Who influenced Conan O'Brien, and what came after

Every connection with its receipt

Conan O'Brien is a Harvard Lampoon-trained writer who passed through SNL and The Simpsons before inheriting Letterman's 12:30 chair in 1993, then rebuilt himself twice more — on TBS and in podcasting. This mix traces the broadcast comedians who taught him timing, the literary and absurdist strains behind his surrealism, his Boston roots, and the comics who now cite him.

The Kynda mix for Conan O'Brien

• Key Influence · Late Night with David Letterman by David Letterman (1982). O'Brien inherited the literal 12:30 a.m. NBC slot Letterman vacated in 1993, chosen by Lorne Michaels to continue a franchise built on anti-showbiz irony, stunts with civilians and bits that mocked the talk-show form itself. The Masturbating Bear and the walker-cam descend directly from Letterman's Monkey-Cam and Velcro suit, and O'Brien has repeatedly described Letterman's show as the template he studied as a teenager."etc"
• Influencia Obscura · The Ernie Kovacs Show by Ernie Kovacs (1952). Kovacs treated the television apparatus as the joke — blackout gags, cameras acknowledging themselves, silent characters like Eugene wandering through tilted sets. That lineage of medium-aware absurdism runs straight through O'Brien's string dance, his recurring blue-screen nonsense and his habit of letting a bit die on camera and then commenting on the corpse. Kovacs remains largely unseen by the audiences who inherited his vocabulary.
• Local Roots · National Lampoon's Animal House by Doug Kenney (1978). Kenney was a Harvard Lampoon president who turned the magazine into a pipeline from Cambridge to American comedy; O'Brien served twice as Lampoon president himself in the early 1980s, the credential that got him writing jobs at HBO, SNL and The Simpsons. Animal House is the Lampoon sensibility — anarchic, institution-mocking, built by Harvard undergraduates — exported to the national screen a few years before O'Brien arrived.
• Beyond the Medium · Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (1952). O'Brien graduated from Harvard with a thesis on the use of children in the fiction of Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner, and has spoken often about O'Connor's grotesque American Catholicism. Her comedy of fanatics, failed preachers and characters undone by their own vanity sits under his most character-driven sketch writing, where the joke usually rests on someone's self-delusion rather than a punchline.
• Peer · The Daily Show by Jon Stewart (1999). Stewart took over The Daily Show six years into O'Brien's Late Night run, and the two defined parallel wings of late-90s comedy: Stewart's political deconstruction of news against O'Brien's surreal deconstruction of the talk show. Both were writers' rooms first. Stewart publicly supported O'Brien during the 2010 Tonight Show conflict, and the Team Coco moment unfolded across the same cable-and-online ecosystem Stewart helped build.
• From the Canon · Late Night with Conan O'Brien by Conan O'Brien (1993). The sixteen-year run that began with a thirteen-week contract and near-universal critical dismissal, then became the most formally experimental network comedy of its era: the Masturbating Bear, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, In the Year 2000, Clutch Cargo celebrity interviews. It is where O'Brien converted writer's-room absurdism into a nightly broadcast language and learned to make his own flop sweat the joke.
• Key Collaborator · Andy Richter Controls the Universe by Andy Richter (2002). Richter sat beside O'Brien from the 1993 debut, left in 2000, and returned for the Tonight Show and TBS years — the longest-running comic partnership in modern late night, built on Richter undercutting O'Brien's self-regard. This short-lived Fox sitcom, created after his first departure, showcases his own surreal sensibility: a narrator-haunted office comedy whose deadpan absurdism explains what he contributed at the desk.
• Legacy · Late Night with Seth Meyers by Seth Meyers (2014). Meyers followed the exact O'Brien path — SNL writer elevated by Lorne Michaels to the 12:30 NBC chair — and has spoken warmly about inheriting the show O'Brien built there. His writer-forward approach, his willingness to hand bits to staff members on camera, and the relaxed desk-based looseness of A Closer Look all descend from the precedent that a head writer with no hosting experience can carry late night.

What influenced Conan O'Brien

• Bob Hope. O'Brien cites Hope as an influence after recognizing Hope's contribution to Allen's comic persona. “Ernie Kovacs , [ 222 ] Bob Hope , [ 223 ] and Woody Allen” (Wikipedia)
• The Groundlings. O'Brien took improvisation classes with The Groundlings. “Around this time, he started taking improvisation classes with Cynthia Szigeti and The Groundlings .” (Wikipedia)
• David Letterman (1947). O'Brien names Letterman among his comedic influences. (also via Late Night with David Letterman) “O'Brien lists among his comedic influences Carol Burnett , Bob Newhart , [ 217 ] David Letterman , [ 218 ] Peter Sellers” (Wikipedia)
• Woody Allen. O'Brien says he loved Woody Allen while explaining how he came to recognize Hope's influence. “Ernie Kovacs , [ 222 ] Bob Hope , [ 223 ] and Woody Allen ; [ 224 ] and upon his retirement from Conan” (Wikipedia)
• Ernie Kovacs. O'Brien names Kovacs among his comedic influences. (also via The Ernie Kovacs Show) “Johnny Carson , [ 221 ] Ernie Kovacs , [ 222 ] Bob Hope” (Wikipedia)
• Johnny Carson. O'Brien names Carson among his comedic influences. (also via The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) “Warner Bros. Cartoons , [ 50 ] Johnny Carson , [ 221 ] Ernie Kovacs” (Wikipedia)
• The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (1929) “O'Brien's senior thesis, entitled Literary Progeria in the Works of William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor, concerned the use of children as symbols in the works of Faulkner and O'Connor.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Cynthia Szigeti. O'Brien took improvisation classes with Szigeti. “Around this time, he started taking improvisation classes with Cynthia Szigeti and The Groundlings .” (Wikipedia)
• Carol Burnett. O'Brien names Burnett among his comedic influences. “O'Brien lists among his comedic influences Carol Burnett , Bob Newhart , [ 217 ] David Letterman” (Wikipedia)
• The Ernie Kovacs Show by Ernie Kovacs (1952) “Cartoons, Johnny Carson, Ernie Kovacs, Bob Hope, and Woody Allen; and upon his retirement from Conan, he described his style as the pursuit of a "strange, phantom intersection between smart and stupid".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Late Night with David Letterman by David Letterman (1982) “O'Brien was a writer and producer for The Simpsons for two seasons until he was selected by Lorne Michaels and NBC to take over David Letterman's position as host of Late Night in 1993.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Steve Martin (1945). Wikipedia states Martin's style influenced Conan O'Brien. “Martin's offbeat, ironic, and deconstructive style of humor has influenced many comedians during his career including Tina Fey , Steve Carell , Conan O'Brien , Jon Stewart , [ 131 ] Stephen Colbert , Robert Smigel , Bo Burnham , [ 132 ] …” (Wikipedia)
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson by Johnny Carson (1962) “Cartoons, Johnny Carson, Ernie Kovacs, Bob Hope, and Woody Allen; and upon his retirement from Conan, he described his style as the pursuit of a "strange, phantom intersection between smart and stupid".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Bob Newhart (1929). O'Brien names Newhart among his comedic influences. “O'Brien lists among his comedic influences Carol Burnett , Bob Newhart , [ 217 ] David Letterman” (Wikipedia)
• Peter Sellers. O'Brien names Sellers among his comedic influences. “David Letterman , [ 218 ] Peter Sellers , [ 219 ] Sid Caesar” (Wikipedia)
• The Jack Benny Program by Jack Benny (1950) (themoviedb.org)
• Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (1952) (openlibrary.org)
• The Steve Allen Show by Steve Allen (1956) (themoviedb.org)
• Monty Python's Flying Circus by Monty Python (1969)
• Sid Caesar. O'Brien names Caesar among his comedic influences.

Peers and kindred spirits

• Taylor Tomlinson. Tomlinson opened for O'Brien's comedy tour. “Taylor sits down with Conan to discuss the benefits of starting out at a young age, the joke that got her kicked out of church gigs, the horrors of performing on a cruise ship, and more.” (Team Coco)
• Matt Groening (1954). O'Brien recalled his longstanding work with The Simpsons team and a later recording session with Groening. (also via The Simpsons) “I started working with them 31 years ago. After all these years, to be in a recording session with Al Jean, James L. Brooks and Matt Groening.” (hollywoodreporter.com)
• Greg Daniels (1993). Daniels was writing partners with Conan O'Brien early in his career. “Daniels' and O'Brien's first job out of college was this early HBO parody of both news programs and the political and public figures in the headlines.” (Variety)
• Andy Richter. Richter joined O'Brien on his comedy tour. (also via Andy Richter Controls the Universe) “When I found Andy Richter, he’s one of the funniest people that I’ve ever met … He’s a brilliant man and I love him forever.” (hollywoodreporter.com)
• Robert Smigel. O'Brien staged a comedy revue with Smigel. (also via TV Funhouse) “Smigel also discusses a pilot he made with Conan O'Brien called Lookwell , starring Batman 's Adam West.” (interviews.televisionacademy.com)
• The Simpsons by Matt Groening (1989). Conan O'Brien was a writer on The Simpsons before his talk show career. (also via Late Night with Conan O'Brien) “Conan O'Brien , who was brought into SNL from The Groundlings in 1988, went on to write for The Simpsons , and eventually began hosting his own show .” (Wikipedia)
• Beck. Beck joined the band for O'Brien's final Tonight Show performance. “Will Ferrell took care of lead vocal and cowbell duties while O’Brien played guitar alongside Beck , ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Ben Harper on lap-steel guitar and his own “Tonight Show” house band, Jimmy Vivino and the Max Weinberg 7.” (billboard.com)
• Will Ferrell. O'Brien and Ferrell performed music together on the final Tonight Show. “I love you Conan, but if you don’t mind, can I just pretape a few goodbyes and you can just use them when your next several shows flame out? We can just get it out of the way.” (hollywoodreporter.com)
• Labels Are For Jars. O'Brien co-founded Labels Are For Jars. “Together the group created a campaign, Labels are for Jars, to feed the poor and combat societal labeling.” (thebostonpilot.com)
• Ben Harper. Harper joined the band for O'Brien's final Tonight Show performance. “Will Ferrell took care of lead vocal and cowbell duties while O’Brien played guitar alongside Beck , ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Ben Harper on lap-steel guitar and his own “Tonight Show” house band, Jimmy Vivino and the Max Weinberg 7.” (billboard.com)
• Mindy Kaling (1979). Kaling was an intern on Conan O'Brien's show before joining The Office. “you were an intern on Conan O'Brien's show, were you? Ms. KALING: Yes, I was an intern. I was 19 as was John Krasinski.” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• Billy Gibbons. Gibbons joined the band for O'Brien's final Tonight Show performance. “Will Ferrell took care of lead vocal and cowbell duties while O’Brien played guitar alongside Beck , ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Ben Harper on lap-steel guitar and his own “Tonight Show” house band, Jimmy Vivino and the Max Weinberg 7.” (billboard.com)
• Steven Yeun. Yeun appeared in the video for a track featuring Conan O’Brien. “Conan & Steven team up with J.Y. Park & a pack of K-pop superstars for "Fire."” (Team Coco)
• Mike Reiss. Reiss recruited O'Brien to write for The Simpsons. “I walked away from SNL with no job, and two of your writers, I think it was [Mike] Reiss and [Al] Jean , heard that Conan O'Brien might be loose and available.” (usmagazine.com)
• The Vigodas. O'Brien formed The Vigodas. “The podcaster, travel show host, occasional actor, and Oscars MC added another credit to his post-late-night résumé Monday night, surprising the crowd at Permanent Records Roadhouse in Los Angeles with the debut of his new band, The Vigo…” (latenighter.com)
• Al Jean. Jean recruited O'Brien to write for The Simpsons. “I started working with them 31 years ago. After all these years, to be in a recording session with Al Jean, James L. Brooks and Matt Groening.” (hollywoodreporter.com)
• Jimmy Kimmel (via Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!) “Kimmel derided Leno in front of a live studio audience for taking back the 11:35 pm time slot from Conan O'Brien, and repeatedly insulted Leno.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Katie Dippold. Dippold was a sketch regular on the show. (via Late Night with Conan O'Brien) “From there, she went on to be a sketch regular on the US talkshow Late Night with Conan O'Brien , before making the leap into TV writing and then movie scripts.” (The Guardian)
• Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen (1975) “On Born to Run (1975), Weinberg's drumming evoked two of his idols, Ringo Starr and Levon Helm, and he covered his snare drum with heavy paper towels to capture some of the Memphis soul sound.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Abe Vigoda. The retrospective describes Vigoda’s participation in sketches on O'Brien’s late-night show. “O’Brien later recalled that the show could come up with something ridiculous just hours before taping, call Vigoda, and he would happily come over and do it.” (latenighter.com)
• Angela Kinsey (1971). Angela Kinsey was an intern on Conan O'Brien's show. “And Angela Kinsey. So there's three of our cast members were Conan interns.” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• The Colbert Report by Stephen Colbert (2005) “During the writers' strike in 2008, O'Brien staged a mock feud with Comedy Central's Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show) and Stephen Colbert (of The Colbert Report) over a dispute about which of the three were responsible for giving a "bump"…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson by Craig Ferguson (2005) “The show was unique in that it had no "human" sidekicks such as Ed McMahon on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson or Conan O'Brien's Andy Richter.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Daily Show by Jon Stewart (1999) “During the writers' strike in 2008, O'Brien staged a mock feud with Comedy Central's Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show) and Stephen Colbert (of The Colbert Report) over a dispute about which of the three were responsible for giving a "bump"…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• John Goodman. Goodman appeared as the first guest on O'Brien's late-night show. “Goodman had a long history of appearances on late night comedy shows and was the first guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien , which won him the series' "First Guest Medal"” (Wikipedia)
• Bob Odenkirk. O'Brien staged a comedy revue with Odenkirk. “O'Brien put on an improvisational comedy revue in Chicago with fellow SNL writers Bob Odenkirk and Robert Smigel called Happy Happy Good Show .” (Wikipedia)
• TV Funhouse by Robert Smigel (2000) “While on a writers' strike from Saturday Night Live following the 1987–88 season, O'Brien put on an improvisational comedy revue in Chicago with fellow SNL writers Bob Odenkirk and Robert Smigel called Happy Happy Good Show.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Conaco. O'Brien formed the production company Conaco. “In 2001, he formed his own television production company, Conaco , which subsequently shared in the production credits for Late Night .” (Wikipedia)
• Andy Richter Controls the Universe by Andy Richter (2002) “During pre-production, writer Robert Smigel suggested fellow writer Andy Richter to sit beside O'Brien and act as a sidekick.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Jack Black. O'Brien described developing and rehearsing a bit with Black for the Conan finale. “Of course, we would think of a bit with Jack where Jack pretends to get hurt and while shooting it, Jack gets hurt. We’re the only show in the history of the medium that would ever do that.” (hollywoodreporter.com)
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (via Late Night with Conan O'Brien) “Colbert brought most of his staff from The Colbert Report with him to The Late Show, as well as outsiders such as Brian Stack, who is best known for his work on Conan O'Brien's programs, and Jon Stewart, former host of Colbert's previous…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! by Jimmy Kimmel (2003) (via Late Night with Conan O'Brien) “was stunted early on by an ABC affiliate body which was fulfilling existing syndication contracts for post-local news sitcom repeats and entertainment newsmagazines (thus delaying the show making the "Live!" title somewhat of a misnomer)…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• No Cure for Cancer by Denis Leary (1992) “O'Brien has three brothers and two sisters, and is a third cousin once removed of fellow comedian Denis Leary.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers (1976) (musicbrainz.org)
• National Lampoon's Animal House by Doug Kenney (1978)

Who Conan O'Brien influenced

• John Krasinski (1979). Krasinski is identified as claiming O'Brien as an influence. “actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling , [ 226 ] Pete Holmes , [ 227 ] Seth Meyers , [ 228 ] Nikki Glaser , [ 229 ] John Krasinski” (Wikipedia)
• John Mulaney. Mulaney said he listened to a lot of O’Brien. “Kumail Nanjiani , [ 234 ] Ron Funches , [ 235 ] John Mulaney , [ 236 ] Eric André” (Wikipedia)
• Seth Meyers. Meyers is identified as claiming O'Brien as an influence. (also via Late Night with Seth Meyers) “actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling , [ 226 ] Pete Holmes , [ 227 ] Seth Meyers , [ 228 ] Nikki Glaser” (Wikipedia)
• Pete Holmes. Holmes is identified as claiming O'Brien as an influence. (also via You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes) “actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling , [ 226 ] Pete Holmes , [ 227 ] Seth Meyers” (Wikipedia)
• Kumail Nanjiani. Nanjiani is identified as claiming O'Brien as an influence. “actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling , [ 226 ] Pete Holmes , [ 227 ] Seth Meyers , [ 228 ] Nikki Glaser , [ 229 ] John Krasinski , [ 230 ] Moses Storm , [ 231 ] Sam Richardson , [ 232 ] Colin Jost ,…” (Wikipedia)
• Bowen Yang. The article says Yang was drawn to O'Brien as a child. “As a child, he was drawn to late-night comedians and hosts David Letterman and Conan O'Brien .” (Wikipedia)
• Colin Jost. Jost is identified as claiming O'Brien as an influence. “actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling , [ 226 ] Pete Holmes , [ 227 ] Seth Meyers , [ 228 ] Nikki Glaser , [ 229 ] John Krasinski , [ 230 ] Moses Storm , [ 231 ] Sam Richardson , [ 232 ] Colin Jost” (Wikipedia)
• Nikki Glaser. Glaser is identified as claiming O'Brien as an influence. “actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling , [ 226 ] Pete Holmes , [ 227 ] Seth Meyers , [ 228 ] Nikki Glaser” (Wikipedia)
• Ron Funches. Funches appears in the list of people claiming O'Brien as an influence. “Nikki Glaser , [ 229 ] John Krasinski , [ 230 ] Moses Storm , [ 231 ] Sam Richardson , [ 232 ] Colin Jost , [ 233 ] Kumail Nanjiani , [ 234 ] Ron Funches” (Wikipedia)
• Late Night with Seth Meyers by Seth Meyers (2014) “In turn, actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling, Pete Holmes, Seth Meyers, Nikki Glaser, John Krasinski, Moses Storm, Sam Richardson, Colin Jost, Kumail Nanjiani, Ron Funches, John Mulaney, Eric André…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Sam Richardson. Richardson is identified as claiming O'Brien as an influence. “actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling , [ 226 ] Pete Holmes , [ 227 ] Seth Meyers , [ 228 ] Nikki Glaser , [ 229 ] John Krasinski , [ 230 ] Moses Storm , [ 231 ] Sam Richardson” (Wikipedia)
• Moses Storm. Storm is identified as claiming O'Brien as an influence. “actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling , [ 226 ] Pete Holmes , [ 227 ] Seth Meyers , [ 228 ] Nikki Glaser , [ 229 ] John Krasinski , [ 230 ] Moses Storm” (Wikipedia)
• You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes by Pete Holmes (2011) “In turn, actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling, Pete Holmes, Seth Meyers, Nikki Glaser, John Krasinski, Moses Storm, Sam Richardson, Colin Jost, Kumail Nanjiani, Ron Funches, John Mulaney, Eric André…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Eric André. André appears in the list of people claiming O'Brien as an influence.