
Conan talks to Anirudh in Bangalore about living amongst a “joint family” and the angry drunk email he wrote to Conan while on a date. Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: teamcoco.com/apply
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Conan O'Brien
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Matt Gourley
Everything.
Anirudh (Ani)
The fact that you can just order concert tickets through her? That's crazy.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, exactly. You didn't know that. Even I knew that.
Anirudh (Ani)
Wow.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. And I fought in World War I and I know that. Ready whenever. Yeah. And you were born in the second Obama administration. This is incredible. Ready whenever inspiration strikes. Amazon.com newalexa. Let's be honest. Gifting isn't always easy. I like getting. Yeah, not gifting. Anyway, guess what? What? Gifting isn't easy. That's why you'll love Macy's Gift Guide. It's not just something for everyone. It's something for every someone. You see the difference? I thought of that in the car. Right over. Macy's Gift Guide has curated all things holiday to help you prepare for the season ahead. Checkered teapots and scalloped baking dishes for the kitchen artist to espresso makers for the coffee lover to 100% cashmere sweaters and scarves for the cozy Romant. That's me.
Anirudh (Ani)
Mm.
Conan O'Brien
Give me cashmere. Ooh, I love it. What is going on? Find gifts that truly mean something@macy's.com giftguide or shop in store.
Sonam
Conan O' Brien needs a fan. Want to talk to Conan? Visit teamcoco.com callkonan okay, let's get started.
Matt Gourley
Hi, Anirudd. Welcome to Conan O' Brien needs a Fan.
Conan O'Brien
Hello, Anirudh. How are you?
Anirudh (Ani)
Hello. Hey. Hi, Conan. Hi, Sona. Hi, Matt.
Conan O'Brien
Hi.
Anirudh (Ani)
God.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, where are you right now, Anirud?
Anirudh (Ani)
I'm in my bedroom in Bangalore in India.
Conan O'Brien
Very nice. Very nice.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah. I'm sorry. Can I just say it's so cool to see you guys. I have been watching Conan videos since I was like, I don't know, like 15 or something. And I love Sona. I love Matt. I've seen every remote sketch and it's so cool to be here.
Conan O'Brien
Well, Anirudh, thank you very much for being a fan and it's really nice to talk to you. It's also just really nice to know that someone in Bangalore is listening to us. And that's just. I always get a kick out of that. It makes me. It makes me very happy.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, well, yeah, of course. I mean, I have. I mean, me and my brother, we do, like, what we call Conan bits all the time.
Conan O'Brien
So I'm sorry about that.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
I feel like I gave the world shingles.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, that's. Yeah. But absolutely, I'm really.
Conan O'Brien
I'm. Well, tell your brother I said hi. And that makes me really happy. I've been doing Conan bits since I was born, so it's.
Anirudh (Ani)
It's a problem for you.
Conan O'Brien
It's a problem for me too. I know. Well, Anirudh. Am I saying your name correctly? I wanna make sure I get that right.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, okay. That's right.
Conan O'Brien
We practice for an hour before we talk to you. Anirudh, tell us about your situation. Do you live with family? What's going on?
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh, yeah. So I live in something called a joint family, which is where you kind of live with a bunch of nuclear families. Altogether, it's pretty common in India. Less so now, but basically I live with about 15 people.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, wow.
Anirudh (Ani)
And we kind of are, you know, just cordoned off in three different apartments that are right next to each other. I always like to say it's kind of like. Like the TV show Friends or something, because. Yeah, it's. That's how it feels like you just have, like, a bunch of people, like, living really, really close together. So it's pretty chaotic. It can get quite disruptive. I mean, I know you grew up with, like, six brothers.
Conan O'Brien
Well, I'm one of six. I have brothers and sisters. Oh, you have one of six. Yeah.
Anirudh (Ani)
Okay.
Conan O'Brien
But there was a good deal of chaos and madness, but in a fun way. I thought it was really fun to have. And my whole life I've liked it when there's a bunch of people around me that feels normal to me because of the way I grew up. And we were all in one house and smashing into each other all the time. And it was fun. Until it wasn't. Yeah, of course. But, Anirudh, I'm curious. So you're talking about. There's 15 people, so you're talking about siblings, but also cousins, uncles, aunts, the whole.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, wow, that's right. The whole thing. The whole shebang. Yeah. It's like 15 people and it's a nightmare to organize stuff. But, yeah, like you said, it's fun. It's super fun.
Conan O'Brien
When you say organize stuff, what kind of stuff? Like a sack race. Like a. You know. What are you trying to organize?
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, like a family festival thing. So, I mean, we live in India, so there's like A ton of festivals. And we have, like, you know, we sort of celebrate everything. Like Diwali, which is like the festival of lights, and Holi, which is the festival of colors.
Conan O'Brien
Right.
Anirudh (Ani)
And also we just eat out once a week, every Sunday, which is kind of that.
Conan O'Brien
I'm going to say this. Going out to eat with my family, you know, parents, my grandmother, six kids. That was insane because you're all around one table. And especially if it was communal food, like if we go to a Chinese restaurant or an Indian restaurant, it was insane because someone was trying to decide what the whole table should get. And it always devolved into street fights, you know, and people stabbing each other. And Now I'm picturing 15 of you going to a restaurant. The waiter would probably kill himself be. As he approached your table. I mean, how do you do it?
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh, okay. So this is a whole process. We. We sort of like. I'm responsible for selecting restaurants, booking tables, and sort of like, you know, like, cajoling, wait stuff whenever I have to. So that's kind of my job. But basically it is chaos. It always is. It's 15 people sort of just sitting around a giant table. But sometimes we even like, reserve or book out, like, a room in a restaurant because that's the only way we can see to do it. And it is a lot of stabbing. It is a lot of like, oh, I ordered that thing, but this thing came over and okay, but that person ordered this and blah, blah, blah. And it's just. It's. It's chaos.
Conan O'Brien
Like, Arjun, I have to cut to the chase on something. Who's the maniac? There's 15 of you. I know a name just popped into your head. You can see their face right now. Who's the one who's really out of control?
Matt Gourley
He's thinking Conan.
Conan O'Brien
Besides me, who's the one in your pod of 15 people who's really out there? And this doesn't have to be in a negative way, but just they're the kind of the wild card.
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh, yeah, they're just. They're the wild card. Yeah, I have. I have, like, a couple of cousins who I think definitely fit that bill.
Conan O'Brien
Give me names. I want names.
Anirudh (Ani)
Are you going to be talking to them after?
Conan O'Brien
No, I didn't say I was going to do that. Although that's now a possibility.
Anirudh (Ani)
Well, I have this one cousin. We call him Fatu, which is like a sweet nickname that we made up for him, called Fuck you, Fatu. Oh, Fatu.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's the. It's a sweet nickname called fuck you. Hey, fuck you. That's just. I love you. I'm sorry. It's a satellite connection. These things aren't perfect. But, yeah, yeah, clearly you have a lot of love for fuck you, Fatu. I'm sorry, Fatu. Go ahead.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, and he's, like, just turning 18 and he's in that, you know, like, teenage angsty phase. And so that leads to a lot of stuff. Like, I mean, he asks me about, like, how to, like, talk to girls and stuff like that, because he's never really done that before. And also at the dinner table, he kind of is the guy who always diverts the conversation to whatever he likes. I'm sure Conan Sona and Matt will be familiar.
Conan O'Brien
We know we'll get to the civil war in a second. Talking about that in the second half of this discussion. Antietam specifically. Yeah. So, okay, so Fatu is a bit of a. I mean, he's a troublemaker, but in a lovable way. He's a scamp.
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh, for sure.
Conan O'Brien
Okay.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, he's a sweetheart. That's why we call him you.
Conan O'Brien
Now, what's your story? Are you single? Married? What's happening?
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh, okay. I have a girlfriend. We met in college. Thanks to you. In part. Yeah. Well, I was. This was. I was a little drunk on this particular day in college. It was like my second year in college, and we. We were friends at the time, me and my girlfriend Irene, and we decided to write an email to ask you if you would be interested in hiring us as interns. Oh, like a package dealer to the. Yeah, totally. Like, the both of us, you know, you could. You could pay us half each of an unpaid internship and we'd be happy with it.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, so half of nothing. I get it.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, half of nothing.
Conan O'Brien
So. And how long ago was this?
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh, this was about, like, six years ago.
Conan O'Brien
Okay. I guess both of you together wrote an email asking if you could be interns on my show.
Anirudh (Ani)
Well, kind of, because we kind of like went over to the show website and we were like, oh, you know, like, international students can't really be interns or something like that. So I. I was a bit inebriated, so I wrote like, an angry email that was. I have it with me, but basically it was just about the. It's titled Concerns about the diversity of the show in all caps.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, okay, Fair, Fair.
Anirudh (Ani)
Because. Yeah, and it started with this, like, hey, Fatu.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Anirudh (Ani)
Pretty much it started. I mean, I was just trying to be funny, but it just Started with, hey, you. Yeah, you. And that's just how it.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, no. I think it's always a fun joke when you email someone that you think their show reeks of rac. That's always a. That's always a fun, fun little jape. So. All right.
Anirudh (Ani)
Don't you see?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, yeah, I understand.
Anirudh (Ani)
You can see the potential.
Conan O'Brien
Yes. We can all do better, I suppose. Although, look at. I mean, it's the United nations in here.
Matt Gourley
Jesus.
Sonam
She pointed at me and Eduardo.
Conan O'Brien
What a diverse Armenians.
Sonam
I have an Armenian friend.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. It's like. It's like it's a small world in here. Oh, my God. Yeah, it really is. Yeah.
Anirudh (Ani)
And. Oh, the don your way.
Sonam
Hey, you. Yeah, you.
Matt Gourley
I got an email going out to.
Conan O'Brien
Smartless to see if I can get on that show. Good luck to you. Right there. That's all the colors of the rainbow, those three guys. It's the most diverse show I've ever seen. Different kinds of white mail. With the US bank split World MasterCard, all purchases are automatically divided into three payments and placed in a payment plan to be paid back over three months. That's a nice little buffer zone.
Sonam
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
If you're looking for additional flexibility, you can extend your plan to six or 12 months with equal monthly payments for a low monthly fee. So whether it's concert tickets, a new sofa, or an unexpected vet bill, pay later on every purchase with the US Bank Split card. Why do they always say an unexpected vet bill? There are expected vet bills. Whoa. I got my golden retriever a facelift. We talked about it for a year. He was very unhappy. He wasn't happy doing well on social media. So we. We had a little nip and tuck.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. It was a good time. No, I would never do that.
Sonam
It was a good time.
Conan O'Brien
I never did that. It was animals. Never had facelift in my home. That's one thing. Where I will draw the line. No facelifts for dogs in my home. Cats, on the other hand, need all the help they can get. I lost my mind. Learn more@usbank.com SplitCard the creditor and issuer of this card is U.S. bank National Association. Pursuant to a license from MasterCard International Incorporated, some restrictions may apply. I've been traveling a lot recently.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Very important that you have your whole phone situation figured out before you travel. Yeah, it's the worst when you look down at your phone and it's just. It's just shrugging at you like, I don't know where I am. What's happening? You know, your phone just looks exasperated and out of it. T Mobile's been a big sponsor and we talk about them a lot.
Eduardo Perez
And I have T Mobile and we were just in the Philippines and uninterrupted, fantastic service which not only was great for me personally, but also helped me do my job.
Conan O'Brien
I mean it did the first time I noticed you really clicking in on your job.
Anirudh (Ani)
Finally.
Conan O'Brien
No. And I was like, oh, he must have T Mobile service. That's what I thought. Travel is just better. With T Mobile. You won't believe what members get on their best plans. They get amazing travel benefits like a free year of triple A data and texting in over 215 countries and destinations. So many more I don't have time to mention. You know, they have this Magenta status benefits and perks.
Eduardo Perez
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Conan O'Brien
And again, louder please.
Eduardo Perez
I don't have a lot, lot of things in my life I can be proud of. A being a magenta status member is.
Conan O'Brien
One of them you can belong to.
Anirudh (Ani)
Exactly, exactly.
Conan O'Brien
And it's just what are the perks and benefits?
Eduardo Perez
Like I said before, uninterrupted service from the Philippines or wherever we are in the world, which is fantastic.
Conan O'Brien
It's a great deal. Magenta status, T Mobile. Check it all out@t mobile.com travel.
Anirudh (Ani)
Hey.
Conan O'Brien
Holidays are upon us. They really are. Yeah. I don't know about you, but holidays make me think of Miller time. Yeah, me too. Really? Same with you.
Sonam
My favorite light beer.
Conan O'Brien
I look around, I see my friends, my buddies, my pals.
Sonam
Yeah, your entourage.
Conan O'Brien
My entourage. And I just all the guys I used to play football with in my mind.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah. And in your mind?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, I couldn't, didn't really play football. But anyway, and I know, hey man, it's Miller time. Yeah. You know why? Why? Because it's a taste you can depend on. You know what you're getting.
Sonam
It's true.
Conan O'Brien
It's the holiday season. It's the 50th anniversary of Miller Lite. So it's Miller. Come on, what are we talking about here? Still iconic 50 years later. Best holiday beers are the ones you don't expect. Mirror lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to mirrorlite.com conan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Mirror Light pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Tis Miller time. Haha. Just as Dickens wrote it, Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 calories per 12 ounces. The L.L. bean flannel has been part of the Holiday for over a century. Cozy, reliable and made to last. It's the shirt you wear when you pick out your tree and when you're home relaxing with a warm cup of cocoa. And it's the one you wear in the family photo where somehow everyone's matching without even trying these shirts. These flannels from L.L. bean have been around for a long time.
Sonam
Yeah, they have.
Conan O'Brien
They've been around from the olden days. I'm gonna go churn some butter. But first, my L.L. bean flannel. Oh no, President McKinley's been wounded. Anyway, these have been around a long time. They're great for the holidays. You gotta get em. Go check out L.L. bean Flannel. Invited to the holidays since 1912. Anirud.
Anirudh (Ani)
Ani. Anirudd. Call me Ani. That's cool.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, Ani. I'll call you Ani. Alright, so you wrote a hostile accusatory email to me thinking that would be fun. And what was the response?
Anirudh (Ani)
I received like a, like a, you know, like an automated response which just said, hey, your email will be read by somebody soon enough and we will get back to you. Okay, but I mean, I think that someone who immediately is hostile and talks about concerns about diversity is just a great Internet to have around.
Conan O'Brien
I think so.
Anirudh (Ani)
So.
Conan O'Brien
Well, first of all, you know, it's all fair and I think it sounds like we, you know, you got a. But I think the bigger issue would have been you were writing this from India, is that right?
Anirudh (Ani)
Yep, that's right.
Conan O'Brien
And so explain something to me. Your, your girlfriend Irene, was she with you in India at the time when you wrote this email?
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh yeah, we, we wrote this email together. And basically that, that's what I consider our first date.
Conan O'Brien
Which is what if I had, what if we had written. That's very nice. But what if I had written back? Me? I don't answer these myself. My brother does. But if you had heard that, yes, you had an internship, would you have flown all the way from India to take an unpaid internship?
Anirudh (Ani)
Now that you say it, it doesn't sound smart, but I do think I would have done that.
Conan O'Brien
Well, that's really nice you met because. And it sounds like Irene's a fan.
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh yeah. I mean we, we sort of like bonded over like late night shows. We talked about you, of course, and we talked about Stephen Colbert and that's kind of how we started to like get close and become friends.
Conan O'Brien
That's nice.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, that's. Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Well, it sounds like you guys have excellent taste in comedy. And that's the important thing.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah. You mean Colbert.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, I did, actually. I did.
Anirudh (Ani)
I did.
Sonam
Okay. All right, well, the whole part started.
Anirudh (Ani)
Off with this, so.
Sonam
So your girlfriend's a fan of mine?
Conan O'Brien
Well, yeah, because that's how they met. So I just was. I think that's a fair question.
Sonam
I feel like you were just trying to, like, reinforce the fact that she was your fan just to make sure she's. What? Like you were trying to reinforce the.
Conan O'Brien
Gotcha. Don't do it.
Sonam
So angry.
Conan O'Brien
Well, anyway, so she's a big fan and always has been. Only rude. How often. Where does Irene live now?
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh, well, she's doing a graduate degree in the U.S. she's interning at Google right now, so she's all fancy. She's out there stealing jobs and learning about tech.
Conan O'Brien
So that must be difficult. That's a long distance relationship.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, that's right. We've had ways that we sort of, like, adjust with that. For instance, I sort of started up a podcast of my own called the Irene show, where, like, every year on her birthday, I do one episode, basically, and it's kind of like just, you know, like soundboards of celebrities and you. I didn't mean for that to sound mean, but basically, soundboards. We get it. Celebrities. I do. You.
Conan O'Brien
And also you. Yeah, no, it. Trust me, you're just echoing the voice in my head. So that's. That's really sweet. He seems like a very creative, sweet person.
Sonam
That's a really sweet person.
Conan O'Brien
This sounds like a good relationship, and I don't want to put you on the spot, but is there a potential that this relationship could go to the next level at some point?
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I mean, her parents need to. That's a scary question. But her parents. Her parents basically need to be okay with it.
Matt Gourley
What's their problem? Why are they not okay with it?
Anirudh (Ani)
Just Indian stuff. Come on.
Conan O'Brien
No, you let me handle them.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, so. Oh, okay.
Sonam
Bringing this white guy in? Yeah, he'll take care of it.
Conan O'Brien
Hi, I'm on Smartless.
Eduardo Perez
Hi, I'm on Smart List.
Conan O'Brien
I'm the most diverse member of Smart.
Matt Gourley
List, and I'd like to say that you need to give Anirud a break.
Conan O'Brien
Well, I think. Have you met them?
Anirudh (Ani)
Yes, but, I mean, they didn't know we were dating, basically. I've met them a couple of times as a friend. And her dad's like this really, really strict guy. He's kind of like just super quiet, assertive and manly, and I'm not. So we don't really get along very well, but.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, Well, I think most dads, I think, just want their daughter to be with someone who's a really good person and that's you. So I don't think. I don't foresee an issue. I just don't. And if there is an issue, I'll intervene. Okay? Okay. And that will mean nothing to your dad or your father in law, who sounds like he'd be quite hostile to me anyway. Please. You don't like me, but talk to this manly man, Conan o'.
Anirudh (Ani)
Brien.
Conan O'Brien
Where is he? What's going on?
Sonam
Do you want to hear that? Antietam.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Sonam
Let's talk about the Civil War.
Conan O'Brien
It was a war of attrition. You must be here for my wife's book club. It's out back. Oh, did you say book club? Yeah, I did. Do you have any huckleberry tea?
Matt Gourley
No, not another one.
Conan O'Brien
Making my sounds again. Well, listen, Unirud you or Uni, as I call you, or of course in the yellow Pages, rude comma, Uni. I'm just losing my mind.
Matt Gourley
We're wasting valuable time here.
Conan O'Brien
Is it really valuable? What are we doing after this? Don't we just play cards after this? Go fish.
Matt Gourley
I want to get to those.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Oniwood. Listen, I'm excited for you. You sound. I'm lucky to have such a smart, cool fan. And please give my best to Irene and tell her that I approve of you. I think you're fantastic.
Anirudh (Ani)
That's really sweet.
Conan O'Brien
Tell. Was it Fatoum?
Matt Gourley
Fatou.
Conan O'Brien
Fatoum.
Anirudh (Ani)
Is that right?
Sonam
Yeah, Fatou.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, tell Fatou. Tell Fatou that he needs to settle down. But this is. No, I want him to sow his wild oats now. I want him to enjoy being the madman of this 15. He's 18. Yeah, exactly. Hey, man, you were nuts all through your 20s. Yes, I was into your 30s.
Sonam
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Still not let him live. Yes, exactly. Mom, What'd you say? Sorry, what? Anyway, lovely talking to you, Unirud and have a great day. Okay. And I hope our paths cross someday because I think we'd have a good time.
Anirudh (Ani)
Oh, yeah, I absolutely agree. I think it's just bound to happen in some way. I don't know why I said that. I'm not spiritual or anything, but I think so.
Conan O'Brien
No, it's going to happen. It's like anything else. You have to manifest it. Like Oprah says.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
You've got to manifest and then it will happen. Yeah. And you know where I live and you've already sent me a threatening email, so we've probably already had you investigated.
Anirudh (Ani)
Yeah, I'm on a list somewhere, so.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, free. Say that proudly. Oh, I'm on a list. All right. Take care. Nice talking to you. Bye. Bye.
Anirudh (Ani)
Nice speaking to you guys too. See you.
Matt Gourley
Conan o' Brien Needs a Fan With Conan o' Brien, Sonam of Session and Matt Gourley Produced by me, Matt Gourley Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross and Nick Leow Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino Take it away, Jimmy. Supervising Producer Aaron Blair Associate Talent Producer Jennifer Samples Associate Producers Sean Doherty and Lisa Berm Engineering by eduardo Perez get three free months of SiriusXM when you sign up@siriusxm.com Conan Please rate, review and subscribe to Conan O' Brien needs a Fan wherever Fine podcasts are down.
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Huh. That sounds easier than I thought.
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Yeah, I do.
Conan O'Brien
Now, where did I put my keys?
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Disney Cruise Line Announcer
On this Disney cruise we came to play? Hanging with Goofy on a private island? Getting oohs and ahs from Census Spa? We're on board for all of it? Cause Disney Cruise Line is where we came to play.
Release Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Conan O’Brien, with Matt Gourley and Sonam Movsesian
Fan Guest: Anirudh (Ani) from Bangalore, India
In this episode, Conan O’Brien and his team connect with Anirudh (“Ani”), a devoted fan from Bangalore, India. The lively conversation explores the dynamics of living in a joint family, the challenges of organizing outings with 15 relatives, the formation of relationships in the modern age, and the global reach of Conan’s comedy. The episode is playful, warm, and full of cultural exchanges, with Conan’s signature self-deprecation and improvisational humor at its best.
“It’s so cool to see you guys. I have been watching Conan videos since I was like, I don’t know, like 15 or something. And I love Sona, I love Matt…” – Anirudh
“It’s also just really nice to know that someone in Bangalore is listening to us… Makes me very happy.” – Conan
“Basically I live with about 15 people… It’s kind of like… like the TV show Friends or something…” – Anirudh
“I’m responsible for selecting restaurants, booking tables… it is chaos… It always is.” – Anirudh
“…If we go to a Chinese restaurant or an Indian restaurant, it was insane because someone was trying to decide what the whole table should get. And it always devolved into street fights, you know, and people stabbing each other.” – Conan
“We call him Fatu, which is like a sweet nickname that we made up for him, called ‘Fuck you, Fatu.’” – Anirudh
“It’s a sweet nickname called fuck you. Hey, fuck you. That’s just—I love you.” – Conan
“This was… I was a little drunk… We decided to write an email to ask you if you would be interested in hiring us as interns… you could pay us half each of an unpaid internship…” – Anirudh
“I think it’s always a fun joke when you email someone that you think their show reeks of rac[ism]. That’s always a… fun little jape.” – Conan
“Basically that’s what I consider our first date.”
“If you had heard that, yes, you had an internship, would you have flown all the way from India to take an unpaid internship?”
“Now that you say it, it doesn’t sound smart, but I do think I would have done that.”
“I sort of started up a podcast of my own called The Irene Show, where, like, every year on her birthday, I do one episode…” – Anirudh
“Her dad’s like this really, really strict guy… we don’t really get along very well, but…”
“I think most dads… just want their daughter to be with someone who’s a really good person and that’s you. So I don’t foresee an issue.”
“I’m excited for you… Please give my best to Irene and tell her that I approve of you. I think you’re fantastic.” – Conan
“No, it’s going to happen. It’s like anything else. You have to manifest it. Like Oprah says.” – Conan
“Yeah, I’m on a list somewhere, so…”
“Me and my brother, we do, like, what we call Conan bits all the time.” (02:50)
“Now I'm picturing 15 of you going to a restaurant. The waiter would probably kill himself as he approached your table.” (05:28)
“Clearly you have a lot of love for fuck you, Fatu. I’m sorry, Fatu. Go ahead.” (07:37)
“It’s titled Concerns about the diversity of the show in all caps.” (10:17)
“It’s like it’s a small world in here. Oh, my God. Yeah, it really is.” (11:05)
“I sort of started up a podcast of my own called the Irene show…” (18:51)
“You sound—I’m lucky to have such a smart, cool fan. And… I think you’re fantastic.” (22:05)
“I think it’s just bound to happen in some way. … I’m not spiritual or anything, but I think so.” (23:02)
The episode is whimsical, generous, and inclusive, with Conan’s team displaying warmth and curiosity about Indian family life and the realities of cross-cultural relationships. Conan’s humor shines in the banter about family, food chaos, and the unlikely but heartfelt role his show played in sparking a relationship half a world away.
Takeaway: Even in chaos and comedy, authentic connections are made— sometimes across continents and through the most unexpected emails.