Conan O’Brien Thinks He’s Funny

Late Night Show host Conan O’Brien covers this Sunday’s issue of PARADE Magazine. In June, he’s taking over for Jay Leno on NBC’s The Tonight Show, which is a slightly big undertaking. I have been a Leno fan for many, many years and am saddened that he is leaving, but am very curious to see how Conan does.

Conan admitted to PARADE that he things he’s funny. “I think I have some natural ability—I think I’m a funny person,” he tells PARADE “I knew I had something to offer as a performer, but I was very realistic about what I didn’t have. I knew I wasn’t good-looking enough to be, you know, sort of a handsome lead actor.”

O’Brien also dishes on his new job, his old job and a whole lot more! Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

On his new job, taking over NBC’s The Tonight Show…
“It’s a huge responsibility. But I can’t let that be in my head all the time. The biggest danger to me right now would be overthinking. When I am comfortable and having a good time, it works. I think that, at my best, I’m just a silly man having fun.”

On getting choked up when his show ended in February….
“I think I was feeling what a lot of people feel when they go to a place to do work for a long period of time, and then they have to leave,” he tells PARADE. “That show—which, by the way, was the scariest thing that I’ve ever undertaken—changed my life and gave me so much. Most of the people that I’m closest to in my life work on that show. I met my wife through that show, and we have children now.”

For more information, check these pages at PARADE Magazine:

The full interview:
http://www.parade.com/celebrity/2009/05/conan-o-brien.html

Parade.com Slideshow:
http://www.parade.com/celebrity/slideshows/exclusive/conan-o-brien.html

An Exclusive Behind the Scenes Slideshow:
http://www.parade.com/celebrity/slideshows/exclusive/behind-the-scenes-conan-o-brien.html

Image Credit: PARADE Magazine