Conan O'Brien wouldn't get 'picked' for Late Night role today
The comedian believes he would be overlooked for the high-profile hosting gig in 2025.
"Nowadays they would never have picked me. Ever, ever," he said in response to an audience question while hosting his Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend podcast.
Instead, Conan explained, he felt a casting agent now would be scouring the internet for online comedy sensations.
"They would have said, 'OK, the world is filled with hilarious people who have been making things on YouTube for years, and there are so many possibilities," he suggested.
"Back then it was 'oh no who will host the show if Dave's (Letterman) not hosting it? We need to turn to an expert' and they turned to Lorne Michaels."
Lorne, 80, is the creator of sketch show Saturday Night Live - the show that gave Conan his first big break in TV. Conan was then chosen to host the late-night spot in 1993, with the gig lasting until 2009.
"Lorne looked around and lo and behold I get the chance," Conan went on.
"Which I was not ready for! But my lesson to everybody is when your moment comes you may not be ready but you have to take it and then figure it out on the way."
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