Conan O’Brien on Robin Williams’ Ugly Gift After Tonight Show Firing

Conan O’Brien shares the story of how the late Robin Williams cheered him up after he was fired The Tonight Show in 2010.

The late talk show host, 61, recalled the funny memory during a recent episode of his “Conan O’Brien needs a friend” podcast, telling listeners he was “lucky enough to have some great interactions” with the beloved comedian before his death. The actor died by suicide in August 2014. He was 63 years old.

“One of the most memorable examples for me is when I went through my whole Show tonight debacle,” O’Brien began. “Finally the show is over and I don’t know if I have a career anymore. What should I do then? I’m on the living room floor in my house and my phone rings and I pick it up and it’s Robin Williams. I don’t even know how he got my phone number.”

O’Brien, whose passion for cycling was shared by Williams, noted that Williams assured him he would “be fine” and that he “will be great,” he said. Mrs. Doubtfire actor sent him to a bike shop in Santa Monica, California, for a one-of-a-kind gift.

“And I said, ‘What?’ And he said, ‘No, no, just go down there. Ride around, you’ll feel better,'” O’Brien continued. “And I went down, and it was a very nice bike. And he said, ‘I told him to paint it all these crazy Irish colors.’ I get down there and it’s the ugliest thing — I mean, it was just greens and shamrocks and everything. And he said, ‘You’re going to like that bike, boss.'”

O’Brien added: “I thanked him many, many times. I just couldn’t believe he was thinking of me.”

O’Brien began hosting Late evening on NBC in 1993. After his contract came to an end in 2001, the network extended his deal and agreed to make him the fifth host of The Tonight Show in 2009; however, Jay Leno – who started hosting The Tonight Show in 1992 – was only made aware of the deal in 2004.

Leno, 74, got his own late-night show when O’Brien took over Show tonight hosting tasks. O’Brien hosted for only a few months before leaving the network in January 2010, and Leno resumed hosting The Tonight Show until 2014. O’Brien continued to host Conanwhich aired on TBS for 11 seasons from 2010 to 2021.

Earlier this month, it was announced that O’Brien will host the 97th annual Academy Awards, which will take place at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on March 2, 2025.