Conan O'Brien's best guests over the years

Vigoda, the longtime sitcom actor, wasn’t necessarily a guest on the couch for Conan much. However, in the “Late Night” days he was a staple of the show. Conan would do comedy bits with Vigoda constantly. He was on all the time, often used as a punchline, and was game to basically show up whenever O’Brien asked him.

Mr. T was akin to Vigoda in the “Late Night” days as well. Mr. T has a distinct personality, which you probably know, and Conan enjoyed tweaking him. Of course, Mr. T was in on it. One of the all-time Conan remote bits is when he and “T” went apple picking.

Hanks is a massive movie star and a great talk show guest, and he is always game when. it comes to having fun as well. With Conan, he has a few memorable moments. However, we had to include him on this list for one specific reason. On the first episode of “The Tonight Show” that Conan hosted Hanks referred to him as “Coco,” which led to the whole “Team Coco” thing that has become key to O’Brien’s branding.

Olyphant wasn’t famous until the “Conan” days, but he and O’Brien made up for lost time quickly. The “Justified” star loves to get silly with Conan, and Conan likes to give it right now. The two met during an interview but became actual friends off-screen, which only made his interviews on the show that much better.

If you have ever heard or seen an interview with Ferrell when he isn’t “on” you know he can be quiet and reserved. When the camera is on, though, Ferrell goes into performance mode, and that’s a sight to behold. He’s always got a bit prepared for a late-night chat appearance. Famously he once dressed us as a “sexy leprechaun” for Conan’s show, and he also did an entire episode as Ron Burgundy too.

What makes Kudrow such a great guest is that she and Conan go back. Like, way back. Before the two were even close to famous they met in an improv class way back in the ‘80s. Kudrow likes to say that she considered dropping out of the class and giving up on comedy after the first week of going. Then, O’Brien showed up for the second week of the class and made Kudrow believe it was worth continuing to pursue comedy.

Much like Conan and Kudrow, he and Garlin go way back. They met back in Chicago in the ‘80s as well. Garlin likes to talk. Like, a lot. Granted, that’s not a bad thing on a talk show, but Garlin has a tendency to steamroll. With an old friend like Conan, though, that’s not a bad thing.

You could make the argument that no guest makes Conan laugh more than Norm. MacDonald is quick, but he also clearly doesn’t worry too much about doing a late-night appearance. He’ll do silly bits and almost break the fourth wall of comedy just for his (and Conan’s) amusement. Plenty of people have littered YouTube with their favorite Norm appearance on O’Brien’s various shows.

Conan and Chenoweth couldn’t be much more different physically, but they really click when it comes to chatting. She’s comfortable on a talk show, and O’Brien clearly has a rapport with her. The two are really funny together and always seem to have a grand old time.

Goldblum is an eccentric guy. The “Jurassic Park” star has a distinct way of speaking and doesn’t mind getting intimate and provocative. Some hosts might be uncomfortable with that. Conan, though, steers into the skid. He gets just as weird as Goldblum and Goldblum gets with him. It leads to a ton of laughs, and some standout moments we will always remember.

Pally hosted one episode of “The Late, Late Show” before James Corden took over and it was kind of a wonderful trainwreck. When he shows up on Conan, though, he’s always putting effort it. Namely, into his wardrobe. Pally always wears a costume when he is on “Conan.” He started off with simplistic ideas, like a Buckingham Palace guard or Borat. Then, he started to get absurd, like when he was a mashup of Abraham Lincoln and The Mask, or “Snaredevil,” which was Daredevil with a snare drum.

In the early days of “Late Night,” Conan couldn’t always get the best guests. People became regulars, even if they weren’t necessarily true stars. Tesh was one of those guys. The musician and TV host would pop up on O’Brien’s first talk show pretty often. Conan would poke a lot of fun at him, but Tesh seemed like a good sport.

Rudd earned a spot on this list through one thing. He has the most-beloved recurring bit associated with Conan’s different shows. Every time he comes on the sets up a clip from his latest project. Invariably, he shows the same clip from the infamous movie “Mac & Me.” We all know it’s coming, but it’s always funny.

Conan and Nealon are old friends from the “Saturday Night Live” days. They probably have great stories from their life of friendship. You won’t hear any of them when Nealon is on O’Brien’s talk show, though. He only does bits. He only does schtick. Nealon is basically in character, but he’s also usually really funny. The guy loves doing comedy bits with his talk-show segments, and it’s a delight.

Conan and McBrayer have a specific dynamic. O’Brien loves to make fun of the “30 Rock” actor. He portrays him as a backwoods, uneducated Southern boy lost in the big city. McBrayer makes a great comedic foil, playing hurt and offending. Some people have even chastised Conan for picking on Jack. It’s all in fun, though. In fact, McBrayer has ended up doing a lot of stuff with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog as well.

Short is a comedy legend, but with him, you get a lot of the Nealon vibe. He’s doing a lot of schtick and has a lot of comedy bits. Fortunately, he’s very funny. Like we said, Short is a comedy legend, and O’Brien is happy to lay down the runway for his bits and premises.

Stewart rose to fame as a lifestyle guru focused on food and design. She seemed prim and proper. When she went on Conan, though, she loved to play with that image. Conan loved it too, and also did a few remotes with Stewart. We can still remember the two of them chugging 40s and having a grand old time.

Byer is not shy about, well, anything. That’s especially true of sex. Conan isn’t quite the same way. Does he play up his discomfort for comedic effect with Byer? Sure, but it’s also definitely sincere. Byer provides a great foil for Conan in that way.

Honestly, we basically only know Flula from being a guest on “Conan.” The German comedian and DJ started off on YouTube and is not necessarily super famous. He’s also very distinct in terms of his comedic style. It’s oddball energy, but it works with O’Brien, mostly because he’s game to join in. When O’Brien did one of his remote travel shows in Germany, naturally he brought Flula along with him.

Plaza is known for her deadpan performances in shows like “Parks and Recreation,” though she does have range. She also seems like a true eccentric, or at least she plays one well on a talk show. Plaza brings a distinct energy to her Conan appearances, which definitely makes her memorable. Her remote interview during the pandemic on “Conan” was one of the standouts to be sure.

Williams is more of a ‘90s guy, but in that decade he had a certain degree of fame. He also had a specific and oddball energy. The standup and actor brought that in spades to “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” They kept bringing him back, so Conan must have enjoyed it. We certainly did.

Glaser is an unabashed Conan fan from her childhood, which is a sweet thing whenever she is on the show. It’s about the only sweet thing about her appearances, though. Like Byer, Glaser is a comedian who likes to get raunchy. She can flatter Conan and make him uncomfortable in equal measure.

Whatever Arnett is promoting, he likes to get irreverent when he’s on Conan’s show. He’ll bring as rabble-rousing energy and poke fun at Conan as well as his friends. Specifically, Arnett has a history of making fun of his “Arrested Development” costar Jason Bateman while on various O’Brien programs.

Sedaris is maybe more associated with David Letterman since she is a New York person. However, Letterman retired several years ago. On top of that, “Late Night” was a New York show as well. Sedaris is an undersung comedic genius, and her persona and sensibilities are perfect for making her stand out in a talk show segment.

Roker is on this list for a specific reason. Back in the day when Conan film at 30 Rock, sometimes he would need a last-minute guest. Oftentimes, that was Roker. The weatherman has never been shy about being on television, and he was a go-to guest for “Late Night” when needed. In fact, Roker has the record for the most appearances on “Late Night.” He was a guest over 30 times.