Conan O’Brien has spent decades making people laugh, but he recently opened up about one of the hardest stretches of his life. On his September 10 podcast, he told“Simpsons”creator Matt Groening that leaving“Saturday Night Live”in 1991 left him in a bad place. What he didn’t know was that help was already on the way.“Simpsons”writers Mike Reiss and Al Jean heard he was free, and he was hired just four days later.
O’Brien worked on seasons 3, 4 and part of season 5 before leaving in 1993, and he admitted the job intimidated him since he’d only written sketch comedy. Still, he called it a magical chapter and thanked Groening directly, saying,“It really saved my life,”and,“I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t gone there.”He went on to host“Late Night,”“The Tonight Show”and“Conan”on TBS, and Stephen Colbert once dubbed him“the patron saint of ex-talk show hosts.”
His story is a reminder that a low point isn’t the end of the road, and that sometimes the opportunity you never saw coming is the one that changes everything. It’s also a gentle nudge to check on the people around you, because you may never know who’s quietly struggling.
Has a job or a kind word ever pulled you through a rough season? Tell us about it in the comments.
About the Author
Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
