O'Brien Showcases Athleticism and Spontaneity at SXSW Event

Conan O'Brien demonstrated his long legs at SXSW in March 2024. He is known for his active, spontaneous, and self-deprecating humor. On Late Night, O'Brien became known for his active and spontaneous hosting style, which has been characterized as 'self-deprecating' by both media outlets and O'Brien himself. This spontaneity is also apparent in remotes in which he is put in novel and open-ended environments. Some of these, such as a 'Civil War-era baseball' remote during Late Night and his international Conan Without Borders shows, are among his best-received work. O'Brien lists among his comedic influences Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart, David Letterman, Peter Sellers, Sid Caesar, Warner Bros. Cartoons, Johnny Carson, Ernie Kovacs, Bob Hope, and Woody Allen; and upon his retirement from Conan, he described his style as the pursuit of a 'strange, phantom intersection between smart and stupid.' In turn, actors and comedians who claim O'Brien as an influence include Mindy Kaling, Pete Holmes, Seth Meyers, Nikki Glaser, John Krasinski, Moses Storm, Sam Richardson, Colin Jost, Kumail Nanjiani, Ron Funches, John Mulaney, Eric André, and Taylor Tomlinson. The military working dog Conan is reportedly named after O'Brien according to Newsweek.