Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Introducing Conan’s new podcast

Episode Date: October 4, 2018

Conan O’Brien really needs a friend. But does he need a podcast? Turns out he does. If only to find that friend. Conan's bringing his favorite celebrity guests by the studio for some friendly conversations. In the meantime, he is joined by his dependable assistant Sona Movsesian, in an attempt to figure out why a venerable TV legend like himself might want to start a podcast in the first place. Is it really for the friendship, or just the fortune and glory? Or is it maybe to show everyone else just how wrong they’ve been doing it up to now? Weekly episodes start this fall. Subscribe now so you don't miss the biggest podcast event of the year!

Hey, this is Conan O'Brien, and this is my new podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. Let me explain, I've been doing a TV show for 25 years, I've done over 4,000 episodes with celebrity guests, you'd think I'd have friends, but I don't. I'm actually being kind of honest, all my friends are people that work for me. My friends come on the show, they pretend to be really nice to me, but when the show's over, they get in a black SUV and they leave. And so what I thought I'd like to do is in a more relaxed, informal environment, sit down with some of these people and just talk to them, and maybe they'd become a real friend.

I'm talking about someone who would meet me at a Denny's and grab a bite to eat. I thought this would be the perfect way to do it, a podcast. That's the concept of the show. I have my assistant, Sona, who's been with me. How many years have you been with me, Sona? Almost 10 years. Yeah. You and I are like peanut butter and what?

Something that doesn't go with peanut butter. We're like peanut butter and white out. Mix those two together and you've got a sandwich that would probably kill you if you ate it. I've always been extremely honest with me and people love it when you're on the show because you are the voice of America, really. And it's ironic that you're the voice of America because you're from Armenia. I'm not from Armenia. I am Armenian, but I was born in this country.

I thought you were born in Armenia and you came here. No. Yes, you did. No, that's something you made up. I think you floated here in a basket. What? Remember? Your father was being attacked by goats.

You were a baby. Okay. All right. To save your life, he floated you away and you floated from the island of Armenia. It's not an island. And then you landed in California and you learned to speak English by watching old episodes of Dynasty. No.

That's not even possible. Oh, okay. Also, that's impossible for someone to float here in a basket. I told that to Moses. Okay. Anyway, I think this is a good idea. Conan O'Brien needs a friend. It's a chance for me just to be me, probably a little different from the TV show and that

I get to have a really intimate conversation with these people. Yeah. You know what's confusing about my job? In life, social cues are there's a woman or there's a man. They make eye contact with me. They smile. They come over. They greet me.

They sit down and they chat with me and they laugh at the things I say. That's proof that you've just made a friend. Yeah. No. Those are all the things people do in a talk show appearance. It mimics a real friendship and a good interaction, but it's fake. That's why I want this podcast. It's amazing after 25 years that you haven't figured that out, though.

Yeah. I didn't know that there was someone booking these people. You thought they were just coming to hang out? I really did think that Dame Judy Dentz just showed up and wanted to hang with me. Well, and then you know what you're going to talk about with them, which is it normal for friends just hanging out? Well, actually, with my friends, I have little blue cards. Oh.

I have researchers talk to my friends before I hang out with them. Weird. You know, it's weird. Last Thanksgiving, I cut the turkey and I had us all say a prayer, you know, say grace, and then I threw it to a commercial. That's really sad. We were in my dining room. My daughter started to cry.

Oh my God. I said, we're going to lose the sponsor. Keep quiet. Okay. This is my chance to make a friend. Well, you've been on TV for 25 years, but why do you think you're qualified to do a podcast? I think a lot of people are okay with my personality, but they'd rather not see the face.

Oh no. It's true. That's a quote from my wife. So podcast might be the best way to experience me. Conan O'Brien needs a friend. Subscribe now on Apple podcasts coming this November. If you're listening to this, you're in the right place. Just click subscribe.

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