Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Good to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

After Conan O'Brien lost 'The Tonight Show,' Robin Williams gifted him an 'absurd' pick-me-up

"I just couldn't believe that he was thinking about me."

conan o'brien, robin williams, bicycle, comedy, late-night

After Conan O'Brien lost his job hosting 'The Tonight Show,' Robin Williams gave him an "absurd" but thoughtful gift.

Photo credit: Conan O'Brien YouTube screenshot (photo), Photo credit: Canva (graphic)
Ryan Reed
By Ryan ReedMay 15, 2025
Ryan Reed
Ryan Reed is a contributing writer for GOOD residing in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has contributed to Rolling Stone, Relix, Revolver, SPIN and The New York Times.
See Full Bio

On January 22, 2010, after less than eight months, Conan O’Brien ended his run as host of The Tonight Show—a headline-generating saga built on executive maneuvering, press statements, media punchlines, and a whole lot of frustration for the comedy legend. He earned loads of support and goodwill in the months that followed, including a particularly moving—and hilarious—gift from Robin Williams, whom O’Brien considered "the best talk show guest in the world."

But before we get to that, let’s set the stage by unpacking the talk-show drama. O’Brien had hosted his version of Late Night from 1993 to 2009, and he’d already been named Jay Leno’s Tonight Show successor back in 2004. NBC initially gave Leno a new program, The Jay Leno Show, at an earlier time slot, but they decided to move him back to 11:35 p.m., which would require bumping O’Brien a half-hour later. Refusing to take part in this experiment, O’Brien agreed to an exit deal with the network, and Leno resuming his old Tonight Show duties—until the latter passed the baton to Jimmy Fallon in 2014. After staging a 30-date comedy tour, O’Brien created a brand new TBS show, Conan, which ran for 11 seasons starting in late 2010.

Even though his career clearly survived just fine, the experience was still rattling for O’Brien, who considered hosting The Tonight Show a lifelong dream. As he recalled years later, Williams’ kind but unexpected gesture helped lift his spirits.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

"I was lucky enough to have some great interactions with Robin Williams before he passed [in 2014]," O’Brien recalled in a 2024 episode of his podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. "And one of the most memorable examples to me of his kindness is when I went through my whole Tonight Show debacle. Finally, the show is done, and I don’t know if I have a career anymore. What am I going to do next?…I’m lying on the floor in the living room of my house, and the phone rings. I pick it up, and it’s Robin Williams."

O’Brien, unsure how Williams even got his phone number, was surprised but delighted. "I’ll never forget—he goes, 'How are you holding up, chief?' I said, 'Oh, Robin, thanks so much for calling.' He said, 'Listen, you’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be great. I know you like to ride bikes.’ Because he was really into bicycling…’Go down to the bike shop down in Santa Monica. I want you to go down there. I’ve set up a bike for you.’ I said, 'What?' He said, 'No, no, no. Just head down there. Ride around, and you’ll feel better.’...He said, 'I told them to paint it in all these crazy Irish colors.'"

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

O’Brien also told the bike story on Conan during a tribute segment following Williams’ death, saying the gift exemplified both his "generosity" and "amazing spirit of fun."

"[It] was the most absurd bicycle you’ve ever seen," he said. "It was bright orange and bright green, and it had shamrocks on it…I didn’t know him well enough to justify this kind of [gesture]…so I called him up and said, 'Robin, I’m floored by this bike.' All he would say is, 'Well, I know you love to ride and you could use it.' He went, 'Does it look ridiculous? Does it really look ridiculous?’ I said, "Yeah, it looks ridiculous.’ He went, 'Good. Do you really look stupid riding it?’ I said, 'Yeah, I’m gonna look really stupid.' He’s like, 'Well, that’s good then!'"

"We know now that he had his battles," O’Brien added, "and I think it’s particularly courageous for someone to be that generous of spirit in the face of that kind of depression. Such a lovely, special man."

There are tons of stories out there about Robin Williams enriching people’s lives—from the time he bonded with a grieving gorilla named Koko to his fleeting but life-changing interaction with a struggling stand-up comedian after she bombed onstage. "[A]s the tears came anyway, she looked up and lo and behold, there was Robin Williams," wrote Cecily Knobler for Upworthy. "She stuttered, 'You. Are. One of my favorites. Ever.’ He looked at her, his blue eyes warmly crinkling and said, 'You were amazing.’ It hadn't been true. But the fact that he would go out of his way to make this total stranger's awful night into one of her best at that time, was just the kind of person Robin was."

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

conan obrienfriendshipgiftjay lenolate nightrobin williamsthe tonight showtalk showkindnesscomedy

The Latest

best friend, spouses, friendship, relationship study, loneliness
Culture

People who admit their spouse isn't their 'best friend' are shockingly in the majority

conan o'brien, robin williams, bicycle, comedy, late-night
Culture

After Conan O'Brien lost 'The Tonight Show,' Robin Williams gifted him an 'absurd' pick-me-up

cat, cat rescue, quinceanera, tuxedo cat, cat birthday, texas
Good People

Woman's cat quinceañera inspires a community to give back in a way she never imagined

anti-racism, restaurant review, fairbanks alaska, viral tweet, social justice, etsy shirts, black-owned businesses, racism, chowder house, positive backlash
Past Events

Customer complains about anti-racist shirt, gets roasted by the internet

More For You

women's safety, tiktok, viral, metoo, harassment

Dude, just leave her alone.

Photo credit: Canva

TikToker goes off on creepy men invading her personal space and women cheer her on

A woman’s plea against two strangers that invaded her personal space has been sparking conversation about creepy men, cringe behavior, and threats against women’s safety throughout the Internet. In a viral TikTok, a woman and her friend are asking two strangers that have sat at their table at a restaurant to leave. Instead of going to sit at a clearly open and clear table, the men stay seated, making the women feel uncomfortable. This left the woman little choice but to make a spectacle for her safety.

“Go, I’m begging, on my knees, go!” she pleaded. “Go to the table where there’s no people! It’s right there, go!” The men continued to ignore her, even though she and her friend made it clear that they were uncomfortable. Not that they should need to explain, but they even stated that they were both in relationships when one of the men expressed interest in her friend. When the men continued to refuse to leave, the women tried to leave to an empty table with the men still trying to follow them. She even yelled “WITCH!” and pointed at the men as an effort to draw attention.

Keep ReadingShow less
language, gen alpha, graduation, speech, linguistics, xiaoma, youtube

"No cap, I was dead-ass pressed about understanding this language."

via Xiaomanyc/YouTube

'I know it's giving delulu...' Professor shocks students by giving speech in Gen Alpha slang

A polyglot YouTube sensation with 6.65M subscribers, Xiaoma has become known in the last few years for popular videos where he surprises people by speaking their language, whether it’s Mandarin, Urdu, Twi, or another of the 68 total languages he has learned. He travels the world engaging with people and celebrating their cultures. The most recent audiences he surprised, though, were made up of Gen Alpha high school students and Gen Z college graduates in the U.S.

Xiaoma spent weeks learning Gen Alpha slang, he said–where some of the slang itself is AAVE that has since been appropriated–and delivered speeches at Philadelphia’s Westtown School for their Language Week and Ohio State University for their Multilingual Language Education commencement ceremony. Amid his own self-aware, self-described nerdiness, many audience members peppered his speeches with appreciative laughter, but there were still messages in both that stood out.

YouTube polyglot Xiaoma shares the latest language he mastered: Gen Alpha slang. youtube.com

Keep ReadingShow less
body image, skinny, weight, weight loss, fat, body, scale, body image therapist

Body image therapist Lucie Vallée is challenging people to answer a tough question.

Photo by i yunmai on Unsplash

'Who do you want to be skinny for?': How one body image therapist tackles the 'skinny' obsession

Though she’s since pulled away from the phrase “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,” model Kate Moss sent the idea spinning into the universe in a 2009 Women’s Wear Daily interview that lit the tail-end of the aughts on fire. The body image conversation it generated is still happening today, but in new ways. Indeed, it has grown many new branches since then.

For some, this conversation continues through the body positivity movement (and its related, though not inherent, toxicity), the body neutrality movement, or many other ways of thinking that attempt to counteract the negative ways many women have come to engage with their bodies. Because the negativity itself does persist. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, “over 90% of women dislike their bodies and 97% of women have an ‘I hate my body’ moment every day.” Body image therapist Lucie Vallée has a theory as to why.

Keep ReadingShow less
dress code, school controversy, teen rights, outfit discrimination, student protest, viral story, education, gender bias

A silly controversy

Representative photo by Canva

Teen sent home over 'modest' outfit that a teacher found uncomfortable

A Canadian high school senior found herself at the center of a school controversy after her outfit—a white turtleneck under a black knee-length dress—was labeled "awkward" by school staff. The student, 17-year-old Karis Wilson, was removed from class at NorKam Senior Secondary School in Kamloops, British Columbia, and ultimately left school in tears. Her father, Christopher Wilson, spoke out about the incident in a Facebook Live video (since deleted) that quickly gained traction online.

"Today my daughter was sent home for wearing clothing that made her female teacher and her male student-teacher 'feel uncomfortable,'" Wilson wrote on Facebook, according to Daily Mail. "Centered out in front of her class and told she needs to leave class and brought her to the VP’s before she went home in tears. After asking her how she would like me to handle it she said she wanted to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen to the students that come after her. Please stand with Karis and [me] and make sure that those involved are held accountable and that this never happens again."

Keep ReadingShow less
family, adoption, wholesome, foster care, domestic violence, siblings, Hannah Robinson, tiktok

Siblings bonding

Canva

Sister who waited years to adopt brother from foster care stuns him with trip of a lifetime

In October 2023, Hannah received a phone call that changed her and her little brother's life. After five years of fighting for custody, Hannah was able to adopt her half-brother TJ. So, when TJ appeared in front of her carrying his suitcase, her heart welled up with emotions of a lifetime.

Ever since then, these two have been inseparable. Hannah posts about their journey together but one video left the viewers crying.

Keep ReadingShow less
body language, first impressions, nonverbal cues, eye contact, open posture, likability tips, social skills, personal charisma, charming habits

Representative Image: There's more to language than just words.

Pexels

5 body language habits that make you instantly more likable

The sayings “Actions speak louder than words” and “It’s not what you say, but how you say it” are popular adages for good reason. Our silent body language speaks volumes, but we may not always be aware of what we’re saying with it, how we hold ourselves, our gestures, and even how we make eye contact, which can make a huge difference in how people perceive us.

And that perception makes a difference. People form a first impression within seconds, and some research shows that traits like trustworthiness are judged within a tenth of a second of meeting someone.

Keep ReadingShow less
jack black, saturday night live, sketch comedy, snl, television

Jack Black reflects on his wild, unrealized plan to audition for 'SNL' as a superhero.

Photo credit: YouTube screenshots from Good Hang podcast

Jack Black recalls his absurd, aborted plan to audition for 'SNL' as a superhero

As of this writing, Jack Black has hosted Saturday Night Live four times and appeared twice as the musical guest as part of the duo Tenacious D. These are huge accomplishments—but given his enormous profile as a film star and music-comedy giant, it’s easy to wonder why he was never hired for the sketch show’s main cast. (The pairing seems obvious, right? Imagine the alternate universe where he and Will Ferrell are trading lines.)

But that missed opportunity wasn’t SNL’s fault. Black simply never auditioned for the show, despite having a bizarre plan in place for how he’d approach it. In a laid-back chat with SNL alumnus Amy Poehler on her Good Hangpodcast, the actor opened up about his hilarious yet aborted concept—and how his own insecurities may have prevented him from taking that potentially life-changing plunge.

Keep ReadingShow less
millennial, vhs, movie, tape collecting, film

Which videotape was always around your home?

Photo credit: Canva

Millennials debate the ‘best’ mediocre VHS movie and gawk at the entries

If there is one set of initials that could describe the Millennial generation, it would be three simple letters: V-C-R. Home video tapes and movies were a primary source of entertainment throughout the youth of those years. In fact, there is a whole genre of films that could be described as “that one movie that my family had” that wasn’t necessarily great but was just a part of the household’s collection.

The list of films tended to be mid-budget movies that weren’t necessarily hits when they were released in theaters but were somehow home video hits through Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, or random rentals at video stores. The folks on Reddit jumped at the chance to share their picks for this offbeat genre.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025