# Am I the only person who doesn't give a rat's ass about Conan O'Brien? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191 "2010-01-24T03:09:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/21 "2010-01-24T23:41:59Z")
Since I got a DVR 99% of the time I watch late night shows it’s the next day. I think that is very common now. ---
**Author:** ![Herbert\_Quentin\_Viola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c0e974/32.png) [@Herbert\_Quentin\_Viola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Herbert_Quentin_Viola)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/22 "2010-01-24T23:56:42Z")
I’m more concerned for Andy Richter’s well being. What will become of Andy Richter? Is Bruce going to call Max? I think Bruce is done touring forever. They should have Andy host a late night show on Fox, with Max as the sidekick and announcer, then put a tall ginger fellow behind a drumset with a bag on his head and call him the Unknown Drummer for 3 months. Then, they can play musical chairs in 3 months … and Fox would have a good show. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/23 "2010-01-25T00:10:50Z")
Nope, you’re not the only one. I’m already a little tired of hearing about the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/24 "2010-01-25T00:56:27Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Even if you never watch TV, you have to admit the story of a major corporation publicly tying itself in knots over the future of one of its flagship products can be pretty interesting. Like Old Coke vs. New Coke, If it interests YOU, I have no problem with you following it. But these guys are all multi-millionaires, and I don’t give a shit how this turns out. It’s a soap opera. Which one of them goes where will not cure AIDS, improve the economy, ensure that my Constitutional rights are guaranteed, enact a sane and reasonably priced universal health care system, etc. > [@](#): > > or Microsoft’s Windows vs. the Internet controversy. That’s way different. It has implications for the whole world. > [@](#): > > And when you put it in terms of two highly visible, highly quotable personalities it makes the controversy even more appealing. Remember back in the 1980s when Ross Perot wound up on the board of directors of General Motors and spent his tenure there blasting the company until GM finally bought him out? Imagine how it would have been played up if GM were headed by the outspoken Lee Iaccoca rather than the bland Roger Smith. Again, different. What a major company like GM does affects the entire country. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/25 "2010-01-25T01:02:53Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > According to [one writer](http://www.sj-r.com/carousel/x1658502856/Brian-Mackey-Conan-conundrum-speaks-to-Net-Generation), the Conan situation has symbolic significance: > > > [@](#): > > > > For a lot of twenty- and thirtysomethings, NBC’s rough handling of O’Brien stands in for a betrayal of opportunity that can be felt across the economy. > > > > It’s the failed promise that hard work, paying your dues and being in the right place at the right time would yield opportunity. > > > > People can’t find jobs or are underemployed for their education and debt. For those who have jobs, the increased workload following layoffs and unfilled positions drives people to contempt, as do managers peddling inanities such as “do more with less.” > > > > And the recent bear market’s mauling of retirement funds means baby boomers are going to hold onto their jobs longer than they otherwise might have. > > > > “Jay Leno is the reason we don’t have jobs,” Molly Lambert said last October in the online magazine This Recording. “Jay Leno’s terrible new show is like our parents not being able to retire.” Symbolic? Yeah, of being a lot of whiners. Boo fucking hoo. That’s the way it ALWAYS is for EVERYONE. There are no guarantees. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/26 "2010-01-25T01:14:00Z")
> [@Herbert\_Quentin\_Viola](#): > > I’m more concerned for Andy Richter’s well being. > > What will become of Andy Richter? The universe will seek payback. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/27 "2010-01-25T01:50:18Z")
Fact: I have had a crush on Conan O’Brien since I was ten years old. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/28 "2010-01-25T02:12:26Z")
No, don’t give a rat’s ass about Conan. He may be funny - don’t know as I never watched his show; but (call me shallow) his looks put me off; he kinda creeps me out – looks like a red-headed, albino ferret. I mean, really, what’s with the huge pompadour hair thing? I like Jay’s stand-up, but I’ve always thought that Dave Letterman was the best of the three – he’s intelligent, engages his guests with humor and intelligent questions, and seems spontaneous and improvisational. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/29 "2010-01-25T02:19:46Z")
> [@Sycorax](#): > > No, don’t give a rat’s ass about Conan. He may be funny - don’t know as I never watched his show; but (call me shallow) his looks put me off; he kinda creeps me out – looks like a red-headed, albino ferret. I mean, really, what’s with the huge pompadour hair thing? I like Jay’s stand-up, but I’ve always thought that Dave Letterman was the best of the three – he’s intelligent, engages his guests with humor and intelligent questions, and seems spontaneous and improvisational. And you know that because you only watched 2 of the 3? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/30 "2010-01-25T03:21:40Z")
I’ve seen his show maybe twice in my whole life, and even then, only small bits of it. I do not watch TV; I don’t know anything about his show, nor do I know about or care about David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Jay Leno, or anyone else. The last time I regularly watched TV was 1996-1999, from about 11 to 13 years old when I used to watch MTV, Beavis and Butthead and Loveline. The only times I watch TV nowadays are the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Presidential debates and _Big Love,_ all of which I watch at my dad’s house. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/31 "2010-01-25T03:23:17Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen Conan at all. I’ve seen Leno and Letterman clips, but I’ve never watched their shows. So, yeah, all the network (is it NBC?) contortions are kind of interesting, but I have to admit I don’t really get it or care. Well, I’ll explain it to you…There’s this red headed guy that does an impression of David letterman, only he’s not funny. Somebody tricked the NBC execs into ramrodding Leno, who is pretty boring himself, out the door in order to keep Conan from jumping to another network. After Conan and Jay both bombed, NBC thought that Jay was less of a loser than Conan, but still paid Conan a lot of money to do nothing, rather than pay him to do a Letterman impersonation. I think it was worth 45 million to keep Conan off of TV. hh ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/32 "2010-01-25T03:24:49Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > There’s this red headed guy that does an impression of David letterman, only he’s not funny. Two things: Conan’s nothing like Letterman. Second, despite this, if it is true he’s not funny, then he’s actually doing a pretty accurate impression of Letterman. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/33 "2010-01-25T04:17:05Z")
To counter Paste’s reasons to love Conan, there’s this take from “Stuff White People Like.” > **[\#131 Conan O’Brien](https://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2010/01/13/130-conan-obrien/)** > > The recent news that Conan O’Brien will be replaced by Jay Leno has caused white people to erupt with rage and hostility. You might even expect them to lash out and do something about it like… The best line: “For you see, while white people will fiercely support Conan O’Brien in any public forum, they always fail to support him in the only way that actually helps – by watching his show.” As for me, Conan O’Brien is one of those phenomena that all my friends ASSUME I must love, but which actually bores me. Dr. Who falls into that same category. Conan’s show and Dr. Who are so obviously tailored toward white nerds my age, people can’t figure why I’m not turning cartwheels over either. For what it’s worth, Conan seems like the kind of guy who’d crack me up if we were having lunch or coffee together. But his show never quite worked for me. And while Andy Richter is widely regarded as some sort of genius on the SDMB, he strikes me as a talentless dick who’s been INCREDIBLY lucky to get so much work in show business. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/34 "2010-01-25T05:05:19Z")
I like Conan O’Brien when I watch his show. Of course, I haven’t watched it in years and I wasn’t even aware until about three days ago that he was hosting the Tonight Show. I know there’s some bruhaha with him and Jay Leno and time slots going on, but I can’t be bothered to actually figure out exactly what it is. But do I give a rat’s ass about Conan O’Brien? Yes. He wrote the “Marge vs. the Monorail” episode of the Simpsons, one of the best things that has ever been on television. This, obviously, gives him the edge over Jay Leno. I have made my decision. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/35 "2010-01-25T18:15:02Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Fact: I have had a crush on Conan O’Brien since I was ten years old. > > That is all. Check out the movie _Sugar & Spice_. One of the supporting characters feels the same way. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/36 "2010-01-25T18:22:14Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Fact: I have had a crush on Conan O’Brien since I was ten years old. > > That is all. Me too. I wish he’d get another show I’d actually watch. Even if all the Late Show type of programs were awesome (and they might be, I don’t know), I wouldn’t stay up late enough to watch them. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/37 "2010-01-25T18:29:26Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Check out the movie _Sugar & Spice_. One of the supporting characters feels the same way. I remember that movie, and have never had any desire to watch it… until now. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/38 "2010-01-25T18:58:05Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Symbolic? Yeah, of being a lot of whiners. Boo fucking hoo. That’s the way it ALWAYS is for EVERYONE. There are no guarantees. Seriously, what a load of crap. I almost strained my eyes from rolling them. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/39 "2010-01-25T19:15:25Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I remember that movie, and have never had any desire to watch it… until now. Make sure to see it all the way through. There’s a cute and relevant epilogue moment. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191/40 "2010-01-25T19:19:27Z")
No, you are not alone. I, too, could give a rat’s red ass about the whole late-night craptacular television scene. I hit the sleep timer to listen to the Daily Show and drift off before the first commercial break. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-who-doesnt-give-a-rats-ass-about-conan-obrien/526191.md?page=3)