Conan O'Brien

Person · 18 cases · 2004–2026 · American television show host and comedian

How Conan O'Brien spread

O’Brien moved from television writing to hosting NBC’s Late Night, then built a long-running career across television and podcasts.

Most often
Carried it 11 of 18
Topics
Entertainment 6 · Culture 2, Media & publishing 2
Wikipedia views a month, from Jul 2015201620182020202220242026198819891993199322 yrsMost readJun 2021 · 525.5K viewsWeapons · Kept it going · Mar 15, 2026The Substance · Kept it going · Mar 2, 2025SmartLess · Carried it · Feb 23, 20252017 Great American Eclipse · Carried it · Aug 21, 2017Apple iPod silhouette ads · Kept it going · Sep 14, 2016Funko Pop! · Carried it · Jun 23, 2015Deflategate · Carried it · Jan 22, 2015ALS Ice Bucket Challenge · Carried it · Aug 14, 2014Tinder launch · Kept it going · Jul 17, 2014Breaking Bad's Netflix effect · Carried it · Sep 1, 2013Harlem Shake dance videos · Carried it · Mar 1, 2013Netflix price hike and Qwikster · Pushed back · Jul 12, 2011Friday (Rebecca Black) · Pushed back · Mar 1, 2011Angry Birds · Carried it · Sep 1, 2010Snuggie · Kept it going · Jan 21, 2010Borat (2006) · Carried it · Jul 21, 2006Lost · Carried it · Jan 1, 2006The Dean Scream · Carried it · Jan 19, 2004Start1988Milestone1989Breakout1993First big push1993PeakJun ’21TVOpen webXAudio

  1. 1988

    StartJan · TV

    Lorne Michaels hired O’Brien as a writer for Saturday Night Live. washingtonpost.com

  2. 1989

    MilestoneTV

    O’Brien and his fellow Saturday Night Live writers won an Emmy for writing. emmys.com

  3. 1993

    BreakoutTV

    O’Brien began hosting Late Night, developing an audience despite early unfavorable reviews and cancellation threats. en.wikipedia.org

  4. 1993

    First big pushApr · TV

    NBC chose O’Brien to succeed David Letterman as its late-night host, following Lorne Michaels’s recommendation. latimes.com

  5. 2021

    PeakJun · TV

    O’Brien retired from late-night television, coinciding with his Wikipedia page’s highest recorded monthly attention. en.wikipedia.org

2017 Great American Eclipse

Carried it

60
Total solar eclipse image taken through Takahashi FS152 with a f6 focal reducer and a Canon 5D MarkIV, exposure bracketing was used in seven steps from 1/2 sec to 1/8000 sec. Image was processed in…

$63.5M revenue

Snuggie

Kept it going

50
The Original Snuggie®

33M sold

Angry Birds

Carried it

68
Angry Birds app icon with the red bird

6.5M sold

Weapons

Kept it going

64
Weapons poster: children running into the dark, seen from behind

$270.1M box office

Deflategate

Carried it

48
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, side by side

60K derivatives

Friday (Rebecca Black)

Pushed back

56
Friday (Rebecca Black): cover art

442K sold

Apple iPod silhouette ads

Kept it going

48
A yellow iPod silhouette billboard in San Francisco, photographed in June 2005; CC BY-SA 2.0.

$20M media spend, U2 variant

The Dean Scream

Carried it

42
As the 'Dean scream' turns 15, its impact on American politics lives on

633 national TV airings

Netflix price hike and Qwikster

Pushed back

42
An explanation and some reflections

62K Facebook replies

Harlem Shake dance videos

Carried it

46
FILTHY COMPILATION #6 - SMELL MY FINGERS

1.5M views

Tinder launch

Kept it going

40
Tinder | Know Your Meme

10M users

Funko Pop!

Carried it

34
Conan O'Brien Pop! figures, Comic-Con exclusives, in their boxes

1B sold

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Carried it

34
Doing the ALS Ice Bucket ChallengeOpen

$100M donated to ALS Association

The Substance

Kept it going

57
The Substance: poster

$77.3M box office

Lost

Carried it

49
Lost key art: the cast arranged around the LOST title

$29.5M revenue

Borat (2006)

Carried it

59
Borat (2006): poster

$262.6M on a $18M budget

Breaking Bad's Netflix effect

Carried it

46
Walter White and Jesse Pinkman in yellow hazmat suits

337 sold

SmartLess

Carried it

37
SmartLess cover art: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett

Peaked at #4

Picture: Montclair Film, CC BY 4.0, cropped