Homer Simpson, Jimmy Kimmel, and more bid farewell to Conan O'Brien's 'mildly interesting' show
It's the end of an era, as Conan O'Brien wraps up his storied 28-year run in late-night with the series finale of Conan Thursday evening on TBS. The program and its predecessor, Late Night With Conan O'Brien on NBC, helped shape comedy and the careers of countless funny people who stepped on its stage.
Ahead of the final show, celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel, Paul F. Tompkins, Joel Kim Booster, and even Homer Simpson shared tributes to O'Brien, honoring the impact that he's had on the comedy world.
In a funny, full-circle video harkening back to O'Brien's days as a writer on The Simpsons, Homer sat the host down for an unconventional exit interview. It didn't seem like the donut-loving dad was a fan of the comedian's work, saying talk show hosts are "a dying breed," before quipping, "There's only like 800 of you left."
Homer also ribbed him for the "mildly interesting" anecdotes guests told on Conan, and called The Simpsons' monorail storyline, which O'Brien famously wrote, "a stupid idea."
Still, the interview ended on a good note, as Homer said "you mean the world to me, Conrad." Close enough!
Fellow late-night veteran Kimmel celebrated O'Brien in a tweet on Thursday, writing, "Tonight, two men I respect tremendously close a chapter of their brilliant careers. Conan made doing his job the hard way look easy," Kimmel tweeted, adding that O'Brien and his TV sidekick Andy Richter "among the funniest of the many funny people I've met. Congratulations to you & your co-workers on a remarkable achievement."
Tompkins and Booster both thanked O'Brien for giving them a platform when they were first starting out as stand-ups.
"Conan was the first late-night show to have me on," Tompkins tweeted. "I will be forever grateful to everyone at the show, especially Conan himself, for making me feel legitimate, respected, and funny. Thank you for everything and Godspeed to your next incarnation."
Booster expressed humble gratitude to "daddy @TeamCoco," saying that "Conan changed the course of my career, I honestly don't know where I'd be without him and his show taking a chance on a very young, hot comedian like me."
Parks and Recreation star Ben Schwartz called O'Brien "a hero" and "a legend," and reminisced about the time he dressed as a robot for a sketch that ended up getting cut.
Read on below for tributes from Nathan Fielder, Rob Riggle, Bob Saget, Late Night With Seth Meyers producer Mike Shoemaker, and more:
In his final week, O'Brien pulled out all the stops to keep making his audiences laugh, like bringing out Paul Rudd for one last Mac and Me clip and smoking weed with Seth Rogen. Check out EW's breakdown of the show's best bits over the past 28 years, here.
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