After 25 years at the Late Night desk, Conan realized that the only people at his holiday party are the men and women who work for him. Over the years and despite thousands of interviews, Conan has never made a real and lasting friendship with any of his celebrity guests. So, he started a podcast to do just that. Deeper, unboundedly playful, and free from FCC regulations, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend is a weekly opportunity for Conan to hang out with the people he enjoys most and perhaps find some real friendship along the way.
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Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
Martin Short Returns Again
#15 trending · All Podcasts
Martin Short feels sexually excited about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.
Martin sits down with Conan once more to discuss taking Only Murders in the Building to London
Oct 19 1 h 01 min
Bubble Gum and Cyanide
Conan and special guest Taylor Tomlinson speak to flavor scientist Jeremy in San Francisco about how to properly cleanse a palate, performing over 100 sensory tastings in
Oct 15 26 min
Kyle MacLachlan
Actor Kyle MacLachlan feels fortunate about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.
Kyle sits down with Conan to discuss his new memoir Fictional Selves, how being plucked from
Oct 12 1 h 03 min
Conan O’Brien Must Go: Season 3 Roundtable Discussion Part II
Conan returns with producers Mike Sweeney, Jessie Gaskell, and Jose Arroyo for a deep dive into his travels through Morocco and the Philippines on the newest season of Co
Oct 8 34 min
Owen Wilson
Actor Owen Wilson feels good about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.
Owen sits down with Conan to discuss how military school led him to a creative partnership with Wes A
Oct 5 1 h 03 min
Conan O’Brien Must Go: Season 3 Roundtable Discussion Part I
Conan sits down with the creative team behind Conan O’Brien Must Go (Mike Sweeney, Jessie Gaskell, Jose Arroyo) for a behind-the-scenes look at season three, discussing e
Oct 1 27 min
Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson
Actors Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson feel very Irish and like a True American, respectively, about being Conan O’Brien’s Friend. Matthew and Woody sit down with
Sep 28 1 h 04 min
The Body Politic Part II
Conan continues chatting with body mod expert Grace from Bristol to learn about extreme genital modification, body suspension, and more.
Wanna get a chance to talk to
Sep 24 20 min
Joel McHale Returns
Actor, comedian, and television host Joel McHale feels blank about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.
Joel sits down with Conan once more to discuss solo spousal vacations
Sep 21 1 h 04 min
The Body Politic Part I
Conan talks to tattoo artist Grace from Bristol about the wide world of body modification from tongue-splitting to belly button removal and beyond.
Wanna get a chance
Sep 17 22 min
Taylor Tomlinson Returns Again
Comedian Taylor Tomlinson feels gobsmacked about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.
Taylor sits down with Conan once again to discuss her new book Actually, Nevermind, hig
Sep 14 1 h 02 min
Comedy Crimes with Andy Daly
Conan and special guest Andy Daly chat with Peter in Framingham, MA about working for the CPCS Innocence Program, the best sources of DNA, and how to bring comedy into di
Sep 10 23 min
Matt Groening
Writer and animator Matt Groening feels honored about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.
Matt sits down with Conan to discuss fond memories of The Simpsons writers' rooms
Sep 7 1 h 05 min
Summer S’pouses Episode 6: The Spouses Reunited
On the sixth and final Summer S’pouses, Conan, Sona, and Matt reunite with Liza, Tak, and Amanda for one final multi-matrimonial dialogue.
Wanna get a chance to talk
Sep 3 20 min
Andy Daly Returns
Comedian and actor Andy Daly feels at peace about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.
Andy sits down with Conan to discuss wrestling his pets, his controversial persona in
Aug 31 1 h 06 min
Summer S’pouses Episode 5: The Spouses Alone
The Spouses (Liza, Tak, and Amanda) sit down by themselves to discuss the unexpected ways in which the podcast has altered their lives.
Wanna get a chance to talk to
Aug 27 23 min
John Cena
Actor and wrestler John Cena feels curiously enthusiastic about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.
John sits down with Conan to discuss wrestling as a training ground for
Aug 24 1 h 07 min
Summer S’pouses Episode 4: Liza Powel O'Brien
Liza Powel O’Brien feels so many things about being Conan O’Brien’s spouse.
Liza sits down with Conan, Sona, and Matt to discuss being married to a man with absurd ea
Aug 20 19 min
Gillian Anderson
Actress Gillian Anderson feels nonplussed about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.
Gillian sits down with Conan to discuss her iconic role as Agent Scully on The X Files,
Aug 17 1 h 04 min
Summer S’pouses Episode 3: Tak Boroyan
Tak Boroyan is still adjusting to being Sona Movsesian’s spouse.
Tak sits down with Conan, Matt, and Sona to discuss emigrating from Soviet Armenia at a young age, hi
Aug 13 23 min
Chart trend
Position in the overall Apple Podcasts chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#52#103JulAugSepOct
#21
all-time peak
251
days in the top 50 since Nov 2024
Chart positions
Where Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 20, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
I was DYING listening to the listener episode. Just hearing these two do what they do best and riff…..I felt like I was backstage listening in on a writers room. Please put something together where the fans can hear these two cook in the comedy kitchen together on the regular!
Kari Angela · Sep 2026
I have truly loved this show from the beginning. It’s my emotional support podcast with so many episodes I can re-listen to that still makes me laugh and smile. It is surprising that the topic of bu*t plugs seems to come up rather frequently… and as a Rhode Islander, I am always delighted when Conan breaks out his Cranston accent. Keep up the great work, everyone… the chaos and humor and humanity that you deliver is always appreciated. ❤️
Alexinrhody · Sep 2026
Hi Conan! Long time fan, first time reviewer. I just wanted to thank you for making such delightful content like the podcast and Conan Must Go!
Your travel show in particular has been an unexpected gift. I’m a therapist, and one of my focuses has been OCD. One of the obsessions that can come up with OCD is scrupulosity, or concerns of being seen as “bad” and “immoral” or failing personal/societal ethics. The main treatment for OCD is ERP, exposure and response prevention.
Your show was a perfect form of exposure for some of my clients whose obsessions and compulsions were focused on morality. From the restaurant in Argentina where you broke every social norm kissing everyone in your proximity, to Norway where you stood out in unflattering ways. Your constant breaking of boundaries is extravagant and offensive in a way that activates anxiety and helps the client learns to tolerate distress in obsessions and compulsions of morality.
Even on the podcast, a format primarily experienced through sound, the pure idiocy is conveyed in ways that introduces discomfort. In obsessions focused on morality, the lines between good/bad, you offer content that offers opportunity to tolerate the distress of badness.
While there is a grotesqueness to your comedy, there is also significant value. Time and time again, you offer humor and levity to culture, humanity, and connection at a time when it can be hard to trust one another. Thank you for making the perfect content for exposure therapy and helping people heal. I can’t wait to recommend season 3 to clients.
Mtoscanoreveles · Aug 2026
I’ve been a listener and fan since the pod launched and wanted to come say thank you for the wonderful episode with John Cena. The message about practice and perseverance was very inspiring and something I really needed to hear this week, so thank you Conan and John! And thank you to Sona and Matt as always for being yourselves. Also love Summer Spouses! Sending love and thanks!
asnowflake56 · Aug 2026
I’ve been a fan of Conan’s “need a fan/friend” since day one. 5 Stars for both podcasts. His latest however, Conan and Jordan, is a dud. Conan lobs invective and insults at some guy I don’t know and frankly after listening to most of the first two shows, would rather not. Perhaps I’m missing some type of inside humor or accepted interpersonal dynamic that some find funny but I suspect the vast majority of audience members do not. This Jordan guy isn’t even a good straight man. Instead he comes across as defensive and smug with Conan trying to pry something out of a brick. It’s as if Conan is trying to have a conversation with an encyclopedia, an abridged one at that. 2 (generous) stars for this podcast for the 2 legit laughs I had after listening to 1 1/2 of these shows. Please continue to put great work into team Coco and guests on other top notch podcasts.
Dr Bunzup · Nov 2024
I love the show, but I hate how many ads there are. There’s 3 whole minutes of ads before the show even begins, and then another 2 minutes of ads in the middle of the show. That’s way too much ad content. Over 1/3rd of the show is ads, aka 33% of the show is ad content. That’s ridiculous.
morrislevy · Jul 2024
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
