It is a difficult feat to be 26 years in your career and still be successful and relevant as you ever we’re. There are very few people in the show business who can boast of such a feat and Conan O’Brien is one of them.
We all know Conan as the host of his talk show where he invites celebrities and we have a good time watching them chatting and laughing all the way. We know Conan as the awkward guy who is not very adept at socializing and ends up making us crack out loud with laughter, often at his expense. But, while we are laughing at his actions, we develop a soft spot for him in our hearts.
Conan started his career as a writer rather than a performer. He was still in Harvard when he wrote for the first time professionally and has been associated with legendary shows such as The Simpsons. He hosted a talk show for the first time in 1993 and has been at it since. So much so that he is the longest working entertainer in the field of hosting, after David Letterman quit in 2015.
The good things are that he is not planning to stop and is expected to come out with a new show very soon. So, let us take a look at Conan O’Brien’s intriguing personal and professional journey and see how much he has managed to earn for himself by making us laugh.
Early Life
Conan O’Brien was born on 18 April 1963 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He comes from a well-educated family and is very well educated himself. His father was a physician and a professor at Harvard School of Medicine and his mother was an attorney and a partner in a firm in Boston.
Conan is a smart and academically established person. He went to Brookline High school and was the editor of the school newspaper. He graduated and took admission to Harvard University in 1981. He took history and literature as prime subjects and graduated in 1985. For his senior year thesis, he explained the use of children as symbols in the works of William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor.
When he was in college, he used to write for the magazine, Harvard Lampoon, which was a college humor magazine. He even played with a band called Bad Clams. Conan was always creative and associated with entertainment in some way.
Career
After Conan completed his graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to write for the show called Not necessarily The News, which was produced by HBO. Conan also wrote for a show which went on for a small period.
During his time here, he was also working on improv shows, which helped in shaping the on-the-spot style humor that Conan is so known for. He started writing for Saturday Night Live in 1988. One of his sketches was performed by Tom Hanks. He worked on several projects but they did not bring prominent success.
He also worked for a pilot of a series that never made it. It has now developed a cult following for itself. In 1991, Conan O’Brien left Saturday Night Live. He stated that he was going through personal turmoil and had no plans for the future.
But, things took a turn for the best after he was offered a job as a writer for The Simpsons. It was a very prestigious job at the time and he was very excited, too. He did a tremendous job and wrote several episodes where only he is credited. The gig at the Simpsons ended in 1993.
In 1993, took over the Late Night after David Letterman and vacated his position. He was not eager but was convinced by Lisa Kudrow that he should perform on camera rather than behind it. He took the show and started hosting, but the show was not a hit right away. It got generally negative reviews from the critics but built up a rep for itself over time.
The critics started praising it and the show generated an average viewership of 2.5 million. The show ended in 2009. He did The Tonight Show for 2 years and did a tour for some time. Then, in 2010, he was back on TV with Conan. The show has been running since and his contract expired in 2020.
Business Ventures
Alongside hosting, Conan opened his production company called Conaco. He has been producing several shows and pilots through that production company. He has produced shows such as Andy Barker, PI, and Outlaw. He owns another company which is called Teamcoco, which partnered with Earwolf to produce the podcast that Conan is now working on.
The podcast is called Conan O’Brien needs a friend. He has also partaken in several charity events and donated to charities such as Autism Speaks, Fresh Air Fund, Labels are for Jars, and many more.
Conan O’Brien net worth
Conan’s financial collection is mostly made of the salary that he earned during his work as a host. For his work on TBS, he earns $12 million a year. He was also paid $32 million after he left NBC as a settlement. Another $12 million was paid to his staff. Conan used to live in a New York mansion worth overlooking Central Park.
He sold the mansion for $25 million when he moved to Los Angeles. In 2011, he paid $19 million for a mansion in Pacific Palisades. He also bought the property next door. When it comes to his car collection, you might be a little surprised. While he has all the money to buy any car he wants, he still owns his 1992 Ford Taurus, which he bought back when he was working with NBC.
Conan has a total net worth of $150 million, which makes him one of the richest talk show hosts. He is not stopping and coming out with a new show very soon, while still working on his podcast.
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