Conan O'Brien Once Named His Worst Interview Guest Ever
Conan O'Brien is a man of many talents, but his late-night hosting career, which kicked off in 1993, makes up a substantial portion of his legacy. So far, O'Brien has hailed over three shows, including "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," his one-season run on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" — which was impacted by his drama with former host Jay Leno (via HuffPost) — and his third show, "Conan." Fortunately, the impending end to "Conan" — which was announced in May 2021 — won't signal the end of his late-night run as he has a forthcoming HBO Max show in the works.
Over the years, O'Brien conducted thousands of interviews with some of Hollywood's biggest stars, such as Lisa Kudrow, Martin Short, and Paul Rudd (via Yard Barker). As "Conan" neared its series finale, O'Brien cultivated an impressive group of celebs to close out his TBS run, per TV Line, leaving the always-entertaining Jack Black for "Conan's" last episode. And while viewers were treated to a delightful send-off, not all of O'Brien's interviews have been successful over the years. In fact, O'Brien once shared his worst interview guest of all time.
Abel Ferrara tried to 'flee' from Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien's worst interview occurred in 1996 while hosting "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." Considering how long ago the interview occurred, the guest in question must have really struck a nerve with O'Brien. So, just who made a terrible impression? None other than famed filmmaker Abel Ferrara, who worked on "Body Snatchers" and "King of New York," among other things.
During a 2018 episode of Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, O'Brien made the surprising revelation. "Abel Ferrara got booked on our show and he's a wild eccentric," shared O'Brien. "And he fled, during the show, before his segment. He ran away, got into the elevator, and was out on the street when [my producer] gave chase. He caught him, led him back, made him — pushing him — got him backstage." And while Ferrara eventually sat for the interview "against his will," he then started to yell at O'Brien.
Judging by the YouTube video of the interview, it's no wonder Ferrara's appearance was memorable in the worst way. During the video, Ferrara looks visibly disinterested in O'Brien's line of questioning as he twiddles an unlit cigarette and half-heartedly engages in the conversation. At one point in the interview, O'Brien implies that Ferrara is intoxicated, sarcastically remarking, "You just passed our sobriety test here."
Bruce Springsteen and Tom Hanks are Conan O'Brien's favorite guests
Fortunately, many of Conan O'Brien's guests left positive impressions on him. In November 2022, O'Brien appeared on "The Howard Stern Show" and dished about his two favorite guests of all time. "The time when Bruce Springsteen — we were fortunate enough to have on our show a couple of times — and he would show up early, he would rehearse, he knew all the cameramen's names ... he was a gentleman, he crafted it, he figured it out," said O'Brien. "And you think, [Springsteen] doesn't need to prove anything ... and then he's hanging out afterward, and thanking people," O'Brien continued, adding, "And you think this is not an accident, there's a reason he's Bruce Springsteen." O'Brien feels similar admiration for Tom Hanks, who "brought stuff to the table," when he was at "Saturday Night Live" and hosting his other late night shows. O'Brien concluded his thoughts, likening both men's approach to having "emotional intelligence."
Similarly, O'Brien also held world-renowned comic and writer Norm Macdonald — who appeared on his show multiple times — in high regard. A year after Macdonald's passing in 2021, O'Brien shared the touching tribute he delivered during the comedian's private memorial with The Washington Post. "When I wrapped up my show last spring, I wanted to have Norm on as a guest and I was told he couldn't be there," he wrote. "He was the best panelist in the history of talk shows and easily the most beloved guest in the 28 years of my career."