Conan O’Brien meets New Zealand namesake in comedic clash

Conan O’Brien meets Rotorua City Councillor Conan O’Brien. Photo / Getty Images and the Rotorua City Council

• US talk show host Conan O’Brien met his namesake, Rotorua Councillor Conan O’Brien, in a comedic clash.
• The pair shared sarcastic banter in Mission Bay, with the councillor delivering deadpan humour.
• The meeting is part of the New Zealand episode of ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’.

United States late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien faced his Kiwi namesake, Rotorua Lakes District Councillor Conan O’Brien, in a viral comedic clash.

The pair met late last year as part of the US star’s travel series, Conan O’Brien Must Go.

O’Brien (the Rotorua councillor) told the Herald the US comedian was a “really, really nice guy”.

“There’s a lot of things said about some Americans at the moment, but, mate, he was really just a plain ordinary person.

“There was nothing super-starry, or attitude, anything like that at all.”

A clip of the comedian and the councillor’s interaction was posted to social media last week, where they shared sarcastic banter in Mission Bay.

The Emmy-award-winning comedian said: “I’ve been on this planet quite a while, yet I’ve never met someone with the same name as me”.

Rotorua City Councillor Conan O’Brien. Photo / Rotorua Lakes Council

“You’ve certainly heard of me before,” the star said before asking if the Kiwi councillor liked any of his work.

O’Brien said he enjoyed “some” of the comedian’s interviews.

“Not everything’s going to be a home run,” the councillor said in a deadpan fashion.

The US host then asked the councillor if he was also involved in comedy.

The councillor quipped: “No, I do meaningful things”.

“I’m actually a city councillor on the Rotorua City Council.”

When asked if he was ever interested in comedy, the councillor said back with a straight face, “No, what about you?”

Comedian Conan O'Brien speaks onstage. Photo / Getty Images

The full interaction can be viewed as part of the New Zealand episode of the show.

‘He has a gift’: Kiwi O’Brien shares all

Councillor O’Brien said the entire filming experience was not rehearsed or set up in any way.

He said he spent a couple of nights up in Auckland waiting for the comedian while he filmed other things.

“I can’t speak for the other segments, but certainly mine was basically, I just walked up the stairs and we shook hands and started talking.

“The New Zealand production people said to me, he’s not the sort of guy who likes people kissing his butt.

“We’re New Zealanders, so we don’t go for that anyway.”

The Kiwi said he filmed the segment for about half an hour, but only a few minutes made the cut.

The councillor said the American “has a gift” where he can just play along.

New Zealand episode of O’Brien Must Go

O’Brien filmed an episode for his comedic travel series, Conan O’Brien Must Go, in New Zealand last year.

Along the way, O’Brien took in local culture, cuisine, and sights during his Aotearoa visit.

Conan O'Brien did what is 'required by the Government' when visiting NZ - he met Taika Waititi.

The episode covers a meeting with local comedian Abbey Howells, who schooled him on the local accent, posture, drinking culture (Scrumpy hands) and using chur, nek minnit and skux in a sentence.

O’Brien made a cameo on Shortland Street when he was on Kiwi shores, and he was one of thousands who came together to help take the haka world record from France.

The comedy legend, famous for his Late Night and Tonight Show hosting roles, described the experience of playing a “successful surgeon” on the popular soap as “a blast”.

“Now comes the hard part – convincing my parents it was a documentary,” he shared in an exclusive statement to the Herald.