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The end of an era.
By Samantha Maffucci — Written on Nov 17, 2020
For those who've grown up watching Conan O’Brien, it's pretty clear he's one of the funniest comedians on television.
After writing for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, O’Brien went on to host his own show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien for 16 years, gracing us with his hilarious anecdotes and wit.
In 2010, his late-night talk show, Conan premiered on TBS.
And now, after a decade of being on the network, Conan O'Brien is ending his talk show for good.
Thankfully, he has the support of his wife, Liza Powel O'Brien, to help smooth the transition to his new gig.
Who is Conan O’Brien’s wife, Liza Powel O'Brien?
We all know that every funny guy has a woman behind him supporting him, and O’Brien’s wife is no different.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about Liza Powel O'Brien.
Liza met Conan in 2000 during a taping of his show.
Call it love at first sight, but O’Brien fell for his wife when she attended a taping at Late Night. The show was making a commercial for the “worst advertisers” for an NBC affiliate, and Powel’s company produced it.
“Somewhere, in the vault at NBC, there's footage of me literally falling for my wife on camera," O’Brien revealed during an interview with Piers Morgan. And according to Powel’s father, “You could see the connection forming right in front of your eyes.”
How sweet is that?
She once worked as a copywriter for an advertising agency.
While she met her husband on the job working for the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding, Powel is now a playwright.
She also dedicates her time to the selection committee for the Children’s Defense Fund’s “Beat the Odds” program, which helps at-risk high school students who are academically talented.
In addition, she’s on the reading committee for the Ojai Playwrights.
They’ve been married 18 years.
After meeting on the set of Late Night, the couple dated for 18 months before getting married in 2002.
They have two kids.
Daughter Neve was born in 2003, shortly after the couple married.
Son Beckett followed soon after in 2005, and the two are spitting images of the couple!
She’s his biggest source of support.
You may remember back in 2010 when O’Brien was suddenly dropped as the host to take over for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show.
Losing your dream job is not something you get over. Of the upset, Powel said, “The truth is, The Tonight Show was the definition of cultural relevancy for decades. And all of a sudden, it's not. That's not Conan's fault.”
“Those weeks after the tour, where not much was going on, Conan was miserable," Powel confirmed.
“That was when he was the most depressed.”
But Powel pulled O’Brien out of his funk, keeping him busy by having him drop the kids off at school, cooking dinner during the week, and allowing her husband to sign up for all sorts of volunteer spots at their son’s school.
Every man wants a woman who supports him through thick and thin, and Powel is no different.
She will undoubtedly continue to support him as he moves on from Conan.
On Nov. 17, O'Brien announced that his TBS late-night talk show, Conan would be ending in 2021, and that he'd be moving over to HBO Max to host a new variety series.
"In 1993, Johnny Carson gave me the best advice of my career: ‘As soon as possible, get to a streaming platform,’" he joked in an official statement.
“I’m thrilled that I get to continue doing whatever the hell it is I do on HBO Max, and I look forward to a free subscription,” he added.
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.