Robert Smigel On The Origins Of “In The Year 2000” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

[@Positivethinking2]

Not gonna lie the "in the year two thousaannnnddd" voice randomly hits me at times.

[@rhythmicfriction536]

Whoa I didn't realize until just now, but me too 😳

[@gerry-p9x]

My relitive saw segments. Year 2k. He was senile a bit and it aggravated him to no end

[@waryaawariiri1812]

Last year out of nowhere I said this - *In the year two two thouuusanddddd* - aloud and my then ten-year-old heard me. I explained it to her. I hadn't uttered these words for more than two decades.

[@TerpeneProfile1]

same here

[@andytennant4094]

To me it was the dramatic effect it had on your brain, you felt like you were going to get some chilling prophecy but instead got a silly joke from Conan or Andy who were absolute pros at delivering it with a straight face.

[@DanFlashes99]

My favorite In the Year 2000 bit was with David Duchovny, who had the perfect dry delivery: "In the year 2000 the Bald Eagle will be taken off the endangered species list, not because it is no longer endangered, but because it is a douchebag." lol

[@shanhussain6114]

When Conan got the spot on the Tonight Show, he did "In The Year 3000" instead, and one that always comes to mind was: In the year 3000, KZbin, Facebook and Twitter will merge into one company named "You Twit Face" 🤣🤣🤣

[@N-xi2zh]

I love Duchovny 4ever.

[@CiabanItReal]

Mine was the one with Jim Carey. The smug look of satisfaction he had on his face when he got them all to break and laugh is priceless.

[@geloamiote]

We need a 10-part deep dive with robert smigel

[@dustinbilson5472]

Da boyz

[@edwardh1003]

Da Bears

[@fredbaumann3360]

Pleeeeeeze!

[@mattmacnavarro8060]

Add a 1 and two 0’s in front of that and you got a deal

[@os-tin]

going through a pretty rough time and conan is always there, whether it's new clips or digging through clips from the past decades. it's nice to be able to count on the team

[@seanryan7515]

Stay strong my dude

[@charleybarley914]

us Team Coco stans are on your side my friend.

[@udaymukhija4366]

This was me in July. Old Triumph videos really helped.

[@TeemuSintonen]

Conan is my comfort zone also

[@jasonr375]

I'm right there with you. Not an easy time but comedy helps.

[@beardown6574]

Smigel is a legend. Loved this conversation between 2 old friends

[@kenyanoxygen5801]

robert smigel is one of my favourite comedian writers. all his appearances on howard are literal gems.i love the work and support he has done for kids with autism and im also glad that his latest project LEO is getting the love that all his projects deserve ..i cant count the number of times ive watched YOU DONT MESS WITH THE ZOHAN

[@maxstraight8240]

I didn't realize he cowrote Zohan until recently. Great funny movie!

[@mikestevenson576]

Zohan is the hardest I've probably ever laughed at a movie.

[@JoshPhoenix11]

Have you seen the pilot episode 'Lookwell' that Conan and Smigel wrote that was the greatest, funniest most genius tv pilot to never get picked up? It stared tv Batman's Adam West and it would of been the best tv series of the 70's if it ever was made.

[@angelmanfredy]

I was so sad when Conan canceled his show but I’m so happy that he has this. There’s been some amazing hilarious interviews like this one.

[@sanctifiedandsaved5298]

I can't say who does the better Leno - but these two guys are hysterical!

[@Sunset4Semaphores]

2:06 *Burn Jay, Burn!*

[@JustSwivel2]

I remember the pool ad with the child slightly out of focus saying "this is the pool I drowned in."

[@gringostarr7858]

Am i the only one that says the "year 2000" in a super high pitched conan voice when someone in my life mentions anything about the year 2000? I love that sketch.

[@IMLMadras1st]

Nope, 🤚🏻 .

[@senoritaperdida]

My absolute favorite parts of the podcast are when Conan and his guest just reminisce or chit chat. Performance is great, but I just love the feeling like I’m a fly on the wall of their hangout.

[@jkap34]

No, that's hosted by Dana Carvey and David Spade. (Fly on the Wall)

[@kamenanew9867]

​@@jkap34odd to pretend to misunderstand a comment as a way to advertise that podcast but hey whatever works ig.

[@cleverusername9369]

Dueling Jays was hilarious, but you have to appreciate the grace Conan shows, he clearly doesn't like Jay Leno (for good and obvious reasons) and he'll occasionally do the voice, but he NEVER comes off as bitter or mean-spirited. He rarely talks about that whole fiasco, in fact he seems to go out of his way to avoid it, but when he does, he's very matter-of-fact and dispassionate.

[@nolongerblocked6210]

Totally agree! If that was me, I'd be so pissed off that all I talked about would be Leno hosing me

[@Sunset4Semaphores]

2:06 I like the Jay Burn!

[@trevour]

ACTUAL ITEMS! That and the Staring Contest with Andy were the best recurring bits on Late Night.

[@JomerTB]

Can't forget about the Chuck Norris lever haha

[@blacki4268]

The best in the year 2000 joke was the friends one with mr. T. It went something like this "in the season finale of friends, it will finally be revealed, that NYC has black people"😂😂

[@Cloudryder9]

My 5 year old suddenly started humming “in the year 2000” a month ago. Proud of him. And a pat on the back for me.

[@desertleviathan5131]

I think the main reason I have so much affection for "In the Year 2000" is because it persisted so far past 2000. The actual content of the bits were often hit or miss for me, a fair number of low-hanging fruit jokes about whatever celebrity was controversial at the time, but the absurdity of the framing was what hooked me.

[@michaelhudson2912]

Yep and the song was funny literally every time

[@patreekotime4578]

The flashlights was also such a great touch. It was just so stupid. When they changed it to In The Year 3000 and added fancy costumes for the Tonight Show it didnt work as well IMO.

[@Spaced92]

It was just the song and how surreal it was. Going after 2000 was bonus territory.

[@erakfishfishfish]

My favorite In the Year 2000 joke: “After years of wedded bliss, Miss Piggy files for divorce when Kermit the Frog converts to judaism and can no longer eat pork.”

[@phobowl]

I remember wondering in 1999 what were they gonna do with thus sketch. Turns out they just kept going. 😂

[@adamziegler7921]

Smigel is a comedic genius. What I would have given to be a fly on the wall for those Chicago sketch shows.

[@detroitdiezel7856]

Just as long as there wasn't someone with a flyswatter nearby... or worse, a bug zapper!!

[@bwuh]

2:57 I could have listened to Jay vs. Jay for the rest of this segment. Hilarious.

[@lanamarie6-2020]

Love Conan! Love Smigel! 😄

[@fdrstan]

I wish we could somehow convince Lorne and Conan to have Conan host SNL again… it would be so incredible.

[@Writebrain82]

I don't think the NBC suits would let Conan show his face back on the network, but maybe it's been long enough now where they wouldn't care. I'd LOVE to see him on SNL. It'd be the best.

[@lanceh543]

he was on the show Feb 2022@@Writebrain82

[@raveoreynolds6049]

Oh boy, Conan hosting SNL at its peak irrelevancy, with one of the weaker casts they've had.

[@Robert-rw6pi]

He did a surprise appearance on snl last year.

[@puppsmcgee74]

I guess that’s why Conan has resonated with me ever since he began his talk show in the 90s. I too am a huge fan of Warner Bros cartoons and have been since I was a kid. If I could act like Bugs Bunny every day of my life I would be ecstatic.

[@treetopjones737]

Watch the very first Daffy Duck cartoon, wild.

[@itskevinzerbe]

The Year 2000 was one of my all-time favorite bits from Late Night. My friends and I still sing that tune

[@Bombadil-ez9ns]

I got into Conan in the year 2000. I got that it was an old bit that they carried over without changing it, which made it that much funnier.

[@greenrobot5]

So this guy is a huge part of why Late night was so awesome

[@surlyman7970]

I’ve always remembered “in the year 2000, Starbucks will make franchise history by building a Starbucks…..INSIDE ANOTHER STARBUCKS” hilarious

[@MissInformation773]

Hoping you guys make a time capsule to be opened 70 years from now with a Triumph puppet and a film of the best sketches

[@kamenanew9867]

Best of triumph on Conan DVD I still own and love. Also the come poop with me cd DVD combo.

[@Tonyhouse1168]

Robert just did an interview with Rich Eisen where he gets really in depth with this story. Learning about Triumph’s creation was pretty cool

[@Lurdiak]

My favorite part of the Triumph puppet is the cigar he constantly drops.

[@taylorlconner]

Yes! And the arm holding a microphone that is nowhere near his body!

[@kamenanew9867]

​@@taylorlconneralways loved when he'd lose an arm, great bits.

[@Kendilious]

All this time, I thought IN THE YEAR 2000 started AFTER 2000 (I started watching as a teenager in the early 00s). It was hilarious and definitely worked, so glad you kept as is haha

[@Challam3ow]

My favorite thing about Triumph, is when Robert pulls out the long stick arms and doesn’t even bother to hide Triumph’s actual arms 😂😂😂😂😂

[@brannonhill4046]

Or sometimes even try to hide his own hand

[@gidafo]

I love the thrill with Bob Odenkirk pulling off being an action star for real!! They’re so proud of him and think it’s so hilarious, it’s awesome!!

[@ThatsOnYoutube]

I need Triumph to poop on these Amazon ads.

[@batoutofmel4959]

Do it now, Triumph! Don’t be a fool!

[@missoula2213]

Or you could just eat 💩 instead. 😅

[@ThatsOnYoutube]

@@missoula2213 Jeff Bezos that was rude.

[@kstepko]

I liked it a lot better when they didn’t include Conan reading ads from the podcast in their videos.

[@hopegaming867]

I mean he could poop and u could get a toilet paper and litter box from Amazon. 😂

[@darthsirrius]

I remember watching that episode the first time they did the year 2000 bit after the year 2000 had passed, and just laughing at the insanity of it. Honestly one of my favorite bits, and it only got better the farther past the year 2000 it got ROFL

[@Daniel_Zalman]

Conan, thank you so much for this gift.

[@marshmallowcrew]

Loved the podcast! This just made me think, it would be awesome if Brian McCann or Brian Stack were a guest on CONAF. I’m sure they would both have plenty to talk about with Conan

[@patreekotime4578]

They've done Inside Conan. They even appeared together on it. Its really a great podcast.

[@treetopjones737]

The bits with the announcer guy ( was his name Joel ? ) revealing that he was a creepy guy were always fun.

[@mj.ray0898]

4:58 them talking about Odenkirk being in Nobody and joking he's got a John Wick franchise starting, but honestly I would be so down for a sequel, that movie was badass. Never expected that kinda thing from Odenkirk but he killed it!

[@Ou8y2k2]

This Smigel interview needs to be like 3-4 hours long. 👍

[@jkap34]

Just watch the reading of Hanz und Franz. You get like 6 hours of Smigel with Kevin Nealon and Dana carvey mixed in there.

[@1Godlessheathen]

My favorite ‘Actual Ad’ would have to be the one where Conan is showing off this swimming pool and says “here we have this swimming pool that you can put up in your backyard. Looks like it would be fun for a family to splash around in and create memories. There’s a… young man playing in it. It looks like he’s having fun. But then when you look closer it reads ‘Timmy’s ghost says “this is the pool I died in.’” I laughed so friggin hard at that.

[@DJDarthVader]

Classic duo. They should write a banging comedy series man. Time to make up for Lookwell

[@supafun33]

I rewound the Leno/Lorne impressions multiple times! Great stuff!

[@imfireproof]

"That‘s just ME, I guess“ 😂😂😂

[@youssef3616-l8g]

These Amazon ads are a joy to listen to... FOR ME TO POOP ON!

[@trentb3148]

Oh man, I remember as a teenager wondering what they were going to do when it was actually the year 2000.

[@folarinosibodu]

best episode yet. best stories and wall to wall laughs.

[@mattmmilli8287]

lmao you can tell the way they both did Leno the same time how many times and for how long they have done that before 😂

[@jasonbenjamin1464]

the man the myth the legend robert smigel... he gets brought up all the time

[@amethystpeony]

I usually listen to true crime podcasts, but it was getting late so I decided to listen to a Conan Needs a Friend episode. It happened to be one with Conan doing the "Yay Boo" song, which haunted me all night long!! I woke up to use the bathroom and have Conan in a loop in my head going "Yay Boo, Yay Boo..." I wake in the morning and it is still there, "Yay Boo, Yay Boo...", then I picture him doing the marionette dance too😱

[@aclarkedesign]

The early Conan late night shows were fantastic.

[@edub9930]

Robert Smigel is the GOAT u dont even know. I remember those fake newspaper clippings bits they were hillarious 😂😅

[@fbaesh]

As I sit, watch & loudly guffaw at these Conan/Smigel segments, my bandmates, in an adjoining room, are wondering: what the HELL'S going on in there? Thank you, Team Coco, for making this happen 🙂👍

[@moxxichannel5950]

I loved David Letterman & respect him and his contributions to late night TV. I even loved when Jay would come on Letterman because Jay & Dave were hilarious together. Conan, Andy & Robert managed to evolve & transcend late night TV comedy & usher it into the 21st Century. It was comedy with an edge that had zero use for the traditions & reverence of late night tv or the self importance of celebrity; it scoffed at ALL of that. After Conan had Tonight heartlessly ripped away from him completely unfairly, the wife & I flew to Edmonton to see him & show our support for his contribution to comedy excellence. Conan, I'm assuming, is not without ego, but I hope he realizes how much of an impact he has/had on pop culture today.

[@tinytanks]

the funny part about that "in the year 2000" being a 60's thing is that it was still a thing for us kids in the 90's, even though we didn't realize just how close it was by that point. i think that has to be a huge part of why it resonated so well on conan.

[@TheReal_DeanD]

Always loved triumph and Conan. Robert Smigel is great. I gotta dig up my Triumph music album somewhere on my attic.

[@jamesscozzari5008]

Robert Smigel is an Isles fan and that's all I needed today.

[@florete2310]

I know, I know... - we've announced so many honorary chill chums by now... but Robert Smigel must be added to the ranks (obviously)... Sheeesh... guess, Gourles has to make some extra space in his garden for the Annual Chill Chums v Honorary Chill Chums Cookout & Drinks Bonanza... I don't see any way around that😁...

[@JohnWear-s3f]

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard Conan laughed this hard so often.

[@davidhill2020]

I love watching Conan's people take a steaming dump all over Jay Leno. That guy stole so many bits from Dave and Howard, it was ridiculous.

[@mikestevenson576]

In fairness, when Dave started Late Night and had the same challenge as Conan (he was forced by Johnny to avoid pretty much every talk show convention people had gotten used to), Dave didn't generate mountains of completely new things like Conan and Smigel did. He lifted the entire Steve Allen catalogue. At least, the parts Johnny Carson hadn't already stolen.

[@Sunset4Semaphores]

2:06 *Burn Jay, Burn!*

[@anthonyfederico7904]

The, “ We love cartoons” line now makes a lot of my life of loving these guys, make sense….

[@shawnphillips1612]

When I'm old and grey and have forgotten my name.. I'll still remember.. "in the year 2000"

[@xchapix]

I love that they just randomly go in and out of bits all the time lol

[@dh5363]

These guys would be so fun and exhausting to be around with all the characters and sketches they constantly go in and out from lol

[@suemick8709]

Smigel binge about to commence.

[@jozz2248]

Appreciated the dueling banjo Lenos 😆

[@patreekotime4578]

Sounds very similar to banjos.

[@garywaynehoffman207]

Smile-Gel always makes me happy !

[@willpfister]

Sona looks amazing.

[@mctaguer]

Keeping In the Year 2000 way past 2000 was one of my favorite niche humor things, ever. Master stroke.

[@Verbal_Kent]

In the year 2000 bits was how I started watching Conan. ❤❤❤

[@gustafsone]

I was at a taping of "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" (who wants to touch me??) and I vividly remember them doing this bit because a UFO came down from the ceiling and landed on top of LaBamba's head. They were chanting "In the year 3000". Conan must have forgotten they did the "updated" version of that bit where they advanced to the year 3000.

[@joshuapaladini1507]

One of those fake print ads was for miniature candy, and the tagline was, "Candies so small, you're a douchebag!" Still cracks me up 30 years later

[@sunshine3914]

Why am I watching this, I listened to the podcast yesterday

[@b25822]

Wow I remember all those old Conan bits. They were so good. FOR ME TO POOP ON!

[@qlyde1]

I randomly chose to attend the "Happy, Happy, Good Show" in 1988 and I remember Conan as the "The Kennedy baby" but I do not remember Bob in that show. I did not know who either of them were but I remember later seeing "The Superfans" on SNL and realized I had seen it before. I think it deputed in that show.

[@danielwilliams7562]

I need this whole interview

[@amberowens3244]

I do remember that skit, the flashlight under the chin. I thought Triumph's accent was like Yugoslavian 😂

[@Whatever-you-wanted]

Never changing the year in the year 2000 skit made it so much more funny!

[@growupjohnny9374]

One in a gazillion ❤

[@LokiDWolf]

To be a fly on the wall where they wrote would be such a priviledge!

[@Whatever-you-wanted]

Robert, you are my favorite comedic writer tied with Mel Brooks! The Producers ( the original) is my all time favorite. You will probably never read this but, I beg you please bring Triumph back in a new special. Maybe Triumph has a son? A young pup? If you need a extra voice I am American, Russian/ Romanian Jew raised by his grandma I can do it or at least try to lol. Robert the world needs Triumph more than ever. We need real comedy like you and Conan! So much for you to poop on! I hope one day to write something as good as you Robert! I’m trying. Thank you from your fan- Jesse.

[@joyofsox]

DUEL! Dennis Weaver. One of my favorite films.

[@timmartin8191]

I could watch Conan and Robert do this podcast every night.

[@julesbower762]

Been hearing of him, all my life (at least the part where I pay attention to such things...) and had never seen him. Had heard some of his voices, knew it was him doing the characters. Triumph, the shorts on SNL. Kinda how I pictured him actually.

[@cosmonot47]

I hope conan’s underlying contempt for leno never fades

[@samanthab1923]

Love “In the year 2000” 😂

[@fatsuperfly]

Lmao! My brother had a 71 valiant and I remember him just always having 2 jugs of water at all times when he just bought it. “ ok, gotta pull over and fill it with water. And the steam rising just before😂. Great car.

[@Sunset4Semaphores]

2:06 *Burn Jay, Burn!*

[@Tygertyger85]

My favorite ad ever was like an advertisement for a shed, and the print was "The perfect place to keep your powertools, gardening gears and bisexual stepson"

[@cleanaholic2584]

Genius

[@chiramos310]

Robert Smigel is a genius!!!!

[@thishollowhill]

In the yeeeeeeear two thoooooousand, in the yeeeeeeear two thoooooousand!

[@shawnhuk]

Pleaaaaase post the whole episode

[@eliasisamess]

I love listening to these clips on slower speed

[@lachauntiswashington231]

this is great.😂😂😂👏👏👏

[@NspireM8]

Man I was listening to the podcast and thought Robert was making an impression of Chris Farley lol

[@frankg7630]

Clutch cargo rehearsals were hysterical,most didn’t make air.

[@GPS379]

Conan the comedy GOAT

[@highd12]

Knives are quiet stuck with me until this day!

[@FlexoShootFlexo]

Robert Smigel is a national treasure

[@erch4882]

Robert is such a sweet sweet guy

[@kdcowled]

I am so happy this exists. Please put Conan, Robert, Mike and Jeff in a room next time!!