Lisa Kudrow Returns Again

- Hi, my name is Lisa Coudreau.

(upbeat music)

“And I feel still really good about being stolen”

of Ryan's birthday. - Is this a day-to-day thing with you? - Every day after I take a walk. And then I go, "Wait, how do you feel about being stolen of Ryan's friend?"

(upbeat music) ♪ Fall is new ♪ ♪ In the old back to school ♪ ♪ Ring the bell, bend the shoes ♪ ♪ Walkin' loose, climb the fence ♪

♪ Books and pens ♪ ♪ I can do it when we are gonna be friends ♪ ♪ I can do it when we are gonna be friends ♪ - Hey there, welcome to Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. joined by, well, no Mac Orley right now.

He's still out on paternity leave. - Yeah. - It's been six years now. These one on the paternity leave. - This child just joined the army.

Good to have you here, David Hopping. - Great to be here. - And Sona, obsessed the end, of course.

It's always, you were late today.

- Yes. - We just taped an interview that you weren't here for, what happened was a little bit of a snap food.

“- There was a little bit of a snap food.”

- What happened there? - It wasn't in my calendar. So if it's not, I'm like, you know, if it's not there, I don't know what's happening. - Is this a physical thing you write in,

a physical calendar? - What do you, like, I have a calendar and I write in it with my- - Like, I got like, you know, a fireman with no shirt on. - Oh, like a calendar.

- That's the kind of calendar I picked you having. You probably like a sexy guy calendar, right? - That's a digital one. But then there's other calendars that get sent that do have it on there.

And I didn't pay attention to those. - There was a show about male dancers that you were obsessed with. - They weren't dancers. - Are they were jigalose?

- They were jigalose. - You were obsessed with jigalose. Did you have a jigalose calendar back in the day? - I did. - It's a jigal calendar every month.

And see, this is why I asked you. I picture you having like a jigalose calendar or a shirtless fireman calendar or now a heated rivalry calendar. - Yes, and maybe.

“- And then the problem is you get so distracted”

by the hunks that you don't write things down. Every time you go, oh, I'll write down. I've got to be in there for that interview for the podcast. And then you look up and it's one of the shirtless hunks

from heated rivalry and you go. (mimics music) (mimics music) - And then you forget. And you just write blither, blather, blather.

- Yeah, right, just drool all over it. - And you drop butts in the calendar. - I dropped my God, I dropped butts, but maybe that's my system for putting things in my calendar. - Yeah, two butts means, yeah, I gotta get into the podcast.

(laughing) Three butts means, I've gotta go see my orthopedic surgeon. - Yes, it's my butt, butt code. - Yeah. - It's the butt code for my calendar.

Look, but then I'll put it in. - And then you use different things. There's some butts, there's some penises. - Yeah, yeah. - Six butts and two penises is Mikey and Charlie

need to get their shots. (laughing) This is her system. The ancient ink is used, not it's string. Instead of recorded language and it worked fine.

Sony uses a series of butts and decks. - Yes. - And in a certain order and I mean, you're, when you published your version of King Lear, it was fantastic.

- People are gonna look at my calendars, thousands of years from now. - Yeah, yeah. - And they're gonna be relics of butts and penises. And then people are going to worship.

- Yeah, they're relic, they're relic, they're relic, they're relic, it exactly explains the solar system and the movements of the sun. - Yes. - I think so, I think it's a very

special system. Anyway, so I went to a workout class this morning. - Anyway, aside from my ancient ink and/or Aztec calendar of butts and decks. - Yeah.

- Onward, yes. - So butts and decks calendar. Then I went, I went to workout this morning and I was driving somewhere and then I got a text from play which is one of the scary texts to get when you work.

He's like, where are you, what's your ETA? And I'm like, oh, I'm supposed to be somewhere right now. And then I called and I found out what I look like, you look like you went to the gym. - Yes, look at me, look at my hair.

- I don't know, you were great. - I'm sure, I don't know, I mean, thank you. No, I feel like I'm really wishing you didn't have so many subscribers on YouTube right now.

- Okay, so here's the thing.

I want to know what your workout is because in the whole time I've known you, you've never said to me, I'm off to the gym for my workout. - Yes.

- You've never done this. - I don't. - So, what do you, what do you do to work out? - Today was the first workout I went to. (laughing)

- That's, I didn't know that. - Yeah. - This is gold, I'm a prosecutor who just happened to ask a question and you said, well,

and committed the murder,

“I thought today would be the day that I went to the day.”

- So today was your first day.

- Where? - Where? - I did a spin class at Soul Cycle. In Pasadena, shout out, give me, no, don't give me some cl- I'm probably not gonna go back.

I was really, you were not going back. - I really, I suffered throughout the entire thing. - Okay, so, also, I picture you like yelling back at any instructor. - If they say, okay, now ladies, let's go.

- No. - We're going up the hill now. You're like, fuck this, I'm not going up the hill. - I was saying it under my breath. I was like, shut up bitch, shut up bitch.

As she was talking and telling you, - You're not what I do. - You're not what I do. - You're not what I do. - You're not what I do.

- You're not what I do. - You're not what I do. - Yeah. - I'll cut a bit. - Yeah.

- But I wanted to. What am I doing? Like, I was taught, I had an internal monologue that was so not what you should have when you're in a workout class.

I hated every second. - Did you have, while you're working out,

“is there a big container of red vines in front of you?”

(laughing) - It's your eating while you're-- - Yeah, like six calories out. Like, 12 calories in. - That's what I'm doing.

- So I'm spending it to her? - Yeah. - Yeah. - You bring an assistant to feed you red vines. Well, I'm glad you're here and--

- Yeah, I'm sorry. - I miss the interview. - Don't be sorry. I mean, yeah, you would have had fun. But I know, I like to you interviewing.

And so I'm bummed out. - No, I'm sure I'll interview Barack and Michelle Obama again. (laughing) - It was Cher. - Yeah.

- And Cher, it was Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Cher. - Oh my god. - Yeah, the channel. - Oh, and the survivors of the band Queen.

- Ooh! - But, you know what? We'll do it. You'll come to the lead. - We've got John Deacon included

and he doesn't even do anything with the band and you know what? - Everyone was here. - It was really fun, but you wouldn't have loved it. - I did your seat.

- Oh, oh. - And it's great, hummus place, sent in some food. (laughing) - But next time that happens, we'll--

- Everyone's laughing it up. You have the hummus place. So guys, you like that one? - Hey, everybody in this room. - This is hilarious when I introduce this guest.

It just always cracks me up because we've been friends

literally forever. - Yeah. - And she is one of my absolute favorite people in the entire universe. She stars as Valerie Cherish in season three

of the hilarious HBO series, The Comeback, which people are so psyched for this. - So excited. - So psyched for it. She is one of my closest friends.

I adore her and I love when she comes on the podcast. (upbeat music) Lisa Cudro, welcome. (upbeat music) I mean, we've known each other forever.

- Yeah. - And got started together as everyone knows in improv in '86. And it's still a day-to-day thing with you. I never know.

I never know. I'm still good with, there've been whole years why I've been out. But at the moment, I'm in, which is fine. I will see how it goes.

- That's not true. - The other way around. - Yeah. (laughing) We're back on.

Look, in the 2000s, I just turned on you. (laughing) Now we were just, it's funny 'cause I mean, you came in here and you started being really funny and we're just laughing and we hadn't even turned

on the microphones yet.

And it just always feels strange when I say,

"Hey, my gosh, can I leave the Cudro because we had dinner last week?" - Yeah. - With my wife Liza and you and Michelle could not be there 'cause she refuses to die with me now.

- Right. - And... (laughing) - You know, you was at it down. We're just trying to start trouble.

- No, thanks, yeah, anyway. - But yeah, we had a blast and so it's so funny when it's formalized this way and it used to be worse, not worse 'cause you were always great, but when I would say, when I had a band,

and it was on TV and they'd be like, "All right, gosh, it comes! "Please, put it up, bam, it added up and you come out "and you get the dress and I'm bowing to you "and then getting behind my seat.

"I would have always flashed back to you "and I had a DuPars diner in the late '80s going, "here's a funny idea for a skit. - Yeah. - Well, we both got to get back to our day jobs.

- Oh, yeah. - So it's... - Your day job was writing. - Yeah, at least I had a decent, yeah. Yeah, and you were sling in hash.

- At the headache, clinic. - At the headache, clinic. - Which was given?

“- Why were you slinging hash at a headache, clinic?”

- I don't know, you said slinging hash. - Yeah, I won't give you a good improviser. - Yeah, that was good, that was good. Now it's a very good thing. - Yeah, I'm slinging hash.

- Hey, clinic. (both laughing) - Yeah, I'm delighted that you're here. People get very excited when you come. Huge fans here.

And so Paula Davis, who we were just talking about before the mics came on, who's been with me forever,

For I would say a month now, talking to me

about the comeback and the new season of the comeback. - That's what she was telling me. She's doing a rewatching thing. - But she's not the only one. I have so many friends that are telling me the comeback

and because they know that you and I go way back, people are asking me questions about it. I don't know anything. - A lot of people from my life couldn't watch seasons one and two, they couldn't handle it.

- It was tough.

“- I think probably for you even though you're too supportive”

to say it, but my husband hasn't seen them. Do you know that? - Really, I didn't know that. - Michelle has not seen all of season one. - But I think that's all season one.

- Also, I think that's really sweet. I watched both of them and thought it was brilliantly funny, but because I'm such good friends with you and care about you, it's hard. - I can't even know what anyone is talking about with that.

- I'll tell you specifically. - And it makes me nervous that I'm something's wrong with my version of reality because you're not the only one. - Right.

- Because they're so humiliated for her. - Well, you play it and everyone here's, you play it so brilliantly close to the bone. And for me anyway, there was the character of the writer, Pauli G, who was just so mean.

And that actor did such a great job, especially in season one, he was so good at being a type of writer I know. - Right. - And it made me, but you know, not supporting you at all, you know, making just wearing away your confidence

and so much anger and bringing so many of his own issues to that situation, because I don't know, I've been in that world. It was hard. It was hard just like, I told you,

I wanted to like fight him at one point. And I said, I don't want to meet him

“'cause I think I want to hit him with the two by four.”

- Right. - And the poor guy, he's a lovely guy and a terrific actor, but he needs a beating because-- (laughs) - But listen, I mean, 'cause we have a writer's room,

the first season, and every one of them knew that guy.

- Yeah. - So we weren't making him up, and the thing is, is that to me, it was really obvious that this guy thought he was having a promising career. You know, we hear that he was a Simpsons writer,

he wanted him, and you know, and now he has this show, and then the network tells him, no, it has to be this. Oh, and by the way, just to hedge our bets, there's a companion reality show. - Yeah.

- And, and it's, that would be an raging, to any show runner. - Yes. - And he is a particularly as-hole-ish, right? And now is whatever feelings he has about her, 'cause she is annoying, she is sort of,

- Right. - Fony, and what do you do with that, and just shut up, right? - Right. (laughing) - I've been, that's been a solid five minute.

It's me, my vlog, and by the way. But to me, it was really obvious, like what he's pissed off about. - Yes. - And, okay. - No, that's fair, I just, uh, there's a-

“- And he's punishing her, but did she seem punished?”

- Well, she's- - So, and I said, no, no, she's like, blissfully, almost- - I wouldn't say blissfully, I would say- - It would be okay.

- Valority cherish is- - Valiently unaware. - Yeah, I agree. - Valiently unaware, but also, I think, one of the reasons she's that way is she's not completely oblivious.

She knows that she's hanging by a thread in this business. She knows that, and you play it so well, excruciatingly optimistic in a way that's so forth. Because you know that this isn't all going your way and you're so thirsty.

We really wanna win that Emmy.

You really want, and what's amazing to me

is that it really does capture something. You see, right here, you see it out here all the time is the big for smile. I can't tell you how many times I pass a billboard and I see a big smiling face of someone who's saying,

it's all great, right? And I know that person's miserable. I know they are, I've met them, I know, you know, and I see those faces all over the place because so many people aren't happy in themselves.

And so the smile gets bigger.

And it, that's what you see a lot of, and I think Valority cherish is like the best character in my opinion that captures something that exists out here. And I do have a lot of empathy for her, but I also think she's not Peter Sellers as Clueso.

She's not someone who's oblivious. No. Things are fires are, you know, she knows that, oh, here's the paparazzi, they're not shooting her. They're shooting someone she used to work with.

She's trying to get to her, they're stepping on her feet. She knows that it's not going her way and she's pushing herself through the crowd. Yeah, I just realized, I just might be really mean. Because that just made me laugh.

What's funny? No, it is. I mean, I'm for her. She thinks it is, but it hasn't. Like, yeah, I don't.

But it's this, it's, I don't know, it's a really fun thing. For me, she's what she's doing is like, that's okay. Like, that's her mantra is, it's okay.

“It's okay, it's okay, that's what it takes.”

You know, like, it doesn't matter.

And then, because first, I was just making fun of her.

Season one to me, yes, I am mean. And I was making fun of that. And after we were done, I had a friend. And she's smart, this woman, her name's Mirage. She's really great, and she was saying, oh, but no.

And she's Irish. So I don't know, maybe you know her. Of course, yeah. [LAUGHTER] I see, I see her at the meetings, the community.

Once we reach for the same potato, at the bowl, yeah. Oh, my God. I'm happy to see her. There's just a brawler, a tater's there. There was a fight.

She said, no, she's just, you know, she's so, you can't keep her down. No. Yeah, there's no one more resilient. No, she's wonderful. She's the strongest person I think I've ever seen.

And I just went, huh? And then realized, yeah, because I don't feel bad. Right. Playing her. Right.

I don't feel decimated when I'm playing. Playing her. Yeah. Because I am rejecting the rejection or the insult and turning it into something that she needs that I need.

Well, she doesn't say no, ever. Right. She says, if they say, OK, now you've got to, you know, for this, I'm making this up. But if in the new season, they said, OK, to promote this next project, we're going to,

“you need to be covered in duct tape, and we're going to put bunny ears on you.”

And you have to hop down Hollywood Boulevard, you've been like, all right, well, OK, you know, I mean, you can do it. This is what we're doing. I guess this is what the kids want to see now. I don't get it.

Right. But you would do it in 120 degree heat. Yeah. And probably pass out. But she is in trepid.

She's brave. Yeah. I don't know. And just, I... She wants what she wants.

And whether you think that's a worthwhile goal is another issue. But yeah, she doesn't give up, and there's something, I guess we like that. So, you know, you're something about that. I don't know. All of a sudden, like, Lindsey Von flashed in my head.

Oh, my god. Oh, my god. One likes to come. No, because I was thinking, why is she doing this? Yeah.

You know, and then look, everyone likes to come back and everyone likes, yeah. Yeah. That's fine. I don't know. It seems dangerous.

And then this just happened over the weekend. Yeah. And then this comes out. But Lindsey Von crashed. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. But there is the reality to, you know, she's really brave to make that attempt. But you're right. There's a high level of, there's a slim chance this will work out.

Right.

“But that's what makes a comeback so incredible are the odds against it.”

And you can't have a comeback or do that if you're not just being optimistic and hopeful. Again, all odds against like what's like presented right in front of your face. Right. I don't know. But yeah, I don't know.

We do this every 10 years. Yes. This is what I want to talk about. You know, this is the thing. This is what I love.

But you've so unique about this show is I think the first one is 2004 and came out.

Yeah. And you were kind of, I mean, it's, I think it's two years or something before keeping it with the Kardashians. It's like, this is, you were doing a satire or something that hadn't, I don't think really formed yet.

Right. Then you come back 10 years later. And now, which then commented on that moment. And I think few people would have the patience or the nerve to say, these come out once every 10 years.

But it's really cool because now I have not seen a second of the third season, but

It is, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah.

But I'm so, it's so great that we didn't get picked up that first season because it

gets to be about something. Right. Were you surprised when it didn't get picked up? Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. I was surprised. Yeah. Why do you surprise? It was really good.

Thanks. Well, this will now get picked up. Of course, I've been wrong about these things before. Yeah. Put my own experience.

But. Wait, what do you mean? I don't know.

“But I think, you've only had an easy time.”

You're right. Just a few. You and your privilege. I know.

Never a bump in the road.

What's nice about the world we live in now is shows you to go away all the time. But now there's this world where shows can not get picked up, but they don't go away. And then you can have this audience build and people who, and if you make, I mean, I've seen it with so many like party downs, an example of a show that I don't think was getting a lot of attention, but you can check in on it years and years later.

And it's almost like the wire, you know, there are these comedy shows that, okay, didn't see it, didn't support it. You check in much later on. I wasn't aware of party down. And then you, you see it and you go, oh, they've really made a nice little Swiss watch

here. And it's just as good now as it would have been if I had tuned in the day it came out.

And definitely the comeback had that, where it was building and building and you probably

experienced a lot of people when you're out at the supermarket to get your super market is where all the fans of the comeback are there in the produce lane and you're there like, what about those mallins and you're like, I don't know, hey, the comeback.

“I go to a lot of supermarkets, but you must have had that experience where you're hearing”

from people. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. And so you didn't hear that necessarily from the, you know, the people that made

the show or broadcast the show, but you knew I'm hearing from way too many people. Well, even when it was, when we were on, we heard David Bowie got in touch with HBO because he was going to be on tour. He didn't want to miss anything. So send him. Wow. Whatever, I know, 2005 DVDs or whatever it is. Look, I'm looking like, I don't know, we don't remember.

You know, then you find out the other shows David Bowie wanted. No, he didn't get the latest fear factor where they eat shit. Can you have that one, please? You're like, David. But to, and then we felt like, oh, okay. Yeah. That's right. HBO. That's all they need to hear. Probably. And, you know, we had a lot of bad reviews because people didn't understand what

they were seeing. Right. And then by the halfway through, there were revised reviews, like retractions and, and, which is pretty, what's pretty rare. Yeah.

And so we, and also our ratings, we were doing as well if not better than ontourage when it's for a season was just the year before and went, all right. So great. And who else has shows that you don't, you've not seen this before. You don't really understand and then you get to know what it is and embrace it and it's great. HBO, except they kept telling us, yeah, we're not HBO's not HBO anymore. So I don't know. It's really got to. I don't know.

We'll see. I don't know. And then it turns out I only found out a couple years ago. There was one guy at HBO that I don't know if I ever even met him in charge who was just like, we're not going to pick that up, right? Yeah. Well, but I have to say, yes, it was a surprise that we didn't get picked up, but I didn't feel bad.

And I was in shock that I didn't feel bad because I thought, well, look, this is about the best I can do. And I think we did it about the best that it could be done. So I've got nothing to feel bad about. It's not my mistake. Yeah. So I don't know. I didn't feel bad.

“Well, that's I'm glad. Yeah. You should have felt a little bad. Oh, no. I'm just sorry.”

I felt bad later when, as long as you felt bad at some point. No, I did. Good.

Yes, I got a call in my, in your soul. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And my soul. That's in this story for a good work. Yes, yes. All right. Okay. Yeah, you'll, you'll have it one day. It wasn't, but here's the thing. It wasn't because it was canceled. It was because someone else, it was Bill Mark talking about something in jokes that don't land because, like, one joke and it

“was famous. I don't remember someone making fun of someone who's marginalized or, you know,”

like, a victim or, and he was saying, look, you want to make fun of white men. You can make fun of white men all you want. Okay, because they've got the power. Yeah. But don't make fun of that person or that thing. And I went, women are still, you know, you can't make fun of women in that way. Like, you can't, oh, no. It's too, they're too easily recognized

as victims. Yeah. And I went, no. I never thought of that way. I mean, I mean, because

so much great comedy, I mean, yeah, women. You feel, you know, you know, Tina Fey, so many great, uh, on and on and on have made fun of themselves as women. And it's brilliant. You know, yes. But, well, this wasn't the same. This was a man being cruel to her and I thought, no, it's a writer, you know, having given a hard time to an actress, like,

“what, like, why is that a big shock and horror? I mean, that's what, what do you think?”

What do you think actors and especially actresses have put up with forever? Yeah. You know, and haven't. I don't know. I don't know. Anyway. So, I mean, you prove me wrong.

Yeah. I take it back. I'll never say it again. I get it. I get it. I get what she's

saying. What do you, what do you give us your input here? So I just think, I've actually think it's part of the reason why she was so just kind of like, okay, I just taking it and it's because she's used to it. I mean, that's how it would always been. Right. It's not going to change. Exactly. So you've got to, like, here's here, the boundaries. Yeah. And so you just work within them around them. You know, that's all. Yeah. And I mean,

“I don't know if it's because I, I don't know if it's, I never felt like, oh, I'm a woman.”

And so, you know, I don't get to. I don't know. I mean, on some level. Yes, especially with this, it just didn't occur to me. It's like, this isn't gender specific ambition or hopes and dreams. So it didn't occur to me that it would be an issue at all. And I think it kind of was that it was a woman. But um, now, when you come back 10 years

later and you do the second season, you, you, you feel more assured that I know, I really

know who this character is. I know there's a lot of fans. People are excited for us to return. Did it feel different? Kind of. I mean, it's a little scarier because then there's expectations. And, and what Michael Patrick King and I knew was it's 10 years later. She's 10 years old. And it's going to be different. It has to be different. And, um, you know, and then I just thought it was great that we had her win the Emmy for a performance. She couldn't even appreciate

in herself because she was stuck on how tired she looked. Yeah. And I liked, I liked that a lot for her. And then, of course, the huge thing is that she, you know, leaves the Emmys that you hosted. Thank you. I got paid. Oh, you did. I told them you didn't have to get paid. That's, it was, that makes me bad. Yeah. It was validated parking. That was my payment. Yeah. But, um, I needed to say I'm kidding. It's disturbing when you'll say something like,

yeah, and I hope something horrible happens to you, Conan. I'm kidding. That, that I'm kidding, chills me more. Oh, okay. Oh, it could be real. It could be true. I'm explaining in the joke. So, I was really sad about the character of Mickey. Yes. The actor who plays your character, Mickey, Robert Michael Morris. Yeah. And he, he was such a, so terrific. And he completely nailed this kind of person that we all know, especially in this business. Someone who's

been with you a long time is in your corner. And it's just, you all you were getting was, you know, undelluted support from him. But, uh, and of course, he's not perfect. But I just, I was very,

I think. Right. Yes. He is. And also biting his tongue. Like he had so many takes. He was sort of a

little bit of a reality check sometimes, which is saying something and you're wondering like, that's

“stupid, right? And then you like they switch over to Mickey's looking confused or why'd she say that?”

Yeah. Yeah. He was great. Yeah. And that was a horrible loss. I mean, I, I couldn't even think about doing more for a really long time because we've been talking about it and, you know, knew that it would, it might be possible, you know, to do more. But, no, it took me a really long time to get over Mickey. Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah. He was great. And, you know, he wasn't. He was sick

when we were shooting that season. And when our first day, we were, we had to walk back and forth

a lot somewhere. I don't know. And he had to sit down and he said, I don't know if I can do this. And Michael Patrick King, you know, who know, knew him from college. That was his college acting teacher. And, and he came over and he just said, you can do it. Of course, you can do it. And I said, yeah, whatever you need. And he got, as over the course of shooting, he got better and better and better. And his doctors said, what are you doing? Because everything's good. The disease is not

progressing. Yeah. Whoa. We don't, what are you doing? So, I don't, it's that stuff. I, I love

hearing stories about that. Yeah. Happening. Which, because we don't understand it, but it makes

“100%. We believe it. I, I believe there have been times where I haven't felt well. And then I've”

gone out and done a show for really big audience, you know, to theater or something. And I, I, I feel great afterwards. And you think, okay, this is adrenaline, but it's also community. I got my people around me. I'm getting all this positivity. Right. Right. Right. It's getting this bath that is very, you know, life-saving. Right. It's, it's, so I totally understand that. Yeah, I, I, right. I mean, we don't look of COVID taught us anything. Well, it taught us a lot of things. But to me, one of them

was, boy, our immune systems are, everyone's is different. And wow, though, it seems, what, what activates it and what, you know, what helps it along and how much of wellness is immune system and then other things. And we don't know. Right. It just meant, oh, that's right. We don't know most everything about our bodies and our universe and every, we don't know a lot. Well, I get most of it. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I just do. You don't understand that stuff? Yeah, I do.

Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Can you explain anything about you? I don't think you would understand. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I mean, you know what I mean? I know what you mean. Yeah, I'm just thinking on like, I'm thinking in like the ninth dimension. Oh, okay. There's only so much I can do for you, people. That's true. You know what? Interesting. That's true. I just, I'm sorry.

“I'm a little bit honest and then, well, it's all this. By the way, I mean, I think Conan is so smart”

that he could explain physics. No, not physics. Physics, I don't understand. You don't know. I really don't know. I really don't know. I mean, I did it in high school, but I, you know, when they start saying, oh, time is a relative. Well, I, of course, I understand that. I'm the one who explained it. Einstein. Oh, okay. But no, there's so much I don't understand. Did I believe to that? Oh, okay. That was you. Yeah.

Went back in time and he was like, oh, this is man. What are you doing in my patent office? Hey, equals MC squared, buddy, and grow out of mustache. Oh, that is the back of the future. Yeah, anyway. Conan, you guys. Yeah, the accent was spot on. That was Einstein. Yeah. Can I hear it again? I'm trying to work into patent office. There we go. Okay. And I feel, who's this Irish lady? I'm a dude, man. You look like a Jane Lynch. Shut up. He just squared.

Time is relative. Yeah. He just tried to explain it to you. So here's an interesting thing about you is that you've experienced this real, uh, this real victory

What if that's where you were going? You know, it'd be great. Yes. You, I don't know. I don't know.

What are you doing before the comeback? It just didn't pop. Whatever it was. No, my point being that you with friends, you could arguably say you got to be in the last giant communal TV. Yeah, you know, mega hit that, no one at a time realized this is maybe the last of these where everyone's going to watch this show and it's a cultural touchstone. And this is where we all are watching these people go through this, this life. That was such a phenomenon. Yeah. And very few people get to be in the

nose cone of that rocket. And you've had both these both very different experiences, but the success you're having now is the success of this new way of experiencing TV as opposed to the massive, you know, it's, it's, cheers level, happy days, massive, uh, and I'm just curious, like you've experienced them both, and I don't think a lot of people have. That's got to be an unusual, yeah, to have both of those. Okay. I was, that's all, you don't need to come. That's,

“because that's what I feel like. Right. It also is a different, it's a very, it's, it's, it's a very,”

it's a great piece of work that is, uh, that fits this new medium really well in my opinion, which is, um, okay. And then you understand, because what do you mean times relative? Yeah. See, you guys on a train, and he's passing a station. Now what if someone on the station throws an orange? Say that's what I'm hearing simultaneously when you're talking about the other thing, because time, because you're existing, you're on both holes in the time. Right. And you get what you

think. And hi, I'm Lisa. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm also at that point in my life now, too. I'm traveling. I'm existing on this plane in, in, 2026, but I'm also right now in, uh, 1986, and I'm buying tons of Lisa Coudre's talk. And now I'm rich. Um, it was exciting when I went public. I made a killing. You know, so you were started buying Lisa when friends hit the air, but not me. I was there in the olden days when we were in a weird basement doing improv.

“That's right. For absolutely nobody. I think that one night we had one person in the room. It was a rat.”

They were all bald. They wanted and they had good, they had good suggestions. They were the same suggestions. Violent disease. Rat, you said that, all right. You were so bad at me. I felt like they were days, we were doing this. You were just looking. You're like, are you doing this? What? I was. We were in a performing in the theater. It was at the bottom of the Scientology Center and no one would come in. And there was one person.

I think one night there was one or two people in the theater that and we did our show anyway. We were like, "Well, I'm gonna have the real pros perform even when there's one or two people. Let's go." And then afterwards I was just imbittered.

That's rough. And she was my, you know, so honest, Elise is always super honest with me and I just

she would, when I would be down or if someone was doing performances that were hacky, you put my head in my hands like this and she'd say, "They can see you. You're being a dick." And I'm like, "All right, you're right. You're right. I forgot." That subtle compared to what you were doing. You know what you were doing.

“Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? I don't know. I get, oh, pulling my hair out. You know that book?”

You know that bit, that funny bit when he's like in so much time. And that is pulling his hair out. And they, so it's a little more than just fair. Yeah, okay. I'm saying I, I'm saying you're a terrible person. I'm a person. I guess that's not nice. That's not a nice thing. I wore my hair. I wore my heart on my sleeve.

I know. When it came to comedy. Yeah. And that was not always a good thing.

And I needed to just feel it. I just felt like it's good. You just need to put a sheet over me. You just need to put a sheet over me when someone went up to do a nerd character and had tape around the middle of their glasses going, "Oh, I ain't been breaking on a new formula."

out doors. You just need to have one that you put over me so that they couldn't see. No, it wasn't to die. Wait, who's going? Oh, you're going up. Okay. I missed a second. Cohen, and we're going to put the tarp on now. Then you just see a quivering tarp with steam coming off of it.

“The fists coming up. Okay, lesson. What does this beat up, Conan Day?”

So, it's not going to stand for that. Yeah, I am. I am. Oh, okay. Yeah, I am. I'm going to crush him a laugh and I'm going to enjoy it. Yeah. But to me, it's not beating up on you. It's just you are, we had a high reattuned antenna for sub par comedy. And that's the whole thing about classes, everyone's learning what their clown is. Don't you hate that expression for your clown? Yeah. I mean, yeah. Anyway, that's what I'm telling. I mean, teachers like, you know, you just

got to find your clown and I get really mad. The one thing I still can't do to this day is improv warm-up exercises. And there have been, I didn't like them back in the 80s and I just wanted to go out there and do the thing and I didn't want to play these games backstage to have us all get in the mood or something. Right, I mean, they're not in the mood. And then yeah, and it's these

games like. I look at you and go, you look at me and go, and you're always in an alley somewhere in

Hollywood. And it smells like urine. And we just not do this. I'll pay you. I'll pay you if we don't have to do this. And be like, you have to do it, man. It's really good. We're going to do it to do that recently. We did, we years ago. We did a show for charity and backstage. Again, in an alley

“in Culver City, I think. And someone said, okay, everybody, what's warm-up, what's gay? What's play?”

Skiddly, that lead. I know. Let's get into that. What is that really? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it? I know. No, I didn't know what the thing was. They were even telling me. I didn't know either. And I said, but it was an involved thing. But first, he had to like, "Skiddly." Like, just like, "No!" And I was begging, I was saying, "Can I just not do this?" Yeah, why did you do it? I think we did it a little bit. We did it. And just went, all right.

Okay. So moving on. Is it time? I think it's time. I think, I don't know if we should go. I made the sound of a siren. I said, "Oh, I think someone..." I think there's someone got hurt somewhere. We better go inside. Oh, it cops are coming. We better clear out. That's not a gun shot. Yeah. Capau! That's not a gun cone. It's a terrible gun. Now, get back to your bloop. I said, "Blip, you got to say..." Anyway, that's just me.

I wasn't built for that. I didn't like it either. I almost quit because I didn't like what I saw. In the first improv class, where it's like throw a space ball. And

“be angry and they're just like, "Gur!" I just went, "That's what I have to do." Maybe I'm not.”

This isn't for me. You know what's interesting. I've always thought,

and this is something that's true of legitimate acting, which is not what I do, but the line between it being great and you absolutely humiliating yourself is so razor thin. And, you know, a lot of acting classes kind of, you need to just put that stuff all aside and strip yourself of all your, and I think of your defenses and then saw or roll around on the floor or pretend you're a jelly bean or all that kind of stuff. And I

thought, "Yeah, did you go, hmm, like, good jelly bean or..." That was your being a jelly bean. Yeah, I love jelly bean. I love jelly bean. Oh, that's a good idea.

Yeah. That was a good idea. But I don't know. I always thought, "Oh, no, all I am is if I weigh

a hundred and, you know, 90 pounds, a hundred and eighty-five of it are defense mechanisms." And then some hair and maybe some teeth. So, I can't, I'm not going to get rid of all that stuff. I can't do it. I mean, I have my hats off to people that can do it. I have a lot of respect for active. But you still use so much improv. You've learned something. No of you did learn a lot. I'm guessing, unless you already were just natural imperviousers. Both of us brought

some of our own way we think to it. And then, yes, you learned great tools, great tools. Listening, listening, talking, responding, and then just, and committing. And that was the first thing. I learned watching him. He was really committed to throwing a ball. But there was no ball. Yeah. It was pretending there was a ball. And it looked like he was throwing a ball and he looked

which is why you can act. I let you say all that, you know, because I felt like you really wanted to. No, you can. You can act. You can act because you know how to listen and respond. Isn't that all it is? I guess. I don't know what it is. I don't either. Yeah.

“I'm not going to stay there. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. All right. That's what”

I'll tell you. You. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. I mean, maybe you have questions for Lisa, because, you know, I know Lisa's so well. I'm not working to do it. Yeah. But I know Lisa's so

well that these are interesting interviews for me always because sometimes I think what we just

talked about that at dinner. Right. So then I think, oh, I want to make sure that the the people listening get some stuff that isn't just me because I know Lisa's so well, you know? I mean, does that make sense? Yeah. I totally get. I think that I do have a lot of questions about you guys starting off together in terms of, are you both kind of the same people as you were back then, you think? Yes. You are. I am. You don't think you are. I think I'm very much the same.

I will tell you, we both had not great cars. So you have better cars now? That was,

“no, I'm just talking like, we got to start somewhere that people can understand. I had it.”

That's my car. You had it, dot-sensee. Yeah. And it was fine. And it was fine. You had a 280Z. You had a 280Z. That's a nice set. No, it was a fine car. I'm just saying

it was, um, it was a, it's a, it's a great. It was a great. Wasn't always clean. And then,

oh, get a little. Oh, no, my cars were never clean. And I was smoked. Yeah. I know that you did. Yeah. But I don't know. I did. Of course I did. Yeah. For 20 years. Oh, my god. Okay. Pack a day. No, Lisa. What? I didn't just part-time poorly. And I used to say you could do better at smoking. You could, I would get mad. You'd be smoking, but not enough. And I'd be like, come on. You can, you got it. You went in your mouth. You got to be a three pack a day smoke,

on Lisa. Did you ever smoke? No. If I, if I smoked, I would look, I was very aware that if I smoked, I would look like a kid who got into a pack of cigarettes. And like the teacher came by and went, put those down, Oguie. I'm picturing you next to Lisa. What those can, do you cigarettes? Yeah. Yeah. Huffing, little powdered sugar. Oh, and I started smoking this summer. I was at Harvard. Oh, that's you were there at the same time, because you went, you were there in the summer.

We were there at the same time. And I used to work on the lampoon in the summers there.

So I never missed a summer there. And I was there. There went summer. And that's when I started smoking,

because those fucking bugs, those flying water bugs is big as your feds.

“What is your feds? What does it have to do with you needing to smoke? Who says there's too many bugs?”

I need to smoke. Why? Because it terrified me. It stressed me out so much. And I didn't tell you the part that made it so bad as I'm sleeping. And I hear a jet has flown into my room. Oh, okay. Because it's these old crappy buildings next to the river. And there's no screens on them. But there's no air conditioning because, you know, it's the East Coast. And well, that's East Coast. East Coast. In the 80s. And it was an old charming dorm building. And so the windows were open.

And I went, what? Something mechanical flew into the room. It was the loudest. And there was a giant water flying cockroach water bug this big. Don't you're looking like, I don't know what she's talking about. No, no, no. I was there. Yeah. I didn't see it. But there's, there can be some big bugs. But it never made me think I need a smoke. Okay. And then it was on my, and it was just like on my wall. So now it's this big. On my wall. And I went, okay. And I grabbed my shoe, dumbass, throwing a

tennis shoe. That's way too slow. Yep. As I throw it, it's flying toward my head. And then I couldn't sleep. And, you know, there were cigarettes somewhere. And I just started smoking. And it calmed me down because nicotine is wonderful. Oh, it's really stuff. It's good stuff. Never had it. Yeah. And then another one flew in and they became pets. There was no getting them out. And there was no choice. He's got them little toys figured out their favorite food. I've had them for 14 years.

You know, Robert Michael said to me once he looked at me when I was being insane. About something and tightly wound and he said, you're the only person I know who would be healthier if he smoked. Oh, that's smoking. And the breathing and the nicotine, it would extend

some, I think about that sometimes because Robert's been right about a lot of things. And now

“I think at my age if I started now, I'm like, come on, how much damage could I do? No, but this”

has nicotine in it. Oh, nicotine gum. Yeah. Look, I didn't even take one, but I have it. This is turning into an ad for starting to smoke, which I don't want it to be, although I'm a little intrigued. Well, I don't, wait, but I do want to say something because you said, are you different? And here's, you are a little different. How? I mean, we should be. Yeah, yeah, don't you think? Sure. Okay, but you had told, like, when we met you from when I was in 1986. Well, yeah, I mean, I should

hope so. I don't think you're as tightly wound. No, I'm not. Okay, good. He was worse than

the, okay. No, I was working for you. You have been gotten a lot more chill. Yeah, I see that, too. But he told me that he would be so tightly wound. Like, something, I can't, either I don't

“remember, I just don't want to say. No, because you were telling me something happened to”

college and it upset you. And you sat and you quietly just like took a part of chair. Yeah. Really, just like quietly. Yeah, patiently with rage. Wow. Yeah, something in the comedy realm hadn't gone my way. And I went back to my room. And there was a very sturdy wooden chair that they have at Harvard that has like the Harvard insignia on it. And I quietly was pulling out all of the pieces of the chair. Yeah, I had that in me. I have, there's a, there's a guy in here who scares me.

But is that scary? Because maybe this is scary. You told me that story. And I went, yeah.

Right. Yeah. Yeah. You can't actually, yeah, I went in front of it. No, no, I would never

turn that on anyone. The person I beat up on mostly is me. And writers who need a physical beating every now and then. Sure. Well. No, yeah. But I mean, I mean, we, of course, we both change. I think having kids changes you too. Yeah. Yeah. Like, I love, and I said this recently on someone else's podcast, but so much of being young is being narcissistic. So it's necessary. You kind of have to be a narcissist when you're young. And it's got to be all about you. And your problems have to be

the biggest thing in the world. Because you are going through life. And it's, the stakes are big. And then once my daughter showed up and then later my son, I remember instantly knowing, oh, yeah, I don't count anymore. I'm not, I get it. And, and liking it. Like, it's about them. Yeah. I've got to be here for them. And just even thinking about it, I'm much calmer. Yeah. So I, yeah,

“you need to be having kids when I was 15. No, that's what you've been doing for. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. All of us.”

Oh, yeah. I kid settled down. Dad, what do you have acne? Shut up. I got to go to high school now. Well, not yet, but next year, you guys settled down. I'm going to go watch Star Trek reruns. Well, I am, I think we're all thrilled. Anytime you drop in, and so excited for the new season of the comeback, which is a jewel. It's just so beautifully made and really looking forward to it. And I love you. You're one of my favorite people in the history of the world. Oh, come on. Seriously.

Yeah, you are mine, too. You just did a me, too. Yeah. Okay. I mean, come on. I want more. I think you gushed enough. Yeah. It wasn't enough for your thank you. Mail it. Oh, she can't come as a bird with it. Oh, if you'd give me her a dress, I would. Yeah, let's put it up. Get one but firm in pop. Be it. Be it. Be it. Be it. Okay. Be secudero, peace out. Two pop. Okay. Okay. I'm going to break into this programming now with urgent, urgent news update.

David hopping just saw the back street boys at the sphere and whatever you're doing, if you're driving right now, I want you to pull over to the side of the road. If you're listening, cooking dinner, dinner, it means just order, order out because this is just too important. David, what was this experience like, back street boys this sphere paint the picture because America wants to know.

Yeah, it's America for Rara. She does not want to hear this story. It was on my birthday.

“We drove to Vegas. Got there with no traffic. We got there under four hours, which that's nice.”

Oh, when? People love that part of the story. Um, and then whenever you hear about seeing an iconic band at the sphere, you just paint the picture. People's favorite story is about the commute. Okay. I love, I love that you consider the back street boys iconic. This is. I'm nice. Please, you didn't see my, uh, I put little quotes around it. Okay. No, they come on. I love the back street boy. I'm not going to shine on the back street boy. I'm going to, I just didn't. I didn't know they were your cup of tea. I'm just saying this is a huge band,

whether or not I know all their songs. I know a few of them. Let's get to the place. Do it before it's not done doing, which goes. Yeah. Do it for it's not done. Pay hate. Do it. She's all that in the corn sandwich. They have some great songs that are part of the American experience. Yeah. But anyway, um, just get to the good card to the sphere. We had then we stopped and we got canned pages. Sorry. Go ahead. I got a drink and a souvenir cup has all their faces on it.

“Then we walked. We had standing on the floor. So have you been at the sphere?”

I haven't been to this. Because like it's so nice. I get excited about like the little things in life. Yeah. Walking into this, seeing the huge screen was everything. And then everyone's stuck to be we're supposed to wear all white to the concert. Why? Everyone, because it's like their, um, millennium album cover. They're all wearing white. Oh, I thought they were all saving themselves from American. Which I admire. Like a virginal thing. They're virginal. Yeah. Yeah. They're all like pushing

60. They're like, when the time comes, I want it to be special. And now from my next hit, got to get going to the place where we go. That's a big one. Um, everyone's stuck to the theme though.

Everyone wore white. That's great. And then they came out and I've never seen anything like this.

Like the, it was like space themes. So there's like a spaceship above you. And it's like everyone's like looking up. I missed them even coming out on the stage because the visuals were just so cool. So I'm getting the sense they didn't need to be there. They did. They did. They're music was everything. Well, they could play the music. And then you could look at your spaceships. And then, you know, whatever, they got to anybody get up there. Wow. They needed to be there. Okay.

Eduardo's going soon. Are you going to the bicycle boys? No, no, no. I'm going to check. What's that? No doubt. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Take my wife and my niece. I don't know if they've ever had a comedy show though. You shouldn't try to be like the first person. You know how I prefer to watch no doubt when they premiere on my show in New York.

1993. My dream. So this sphere. Yeah. I want to go to here's what I want to do. I want to

go to the sphere when they're featuring something that in no way is enhanced or benefited by the sphere. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? I want to go when all they're doing is someone's playing a banjo and they're rebroadcasting Walter Cronkites last episode of The News. And it's just a regular news program where at the end he's and they just run that a couple of times and someone plays a banjo. And it's all around you on the sphere. No special effects. It's just Walter Cronkite saying

it's been an honor and a pleasure and you know take care and be well tonight. You know? Or something that doesn't even use the screen at all. It's like two people having a guess lecture on like AI. And they're not even-- No, no, you use the screen because at one point the two people giving a lecture mention I'll be talking about this at a separate conference which is on March 3rd and just the date. March 3rd comes up in tiny file. In small font on one part of the sphere.

Those are the things I want to go see at the sphere. I want my dream is to misuse the sphere. Let me be very clear. I will go and do something at the sphere that completely misuse this

that amazing time. You know that's your point presentation. I'm like a time share and big it.

And then you're just like just one little part. It's one little square that couldn't even see it.

“People know, here's the thing. You can kind of see it. That's important to me. You can kind of”

see it. And I go on and on. Oh my god. Yeah, that's why I want to use the sphere. But anyway, see how to get time? At a great time. It was, yeah. And then at the end, I was actually texting Sona after because it's just a bunch of drunk backstreet boys fans all walk in in some hallways singing their songs together. Yeah. And what else do you want? Somebody some of the backstreet boys are in with it. Hey, wait a minute. It isn't that job job. What are their names?

Yeah. Okay. I want to just make that up. Is everyone okay? Everyone's healthy.

Everyone's healthy. Yeah. They're all there. Okay. It's like the new kids on the block ulcer in Vegas. They're all there. Oh, I know. They're there. I'm trying to pick a date to go see them.

“You need to. Did those guys ever join forces, you know? Yeah. Or is it like Marvel and DC? Where”

that's not allowed? No, they did. They tore it together before. Oh, they all get together? Yeah.

Oh, I just thought I had this cool idea. Oh, no. I thought you. And can they then join up with another group? Like, you know, Manudo or is it? Can you ever get another group that joins them? So those two united back street boys and new kids on the block, but then who else could join? We need them and

“sink reunion. Oh, in sink. I mean, it can be 98 degrees. It could be O-town. What has you got them all”

together? I mean, all together. And then didn't let them perform. What are they doing? They're giving

them a point. No, you get them all together backstage and then you lock the door. And then I go out and I show, I show a little time share, uh, lecture. It's projected on one small part and they have to watch it and they can't get out. They can't get out. They can't get out. The ultimate beating switch. I love it. You'll be murdered by a lot of people. Hey, a lot of people have tried. A lot of people have tried. Old women are taking a swing at me every day. All right, there's my pitch sphere call me

Peace out. Tupac. Conan O'Brien needs a friend with Conan O'Brien, Sonom of Sessian, and McCoreley, produced by me, McCoreley, executive produced by Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross and Nick Leo, theme song by The White Stripes, incidental music by Jimmy Vivina. Take it away, Jimmy. Our supervising producer is Aaron Blair and our associate talent producer is Jennifer Samples, engineering and mixing by Eduardo Perez and Brendan Burns, additional production support by Mars Melnick,

talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Batista and Britcon. You can rate and review this show on Apple

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