apathy, though. Not long before Kimmel's

apathy, though. Not long before Kimmel's show was taken down for his comments on Charlie Kirk, Conan had tweeted, quote, "The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel and the promise to silence other late night hosts for criticizing the administration

should disturb everyone on the right, left, and center. It's wrong, and anyone with a conscious knows it's wrong. The

point is to use thoughtful intelligence to expose what's happening rather than just protecting everyone or getting righteously upset." This came through

righteously upset." This came through when Jennifer Garner tried to school him on grammar. During conversation, Conan

on grammar. During conversation, Conan casually uses the word snuck. Garner

famously interrupts with a condescending smile. His face showed a mix of shame

smile. His face showed a mix of shame and rage, but the interview continues and he doesn't attack her. He doesn't

even get angry, but just waits. Later,

Conan reaches under his desk and pulls out a dictionary.

>> There's a time when you snuck into the room to see what >> I sneaked into the room. Snuck isn't a word, Conan. And you went to Harvard,

word, Conan. And you went to Harvard, and you should know that.

[cheering] >> [applause] [cheering] >> There's a Oh, I'm sorry. Wait, there's a [applause] I keep a dictionary down here and I just found it. Just want to look

at Oh, WHAT THE HELL? LOOK RIGHT HERE.

[laughter] Snuck past and past part of sneak.

[cheering] >> [applause] [laughter] [cheering] >> I mean, it's obvious when you think about it. Who hasn't heard the word

about it. Who hasn't heard the word snuck out before? The audience erupts and Ghana's face goes red. She throws

her hands up and Conan stands up with a dictionary. He didn't get angry, but he

dictionary. He didn't get angry, but he also didn't protect her from embarrassment. The entitled attitude of

embarrassment. The entitled attitude of all these Hollywood elites almost definitely wears on you after a few years of dealing with these people. It's

probably why Jennifer Garner never appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien again, but did appear on a show over 10 years later. The podcast era has been one of the most telling for Conan.

He launched his podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend in 2018 after seeing the rise of people like Joe Rogan as this long- form format gives more opportunity to explore complex and personal topics

without all the manufactured fakeness of late night shows. Late night comedy was dying, having stopped being about genuine situations unfolding in front of the public and instead being dominated

by 7 minutes promotional hits between commercial breaks. Bigname podcast hit

commercial breaks. Bigname podcast hit it off as they avoided FCC regulation and network disputes. Conan described

the exact issue with today's modern fake late night talk shows in an interview with Techrunch. When I'm doing the

with Techrunch. When I'm doing the traditional talk show, uh I'm limited.

you have to take I mean for years and years and years when it was just on network television I had to take six and seven minute turns which means I'm having a conversation with you or I'm having a conversation with someone I've

always dreamed of talking to whether it's a Tom Hanks or a a Jim Carrey or you know um a Robin Williams and then when I see that after 6 minutes or seven

minutes I have to there needs to be a laugh and then I have to say we'll take a break and we'll get right back >> and then there's a a band plays and 3 minutes later we come back and I pick it

up. That is not a natural conversational

up. That is not a natural conversational flow. And so to be honest, what you can

flow. And so to be honest, what you can do in a podcast is really incredible. I

mean, I can talk to someone for an hour.

I can talk to them for an hour and 15 minutes, try and trim them back, but for the most part, people let their guard down. Like the videos we've made on the

down. Like the videos we've made on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast give celebrities more opportunity to expose what lies below their image and often without even realizing it. And while

there's definitely a whole lot of wholesome content on there, that is what started happening too on the Conan needs a friend podcast. And often times you just realize how narcissistic and awful many of these celebrities truly are.

Like when fans called Chris Martin from Coldplay quote pretentious and insulting to Conan. He often failed to laugh at

to Conan. He often failed to laugh at Conan's [music] jokes and Chris really made Conan show his work as an interviewer and you could hear Conan constantly pivoting just to somehow keep this conversation flowing. Or like when

Ram Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor, became known as bar none the worst guest known as quote a legendary Tiffany Hadtish, who came on the podcast after jokingly defending Bill Cosby, was

also received as widely out of touch compared to her usual publicized self.

Even James Cordon appeared on Conan's podcast and fans called it an instant skip, which makes sense when you know how Cordon actually operates. He

personifies the default stance of talk show culture, a platform to sell films, books, ideas, and whatever else Hollywood is pushing, all in exchange for an appearance. During a segment with Jimmy Kimmel, Cordon was asked to name

two cameramen on his show. He obviously

couldn't and embarrassingly tried to claim it was a different crew that night, but the reaction from everyone made it obvious. He wouldn't have ever known anyone's names anyway. Then during

the 2019 writer strike, he went on to the WGA meeting without his writers and tried to advocate for a program that would let his show pay writers less than the guild's minimum. All to push a narrative for the elites of the

networks. He claimed he just wanted to

networks. He claimed he just wanted to give young writers opportunities, but nobody was buying this. Then there was the infamous restaurant incident when the owner of a fancy French restaurant described him as a tiny of a man

after Cordin screamed at servers about a hair in his food and his wife's egg yolk omelette having a bit of egg whites.

When one of Conan's writers heard about this, they announced publicly that when Conan witnessed a staff member being rude to a server at a restaurant, Conan fired them. Ellen's also cut from the

fired them. Ellen's also cut from the same cloth as Cordan, building her entire show on be kind. She dances, she says the mainstream narrative. She's

nice to everyone. She has the correct political views of the elites and everything just feels warm and fuzzy.

But then in July 2020, the image completely fell apart. when BuzzFeed

spoke with 36 current and former employees about what was really happening behind the scenes, where staff described a workplace dominated by fear with allegations of racism, intimidation, and sexual harassment. One

former employee worked there for nearly a year, then took medical leave for a month to check into a mental health facility for a shot at passing her own life attempt. The week they returned to

life attempt. The week they returned to work, they were told their position was being eliminated. Another employee was

being eliminated. Another employee was given a warning for creating a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for medical costs not covered by company health insurance. Just 24 hours after posting

insurance. Just 24 hours after posting it, they were called into the department head's office and told to take it down because of concerns in My Heart Ellens's image. Jimmy Fallon hasn't escaped this

image. Jimmy Fallon hasn't escaped this either. Rolling Stone in 2023 published

either. Rolling Stone in 2023 published an expose based on interviews with two current and 14 former employees. once

said that people wouldn't joke around in the office and they wouldn't stand around and talk to each other when Jimmy was in a bad mood. The show literally had nine showrunners in 9 years, which is significantly more turnover than

other late night shows. It was so bad that they would refer to their guests as dressing rooms as crying rooms because that's where they could go to let out their emotions when upset with their alleged mistreatment. While Conan has

alleged mistreatment. While Conan has said he deeply respects him, Steven Corbar has also repeatedly revealed his mindset as the polar opposite of Conan's. People who work close to him

Conan's. People who work close to him describe an arrogance oozing out of his paws with his gatekeeper type role in the industry.

>> These guys are elitist and coar is an elitist and and also it's why they don't know what they sound like when they when they talk because they don't realize they haven't been in that world for a long time.

>> The talk show brand depends on maintaining a facade that invites the public to believe they are seeing the real person behind the work. A privilege

the elite have guarded carefully. But

now this is a dying industry. Late night

is dead and everyone can see through these frauds. However, Conan treated his

these frauds. However, Conan treated his job differently with his staff becoming his true friends. During writers'

strikes, he's paid their salaries out of pocket. When he left NBC for TBS after

pocket. When he left NBC for TBS after the Tonight Show debacle, he negotiated a $45 million deal and ensured $12 million was distributed among his staff.

Then he took his entire crew with him.

When John Krasinsky appeared on Larry King, he talked about interning for Conan in college. People have asked me before, "What's your what's your [music] biggest influence comedically?" And I said, "Without a doubt, it's Conan O'Brien."

O'Brien." >> For 30 years, he's been operating differently and still tries to today.

His loose style lets people be themselves. And when themselves is

themselves. And when themselves is drunk delusional arrogant or tonedeaf, everyone sees it, which is a subtle yet powerful anti-establishment [music] critique. You see it in moments where

critique. You see it in moments where he's been criticizing the modern media and film industry. Like on this podcast with Ryan Reynolds when he revealed his Hollywood pet peeve. I've been saying this for years. I refuse to see a movie.

At a certain point, I declared I will not see a movie that has a portal. He

elaborated that too many blockbusters rely on the same lazy third act device.

He called it a sign that the creators had no idea how to end the story. The

portal represents Hollywood's formulaic nature, a formula that now percolates late night TV, where it no longer unfolds as its real natural self. He's

forced that system when it mattered, but used witten intelligence instead of getting angry or resorting to polarization tactics. It's an old school

polarization tactics. It's an old school model that barely holds up today, but still allows the industry and its players to expose itself. In an era that favors clicks and controversy over craft and meaning, comedy that just

interrogates people as people is becoming rarer. And that's really bad

becoming rarer. And that's really bad news for everyone. Before we end the video, I just want to say something important quickly. This year, we're

important quickly. This year, we're making the Moon channels better than they've ever been. From Moon to Moon Crime to our upcoming new channel we're excited to announce very soon. But we

need you. So, if you're a talented writer watching this, we want you to know that we're hiring. But we're not just hiring casual freelancers, occasional part-time roles, or hobbyists. We are looking for real

hobbyists. We are looking for real writers who understand these videos, understand the storytelling, and want to help build actual meaningful content in a world full of slop. So, if you genuinely love this style of content, if

you think you could write scripts that belong on this channel, and if you want to be a part of our team, then I want to hear from you. We're primarily hiring in South Florida in the Miami for Lordell area for inperson roles, but we're also

open to great remote writers, too, as I know many of you aren't in the US. If

you're an amazing writer, there's a link in the description and the pin comment with full details on how to apply.