Ro's Recz

Conan O’Brien is most well known for his late night talk show, but he also has a very successful podcast called Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend. I am not really into late night talk shows, and I have actually never watched O’Brien’s show. However, it is clear that his time as a TV host has well prepared him to host his own podcast.

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend is a podcast in which O’Brien interviews various guests that he is familiar with from his time as a TV host. Some of my favorite episodes I have listened to so far include the Obama’s (there are episodes with both Michelle and Barack), John Krasinski, and Howard Stern.

O’Brien mentions how the podcast format really fits his style because it allows him to have more unscripted, in-depth conversations with his guests. He mentions that on his late-night show, everything is dictated by commercial breaks; the never-ending commercial breaks mean that even if O’Brien were to get in a great rhythm and conversation with his guest, it is inevitable that it would be cut short at some point. On Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend though, O’Brien has significantly more time, and it allows him to extract much better stories and tidbits from his guests.

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend is a great podcast because of O’Brien’s skill as an interviewer. He is great at managing the conversation, and he seems to have a knack for asking the right question and the right time. O’Brien also thrives in letting the guest share their own story rather than him always butting into the conversation.

Most of the people O’Brien interviews are actors/actresses or involved in the entertainment industry in some aspect, but there is still a wide variety of guests to choose from. Definitely listen to an episode with a guest you are interested in learning more about!

Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend Recommendation Rating: 4

This post has now been updated to reflect a new ratings system that I have implemented, which is scored as follows:

1: Something worth checking out if you have time

2: Something that is a hit for some people, but not a must for everyone

3: Something worth prioritizing if interested

4: Something worth making time to check out

5: An absolute home run, worth going out of your way for