"I have devoted all of my adult life -- all of it -- to pursuing this strange phantom intersection between smart and stupid," he said. "There's a lot of people that believe the two cannot coexist, but God, I will tell you, it is something I believe religiously. I think when smart and stupid come together, it's very difficult, but if you can make it happen, I think it's the most beautiful thing in the world."
He concluded, "My advice to anyone watching right now... try and do what you love, with people you love, and if you can manage that, it's the definition of Heaven on Earth. I swear to God. It really is."
Prior to Conan, O'Brien hosted Late Night With Conan O'Brien from 1993 to 2009. He was tapped as the host of The Tonight Show in 2009, but ended his run after less than a year.
In 2010, he started Conan. The end of the TBS show was announced in November 2020. At the time, HBO Max ordered a new weekly variety series from the comedian.
"In 1993 Johnny Carson gave me the best advice of my career: 'As soon as possible, get to a streaming platform,'" O'Brien quipped at the time. "I’m thrilled that I get to continue doing whatever the hell it is I do on HBO Max, and I look forward to a free subscription."
