Before Conan O'Brien became a TV host or a podcaster, he was a comedy writer who worked at The Simpsons and wrote several episodes, including 1993's iconic "Marge vs. the Monorail." Now, O'Brien has reflected on his time at the show — specifically the "terrible" writers' room.
Speaking with Ed Sheeran on the latest episode of the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, Sheeran asked O'Brien about his time writing for The Simpsons.
"The room is just awful. The room is terrible," O'Brien recalled. "I mean, it [was] at the time — I think it's much nicer now. There was bad shag carpet. Sofas that, if you're in your first year in college or university, you just get them on the sidewalk. We would sit there and eat fried food. There was a writer that smoked all the time who sat next to me, so when I die it will be because of him. We'd eat bad food. It wasn't sexy or fun or cool at all."
He then ended the story with a memory of one particularly gross game the writers played: "We all chewed up some caramel and put it together into a big blob and mashed it up into the ceiling and then tried to get things to stick to it, because you'll do anything to pass the time."
Listen to O'Brien discuss his time at The Simpsons in the player below. Sheeran and O'Brien begin discussing The Simpsons around the 18-minute mark.
This isn't the first time Conan has recalled his writers' room experiences with a mix of fondness and horror. A few years ago, he and Tina Fey discussed the declining work ethic at Saturday Night Live, where writers apparently no longer pull long overtime hours.
Speaking with Ed Sheeran on the latest episode of the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, Sheeran asked O'Brien about his time writing for The Simpsons.
"The room is just awful. The room is terrible," O'Brien recalled. "I mean, it [was] at the time — I think it's much nicer now. There was bad shag carpet. Sofas that, if you're in your first year in college or university, you just get them on the sidewalk. We would sit there and eat fried food. There was a writer that smoked all the time who sat next to me, so when I die it will be because of him. We'd eat bad food. It wasn't sexy or fun or cool at all."
He then ended the story with a memory of one particularly gross game the writers played: "We all chewed up some caramel and put it together into a big blob and mashed it up into the ceiling and then tried to get things to stick to it, because you'll do anything to pass the time."
Listen to O'Brien discuss his time at The Simpsons in the player below. Sheeran and O'Brien begin discussing The Simpsons around the 18-minute mark.
This isn't the first time Conan has recalled his writers' room experiences with a mix of fondness and horror. A few years ago, he and Tina Fey discussed the declining work ethic at Saturday Night Live, where writers apparently no longer pull long overtime hours.
