The Three Questions with Andy Richter - Sona Movsesian (Re-Release)

Episode Date: January 31, 2023

(Re-released from May 2022) Sona Movsesian joins Andy Richter to talk about growing up Armenian, wanting to work in TV, being Conan O’Brien’s assistant, and more! 

Hi, everyone. I'm Andy Richter, and this is the three questions. And I'm going to pose those three questions to one of my favorite people in the world today. Of my favorite people in the world today, she was a co-worker, a troublemaker, a co-troublemaker. Yeah. Yeah. In fact, at one point, I believe we were separated. We were.

There were monologue meetings and you and I got separated. You had to go sit on the other side of the room or something. Like kids. They separated us because we were too chatty. Yes. And you know what? Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, but I just needed to make sure you knew that you're also one of my favorite people. Oh, thank you so much.

I appreciate it. I assumed because I'm very arrogant. But, you know, I mean, I also know. It's also I have a dim view of most humanity. So it's like it's not hard to be great in a world full of schmucks. Oh, it sucks. No, no. It sucks out there. But it's Sona, Moff Sessian.

Yay! I could just say, you know, I could just say Sona. You, like another famous Armenian, could be just go by one name. Don't you dare compare me to Cher. Are you comparing me to my mom? I'm comparing you to Cher. No, to Cher. Oh, my mom.

Cher is my mother. What? I never knew that. Yeah, so I went to her show with my mom, with my best friend and her mom. And the whole time we were watching it, my friend and I, Veronica, she and I were like, Cher's- How old were you? This was like a few years ago.

Yeah. But we were there. We were like, she's our mom now. Like these other women don't exist. It's all about this 70, what, two, 73 year old woman. And being on stage. I love her so much. She's my mom.

Was it in Las Vegas? It was. And you know what? You could tell my mom doesn't go to too many concerts, Andy. There's a section of the show where there was like six bare chested, oily men just doing a dance. And I just, in my peripheral vision, I saw my mom and she was like clutching her chest going like, oh my God. Oh my God. You could tell. Like she was shocked or was she turned on? I think it was both, but she just doesn't go out much.

And then after the show, she was like, that part where those men danced was just so good. I was like, oh, is it really? You don't go out much. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, men are dancing oily like that everywhere. Yeah. Yeah, Starbucks, you'll see that, you know. Starbucks.

But does she talk much about being Armenian, Cher? Or is she just, she's just embraced by Armenians because she's Armenian? That second one. Yeah. Anytime anyone has a fraction of Armenian, we're like, they're ours now. Yeah. We own them. We own them.

System of a down, we own them. Yeah. Aren't they like, they're the other. We own them. We own them. System of a Down, we own them. Yeah. Aren't they like, they're the other. Yeah, yeah. All of them. That's awesome. Yeah. Glendale Rockers.

Oh, yeah, yeah. I think you're right. And the Kardashians, but like Kim Kardashian and the rest of them, they actually make it, you know, they put their Armenian-ness to good use. They do. You know what their system of a down serge who's the lead singer is very involved actually all four of them are pretty involved they grew up in the armenian community so they're very involved uh kim is also involved

i think um and then share did go to armenia once so that was that we have that. But in terms of very Armenian, I mean, I can't I think that's it. I think you got it all. I think the Kardashian system of a down and share and we we captured it all. Now you grew up in kind of the Glendale area, right? So in kind of dare you. Oh, my God. We are area. You just assumed Glenn. Yeah. Cause I'm army. No,

I'm from Montebello. Don't Andy. That's like 10 minutes from Glendale. It's not 10 minutes. It's right next to East LA. Okay. All right. We're like 30 minutes from God. Yeah. How dare you next to East LA. Okay. All right. We're like 30 minutes from, yeah, how dare you?

You're a hood girl, Ben. I am kind of. Well, no, but so you grew up, but I mean, but is there still like a pretty big Armenian community there? I mean. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, there is.

Yeah. My wedding was there in this big Armenian church. I know. I mean, yeah. Yeah, there is. Yeah. My wedding was there in this big Armenian church. I know, I went to your wedding. I know. It was a lovely ceremony. It was huge. It was a monstrosity. It was, it was.

You're being nice. No, I'm not. It was really, it was really nice. It was really, really nice. And I really had, and it was a lovely time and it was fun and a lot of good, a lot of fun people. And one thing I appreciated, because I've been to Orthodox weddings before, yours did not seem like half the day. You know what I mean? I've been to other Orthodox weddings that went on, no kidding, over two hours. Yeah. And yours was kind of more normal.

You can choose the long version, I think, or the shorter version. We chose the shorter version. Yeah. But the longer one, you're right. It goes on forever. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's so long. And I don't have time for that.

I have walls to stare at. I need to get out of there. Get back home and be mad about things that aren't happening. Well, now, how much of when you're growing up is Armenian-ness? Like, you know, are you feeling Armenian all the time? Oh, it's the whole thing, Andy. Is it? It is.

It is. It's the whole thing. You know, I went to an Armenian school. Is it? It is. It is. It's the whole thing. I, you know, I went to an Armenian school. I, my, my parents are immigrants from Istanbul, but they are Armenian.

So when they came here, they pretty much only kept in touch with their other Armenian friends from Istanbul who also immigrated here. I mean, it's a very immigrant sort of thing to do to just latch on to the thing that's familiar. So, you know, when I mean, just recently, my I took my my boys, I have two little babies and I took them to meet my parents, my mom's friends. And there were 20 women there. And I walked in and I was like, am I going to know all of them? And they're all my aunties. Like, I know all of their kids.

I know I grew up with them. I, you know, it was when you're born Armenian, I say this, you're born into like a community of just like hundreds of people that you automatically grow up with. And that's how it was for me. That's really nice, you know? And I mean, and it's something that's kind of missing

because, you know, I mean, like, well, you know, I mean, I'm sort of like kind of French and kind of English and kind of German and kind of Swedish. And, you know, I mean, the most we did was that my stepfather or my step grandfather was Swedish and we were Swedish anyway. My mom's second husband just happened to be even more Swedish than we were. So at Christmas time, it would just made awful Swedish food, like just disgusting, like boiled fish. But the food at Ikea is delicious. Yeah, that is true. You have little pancakes, you have meatballs, and there's a cold fruit soup.

Oh. Yeah, it sounds gross, but it's actually not that bad. Okay. And as a kid, compared to the other things that you get, which is like, there's something called lutefisk that people know. Have you ever heard of that? I have. I don't know what it is, but I've heard of it. It's cod that's cured in lye, a poison,

that then has to be soaked all day to get the poison out of it. So you soak, you have a big plank of cod soaking in your sink all day, and then it is cooked for hours in a fucking cream sauce. Oh, wow. It is like if a load had chunks of fish in sauce. Oh, wow.

It is like if a load had chunks of fish in it. Oh, God. But a huge, like a gallon of it. Oh, my God. I'm choking to death. The entire house is repulsive. It just, it's the worst thing. And it's like one of those, it's one of those things that, you know, like, you know, like

the really awful, like liquors that people be like, this is, you know, our, our drink that we, you know, do shooters of that tears your insides out. It's the same. Cause they had that too. Acavit, which is just like rocket fuel. And this is like, nobody likes eating luteutefisk but they all do it because it's like that's i think because swedes their their their heritage is about misery oh you know they're like the irish yeah yeah it's like it's like well to be swedish is to be to be sad you

know so no yeah uh that's how you grew up? Did you raise will and mercy with that at all? No, no. They have no. I mean, if you went by what my kids ate, you'd think they were from Thailand. You know? And it's hard to get them to go out for steak. They're always like, no, can't we go have some sort of cambodian porridge or something they're they're very la yeah yeah yeah now do

you just have one brother right i do i have a brother danny who is i could not be more different than me and is that is that uh is that a normal thing in your family to have only two kids or were there bigger broods? There's big, my dad's one of six. Yeah. My grandpa on my mom's side was one of six, but my mom was one of two. My grandma was one of two. So I guess it depends. I think it depends on resources as in my dad is from a village. And so there's no contraception, there's no access to

abortion. So you get pregnant and you have to have these kids and you raise them in deep, deep poverty, which I think is the same with my, my grandpa, my mom's side, they, you know, she grew up in Istanbul, which is a more sort of metropolitan area. So they had access to those things. And so she was able to sort of control, I think how big her family was, you know, with modern means. So I really do think that has a lot to do with it, but, uh, you know, I, I i think they my parents just wanted two and they just had two and that was it i don't know my mom never talked about having more was your dad's village in armenia or in turkey turkey and turkey so do they identify well i mean obviously you don't

identify as turks no no yeah but so is that i mean that's got to be a weird sort of dual thing that the place of your birth is kind of actively against you. Oh, they hate you. They hate you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It wasn't, you know, my grandparents on my father's side were both orphans because of the genocide. And they grew up in this village. village. And one of the reasons my dad immigrated here when he was about 16 was because there was so much active hate and discrimination against Armenians. They have a term there that's, you know, similar to any sort of derogatory term used here towards, you know, ethnic communities.

And so he just he didn't want to live among that sort of negativity anymore. So he came here when he was around, I think he was 16 years old when he came here. But yeah, still, they hate Armenians. They're just not very kind to us. They want us to assimilate. My dad and a lot of other Armenian families had to change their last names because the I-A-N or the Y- the YAN at the end of the name is such an

identifier of Armenian, your Armenian heritage. And so, you know, my dad was, had a Turkish last name when he lived there and so did my mom's family. Yeah. And then they change it when they move here. So, you know, it's them sort of reclaiming their Armenian-ness, but it is, it's very hard to be Armenian in Turkey. Once they're here, are there like, do Armenians from Turkey or Istanbul kind of hang together more so than like Russian Armenians and Armenian Armenians and Lebanese Armenians? Yes. Are there, there's like insular groups within the diaspora yes it's it's it can be frustrating at times but yeah a lot of armenians kind of like kind of tend to i mean definitely older armenians tend to just kind of stick with wherever they're from so glendale has a lot of armenians from iran um you know a Montebello was a big Russian Armenian community.

But my dad went there because it was, I think, one of the only communities in LA at the time, in the 60s. And then there was a big community of Armenians from Armenia in East Hollywood, which is now, you know, Little Armenia. Sure. So, yeah, they like found where they were and they just kind of immigrated there. Do they judge each other? Like, is it like, it's like Turkish Armenians are not as cool as Armenian Armenians. Yeah. Really? It's such a frustrating part of the community because I think that, you know, we tend to

discriminate against each other and we're so small. Like, we didn't earn that yet I I feel like we're just we're just gotta earn all this you gotta earn yeah intra prejudice yes you have to earn it you have to be big enough to like do that but there is this kind of like oh they're Armenians from Armenia. So like, you know, one of the stereotypes is Armenians from Armenia wear tracksuits, Adidas tracksuits. And so one of my friends bought my boys Adidas tracksuits as like a joke because my husband is from Armenia. And so he, but he embraces it because he knows that part of his community. You know, I mean, and I think it's funny.

Like, we dress them up in it and we're like, they're getting in touch with their dad's side. And, you know, it's cute. But it's there. Also, I bet twin boy, twin, like, 11-month-old boys in two Adidas tracksuits is pretty cute. It's so cute. I can't even, I mean, it's like you took an Armenian grilling with his Adidas tracksuit on and just shrank him. It's just like, I'll send you pictures, Andy. It's really cute. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's great. Well, growing up, I mean, how do you end up

where you are? I mean, how do you end up in show business? I mean, is there, do you know of anybody that's working in entertainment as you're growing up? Not a single person. You didn't either, right? I mean, I feel like you didn't either. No, not at all. Not at all. Not a single person. In fact, when I told people in my family, I wanted to work in TV, they were like, yeah, but you don't know anyone. Like, how would you do that? And I even think one of my relatives were like, you're not Jewish. Like in their mind, everyone who worked in entertainment was Jewish. And so they were like, how are you going to do that? You're not, you don't know anybody. You're not the right culture. Like, how do you break into something like that? And I don't know if you feel this way, but looking back on it, I don't know where I got the confidence to even think I could work in entertainment or television.

It is a looking back on even though I grew up in L.A., I grew up in a very suburban area and no one I knew worked in entertainment. So I don't know how I was like, I'm going to work in TV. Look at me. and when did you start feeling like that like were you in high school like were you what were you doing stuff in in high school like were you was there a tv station at school or like you know or or you know did they have communications classes you know were you were you kind of aiming that way or were you doing theater or something what were you doing of aiming that way? Or were you doing theater or something? What were you doing in high school besides getting high?

That's what I'm trying to get at. I was drinking so much and egging houses. I was that asshole. I was egging houses. Not even houses of people I knew. I just felt a thrill of throwing an egg at a house. And back then you're like, I don't know. Montebello is so much better now that you're gone. It really is.

Yeah. Yeah. But I, we, I think in college, in college, I was like, I either want to work in movies or TV. And then I didn't have the patience. I interned obsessively every single semester in college. And when I was in college, I was like, I either want to intern for a movie studio or a TV station. And I interned for a movie studio and I was like, this is slow and boring.

I don't like it. And then I interned for NBC and I loved it. And I think that's where I was like, this is what I want to do. I don't know what I want to do in TV, but this is, I want to work in TV. It's interesting because it is true. It is like, if you want action, that's movies are just, they take forever. But even among TV, like you and i ended up in the kind of tv where it's the most action yes you know from because i you know did the conan show then i came out here and was doing sitcoms and it made me bonkers because everything took weeks you finish

a script you know like a version of a script you give it to them for notes you wait two weeks they give it back to you you take two weeks to do it you give it back to them they're in fucking maui or something you got to wait for them it's just maddening and that's like one of the reasons why when uh conan came crawling back to me to beg him to beg me to save him on the tonight show um no when he came back when he asked me to do me to save him on The Tonight Show. No, when he came back, when he asked me to do The Tonight Show with him, I was like, oh, fuck, yeah, just to make TV every night? Like, that's crazy. And I used to tell people, and it would happen occasionally, I'd have a thought in the morning and it would be on TV that night.

That's so cool. It's just, you're so lucky you got to do you've done. Cause you've done movies, you've done sitcoms and you've done a daily format. I don't think a lot of people can say that they've worked in, in all of those different types of, you know, way of creating entertainment.

I mean, I think that you're very unique that way. Thank you. Yeah, no, I, and I kind of love it, and it's sort of like perfect for my short attention span and my inability to make a decision about what exactly I really am.

Because it's even, you know, it's like I do cartoon voices and I host game shows. It's like I can't even believe how many stupid different things that I get to do. Yeah, it's cool. Or have gotten to do. I mean, we'll see if I get to keep doing them, you know, just, you know, just because, you know, I mean, let's just talk about that. How do you feel now having having the show the conan show over uh i mean are you still technically even working for conan i don't even know that i am

so yeah i mean andy you know i was his assistant for since he moved out here so that's 13 years yeah and um i i am so publicly his assistant that i i think that it would be very difficult for me to just like, be like, all right, I'm done being your assistant. And also I don't think I, I personally can do that. It's a very, I don't want to say a codependent relationship, but I, it is, I, yeah, I'm going to, I'm not going to lie. It, I, I even, I've said this to uh i i mean tack even knows this before i met my husband conan was like the most important relationship i had in my life you know that that sorry mom sorry mom sorry dad but he was he was like you know i i had to you know i was constantly worried about his well-being and there's still a part of me that is always going to be worried about his well-being.

But David Hopping does most of his day-to-day stuff now, like his scheduling and stuff. And he's done that since I had kids because I can't give Conan the attention and prioritize him the way that I feel like a good assistant should do. So my job's evolved, but I'm still working for him. And then, you know, now I'm on his podcast. So I,

I do those. Those are my two things now. And I, I, I like it. I like it. Cause it's, it's not very demanding of my time.

I can work from home and it's fun. Yeah. And it's nice to work with people that you know, and love and like, you know, you know, yeah. I mean, people that make you fucking crazy from time to time.

But, you know. Including Conan. I mean, I'm not going to lie. That's who I meant. But I loved, you know, I whenever people talk about how they hated going to work on Mondays, I never felt that in all my years working for Conan. Just going to work and seeing you and just seeing like even going to the mono meeting I loved that stuff I just really had such a good time working on the show and working with everybody on the show I'm some of my best friends work on

like you know I met Erica and Megan through that show and they're two of my best friends. So I loved it. Yeah, it is. It is something that, I mean, I don't hope I don't really take it for granted, but it's something that I definitely do miss. And that I think I was always aware of it, but just how much laughing you get to do, get to do like how much just really you know most people like one of one of the favorite pastimes for the human animal is being around people that make them laugh yeah and being in situations that are fun and funny and that and that you're laughing and we got to work with not just like funny people it wasn't just like oh the guy's down at work or a riot.

It was like world-class. And I got to do that from 1993 on. I know. And it would, at times, especially in the beginning, it would be hard. I'd come home to my wife and I would just be like, I have nothing left to give you. But I mean,

there were longer days too. I had, and I really had to learn how to like, not just completely exhaust myself, you know, myself with these people at work, just being funny and then coming home and being like, I'm drained. I have no joy left for you. Sorry. I know exactly what you mean. I mean, like we mentioned the pre-show meeting. The entire reason I was there is to laugh at jokes. That was the whole reason I was there. You were there because you are Andy, but I was there because I just,

they would gauge how jokes would do based on me laughing or not laughing. And, you know, an entire hour of my day was meant to laugh. Yeah, you were a good laugher. And also, but you also too, you knew, you felt secure enough to say like, yeah, that's not great, you know, or I don't like that, you know?

Yeah, I didn't want to hurt the writers. I think that a big part of me was like, trying not to do that too much because I really respected what the writers did writers. I think that a big part of me was like trying not to do that too much. Cause I really respected what the writers did. And I'm not a writer. I never wanted them to ever think that I was criticizing their work, but I, if I didn't laugh as hard,

they were like, okay, maybe that's not good. But also most of the jokes I laughed at were like dick jokes or poop jokes. And like have a very juvenile humor. Right, right. Earthy. Let's say earthy. That makes it sound. Earthy works. Can't you tell my loves are growing? Well, let's backtrack to what brought you to Conan. I mean, you were interning, and then you worked at NBC, correct? I did.

Yeah. I was a page. Uh-huh. I was an NBC page. But the pages in New York are much cooler than the pages in LA. The pages in LA are like, eh. Well, what'd you do? What was your life like as a page?

Did you wear a little outfit? I sure did. Oh, cute. yeah what'd you do what was what was your life like as a page did you did you wear a little outfit I sure did fucking gross ass fucking gray polyester skirt

with this stupid polyester blazer with this dumb peacock tie like I wore it all of it I hated it so much yeah

nice on a hot day too oh did you ever go to the NBC studio in Burbank I'm sure you did well when they owned it uh yeah yeah but I mean but like to to be on the Tonight Show or something or like or some other show or Ellen yeah yeah yeah um and I mean because we and also we did shows out of there like oh like we did like a and I think it might, I don't know if it was the Tonight Show.

It must not have been the Tonight Show stage. I think it was the stage next door. But like there was back in the, I think it was in the 90s. We did a week of shows from LA. And I think it was the studio. My memory is terrible. Was it Johnny Carson's old studio? Because that was also there very well could

be very well could be so I that's where that was my home base that's where I worked was a page so I would give tours of the of the of the NBC lot which was really just the Days of Our Lives studio the Access Hollywood studio and then the Tonight Show with Jay Leno studio would be like the grand finale what a tour what an exciting tour oh it was so bad but you know I mean I looked at it from my perspective I was like why would anybody want to do this tour

and then there were people who would come from all over the country take the tour then when I showed them like the Days of our live studio, it, they shit themselves. They were so, and you couldn't even go in. You couldn't go in because people were stealing props. So they, you had to stand outside the elephant doors and just kind of peer in.

Oh, wow. You know how sets are built where there's these giant walls these wooden walls yeah and you're looking at the back of flats yeah you're looking at the you're looking at nothing but they were like oh my god this is where days of our lives is shot like they i they could have spent their whole life savings for that tour just to get a glimpse of of that like yeah it is a francesca's couch or whatever i I don't know. You know? So anyway,

so you're, you're working there. Yeah. So I'm working as a page, giving tours, you know, seating the tonight show audience. That was our job. And then.

Right. Getting cocaine for the people over at access Hollywood. Exactly. Cocaine and hookers, whatever they asked for. We just got it. Or if you, you would offer yourself sometimes if you couldn't find anybody.

So that was- In a pinch. In a pinch. Yeah. So that was what I did. And then I went on assignment, which is like a page job where you get out of your uniform and work somewhere temporarily. I did it in the events department.

And they offered me a job after my assignment was done, being in the events department and they offered me a job after my assignment was done, being in the events department. Oh, and is that like a standard thing that's just like you'll work tours, but then you'll also occasionally go off and do different things. And it's just part of the program of cultivating television workers. Exactly. So it's a year-long program. This is how it was when I was there, but I've heard recently that it completely changed. But you had a year, you did tours, then anytime an assignment would open up in a department, whether it was development or programming or research or whatever, you could apply for it and you competed against other pages and then you'd get it.

And then hopefully a job would open up somewhere in your department or in another department, and then you would become a permanent employee. And so that's what happened to me. So I became a permanent employee. For people that don't know, what does events mean? It's like premiere parties, press tours, rap parties, press conferences. You know, I mean, anything that just sort of, if there was a show that was launching and they wanted to do an event somewhere to just kind of garner some press, it was part of the publicity world. But that's how I met doing a press tour. I did all the travel for the SNL cast.

And I worked with Mark Lepus for, Oh, okay. Yeah. For the, for the thing, for the event. And he and I became really good friends because of it.

And he, for people that don't, he was a segment producer on the late night show in New York. The publicist. Oh, the publicist. Right. Right.

Right. Yeah. I don't know. You know, he was a segment producer after that, I think. That's what, yeah. Yeah. I'm sure that's what I, right, right. Yeah. I don't know, you know. He was a segment producer after that, I think. That's, yeah. I'm sure that's what I was thinking. Yeah, yeah.

But he was the publicist for Late Night for many years. And then I heard Conan was coming out to L.A. to do the show, to do the Tonight Show. And I was like, I really want a job working on a show. And I really love Conan. I was a big fan of his. And so I did whatever I had to. I talked to HR.

Uh-oh. What does that mean? I got more hookers and blow for the Access Hollywood team. And then you got hookers and blow for Conan and he fainted. What? What. What? What? Oh my God. Hook, hook, hook, blah, blah, blah.

He started crying. Mommy. Yeah, mom, I did it. I looked at a hooker once. But so, oh, so you, I mean, I'm sorry, I interrupted with gags. So you just start, you're like, okay, I want to go work over there. So I want to go work over there as soon as he gets here. And then.

And you don't know what, you're like, whatever, whatever opening there would be. Yeah, I was just like ready to move on from working on the network side of things to working on a TV show. And how long had you been at events at that point? Two years. Okay. So I had been, yeah, i had been there for about two years uh and you were and it was it was a you liked it right i mean yeah yeah loved it i i really liked the people i worked with same thing i i had a really good time i i don't i don't stay

at jobs i hate and it's one of the lux luxuries of having parents who will gladly take you back at any minute. It's just, it's very freeing. So if I didn't like a job, I'd be like, I quit, you know, after a couple months or something, I would just be like, I don't like this. And I would quit. So I, yeah, I worked. I did that. And then the reason I brought up Mark Lepus was because I applied to be a PA on The Tonight Show. And then Sarah Federovich, who is the line producer, she pulled my resume out to interview to be Conan's assistant. Because he was looking for someone, but they couldn't post that he was because I think they would have been overwhelmed. Right.

And was it because your connection with Mark Lepus? She saw him as a reference? No, no, no, no. I think it's because I talked to HR beforehand. So they kind of flagged me. And then before my second interview, this is why Mark Lepus is important. But before my second interview, this is why Mark Lepus is important. Before my second interview, which was with Conan, Mark Lepus texted Conan telling him that I was great.

And I think that was a big reason why I got my job because of Mark. And what was that first interview like? And was it in L.A.? Yeah, the first interview was with Sarah. So she was just kind of screening, asking me questions about my job. Were you in like a hotel room? Were they at, I mean, because there was no offices yet, were there? I think there were, she was borrowing an office from someone. Okay.

Like there was an empty office somewhere that she was doing interviews out of. And so she interviewed me. Then the very next day, I got called in for a second interview. And then that, the next day after that, I got. So within three days, I interviewed, did my second interview, and I got the job. Like very quickly. Yeah, yeah. That's how much I wowed them.

Wow. Well, listen, you are. You're a goddamn juggernaut of positivity and effectiveness effectiveness little did they know they had no idea idiots you suckered him in yeah i did well had he had he looked at many other and did he ever tell you like did he talk to lots of other people or did it just kind of work right away? No, he told me, you know, being a personal assistant, there's people who do everything for their bosses. You know, pick up dry cleaning, get fresh cut flowers to put them in their house, things like that. Birth the children. Birth the children.

Surrogates. Yeah. Conan, yeah, I'm on a headset. Like, Conan, yeah yeah the baby's crowning i'd say you got another 20 minutes oh no oh my god another 20 minutes so he talked to a couple people like that who i think were a little intense. I think it wasn't what he was looking for. And then he, I think when I first walked into the room, it was him, Sarah, and Tracy.

So the three of them were in the room. And I introduced them. Tracy King, who was a core. I don't even know what her name was. She was our producer. Yeah, producer. I don't know. Jesus, Andy, did you even work on the show?

What happened? Yeah, but I don't know the titles, you know? I mean, Tracy was there forever and I know she was the person that made sure that there were like, everybody was there. You know, like all the different departments were like, you had people to pull cable and you had people to hang lights

and then she would do the hiring and the firing. Exactly. And Sarah kind of too, but I think Sarah had more to do with like the numbers of it all. Exactly. Yeah. So I don't know what that means, like what to call them. Yeah.

And like I say, they've all probably changed titles over the years to where I don't know. That's true. You and Tracy started from day one. And I think back then she was like a coordinator or something i think that was yeah and that's why i was always i don't know she coordinates things you know whatever does yeah um but she uh yeah the three of them were in there and then i introduced myself to all three of them and then conan said make yourself comfortable and

i was like oh okay then is it cool if I just nap on the couch like I made a joke yeah and I think that joke got me my job I'm not even joking it was that it was that it was that like and you know like I think at that point too Conan was just like disinterested in the process he just wanted someone who seemed competent and he had so much on his mind. And I think that he, he was like, okay, she made a joke. Let's hire her. Like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, you also, you are a very, I don't think I've told you this before. Like you, you are, uh, you're, you're very comfortable in your own skin and you always have been. And that's why, and I think I always told you, like, you were always great on camera

because it wasn't, there wasn't a lot of difference between you on camera and you off camera, which is just, I don't know that you were like, that was a studied thing or something or whether it's just like, it's just something that you just had. And that's, and it's a wonderful thing you know i do think it's uh i don't ever feel like i have anything to lose if that makes any sense like when we did it we did a live show at the will turn recently and there were 3 000 people there and i've never been in front of audiences that big before and someone was like are you nervous i go not really because if it doesn't go well it's not my name on the podcast right i'm not like a professional performer i

just i'm happy to just slink back into obscurity and have nobody know who i am ever again and i'm i i i really do feel like i don't have anything to lose. And I think it's because this isn't something I, you know, it's fun. But it also, if it goes away tomorrow, that's fine, too, if that makes sense. So, yeah, it is a lot of, it's very freeing to realize that. Right, right. to realize that. Right. Right.

Well, I also think too, like he's, he's a, as TV people go, he's a unique person because he's, he's, I don't want, you know,

like, because a, I have always felt like every talk show host that I've known is either nuts or miserable. Oh, that's kind of true, I think. You know, I mean, when you know them personally, they're kind of nuts or miserable. Like the one, and I mean, and Conan is, I would say, like, yeah, he's kind of nuts and miserable. But, like, not in like a, not in like not in like a not in not in like a not in a bad way i don't know i mean i totally understand what you're saying yeah he's a very

complicated guy he's got like tremendous moods to that he that it's like that he has to grapple with more than anybody else does, you know? And, and, and also like in a tremendous amount of, of ambition and desire and like, just like he needs a lot to just kind of keep it going and feel alive. And he also needs a lot of attention. I mean, that's like people would ask me about our relationship. And I would say a lot of the time, it's just like me going like, just please just stop for a minute.

You know, it's like, I was there, you know, I worked with him for seven years before I had kids, but it is, it's kind of like, it is at times like having him around is like having a kid because it's like yeah okay there he goes yeah uh-huh uh-huh and you've heard it a thousand times and it's like it's just like you just kind of have to tune out and and it's just like a squirrel on a on a treadmill just running running running running running and uh i think but he also is very real and he also kind of insists that the people around him be real yes which is which is very unusual because i think that a lot of people at that in that position of power they want they create a world to their own liking oh yeah he kind of did but the world to his own liking includes people like me yes who who can make fun of him and you know poke at him and and like you who can do the

same you know and who you know i mean you guys's relationship and i want to i want to talk about this you guys were really yourselves around each other right yeah and to the point where you made each other crazy at times yeah and i and that's it was always so interesting to watch that and to think how you know like how are the donuts getting made when you guys are like when you guys are like when you're like there's days where you're openly telling him will you shut up and he's like saying to you like stop watching tv you know yeah i think it's you're right i i i do definitely agree that it's so refreshing to work for a guy who is that accomplished and that talented who doesn't surround himself with yes men. And it's not, I mean, I've seen you be very honest with him, even if it's something he doesn't want to hear.

You know, Mike Sweeney, his head writer, Matt O'Brien, his other head writer. I mean, he's surrounded by people who just tell him and Jeff Ross who just tell him him the things that he needs to hear even if it's something he doesn't want to hear and that is very rare um but i also think you know he's like uh like a lot of comedians after having been on the podcast i've noticed this the thing that i've noticed about comedians is they need to make people laugh. Like it's such an important thing for them to just get a reaction out of people. And Conan will work just as hard to make me laugh as he will to make thousands of people in a theater laugh.

Like he really just, it's like a drug to them and i think that that's uh it's it's really cool to watch that i mean it's the same with you like i've seen i've seen you uh you make me laugh i think more than anybody else on the show i'm gonna say that i know i i think it's just because you you it's like effortless with you. You don't come off as like, I need to make you laugh. It's more like, I'm just going to say something that's funny. And, you know, it just happens to be the funniest thing I've heard like that week. You know what I mean?

It's a very interesting thing that I watch. Well, for me, it's important to have fun. Like I have really, I was, and I've talked about this before, my Aunt Pat, who you must have met at some point. Yes, I have. I've met her. When, like at a memorial service for her, I just, and I didn't even think about saying it, and I said she insisted on having fun. And that was like, I think I learned that from her and I all I really do think that that's something that I carry with me and that I I it just is

like it's so you know my girlfriend and I went with her daughter to a pancake restaurant in Whittier the other day and that people And the people, yeah, the people, like people recognize me that work there. And then I took a bunch of pictures and I was talking to them and joking to them. And like our waitress is, she's like, you're the nicest famous person we've ever had here. Oh, that's nice. And I'm like, yeah, my girlfriend was asking me about it. And I was like, it's so easy to like, they know why. It's so easy to just have fun.

Like to just like, just be light and fun and just, you know, say funny things to them and be funny, which is something like I've been doing literally since I was five or whatever, you know, as a child. And it just, it's, I don't understand being otherwise. It just, and Conan has that too. And Conan has that too. And you have that too. I mean, it's ergo you and I getting separated. Because even within the process of picking jokes, that's too much work for you and me. It's too much. So we're going to fuck around when we're just picking jokes.

I know. We're making comedy. And it's like this this sucks making comedy and making thinking of things that'll make people laugh is gross let's make each other laugh instead yeah i just gravitated to that chair next to you i was like that's where i want to sit i want to sit next to andy yeah i just when when he made you go sit on the other side of the room i was seriously bummedmed. I was like, oh, darn it. Oh, my God. And you know what?

I don't know if you noticed, but I think I sat there for like a few months and then I made my way back to sitting next to you. I was like, I think that they've at this point forgotten. And I just I want to sit next to Andy. I don't want to sit next to anybody else. I totally remember that. I was just like, I'm to sit next to Andy. I don't want to sit next to anybody else. I totally remember that. I was just like, I'm going to just do it again. And then I think they separated us again in this time. They were like, you guys are a nuisance.

And there was a point too, when you stopped coming for a while, were you just, had you had enough of monologue meeting? Oh, I think Conan and I had a fight. I think we had a fight. And I just was like, I was like, I'm not going to come. And I think we got over whatever we were fighting about. But I don't know if I was just like, I'm not going to come for a year. And then I did it.

And I really missed it. I really, really missed it. And I think after a while, I was like, I'm just going to. I remember I sheepishly went up to Conan. I was like, is it okay if I go back to the monologue meetings? And he's like, yes, of course. But like, I think it started because he and I had a fight, which, you know, we didn't have that many fights. But when we did, they were big because we got to a point where we were very familial with each other. And when you have to work for someone and you look at them as your friend and like a family member, it's hard to make that distinction.

It really became a problem to like compartmentalize. Oh, he's, you know, he's like my brother, but also he's my boss and I have to do things for him. And I, uh, and you know, I, I remember there was a point where like, I really, I think I said something to him that was very out of line. And, uh, I, it's the closest I've gotten to like leaving the show because I, I overstepped a boundary that I, I forgot was there. And so, but we, you know,

we, we became, we, we went back like family, we reconciled and it was fine after that. But yeah. Were you, did when you say you left the show,

did you feel like he was going to fire you or you feel like you? Yeah. Okay. Cause I was going to say, or you crossed that boundary and you felt like I've crossed a boundary and I should leave. Yeah, no, I think it was, I think it was, I was like,

oh, he's going to fire me. Like, I remember something happened and I went into a meeting that he was having and I said something to him that was, you know, like he's my boss. And I think I like may have yelled at him or said something to him in front of other people that was really inappropriate. And I think that I, you know, I was like, this is, we need to take a step back. I need to fix this.

And because I love my job, I love Conan, and I need to start to realize, like, he's my boss. He's my friend, but he's also my boss. And I have to treat him with respect, especially around other people. And so, yeah. And do you think he understood? Because it's not just you assuming too much. It's like that you both kind of contributed to the blurring of those boundaries. And do you think that he understood that too?

And so like, he couldn't just be like, well, there's only one set. Like I get to say and do whatever I want and tease you and like make jokes about and do literal like long comedy bits that are just insulting you and your ethnic heritage and your shoplifting past and stuff, you know. Yeah. You know, but I mean, I imagine he probably knew like, okay, you know, because that's the thing I always felt was you guys did not have, you guys, the borders were very blurred.

Yeah. And so that you both have to know like, oh, if he says too much to me or if, you know, he said too much if you know he said too much to you or you said too much to him right you gotta it's like well I kind of asked for it I did yeah I think that there was a point where I and I might have even said to him I was like I love you as a friend you're like a you're like a brother to me I you know, I saw Nev and Beckett grow up. Him and Liza have been like so generous to me and so supportive of everything

that I got to a point where I was like, I was like, I'm worried that if I keep working for you, that I'm going to lose you in my life as my friend and my, you know, like sort of, you know, this older brother figure that I have, I, I was worried that I was like, if, if I continue working for you, then I'm going to lose that. And that's more important to me now than working for you. And so, uh, that's when I like thought that I was going to leave the show for a second, but then, uh, then we, I, you know,

we worked it out. i think it was just like we had been working together for so long at that point that we got to it's almost like a seven year itch where i was just like i something big needs to happen or we just need to fix this and i and we eventually fixed it and i and it is it is like yeah he is uh we are close friends and he's he is very important to my life but he's also my boss and i think that i realized i have to be the one who doesn't lose sight of that despite whatever he might do that like does blur a lot of things he's my boss and so if he asks me to do something i have to do it it. If, you know, he's in a meeting, I have to make sure I talk to him with respect. Like it's, I just had to remind myself that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cause I mean, you know, his and my relationship goes back to 1993.

Yeah. And there have been certainly times when we were kind of crabby to each other over one thing or another, you know, and that's just, that's just life, you know, and that's just family. Exactly. Exactly. And it's like that you don't ever stop really loving each other, you know, but I am, you know, and also to, you know, for him and me too, there is like, you know, it's, it's, I, I'm in show business. It's a career. It's a career based on ego. Right. And it's a career based on like pushing, pushing the boundaries of what you've accomplished to do something bigger. So, you know, I went away for a while because I, you know, I think a big part of it was like,

I have to prove to myself I can do something than just be, know his guy you know like his and and you know and then I gladly came back to be his guy you know I mean because it's like it's it was a you know it gave me a life and a career and a you know and a financial stability and and also, like, I know how to make a TV show now. Yeah. And that's because he let me into that process. That's like, you know, when the show ended, I wrote him a letter, and that was one of the things I said is, like, the best gift you gave me was, I know how to make a TV show because you just, you brought me into the process.

You didn't keep me, you know, sitting there on the side to just be, you know, the guy that read the announcements and, you know, and then went hardy har whenever he said something funny. So, um, no, your, your chemistry with Conan. I mean, uh, when, when Kumail Nanjiani couldn't make it on the show and I had to fill in for him as a guest, it was an out-of-body experience to sit on a chair in between the two of you. And I don't know if I ever told you that. I mean, I grew up like a lot of people my age, especially I grew up watching you and Conan on TV. And so you guys are like, in my opinion,

the best late night duo that's ever existed. And so when I, you know, was filling in for Kumail as a guest, I remember just being like, I cannot believe that I'm sitting in between Andy and Conan right now. And then I know both of them very well. And they're friends of mine. And it was one of those things where I was like I don't know how I got here but I'm so excited that I am here it was just such a

it was such a beautiful moment in my brain at that point yeah oh it was I loved it I I mean honestly you know I you know Kumail's great but I like he's not you like I always I always when people would say to me like who are your favorite guests and I'd be like my friends yeah like Andy Daly or Matt Walsh or Will Arnett or you know or Amy Poehler like that's you know like my when my friends come on that's all I don't would you know like oh you know Tomanks is there. Tom Hanks is a lovely guy, but he's not like, he's not Andy Daly, you know? Yeah, that's true. Yeah, yeah. He's not you.

Yeah. And you have so many cool friends. Andy, that list was just so cool. I know. I know. I really do, don't I? Yeah, you do. The hilarious thing is, though, that I don't see any of them anymore.

That's part of old age is I don't see any of them.. That's part of old age, is I don't see any of them. If I had to list my friends, people would be like, who? And you just listed the most legendary improv people. I mean, it's like, that's so cool. Well, yeah. Well, I mean, you know. That's your world. That's where you came from.

It was a rigorous casting process to be my friend. And these guys made the cut. I'm honored. I'm honored to be here. Well, now, let's talk about this book. Ah! You wouldn't be here just to chew the fat. You're here for a reason.

Yeah, I don't want to be here just to talk to you. Yeah. Of course, I would do it even if I didn't have a book. But yeah, I wrote a book, Andy. I wrote a book. Where did that come from? Did you say, I think do it even if I didn't have a book. But yeah, I wrote a book, Andy. I wrote a book. How did, when did that, where did that come from? Did you say, I think I should write a book or did somebody come to you and say,

you should write a book? My friend, Liesl, who was a good friend of mine, she was like, you should write a book and you need to call it The World's Worst Assistant. And I was like, okay. And then the next day I told- Is Liesl in publishing or something? Or is it just, or she just one of the kids from The Sound of Music?

I know. I forgot her name is Liesl. She was actually my college professor. Oh, okay. She taught me. She was my speech coach. She was my speech teacher. And then I joined the speech team because of her.

Oh, okay. We've kept in touch since college. She's, you know, younger and cool. And she just like has really great ideas about every, she's one of those people who's just like, you know, make some, make suggestions to you about things you should do. And you're like, yeah, why didn't I think of that?

She's one of those people where you're like, it's just, it's good to have her in my life. And I love her. And she suggested it and i you know i i i i was like it was like something i in my head was like i should do that that's fun and i first needed to get conan's approval because it's called the world's worst assistant and i'm obviously going to talk about my time working for Conan. And he was like, I'm writing the foreword, send it to my agents at WME. And so he helped me get an agent. He's writing, he wrote the foreword for it. So he was really supportive. I mean, I couldn't write the

book if he wasn't because I still work for him and it would have been really awkward if you, yeah, yeah. I work for a guy. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so yeah, but I, uh, it's, it's, it's, it's a lot about, uh, my time working for Conan. I mean, it's a lot of the things that we talked about, which is like, there's always been sort of like a fish out of water kind of element to me and how I felt being in television and working in TV. So a lot of the things I got to do, like when we went to the White House Correspondents Dinner, when I met Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter, there was moments where I was just like, what is this? How exciting that I get to do this. And I've always told myself not to get jaded by it, not to get too comfortable and think that I deserve to be there.

So I've always had this wide-eyed wonderment about my job. And so I talk about that. I talk about a lot of stories about how much I've sucked at my job over the years in certain aspects. And, you know, it's a lot of tongue in cheek because I think when people think about Hollywood assistants, I think they think about these people who just are like overworked and miserable and they're, you know, constantly like sacrificing their personal and physical and mental well-being for their bosses who will like help them propel them to a different, you know, job that will, you know, I feel like there's a there's a take to my job, which is I never had to do any of that. I never had to compromise who I was and my mental well-being or my physical well-being for this job.

And I I got to a point where I was like, this is cool. So I don't need to go anywhere else. Like I'm I'm fine being Conan's assistant for the rest of my life. So I don't need to go anywhere else. Like I'm, I'm fine being Conan's assistant for the rest of my life. And I, I just, I think that it was like,

that's the sort of angle that I, I, I, I wrote this book from was this, you've heard all these horror stories about being an assistant, but this is not a horror story. This is something that's, this was actually,

this is fun. And this is a fun take on it. Yeah. Cause it, well, it is like a necessarily kind of codependent existence yes like you're you're living and you know you exist within this this universe to serve someone right i mean and in some ways you know i mean it it parallels to like my job i mean i'm not yeah there you're not you know

there's no sidekicks without a host you know what i mean it's like there's not like because you're just a host you know yeah and and so it is but and i think it's interesting too that you do I think what what people the presumptions that they make about it are like in situations and and I mean the cliched assistant role that you were talking about is when you have to completely subvert yourself yeah and you have to you have to bury yourself and that's not at all what you know yeah we're like i was there as the sidekick to the guy who was the host yeah like i you know like it was it was always gonna he's number one and i'm number two and that's always gonna be that way and i'm absolutely fine with that yeah because there's a lot of number one i've been number one and there's a lot of bullshit involved

with being number one that i don't really like and i don't want to do you know yeah and that's refreshing and that you feel that way because i think that like when you get to a point in your career where you're like i like this i'm very happy where i am i you know i make a good living i worked with people i like and i i'm okay it's i got to i got to go make TV every day. I got to go make funny TV, have a real contribution, you know, make a real contribution to this very funny show that I was very, very proud of and always will be. But I didn't like, I didn't know any network people's names. No, why would you? I didn't have to go to meetings.

Why would you? I didn't have to go to meetings. It was like when there would be some event, you know, and like veil where it's like all the network people are there and they want somebody to make them laugh for 10 minutes before we burn orphans or whatever they do. And I never had to do that shit. Yeah. You know, I just got to come and make TV and go home.

And so, like, that was, I feel like I was getting as much, you know, I was getting the better end of the deal. Like, there's a lot of stuff that he has to do that I know he doesn't even like to do, but he just does it because it's part of the deal. He has to, yeah. Yeah, I didn't have to, you know, so it was nice. It was, but it's, the fact that you recognize that, I didn't have to you know so it's nice it was but it's it the fact that you recognize that I think is it says a lot about you because I think a lot of people in and in a lot of jobs get very stir crazy and they're like what's next what what do I do next what what's my what's my next thing and it's and it's like uh sometimes it's nice to feel like

okay I like this for now. I don't need anything right away. I'm okay. Obviously, it's not going to last forever. But at this point, I am happy and this is nice. And I think that that's cool that you recognize that. Because I recognized it and it was very liberating for me. Yeah, yeah.

It's like, this is, I like making TV. I don't, and I don't need to be, and also as you get older, at least from my position, as you get older, like the glorification of you as an individual, like I don't, you realize like that doesn't really mean anything. Like that's not gonna. Yeah. I said, there was a, one of the first really big, like, kind of profiles of Conan, I think was in the New York Times Magazine.

And it was like some writer that was there for, like, it seemed like forever. like it seemed like forever and and i think it was it was one of conan's friends because they asked they in the article they interviewed me about conan and and one of the things i said was and this was kind of early on in the whole process i said i sometimes worry that you know that he's going to get so caught up in kind of the, you know, the bullshit ass, I don't remember exactly how I worded it, but like, you know, the more showbiz aspects of it and that, and then he's going to forget to, to have a real life because he wasn't married and, you know, and, and his life was kind of the show at that time. And I was like, I hope he doesn't realize that.

I said, because, and then what I said was, I said, because having met David Hasselhoff 15 times isn't going to keep the ghosts away when you're in a nursing home bed. Oh, my God. And one of Conan's friends, like, called him and was like, oh, my God, that's chilling. You know, but I meant it. And I still mean it. It's like, don't get caught up in the bullshit, because it means nothing at the end of the day. And at the end of the day, I mean, at the end of your life, it means nothing. No.

All of this stuff. It doesn't matter. So it's like, did you have fun? Did you make something good? I mean, because it's like, you know. Right. Did you make something good? I mean, because it's like, you know.

Right. In characters in the, I think it's characters restaurant in the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland. I don't know. I've never been there. It's all like bullshit kind of arts and crafts. Like the whole hotel is like California arts and crafts, Frank Lloyd Wright. And it's a quote from somebody. It may even be Frank Lloyd Wright, but there's a quote in that restaurant. And it says, life is so short and the craft takes so long to master.

And for a restaurant where you meet Chip and Dale, that's pretty fucking profound. You know, and that's and I kind of look at it that way. It's like, you know, if you get good at your craft, you've done it. That's what we're here to do. And I think, you know, whether your craft is taking care of Conan O'Brien or, you know, being a game show host, you know, cartoon voice person like me. Multi-hyphenate. You have a lot of things. Oh, my goodness. I'm not serious. Multi-hyphenate. You have a lot of things. Oh my goodness.

I'm not serious. There's so many things. I don't even know how I would classify you. I think, well, also a big thing for me, and I know this is something that you had to with your job, was your opinion mattered. And I think for any employee- That was him.

That was him. Yeah. That was Conan. He let my opinion matter. Yeah. And I think that for any employee in any job, no matter what you do, no matter what position you are, you are much happier at your job if you feel like you are valued at it. And I think that I felt like I was valued at my job. I know you felt you were valued at your, I hope you did, but I, yeah. And I think that, um, that makes a huge difference, you know? I mean, it could be for anybody. I think that like I worked at Burger King as my

first job. And I remember the, uh, the cook in the back who was making the burgers. Like everybody was so nice to him because he was such an important part of the operations. And you could tell he just enjoyed what he did. And I think that that could be for any job anywhere was that if you make someone feel like they're valuable, no matter what position they're in, they're going to enjoy going to work more. And that was a big part of my job, why I love my job so much. When's the book come out? July 19th. You can pre-order it now. I have. People pre-order it. Push pause on this and go pre-order it.

Yeah, stop listening and go pre-order this book. Because it does matter. Yeah, I had a lot of fun writing it. It was nice to look back on it and look back on my job and just kind of, I think you should write a book, honestly, for what you've done. I mean, I can't imagine the stories you have. If I have some fun stories, I can't imagine the stories you have, Andy. some fun stories i can't imagine the stories you have andy i sometimes i feel like i have to wait for people to die before i can uh write the book you

know so yeah i get that so yeah so it means i got a lot yeah okay you know I mean we can't go on forever you know I know I mean because I well you know I mean it's like there's the aspect of like what are you what's in your future but I mean is there anything beyond no what we talked about like that's you know you're gonna raise your beautiful boys yeah that's what that's my priority now I mean I think work-wise I stopped stressing about work you know thank god I stopped stressing about like what's the next step what am I gonna do it's I I've been very like I'll take whatever comes my way and I'll just see how that goes. And so, but now my, my priority is obviously my, my kids and my family and, you know, just making sure I am around and hang out with them a lot.

And, you know, and remembering where all the bodies are buried. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry, Conan. I know where they all are. Yeah. And there's's gonna be more once I help Andy murder

yeah so he can write his book yeah yeah well thank you Shona I love you very much I love you too Andy I love you so much

and this is so much fun very happy to see you thank you and thank all of you out there for listening and I'll be back next week with someone that's not gonna be as much fun

no they're gonna to suck. is Jen Samples, supervising producer Aaron Blair, and executive producers Adam Sachs and Jeff Ross at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson and Cody Fisher at Earwolf. Make sure to rate and review the three questions with Andy Richter on Apple Podcasts.