Conan O'Brien

When i was in my mid teens i used to spend my summer nights going to bed late after watching Late Night with David Letterman. I loved the fact that i could watch funny bits, oddity acts and see some of my favorite movie stars talk candidly. There was no internet, so it was a great way e exposed to larger world that i didn't know existed. It definitely shaped my mind as well as my sense of humor. In 1993 there was going to be a new host of Late Night and i knew that i had to see what this guy would do.

Right off the bat i knew that i was going to like Conan and Andy. They were way younger than Dave (at least in my mind) and being a 16 year old kid myself, i loved the fact that they were way more quirky than dave and felt like outcasts. You could tell that they were going to try something completely different and i was 100% on board for the ride. I remember John Goodman coming out as the first guest. There was a huge fanfare and Conan put a gigantic medal around his neck that said "First Guest". The show was rocky, but was so far out there, that it kept my interest.

Around the time i was 18 years old, my personal life began to change, but there was one constant. Conan O'Brien. If it was a school night, i would either stay up way late, or just tape it on the VCR in my room. A lot of times, especially as my father left and i was a senior in high school, i would just stay up late and watch Conan. It was comforting to know that no matter how shitty my day was, that i could go to bed on a light note.

Tonight marks the last time that Conan O'Brien will perform on NBC. Seven months ago he brought over the whole gang from Late Night and started to do The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. It was announce 5 years ago and there were high hopes for the next evolution in this great dynasty. I have Tivoed and watched every episode of the Tonight Show, in fact, i have been watching every single episode of Conan since i got my Tivo over eight years ago. Five nights a week for almost a decade and now it is all over, and only seven months after the first episode of The Tonight Show.

If you have been following my Facebook page, you know that i have been very vocal about the horrible news surrounding Conan's demise on NBC. Conan was the television equivalent of comfort food. It was the one thing that i could always rely on. I was very upset about the rumors that had been swimming around the internet, but when those rumors became a reality, i was devastated. I was so upset that i decided to brave the heinous weather last monday and join in the "I'm with CoCo" rally. There was nothing more gratifying than being at that rally. There was so much love for Conan and the staff that we felt like one big family. I got to talk to a bunch of the Tonight Show staffers, including head writer Mike Sweeney, who brought a bunch of us Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien hats from the nbc store.

I was so happy to be able to go to one of Conan's Tonight Show tapings last december. If i didn't go to that show, i would have forever regretted it. It was an amazing experience that i was lucky enough to share with my sister and wife.

In a couple of hours the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien will end. It will be the end of a great era of my life. Conan has been a part of my life since i was 16 years old. I have been watching Conan for half of my life and i cannot thank him enough for 17 years of entertainment.


I will forever support Conan O'Brien!