Conan O’Brien reflects on Stephen Colbert’s importance in Late Night TV

Emmy-winning late-night host Conan O’Brien was among six members inducted into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame on Saturday night, August 16.

The ceremony, held at the J.W. Marriott L.A. Live, saw O’Brien receive the honour from longtime friend Lisa Kudrow at the 27th annual event.

“You know, people say that television is dying, but I want to ask you — if our industry really was in trouble,” Kudrow quipped, “would we be gathered right now for our greatest night in a downtown Los Angeles Marriott? On a weekend? In August? No!”

The Golden Globe-nominated comedian dedicated part of his acceptance speech to reflect on the state of the late-night franchise.

“Things are changing fast,” O’Brien said. “I don’t claim to know the future of our beloved medium, but I know this: getting the privilege to play around with an hour of television has been the great joy of my professional career.”

He continued, “We’re having this event now in a time when there’s a lot of fear about the future of television, and rightfully so. The life we’ve all known for almost 80 years is undergoing seismic change. But — this may just be my nature — I choose not to mourn what is lost, because in the most essential way, what we have is not changing at all.”

O’Brien stressed that while “streaming changes the pipeline, the connection, the talent, the ideas that come into our homes, I think it’s as potent as ever — and we have proof here tonight.”

The veteran host also expressed solidarity with Stephen Colbert, after CBS announced The Late Show will be cancelled next year.

“Yes, late-night television as we have known it since around 1950 is going to disappear, but those voices are not going anywhere. People like Stephen Colbert are too talented and too essential to go away,” he said.

O’Brien assured that Colbert will not fade, but rather “evolve and shine brighter,” likely in a new format under his own creative control.

Closing his speech, he shared his optimism about the medium’s resilience: “Television will always thrive if the stories are good, if the performances are honest and inspiring, and if the people making it are brave and of good will.”

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