Conan O’Brien’s time as a talk show host has had many ups and downs. Perhaps his most impressive achievement was succeeding David Letterman as host of Late at night in 1993. O’Brien weathered initial low ratings due to his unpopularity, but left the show in 2009 as a highly regarded talk show host.
O’Brien’s darkest moment came after he was fired from the tonight show after serving as a host for seven months. His wife, Liza Ann Powell, played a crucial role in the comedian’s recovery. Conan retired from late-night TV in June 2021 and is set to launch a new variety show on HBO Max in 2022.
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Conan fell in love with Liza during a recording of Late at night 1993
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Liza Powel was born on November 12, 1970 in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Liza’s father, Jake Powell, was a guitarist for the band Dixieland. Conan and Liza met while Liza was working as an advertising executive for Foote, Cone & Belding. Liza’s company agreed to work on a sketch with Late Night and reunited Conan and Liza.
Conan was immediately attracted to Liza’s beauty and was noticed by Liza’s father. O’Brien told Piers Morgan:
“Somewhere in the NBC vault is footage of me literally falling in love with my wife on camera.”
Conan and Liza communicated by phone after that first meeting, and he quickly realized that there was more to Liza than just outer beauty. He told Piers Morgan that he found Liza to be a very smart, funny and very good person. After dating for a couple of years, Conan and Liza got married on January 12, 2002.
The ceremony was held at the Cathedral of St. James in Seattle, Washington.
Liza and Conan have two children, Neve and Beckett.
Liza and Conan welcomed their first child, Neve, in 2003. The couple’s second child, Beckett, was born in November 2005. Conan spoke with People about his struggles with the children’s toys. He said:
“Being a dad is the best, except putting things together. I remember my father trying to tighten a screw and hurting his fingers. That’s what I’m doing now, except I break (the toy) before I can play with it.”
She quit her job as an advertising executive to become a screenwriter.
Liza began her career as an advertising executive for Foote, Cone & Belding. Later, she became a screenwriter after graduating with an MFA in Fictional Writing from the Columbia University School of the Arts. Her works have been presented in various theaters in New York, Seattle and Los Angeles. According to Liza’s website, some of the works she has written include the door, the distinguished gentlemanand Ruthie goes shopping.
She also works with the Children’s Defense Fund’s Beat the Odds program, which helps at-risk academically gifted children. Liza also has several television appearances, including Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Conan O’Brien can’t stop.
She supported Conan after he was controversially removed as the host of the tonight show
Jay Leno announced very early that his successor in the tonight show It was going to be Conan. In 2009, Conan inherited the tonight show from Jay, but his hosting tenure lasted only a few months. Politics on NBC continued to frustrate Conan, and he agreed to leave the show. Conan had realized his dream of hosting the tonight showbut it ended sooner than I had imagined.
Suddenly, Conan found himself at home without a job, and it took a toll on him. liza told him Rolling Stone:
“I hated to see him in such a state of tension and unhappiness. It was very painful for him to leave this hallowed ground that he finally got the chance to stand on… The truth is, The Tonight Show was the definition of cultural relevance for decades. And suddenly, it’s not. That’s not Conan’s fault. It is nobody’s fault. It just happened.”
Conan might have been unhappy and depressed, but there was a silver lining. The situation allowed Conan to rebrand him and take on new projects. With Liza’s support, TBS hired Conan as a host. Conan. The first episode of Conan aired on November 8, 2010. Conan spoke with Piers Morgan about the entire experience:
“Honestly, I’m happier now…this feels…like a bigger accomplishment…because I’m doing exactly the show I want to do. I’m doing it with the people I love. And we can do it in our own way… I think that life gives you a lot of difficulties and this is something that I did not agree with, and I thought it was pretty screwed up, but we all go through it.
Categories: Biography
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