Louis C.K. was on Conan last night (the show, not the person). During the interview, Conan pulled out a picture of the original Late Night With Conan O’Brien writers taken when the show premiered on Sept. 13, 1993. Louis C.K. was one of those original writers, and was even offered the head writer gig at one point. He wanted to pursue stand up, so he asked for a salary that he thought was way too high. Conan went to the network, convinced them to pay that much, and then called Louis C.K. with the good news. At which point C.K. turned down the job anyway and left for what turned into an amazing stand up career.
They’ve stayed friends, and C.K. has made several memorable appearances on the show since. On last night’s show, C.K. dropped by while in town for this Sunday’s Emmy Awards. Conan pulled out the picture above, showing Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), David Reynolds, Marsh McCall, Robert Smigel, Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter, Louis C.K., Dino Stamatopoulos, and possibly also Brian McCann or Tommy Blacha. (If you can identify all of those writers from their appearance 20 years ago, give yourself a cookie.)
After looking at the picture, they relay stories from the old days, like when Louis C.K. cried and stormed out of the writers’ room and the time he bullied Conan into doing a rejected joke, then watched from the sidelines as it bombed.
Enjoy.
FOLLOW UP: Louis C.K. Tells Conan Why Mobile Phones Are Evil And About The Time He Hit On Gwyneth Paltrow
(H/T: The Comic’s Comic)