Conan O’Brien says he spent too much of his tenure on SNL being “too intense” and ended up burning out before leaving for The Simpsons.
Perhaps no other voice has been as crucial to many of our upbringing as Conan O’Brien – and we’re not even talking about any of his namesake shows. Coming up as a key voice with landmark seasons on Saturday Night Live and later The Simpsons, Conan left his mark and honed his voice before even bothering with late night. And while both would seem like dream jobs, Conan O’Brien never fully gave himself a chance to enjoy his days on SNL.
Prompted on his podcast (via EW) about his days on SNL by guest Tom Hanks (a 10-time SNL host), Conan O’Brien admitted, “People always say no regrets. I regret being so intense about that job. Yeah. I was way too intense, and I think I robbed myself of some fun that I could have had. I did have a lot of fun, but I think I could have had more fun. And I think I could have maybe written there a little longer if I didn’t make it such a grind for myself.”
Conan O’Brien came onboard SNL near the end of the 13th season, staying on until season 16 before he headed off for Springfield. He jokingly said, “[Jay Leno] came and took my writing job at SNL,” referring to his tumultuous relationship with Leno over The Tonight Show. “No, I burnt out. I burnt out. And [Lorne Michaels] could not have been nicer. This was a couple years before he contacted me about the late night show. But I was burnt out and I was like, ‘I’ve got to go,’ and that’s when I went to The Simpsons.” It was there that O’Brien – albeit with only a small selection of episodes – would prove to be a key presence, getting his first writing credit on season four’s “New Kid on the Block”, following that up with classics like “Marge vs. the Monorail” and “Homer Goes to College”.
Conan O’Brien has been pretty distant from SNL since leaving the show but recently turned up on The Simpsons’ 36th finale, which disguised itself as a faux series finale. He, too, continues with one of the best interview podcasts out there and is expected to release more episodes of his namesake travel show Conan O’Brien Must Go.
Outside of his late night show, what stands as your favorite work from Conan O’Brien? Keep cool, my babies, and let us know below.
