Conan O’Brien Credits Simpsons With Saving His Life

Conan O’Brien says joining The Simpsons helped pull him through a deeply difficult period after he left Saturday Night Live in 1991 without another job lined up. Speaking on his podcast with Simpsons creator Matt Groening, O’Brien said he was in a “funk” and felt he was in a bad place in his life despite loving SNL and its staff. Simpsons writers Mike Reiss and Al Jean recommended him, leading to a job offer within days. O’Brien found the animated show’s acclaimed writers’ room intimidating because he had only written sketch comedy, but he described the experience as magical and credited it with transforming his life and career. He worked on the series until 1993 and wrote notable episodes including “Marge vs. the Monorail” before moving into late-night television.