If You Need A Laugh
This red-headed goon could make even the most humorless people laugh.
In the early stages of the pandemic, I stumbled across Conan O’Brien’s podcast, Conan Needs a Friend, when it popped up as a recommendation on Spotify. During that time, I needed a break from all of the dour news and events that were happening around the globe, so finding his podcast was a light in all of that darkness because it brought cheer and laughter to my Monday mornings. Ever since then, I’ve been devouring every episode.
I never really watched his late night talk show simply because I don’t watch talk shows. I would see funny clips on YouTube, which were always entertaining, but it wasn’t until I started listening to his podcast that I started to take note at how truly comical and, oftentimes, sincere O’Brien can be, as well as being an awesome interviewer.
O’Brien is extremely quick witted, and he can often make any interview hilarious. He seems to get a kick out of making people laugh at his schtick, which only fuels his comedic fire. Whenever he can get someone to laugh at something that he says or does, he will keep the joke going until he’s squeezed all the juice out of it. O’Brien’s ability to get belly laughs out of people is undeniable and unstoppable, and he gets a true kick out of being able to do that
In my opinion, the best episodes are the ones where he gets to interview people that he is already friends with. Most of these people are fellow comedians, so the interviews are usually off the rails. But even when he’s not interviewing one of his friends, the episodes almost always have moments where the host makes his guests giggle at his hijinks. It’s even better when the guest razzes O’Brien and puts him in his place.
Along with O’Brien are his former (although, I think she still helps out here and there) assistant, Sona Movsesian, who helps to co-host. The two of them have been working together for a long time, so their chemistry and banter is always entertaining. Matt Gourley rounds out the gang as O’Brien’s other co-host and producer. Movsesian and Gourley go out of their way to bug O’Brien like younger siblings trying to get a rise out of their big brother. The three of them together create amusing magic.
I hope that this podcast continues on for years to come because it really is a gem. In a market that’s oversaturated with podcasts, I’m so pleased that I found this one because I know that every Monday morning, I’m going to start my week off with some much needed chuckles.