Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend: Will Arnett Returns

Release Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Conan O’Brien, with Sona Movsesian & Matt Gourley
Guest: Will Arnett

Episode Overview

In this energetic and gleefully tangential episode, Conan is joined once again by comic actor and Smartless podcast co-host Will Arnett. The conversation weaves hilariously between industry in-jokes, meta-commentary on podcasting and celebrity, and sincere moments about vulnerability, grief, and artistic growth. With Sona and Matt as wry participants, the group recaptures their trademark improvisational spirit. Central themes include the dynamics of their friendship, the joys and pitfalls of making comedy, navigating internet culture, and Will’s leap into dramatic acting with his new film "Is This Thing On?" directed by Bradley Cooper.

Key Discussion Points & Highlights

1. Sona is (Temporarily) Back in the Assistant Chair

Timestamps: 02:10 – 07:00

• A nostalgic riff on Sona stepping in as Conan’s assistant for the day—ordering Ubers, lunch, and rapid-fire texting, all recounted in both banter and mock melodrama.
• Conan and Sona playfully re-enact a typical exchange, complete with panicked texts about workplace logistics.
• Quote:
  • Conan: “I'm more interested in, oh, my God, this is great. The Uber didn't come. Now I get to have that as, you know, as new improv fun.” (07:12)
• Conan jokes about how he prefers chaos and mistakes for their comedic potential over actual efficiency.

2. Will Arnett “Flexes” With His Microphone

Timestamps: 08:29 – 11:18

• Will brings his prized U87 microphone—gleeful inside baseball ensues.
• Banter about gear as a status symbol and flex (“There’s nothing sad about carrying around a microphone in a box.” – Conan, 10:57), peppered with podcast rivalry jokes aimed at Will’s Smartless co-hosts.
• Conan pokes at Will about the Smartless launch, and the “manic” competitive spirit of podcasting.

3. Smartless Stories, Podcast Comments, and the Joy of No Format

Timestamps: 11:36 – 18:41

• Conan reminisces about Will (and the Smartless trio) nervously asking him for podcasting advice; both shows are essentially “no format” besides chatting with friends.
• Will details his initial insecurities launching Smartless and relays the “free” and chaotic style that’s since become a phenomenon.
• Quote:
  • “Let me remind… it’s free. They don’t have to listen. What’s the problem?” – Will (18:25)

4. The Sally Rooney Quote: On Celebrity and Internet Culture

Timestamps: 18:41 – 26:22

• Will reads a long, incisive quote from Sally Rooney about the derangement of celebrity culture and the blurring of parasocial lines between fans and public figures.
• Conan provides comic relief, gently roasting Will for the quote’s length, before admitting its deep relevance to the way audiences engage with “celebrities” as imagined people.
• Memorable Moment:
  • Will’s delivery is unexpectedly earnest and prompts rare, contemplative silence from the cast.
  • Quote:
    • “It makes me wonder whether celebrity culture has sort of metastasized to fill the emptiness left by religion. Like a malignant growth where the sacred used to be.” (21:38, Sally Rooney as read by Will)

5. The Bateman Christmas Party Saga & Coping with Grief Through Comedy

Timestamps: 29:11 – 34:52

• Will narrates the now-infamous story of Jason Bateman’s repeated non-invitations to Conan’s Christmas party, culminating in a “gotcha” moment on a live Smartless show.
• The bit takes a darkly comic turn as Conan, processing the deaths of his parents, texts Will and Bateman that he blames Bateman for his father’s passing—turning loss into an ongoing riff.
• Quote:
  • Conan (after the loss of his father): “To be honest, I blame Bateman. He killed my dad.” (32:00)
• Will: “I knew that in that moment, this is what he wanted—he wants to laugh and do bits.” (34:02)
• Both agree that gallows humor can be a comfort during profound grief.

6. Will’s New Film, The Fear of “Getting Caught Trying,” and Artistic Vulnerability

Timestamps: 36:52 – 44:39

• Conan lauds Will’s lead performance in "Is This Thing On?" and discusses the courage to leave the comfort zone of comedy.
• Will confides that a core fear for performers is “being caught trying,” which drives them to cynicism or constant comedic evasion; this film forced him into real vulnerability.
• Will recounts how he did real standup as film prep, initially under a fake name, battling the urge to default to his usual comedic persona.
• Quote:
  • Will: “You have to kind of own it… be vulnerable. And I can’t write it off as a bit and I can’t, at the end, pull my pants down and make a fart sound.” (37:42)
  • Conan: “It's why we gravitate towards comedy—because you can joke around, and if something doesn't quite work, you can make that the bit… nothing sticks to you.” (36:54)

7. Stand-up for a Dramatic Role: Method, Chaos, and the Comedy Club

Timestamps: 44:39 – 44:58

• Will describes immersing himself in standup as “Alex Novak” (his character), refusing to explain himself onstage to stay true to the material.
• Quote:
  • “Just go out and do it. Don’t worry about it.” (Advice given to Will by Kirk Fox, 43:02)
• Bradley Cooper directed Will back from seeking “safe” laughs, pushing him to embrace the discomfort.

8. Friendship, Arrested Development, and the Genius of Mitch Hurwitz

Timestamps: 50:00 – 56:42

• Conan expresses real admiration for "Arrested Development" and recognizes the crucial role of Mitch Hurwitz in both Will’s career and as a personal mentor.
• Will and Conan reflect on LA vs. New York creative communities, and the quirks of their own neighborly distance from Hurwitz.
• Quote:
  • “I worship at the altar of Arrested Development. At its finest, it's maybe one of the highest levels of comedy that's been achieved.” – Conan (50:54)

9. Industry Jokes, Candy Bar Endorsements, and Closing Shenanigans

Timestamps: 61:11 – 63:13

• Conan and Will descend into a riot of inside jokes about competing for candy commercial gigs (Reese’s vs. Hershey’s Payday).
• The fake competitiveness and long-standing friendship is gently lampooned, with trademark Understatement and mock egos.

10. Reflections & Light-Hearted Closer

Timestamps: 64:38 – End

• Playful bickering about the podcast’s lack of a formal ending; Conan pretends to grow exasperated at the need for “punch-ups” and the “nerds” from comedy writing taking over.
• Will (sincerely, then comically) encourages a future collaboration.

Notable Quotes (with Speaker & Timestamp)

• “Make a mistake around me and I’m delighted.”
  — Conan (07:43)

• “You are the master of voiceover. You really are.”
  — Conan to Will (09:40)

• “If this guy could do a podcast…”
  — Will, faux Sebastian Maniscalco impression, poking fun at Conan’s success (13:33)

• “Let me remind… it’s free. They don’t have to listen. What’s the problem?”
  — Will (18:25)

• “They really cannot tell the difference between someone they have heard of and someone they personally know.”
  — Sally Rooney as read by Will (21:45)

• “If you didn’t laugh, you’d cry… They’re sort of in the same area, you’re still emoting, you’re still feeling, you’re kind of doing it in a different way.”
  — Will (34:52)

• “My big fear in life was being caught trying.”
  — Will (36:54)

• “You have to kind of own it… be vulnerable. And I can’t write it off as a bit and I can’t, at the end, pull my pants down and make a fart sound.”
  — Will (37:42)

• “Just go out and do it. Don’t worry about it.”
  — Kirk Fox (advice to Will) (43:02)

• “You know this about me. I worship at the altar of Arrested Development.”
  — Conan (50:54)

Memorable Moments

• Will’s lengthy, earnest Sally Rooney quote punctuated by Conan’s comic impatience and Sona swatting a bug (24:25).
• The Christmas Party bit involving Jason Bateman, re-told with text transcripts—darkly comic, yet weirdly heartfelt (32:00).
• Will’s story of “hiding behind cynicism,” and Conan’s open admiration for Will’s risk-taking in drama.
• Riffing on Bateman’s hyper-control and self-mastery (“He wants to live to be 190” – Conan, 16:52) and the playful jealousy it triggers.

The Tone

The episode is a seamless blend of absurd riffing and real admiration, affection, and honest insight into creative risk. Banter about podcasts, the comedy business, and old friendships is interwoven with sincere talk about grief, legacy, and the courage to try new things—always keeping one foot in meta-comedy and sarcasm.

For New Listeners

If you’re new to “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” or to Will Arnett’s irreverent charms, this episode serves as a densely packed, laugh-out-loud master class in self-deprecating humor, showbiz camaraderie, and the genuine comfort comedians find in making one another laugh—even in the face of loss. The chemistry between Conan and Will is palpable, the inside jokes abound, and yet there’s a universality to their reflections about vulnerability and the messiness of life.