Fanhausen (Re-Release)

Re-release. Originally aired 4/14/2021. Please consider supporting those affected by the wildfires in Southern California. On the very first Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan, Conan talks with minor league pro wrestler Donovan about his Conan-inspired wrestling persona. Then, Conan speaks on intrusive mothers and always being himself during a call with Leigh-Anne from Toronto. Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: teamcoco.com/apply

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:03Conan O'Brien?

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• 0:19Speaker 01

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• 0:19Conan O'Brien?

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• 0:24Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, you take those quick trips, "Oh, your kids are gonna need back to school stuff." You got your Apple Card, you're ready to go.

• 0:29Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 0:29Conan O'Brien?

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• 0:43Conan O'Brien?

  Your child's clean credit history can make them a target for identity thieves. Well, guess what? With LifeLock, you can add family members to your plan, giving you the power to block identity threats targeting your children. Now, Sonya, your kids are pretty young still.

• 0:56Speaker 01

  They are.

• 0:57Conan O'Brien?

  Five, but within a couple of years, you know, they're gonna be buying heavy machinery online.

• 1:03Speaker 01

  What?

• 1:03Conan O'Brien?

  I'm just imagining them buying... They're gonna be... become tractor fanatics. They're gonna be buying tractors online. So if you have expenses or money stolen due to identity theft, you're backed by the million-dollar protection package with up to $3 million coverage in some plans. So join now, save up to 30% off your first year. Go to lifelock.com/conan. That's lifelock.com/conan to save 30%. Terms apply.

• 1:30Speaker 01

  Conan O'Brien needs a fan. Wanna talk to Conan? Visit teamcoco.com/callconan. Okay, let's get started.

• 1:39Conan O'Brien?

  Hey, everybody, Conan O'Brien here, and we're gonna try something a little different. In this short time that I've been doing, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. Uh, I've just been delighted. I'm having an absolute blast, and it's working. I'm actually making some nice bonds and friendships with a lot of different people. But what occurred to me is all these people have one thing in common: They're celebrities. And I thought it might be nice to try making friends.

• 2:10Conan O'Brien?

  With average folk, people out there in the world, civilians, not celebrities. Just talk to the people who make this great country we call the United States of America, or even people from other countries, it doesn't matter. Let's just talk to some regular folk and then hope, hope desperately that they become celebrities.

• 2:31Speaker 01

  Oh my god.

• 2:32Conan O'Brien?

  That's the concept. What do you guys think?

• 2:34Speaker 01

  Horrible.

• 2:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, I'm all in.

• 2:35Conan O'Brien?

  Why is, why is that horrible? It's very important to me that eventually they become celebrities.

• 2:41Speaker 02

  So you don't have time for anybody that would live their whole life as a regular Joe?

• 2:45Speaker 01

  As a folk.

• 2:47Conan O'Brien?

  Who, who would do that? What kind of monster would choose that life? No, seriously, I really do, I do wanna, and especially, I have to say, a lot of this comes out of this last year. Let's get outside this bubble, this, this celebrity bubble that we're trapped in.

• 3:05Speaker 01

  I'm not trapped in a celebrity bubble.

• 3:06Speaker 02

  No, I'm not even a Jason too.

• 3:08Conan O'Brien?

  Oh god, no, I didn't mean either of you, oh god, no. Oh, no, no, no. Oh, please. Oh, how embarrassing. I'm covering my mouth, I'm laughing.

• 3:18Speaker 02

  Because I mean, we don't even do a podcast with a celebrity, so how would we know?

• 3:21Speaker 01

  Oh, snap, snappety-dappity, ouchy-wouchy.

• 3:27Conan O'Brien?

  I'm looking it up.

• 3:28Speaker 02

  His death stare.

• 3:29Conan O'Brien?

  I am looking it up. Yes, I am a celebrity. I just looked it up.

• 3:34Speaker 01

  You Googled it?

• 3:35Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, I am a B-Lister, but I am a celebrity, so, uh, okay.

• 3:42Conan O'Brien?

  I am a solid B, I'm a solid B-list celebrity, and I'm proud of it. And if Love Boat were still on the air, I could, I could, I could potentially be a guest.

• 3:52Speaker 02

  Oh, god.

• 3:53Conan O'Brien?

  Not the first guest, but like the third guest, who's the Comic Relief guest who stowed away.

• 3:57Speaker 02

  I would kill to see you on Love Boat.

• 3:59Conan O'Brien?

  Yes, and, uh, but anyway, this is, this is something I wanna do, and I'm really looking forward to it. And, uh, I don't know, we're just gonna give it a try and see how it goes.

• 4:10Speaker 02

  Yeah, this is Conan O'Brien Needs a Fan, and it'll be out weekly in addition to the regular episodes, so just an extra special treat, and we might as well get to our first guest. Are you guys ready?

• 4:21Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 4:21Conan O'Brien?

  I am very ready.

• 4:22Speaker 02

  Conan, please meet Donovan, who is a minor league professional wrestler.

• 4:27Conan O'Brien?

  Wow. Donovan, very nice to talk to you. Where are you coming from, Donovan? Where are you?

• 4:32Speaker 03

  I am in Michigan right now from Montreal.

• 4:35Conan O'Brien?

  Do you consider yourself a Canadian?

• 4:36Speaker 03

  No, no, I'm from Michigan.

• 4:38Conan O'Brien?

  Oh, you're from Michigan?

• 4:39Speaker 03

  Yeah, sorry, I probably said that wrong. My wife is from Montreal.

• 4:42Conan O'Brien?

  Wait, I'm confused already. You're from Michigan, you've married someone who's from Montreal?

• 4:49Speaker 03

  Yes, exactly.

• 4:50Conan O'Brien?

  Okay.

• 4:50Speaker 03

  So I'm in the process of getting my permanent residency there.

• 4:53Conan O'Brien?

  Oh, okay, you're going to move to Montreal?

• 4:56Speaker 03

  I'm going, yes.

• 4:57Conan O'Brien?

  Okay, well, that's all the time we have.

• 5:02Conan O'Brien?

  So Donovan, you are a professional wrestler, is that right?

• 5:06Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 5:07Conan O'Brien?

  Okay, now, help me, because I know of a type of professional wrestler that has a character, and I don't know, are you a professional wrestler who's really wrestling and using wrestling moves, and it's not that fun to watch? Or are you a wrestler who's also kind of a performer and has a character?

• 5:25Speaker 03

  I am a character. Actually, I have a picture if you want to see it. It's a, that's me.

• 5:30Speaker 01

  Oh, my God!

• 5:31Conan O'Brien?

  Well, we are a podcast, so I'm going to describe it. You're sort of demonic looking. You just showed me a picture of what looked like a very fierce, evil, demonic wrestler.

• 5:41Speaker 03

  Yes, so I go by the moniker Very Nice, Very Evil, because nobody likes somebody who's too evil. So I introduce the nice part of it, so then they buy into it and I can trick them.

• 5:50Conan O'Brien?

  Okay, very nice, very evil.

• 5:53Speaker 03

  Often I get described if somebody, a demon possessed you, actually.

• 5:58Conan O'Brien?

  Oh, a demon possessed me?

• 5:59Speaker 03

  If Conan O'Brien was possessed by a demon, that's what it gets described as, because I'm heavily influenced by you rather than other wrestlers.

• 6:08Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 6:09Conan O'Brien?

  You mean, of the wrestlers, I'm the one that's influenced you the most?

• 6:13Speaker 03

  Yes, yes, of course.

• 6:14Conan O'Brien?

  That's fantastic.

• 6:18Conan O'Brien?

  Describe, then, a demonic Conan O'Brien as a wrestling character. What, are you using some of my moves? Is it my attitude? Does your character have, you know, sort of little beady eyes and thin lips and sharp cheekbones?

• 6:34Speaker 03

  Yes, yeah, I don't have the height, but I have, uh, I utilize, so I pour teeth in my opponent's mouths, uh, to disorient them.

• 6:42Conan O'Brien?

  Pour what in their mouth?

• 6:44Speaker 03

  Teeth, hu- human teeth.

• 6:45Conan O'Brien?

  You pour human teeth into the mouth?

• 6:47Speaker 01

  What? Amazing.

• 6:48Conan O'Brien?

  I love how that's, people see that and go, oh, that is so Conan.

• 6:51Speaker 02

  That is.

• 6:52Speaker 03

  No, no, no. It's just, I think it's the presentation, because I include, I take a lot of, like, Simpsons references and references from you and just, uh, 80's horror movies. And I pull it all together, because these are the things that I like. So I included it into the character, because wrestling should be fun.

• 7:09Conan O'Brien?

  Yes, wrestling.

• 7:10Speaker 03

  I'm just saying.

• 7:10Speaker 02

  It shouldn't be work.

• 7:11Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah.

• 7:12Speaker 03

  No, no.

• 7:13Conan O'Brien?

  Uh, so, um, okay, you're, one of your standard moves is to pour loose teeth into the mouth of your opponent to confuse and disorient them. What are some of your other moves?

• 7:24Speaker 03

  Kick him right in the mouth. Uh, I have the go to sleep, which I call the good night housing. Um, I add housing, my, my wrestling name is Dan Housen, and I add housing to everything to make it all about me.

• 7:35Speaker 02

  That's very Conan.

• 7:37Conan O'Brien?

  Okay, that's very nice, Matt, yeah. I love that. You just add a housing to things, so it's, so good night housing is like a good night move?

• 7:43Speaker 03

  Yes, and I pop them up off my shoulders and I kneel them in the face. That's my finishing.

• 7:48Conan O'Brien?

  Well, you kneel them in the face, housing.

• 7:50Speaker 03

  The face, yes, exactly.

• 7:51Conan O'Brien?

  Sorry.

• 7:52Speaker 03

  Like, if, if I were talking to you, I'd call you Conan housing. I add housing to the end of everything.

• 7:56Conan O'Brien?

  Uh huh, uh huh. Uh, this is fantastic. Uh, you're, I'm delighted by you. You're, I'm delighted by this foolishness and, uh, that you've, like me, dedicated your life to absolute idiocy. Uh, this is fantastic. Now, are you a good wrestler? Are you a good athlete?

• 8:15Speaker 03

  Yeah, but that doesn't matter. Uh, no one cared when I was just a good wrestler. They cared once I switched and put on makeup and started acting goofy and doing Simpsons references in the middle of matches and, like, I stole the Mr. Burns, uh, hop in.

• 8:32Speaker 03

  I brought a tiny airplane to the ring and I told my opponent to hop in and I had three, 400 people chanting "hop in" at this guy.

• 8:39Conan O'Brien?

  How successful have you been? It sounds like, is this growing? Do you feel like Dan Housen is becoming a bigger and bigger character?

• 8:47Speaker 03

  Yes, absolutely. Since I've switched this, which is about two years ago and about a year full of doing this actual character, I've been wrestling for eight years. When, since I've switched this, it's just like snowballed more and more and more and now I have a shirt and Hot Topic and I've gotten signed to like a TV company and they're just like, "Go do your weird stuff." Like, do it.

• 9:09Conan O'Brien?

  That's-

• 9:09Speaker 03

  Have fun, be Dan Housen. That's, that's what we need.

• 9:12Conan O'Brien?

  I want to be a part of Dan Housen's world, you know? Don't you see that, Matt and Sona? Yes. Like, I want to maybe do some sort of, I want to tape a video, I seriously want to do something where you're in the ring and then I appear and I'm either for you or against you. Do you know what I mean? Or you're my long-lost son. We've, we've got to, we've got to somehow get into, I want to get into the lore of Dan Housen. Do you know what I mean? I want to be part of it. What would you do with me?

• 9:39Speaker 03

  I, I, oh, with you, I would, I would call us both legendary late-maders, for one.

• 9:45Conan O'Brien?

  Guess what? There's a lot of those now. There's literally like 600 in America, so he might want to come up with something cooler.

• 9:51Speaker 03

  This, this character is all about himself, he's all about making sacks of money, I call them.

• 9:58Conan O'Brien?

  Yes.

• 9:59Speaker 03

  I carry around a, a money sack. I pulled it out after I won my contract on TV and I revealed it from my cape. I pulled a, I pulled a $20 bill and I said, "Look at these millions," and I threw it.

• 10:13Conan O'Brien?

  Would we actually fight? And first of all, you know, I know how to handle myself. Wait, wait a minute. Oh, come on, Sona. Wait a minute. I'm fairly athletic. I, I can take a punch and I, I, I love to fake fight and so if I entered the ring, would we start out being friends, but then I would think that you had gotten too cocky and I would attack Dan Housen? What would happen?

• 10:36Speaker 03

  Yeah, maybe. I, I think, I do this thing where I, I try to- Punch people in the groin.

• 10:40Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah.

• 10:41Speaker 03

  Right before the bell rings, so I can just pin them without doing any work.

• 10:43Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah.

• 10:44Speaker 03

  So I don't think I would do that because people know that I love Conan.

• 10:46Conan O'Brien?

  Right.

• 10:47Speaker 03

  Like as a character, it's very public that I love Conan, and that's one of Dan Housen's idols. So I don't think they would think that. They'd probably be taken back if you did it.

• 10:55Conan O'Brien?

  Okay, how about this? Let me pitch you this because I'm really into this. All right, so Dan Housen, you're fighting your foe. He starts to get the better of you. He starts to win. He grabs the bag of teeth and starts to pour them into your mouth. He steals your sack of money. He punches you in the groin. It's all going badly. When all of a sudden, the music changes, fog machines go on, and I appear, I come down on wires. And it's me, and I'm there to save Dan Housen. And.

• 11:25Speaker 03

  I think the crowd would go nuts.

• 11:27Conan O'Brien?

  I hope so. What if the crowd's just like, all right, okay, there's Conan, I guess. Let's see what he's got. All right, let's go. If we go early, we can beat the traffic.

• 11:39Conan O'Brien?

  In my mind, before I go on, that's what I think, that's the reaction I always think. If I leave now, I can beat the traffic. I, I want in on the Dan Housen world. I really do, Donovan.

• 11:50Speaker 03

  Yeah, well, I would love that if that's a possibility. That's like the ultimate guest for Good Night Housen with Dan Housen.

• 11:57Conan O'Brien?

  You know what? I've always said, if there's a way that I can be involved with Good Night Housen with Dan Housen, I want in, Housen, and right now, Housen. Not tomorrow, Housen, but today, Housen. I'm not fucking around, Housen. I'm serious, Housen. So let's make this happen, Housen. Let's sign a contract, Housen. I want to get paid, Housen.

• 12:18Speaker 03

  Yes, we'll pay you in a wonderful sacks of human money.

• 12:24Conan O'Brien?

  There's only one kind of money. There's only human money. No animal uses money.

• 12:32Speaker 03

  He has no idea.

• 12:33Conan O'Brien?

  Uh huh.

• 12:33Speaker 03

  He just knows it gets you power.

• 12:35Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, wow, that's, uh, that's very exciting. Well, you know what? I think you're gonna do well. I love that you're going to Canada, cuz I, I, I don't say this just to suck up to Canada, but I, I love, I love Canadians, and I think they're like the funniest, one of the funniest countries in the world. They're really funny people, so I think, and they really love nuanced, like weird, kooky comedy, and they've always been so nice to me, so I love that you're going to Montreal. I think that's great.

• 12:59Speaker 03

  Thank you, yeah, it's been exciting and a lot of work.

• 13:02Conan O'Brien?

  Donovan, you have my blessing, and I will figure out a way to enter your, the world of Danhausen. I will.

• 13:08Speaker 03

  Please do, I would lose my mind, and so would my fans. I, it'd be crazy.

• 13:12Conan O'Brien?

  All right, well, Sona, you make sure, you'll follow up on this.

• 13:15Speaker 01

  Oh, I will follow up on this.

• 13:17Conan O'Brien?

  Yes, we'll follow up on this. I'm really excited about it.

• 13:20Speaker 01

  I will follow up on this, yes.

• 13:20Speaker 03

  Thank you. Thank you for doing this.

• 13:22Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, yeah, no problem. Hey, really nice to meet you, Donovan.

• 13:25Speaker 03

  Nice meeting you too.

• 13:26Speaker 01

  Nice meeting all of you.

• 13:26Speaker 02

  Thanks, Donovan.

• 13:30Conan O'Brien?

  You know, winning an award, that's a big achievement, right?

• 13:33Speaker 01

  Yeah, I love awards.

• 13:34Conan O'Brien?

  Every now and then, in life, maybe something nice like that comes your way. Winning them consistently is almost impossible. It just doesn't happen, you know? Well, guess what? Winning five times in six years? You know what that sounds like to me? Sustained excellence.

• 13:48Speaker 01

  Nice.

• 13:48Conan O'Brien?

  Hyundai has done just that, earning the title of America's best SUV brand for 2026 from US News and World Report. You are a very happy Hyundai driver.

• 13:57Speaker 01

  I drive a Hyundai Palisade, and I love my car. I love it. I love driving it around.

• 14:01Conan O'Brien?

  I've been tooling around in an Ioniq 5N, which I love.

• 14:05Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 14:05Conan O'Brien?

  Beautiful car. Well, listen, whether you need an SUV for everyday life, your next big adventure, or extra room for family and friends, Hyundai has an option for you. The Tucson Hybrid is loaded with technology and built for everyday life. The Santa Fe Hybrid's fully capable and ready for adventure. The Palisade, that's yours, right?

• 14:20Speaker 01

  Hello!

• 14:21Conan O'Brien?

  They're gonna rename that the Sona.

• 14:23Speaker 01

  It should!

• 14:25Conan O'Brien?

  The Palisade Hybrid, yeah, delivers premium capability and class-leading interior space with available, I had this memorized, eight-track all-wheel drive, up to an EPA-estimated 619 miles of range on vehicles like the Palisade Hybrid and Hyundai's industry-leading warranty. It's easy to see why Hyundai continues to deliver the quality, innovation, technology, and value drivers expect from an award-winning brand. View US News Best Cars at cars.usnews.com and call 562-314-4603 for complete details.

• 14:55Conan O'Brien?

  Who do you shop for first on the holidays, Sona? Was it, do you shop for the kids or do you shop for Tac?

• 14:59Speaker 01

  My kids.

• 15:00Conan O'Brien?

  Okay.

• 15:00Speaker 01

  Or Okie.

• 15:01Conan O'Brien?

  You gotta get them your stuff.

• 15:01Speaker 01

  Or my dog.

• 15:02Conan O'Brien?

  And then your husband is last. Well, guess what? It's that time of year. You feel that, you smell that, uh, that cinnamon cider in the air? Do you smell that?

• 15:11Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:12Conan O'Brien?

  And you see pumpkins around, people buying turkeys. A little early to buy a turkey.

• 15:16Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:17Conan O'Brien?

  Doesn't matter. Holidays? I would say it's just around the corner, but that's a cliche. It's, uh, very nearby in the cupboard. Well, guess what? Amazon delivers joy with low prices on the gifts you want, even this early in the season. So get ahead of the season. Shop early gifts, top picks, holiday decor, and advent calendars at low prices. Get ahead, start on holiday gifting with Amazon's low prices. Shop now at amazon.com/holiday.

• 15:48Conan O'Brien?

  This fall, I want to try something different.

• 15:50Speaker 01

  What?

• 15:51Conan O'Brien?

  I like to change it up. I like to learn things, so I'm gonna try and make apple cider.

• 15:54Speaker 01

  Ooh.

• 15:55Conan O'Brien?

  Every morning.

• 15:55Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 15:56Conan O'Brien?

  This fall, just to see if I can do it.

• 15:58Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:58Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, fall's the perfect season to try something new, like joining T-Mobile.

• 16:02Speaker 01

  Oh, that's good.

• 16:03Conan O'Brien?

  See what I did?

• 16:04Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 16:04Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, there are 250 reasons to join T-Mobile right now. You wanna hear what they are?

• 16:08Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 16:08Conan O'Brien?

  They're America's best network.

• 16:10Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 16:10Conan O'Brien?

  True story. Plus, T-Mobile has got off-grid satellite coverage. That comes in really handy. I like to just wander in the woods sometimes.

• 16:17Speaker 01

  Oh, that's weird.

• 16:18Conan O'Brien?

  When I'm thinking about, like, making apple cider.

• 16:19Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 16:20Conan O'Brien?

  And, uh, that's when it comes in handy. Here's another reason. High-speed data in over 215 countries and destinations. I travel a lot for the

• 16:27Speaker 01

  You travel a lot.

• 16:27Conan O'Brien?

  Travel show that I do.

• 16:28Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 16:29Conan O'Brien?

  Stream this podcast while ignoring local landmarks. That's always fun to do. Like, oh, look, there's the Mona Lisa. Yeah, check it out. I'm in the Louvre. I should, but I'm listening to Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend.

• 16:39Speaker 01

  That doesn't seem like a good idea.

• 16:41Conan O'Brien?

  It's a great idea.

• 16:41Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 16:42Conan O'Brien?

  You know, uh, you can see art anytime. But how often can you listen to this podcast?

• 16:47Speaker 01

  My god.

• 16:48Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah.

• 16:48Speaker 01

  What?

• 16:49Conan O'Brien?

  Now, all these reasons make T-Mobile a great choice.

• 16:52Speaker 01

  I agree.

• 16:52Conan O'Brien?

  T-Mobile is stacking up reasons to join. Go to tmobile.com and find yours best, based on analysis by UCLA of speed test intelligence data first half of 2026. Can't believe I read that. T-satellite with capable devices in most outdoor areas in the US where you can see the sky. High-speed international data with qualifying plan. Visit tmobile.com, consult a physician. I just threw that in there.

• 17:16Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 17:21Conan O'Brien?

  So, you have to admit, the holidays, it's really about hanging with the people you love.

• 17:26Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 17:27Conan O'Brien?

  And getting to be yourself, not going to some stuffy holiday party where you need to conform to what the man wants you to think about the holidays.

• 17:35Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 17:36Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, it's about being yourself. Turn your holiday time into Miller time by enjoying a Miller Lite in a place where you're free to enjoy yourself on a walk with a cousin. With a cousin, why are they getting all specific about?

• 17:47Speaker 01

  Because it's family.

• 17:48Conan O'Brien?

  But what about a niece or a nephew?

• 17:49Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 17:52Conan O'Brien?

  Like a walk with an ex-wife. I don't know, I mean, they're just throwing, that's a weird, they just made a very specific choice.

• 17:59Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 17:59Conan O'Brien?

  Now's the time for those unexpected holiday side guests and enjoy a great tasting light beer. 'Tis Miller time, as Dickens wrote. Miller Lite is brewed for taste, the taste you can depend on. The original light beer since 1975 and still iconic more than 50 years later. I like to be with my bros, my chums, my posse. Crack open a Miller Lite, take a swig, a sip, look around and see my friends. We've known each other forever and we're just hanging out.

• 18:26Speaker 01

  Yeah, you guys are just doing chest bumps and high-fiving.

• 18:29Conan O'Brien?

  Miller Lite is great taste done right. Go to millerlite.com/conan to find delivery options near you, or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. 'Tis Miller time. Celebrate responsibly Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

• 18:51Speaker 02

  Leanne, please meet Conan O'Brien.

• 18:53Speaker 04

  Oh my gosh, I'm so excited.

• 18:55Conan O'Brien?

  Well, I'm very excited to talk to you, Leanne.

• 18:57Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 18:58Conan O'Brien?

  Leanne, tell me just a little bit about yourself, just so I, when I meet someone for the first time, I like to ask just a few questions, find out who they are, where they're coming from.

• 19:07Speaker 04

  Yeah, for sure. And I'm from Toronto, and I'm actually, I'm an engineer. So, I went to school, I did engineering in school, and now I'm a mechanical engineer. And I love to ski, I love to bike, I know you like to bike too. I listened to your talk about biking recently and your trip to Mexico. So that's kind of me. I like outdoorsy kind of stuff and I like having fun and hanging out with my friends and a good laugh.

• 19:32Conan O'Brien?

  You like a good laugh?

• 19:33Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 19:34Conan O'Brien?

  Good laugh is good.

• 19:35Speaker 04

  Yeah. And I listen to your podcast all the time. I think I've listened to every episode at least once. So I'm a huge fan of your podcast.

• 19:41Conan O'Brien?

  Do you get a sense of maybe any mental illness when you listen to the podcast?

• 19:47Speaker 01

  Why is that your first?

• 19:47Speaker 04

  May or may not, but.

• 19:50Conan O'Brien?

  Okay. Well, I was just wondering if, you know, you're, you're obviously a very intelligent person. You're an engineer. What kind of engineering do you do?

• 19:58Speaker 04

  So I did chemical and chemistry in school, but now I'm doing mechanical engineering.

• 20:02Conan O'Brien?

  But you understand chemistry. You understand chemical engineering.

• 20:06Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 20:07Conan O'Brien?

  And have you ever, when you're listening to the podcast, thought, this guy, I think we need to regulate his brain. His brain needs some sort of chemical regulation.

• 20:17Speaker 04

  A couple of times, but it's okay. You can ask the podcast, so.

• 20:21Conan O'Brien?

  So what you're saying is what adds to the podcast is my mental illness?

• 20:25Speaker 04

  That's true. Also, my mom's in the background laughing her head off, so.

• 20:30Conan O'Brien?

  That's okay. It's always good to have a mother in the background laughing at me. It adds to the whole podcast experience. Oh, and look, oh, and look, she's shooting this on her iPhone, which is piracy. That's piracy. That's, I'm gonna have her arrested for stealing our copyright. That'll come later.

• 20:50Speaker 04

  We fled the country because of that reason. So you're too late on that.

• 20:55Conan O'Brien?

  So you fled, you fled to north of Toronto.

• 21:00Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 21:01Conan O'Brien?

  Just because you wanted your mom to record you talking to me on the podcast on her iPhone.

• 21:06Speaker 04

  That's right.

• 21:07Conan O'Brien?

  And you wanted to escape any attempt for me to seek retribution. You've thought this through so far in advance. You're so smart.

• 21:14Speaker 04

  We have. It was a big move, but you know what? It's worth it. So.

• 21:17Speaker 05

  We're nice people, Conan. We're Canadians.

• 21:20Conan O'Brien?

  Oh, yeah, sure. Oh, yeah. I've met some of.

• 21:23Speaker 04

  No, we're American. We're glad to country.

• 21:26Conan O'Brien?

  Oh, that's right. Good improv skills. You picked up on your mom's mistake.

• 21:30Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 21:30Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, mom. Good improv.

• 21:33Speaker 04

  Cut it out.

• 21:33Conan O'Brien?

  She put out the information, Leanne put out the information that you fled to Canada. So you can't, you can't ruin her improv by denying her information. Oh, God, moms. They always ruin improv. They always ruin improv.

• 21:47Speaker 04

  But I was gonna say too, I know your mom had, I love when you talk about your mom on the podcast. It's hilarious and how her dryness always kind of sparked your, your comedy. It sounds pretty good.

• 21:59Conan O'Brien?

  Yes.

• 21:59Speaker 04

  I listened to a most recent episode and you were saying how she, she always thought you were pretty crazy, but.

• 22:06Conan O'Brien?

  Well, she always, she would say, my mom's line is, I don't like that even fooling.

• 22:10Speaker 04

  I love that.

• 22:10Conan O'Brien?

  She had a good sense of humor, but yeah, she was always saying that to me. And I think that spurred me to go further and further and further. She's a great straight man.

• 22:20Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:20Conan O'Brien?

  Comedy, so that helped me. And I hope your mother's helping you in your comedy pursuits.

• 22:25Speaker 04

  Yes, she is. Yeah. Mine are more domestic, but that's.

• 22:29Conan O'Brien?

  Yes, I understand. Your mom helped you so much with your comedy that you're an engineer. So.

• 22:34Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:35Conan O'Brien?

  That's all I have to say to you about your mother. It's her fault. You'd be playing Vegas right now. You'd be in the biggest rooms in Vegas.

• 22:41Speaker 04

  I would.

• 22:42Conan O'Brien?

  Oh, no. Your mom had to get in there and go, that's not true.

• 22:45Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:46Conan O'Brien?

  You're from Toronto.

• 22:49Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:50Conan O'Brien?

  Um.

• 22:50Speaker 04

  It's true.

• 22:51Conan O'Brien?

  I love, I do love Canada. I've had a very good time. I'm, I love myself a Tim Hortons.

• 22:55Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 22:56Conan O'Brien?

  I love a Tim Hortons donut and a cup of coffee.

• 22:58Speaker 04

  You'd blend right in. A double double.

• 23:00Conan O'Brien?

  Wouldn't I?

• 23:01Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 23:02Conan O'Brien?

  Oh, a double double. And then I get on the hockey rink and I beat someone to death. It's a good time.

• 23:07Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 23:07Conan O'Brien?

  I really enjoy myself.

• 23:08Speaker 05

  She just got off the ski hill.

• 23:11Conan O'Brien?

  What? What is she saying now?

• 23:13Speaker 04

  She's just.

• 23:13Conan O'Brien?

  Does your mother just spout things in the corner throughout your life?

• 23:16Speaker 04

  She said, I just got off the ski hill. That's what she's saying. Snow, snow skiing. I think you called it in a bit a long time ago on, I don't know where you were, but it looked pretty.

• 23:26Conan O'Brien?

  It was the Olympics.

• 23:27Speaker 04

  You were pretty talented.

• 23:28Conan O'Brien?

  It was the 2002 Olympics and I, I learned how to snowboard.

• 23:31Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 23:31Conan O'Brien?

  And I'm still recovering from that.

• 23:33Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 23:34Conan O'Brien?

  I lost most of my spine, had to be replaced with a.

• 23:37Speaker 04

  But you're here now.

• 23:38Conan O'Brien?

  A coat hack.

• 23:38Speaker 04

  Yeah. And you're still tall.

• 23:39Conan O'Brien?

  I'm here now and.

• 23:40Speaker 04

  So that's good.

• 23:41Conan O'Brien?

  And what I'd like to do, Leanne, if it's okay, is I'd like to tape an episode of my show sometime where your mother's in a little inset box randomly saying things while I'm trying to do the show.

• 23:49Speaker 04

  That would be great.

• 23:50Conan O'Brien?

  So I'm trying to talk to Hugh Jackman and she's saying things like, I was on the snow hill.

• 23:55Speaker 04

  I'll just be chow chow chow.

• 23:57Conan O'Brien?

  My favorite chowder is corn chowder. And it just randomly, okay, our next guest was in the fly. You know him as Jeff Goldblum, but you know, onions are best on a sandwich. Okay, mom, we got it. But how can I help you, Leanne? I know you have a question for me and I know I can help you.

• 24:14Speaker 04

  Yeah, I just wanted to ask you, because I was gonna say like, so I I've listened to the podcast so many times and I noticed that you're always just yourself, no matter kind of what anyone's saying. And I really like that even sometimes it might come off as mental illness, but you continue to do it. And I think that's very cool. So I wanted to ask.

• 24:38Conan O'Brien?

  I really like you. It comes off as mental illness sometimes, but I like it.

• 24:42Speaker 04

  Yeah, but I just wanted to ask you if there was any time that you had to pretend that you weren't showing any sign of mental illness and you had to stray from being yourself. And I just wanted to ask you like, how you deal with that kind of thing?

• 24:57Conan O'Brien?

  I am mostly, and I am mostly myself when I perform or show myself to the public. But on Sona and Gorla, you will back me up. I I can be weirder than even what people have seen or heard on the podcast. The podcast probably catches it the most, but I go on these riffs sometimes that they start out making sense and then they get more and more twisted and strange and they're just not for public consumption. Isn't that true, Sona?

• 25:28Speaker 06

  Yeah, I think that you would be arrested if a lot of the things that you said were were really.

• 25:33Conan O'Brien?

  What are you talking about?

• 25:33Speaker 06

  Well, because I mean, well, she's asking if you ever turn your mental illness off, but it's actually much more amplified a lot of times.

• 25:42Conan O'Brien?

  Can we just start calling it my gift and not my mental illness?

• 25:44Speaker 06

  Sorry, I know. I'm just using what Leanne said. Yes, your gift. Okay, your gift.

• 25:51Speaker 02

  Yeah, Leanne, you're getting the sanest version of him.

• 25:54Speaker 06

  I know.

• 25:54Speaker 02

  You're getting the most gifted version of him.

• 25:56Speaker 04

  I can only imagine.

• 25:58Conan O'Brien?

  I am constantly talking and babbling.

• 26:01Speaker 06

  Yes.

• 26:01Conan O'Brien?

  I say a lot of words that don't make sense. I have microaggressions.

• 26:06Speaker 02

  And macroaggressions.

• 26:08Conan O'Brien?

  And macroaggressions, but none of it's really based in reality. Like, I'm constantly threatening you, Mr. Gourley, but I'm not even angry with you. It's just, like, I have no anger towards Matt Gourley at all.

• 26:20Speaker 04

  I think it comes from a good place, too.

• 26:23Conan O'Brien?

  I do, too. I think my desire to kill and kill again comes from a good place.

• 26:33Speaker 02

  Listen to that laugh. It's the Joker. We do a podcast for the Joker.

• 26:41Conan O'Brien?

  Yes, Leanne, I, um, I, uh, I know there was a question in there somewhere, but I think you, I think you nailed it. I think, uh, yes, has there been a time where I've needed to hide? Yes, there are times where my mind goes probably to a darker place and I edit myself. How about that? That's, that's very true.

• 27:00Speaker 04

  Sounds good, but I love how you're always, it just seems like you're always yourself. And same with Matt and Sona, and that really shines through in the podcast, and that's really cool.

• 27:09Conan O'Brien?

  I would say, that's very sweet. I would say Sona is very much herself. I don't know who the real Matt is, so I don't know if I can say-

• 27:15Speaker 02

  I don't either. I don't either.

• 27:17Conan O'Brien?

  Like, you're a shapeshifter, Gourley. You could be, I just don't know. You could be someone completely different. It's like that movie, The Stepfather. I just don't know. You could be a complete maniac and I wouldn't know it.

• 27:28Speaker 04

  Matt's like Switzerland.

• 27:30Speaker 02

  I am like Switzerland.

• 27:30Speaker 04

  Yeah, sticks in the middle.

• 27:32Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, he's like Switzerland, rarely visited, heart-

• 27:35Speaker 02

  That's hilarious. Amanda and I just went to Switzerland.

• 27:39Conan O'Brien?

  Did you?

• 27:40Speaker 02

  Yes, we did specifically and only Switzerland.

• 27:42Conan O'Brien?

  Oh, my God.

• 27:43Speaker 02

  Isn't that just ridiculous? I'm with you. I'm a mess.

• 27:46Conan O'Brien?

  You're not a mess.

• 27:47Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 27:48Conan O'Brien?

  You're good friends. And they, you know what? It really does help-

• 27:51Speaker 06

  Good friends.

• 27:51Conan O'Brien?

  To do this.

• 27:53Speaker 02

  What was, that was the most robotic. Were you talking about Sona and me, or am I good friends with myself?

• 27:59Conan O'Brien?

  That's actually, that's actually, I created that soundbite with my computer. If you, if you listen to it, again, carefully, all I did was press Ctrl D, and it just was like, "We are good friends."

• 28:10Speaker 02

  You're good friends. Good, good, good, good, good friends.

• 28:13Conan O'Brien?

  I enjoy, and then Ctrl, Alt, J is, "I enjoy people."

• 28:20Speaker 02

  I am a human.

• 28:22Conan O'Brien?

  Control W is I love children. When my wife and I visit her family with our kids, we stay in this hotel in Seattle. And there's one of those elevators that has a voice, a robotic voice that's telling you what floor you're going to. With this accent, we can't place. But when the elevator, when you get in the elevator on the fifth floor and you're going to the lobby, this, this woman's voice says, going down. And it burned into my brain. And whenever I'm in an elevator and it starts to go down, I hear in my brain, going down. It's very, it's very, I find it very disturbing. And I'm glad I shared it with you. I think your mom's trying to get in on the act again. Was that your mom who just walked behind you?

• 29:07Speaker 04

  Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is.

• 29:09Conan O'Brien?

  She's incorrigible. She can't be stopped.

• 29:11Speaker 04

  You can't. You can't. She's fierce. Also, that's an awesome guitar. Is that a Gretsch behind you?

• 29:17Conan O'Brien?

  Yes, it is. Do you know you're a Gretsch guitarist?

• 29:18Speaker 04

  Yeah, I want one. I don't have one, but I love to play guitar. That's another thing I love about you. I love to watch you play. Like, I've seen a few videos of you playing and it's just so fun. Cause it's just, you're up there and it looks like you love it. And I love to.

• 29:31Conan O'Brien?

  I love it. I really love playing with Jimmy Vivino and guys from my band. And we've put out a couple of videos and I was really proud of it until someone said, great Viagra ad. And, and it was like, yeah, like, look at the older guy bopping out with his guitar. Viagra. Don't, you know, and I, that was a torpedo.

• 29:55Speaker 04

  Never stopped.

• 29:55Conan O'Brien?

  It just blew me apart. I just, I think I almost burned my guitar that night. It's like, I'll never play this again. But, um, yeah, maybe the good news is I'll probably get an ad for Viagra. So that'll be good.

• 30:07Speaker 04

  Congratulations.

• 30:08Conan O'Brien?

  Well, it's been very nice talking to you. Leanne, I've loved talking to you and occasionally your mom. Tell her I said, is your mom still there?

• 30:15Speaker 04

  She is. She's right there.

• 30:17Conan O'Brien?

  Okay, I'm coming after you. What's your first name?

• 30:19Speaker 05

  My name's Carol.

• 30:20Conan O'Brien?

  Carol, I'm coming after you. You've been, you've been taping this call illegally. I'm coming after you. I will use the Canadian courts to bring you down.

• 30:29Speaker 04

  I'll have bike to Mexico by then, so it'll be tough.

• 30:35Conan O'Brien?

  You guys are taunting me. Like, come and get me. Oh, oh, man, I'm going after this family. Hey, lovely talking to you.

• 30:43Speaker 04

  You too. Thank you so much.

• 30:44Conan O'Brien?

  No problem. Bye bye, Leanne. Take care.

• 30:46Speaker 04

  Bye.

• 30:49Speaker 02

  Conan O'Brien Needs a Fan with Conan O'Brien, Sona Movsesian and Matt Gourley. Produced by me, Matt Gourley. Executive produced by Adam Sacks, Joanna Solateroff, and Jeff Ross at Team Coco and Colin Anderson at Earwolf. Music by Jimmy Vivina. Supervising producer, Aaron Blaird. Associate talent producer, Jennifer Samples. Associate producers, Sean Dougherty and Lisa Berne. Engineered by Will Beckton. Please rate, review, and subscribe to Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.

• 31:32Speaker 02

  This has been a Team Coco production in association with Stitcher.

• 31:45Conan O'Brien?

  Technology can generate salary recommendations in seconds, but building an offer that lands skilled talent, that takes more than just an estimate you came up with.

• 31:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, you're right.

• 31:54Conan O'Brien?

  That's where Robert Half's new 2027 Salary Guide can help.

• 31:58Speaker 01

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• 31:59Conan O'Brien?

  Did we use a salary guide with you, Sona?

• 32:00Speaker 01

  Uh, no, but maybe-

• 32:02Conan O'Brien?

  For several years, I just gave you groceries, remember?

• 32:04Speaker 01

  I know, yeah, I remember that. That was not good.

• 32:07Conan O'Brien?

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• 32:28Conan O'Brien?

  When you hear Alka-Seltzer, you probably think heartburn, right?

• 32:31Speaker 07

  Yep.

• 32:31Conan O'Brien?

  Well, did you know Alka-Seltzer has a line of cold and flu medications known as Alka-Seltzer Cold?

• 32:38Speaker 07

  Ooh.

• 32:38Conan O'Brien?

  Did you know that, David?

• 32:39Speaker 07

  No, but I feel like we need it.

• 32:40Conan O'Brien?

  Why didn't you know that, David?

• 32:41Speaker 07

  I know, you expect me to know everything.

• 32:43Conan O'Brien?

  I knew this because I-

• 32:44Speaker 07

  Did you?

• 32:45Conan O'Brien?

  Yeah, I've tried it. It's really good. And I like that fizzy, fizzy, fizzy when you drop the Alka-Seltzer Cold into the water.

• 32:51Speaker 07

  You do, yeah.

• 32:51Conan O'Brien?

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