Conan O’Brien Jokingly Blames This Celebrity for His Parents’ Deaths

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Conan O’Brien doesn’t believe that dark humor is a sign of arrested development.

The comedian actually used humor to cope with a difficult time. Just under a year after losing both his parents, Dr. Thomas F. O’Brien and Ruth Reardon O’Brien, who passed away within three days of each other last December, Conan and fellow comedian Will Arnett playfully blamed Jason Bateman for their deaths.

Will Arnett remembered hearing about the loss of a friend’s father and sending a message of condolence. In a recent episode of the Needs a Friend podcast, Arnett shared that he texted his sympathies, saying he sent love from his family. The friend surprisingly responded, ‘Thank you, Will. To be honest, I blame Bateman.’

He went on to explain their strange conversation. “I typed, ‘It’s not a terrible theory,’ and Conan immediately replied, ‘He killed my dad.'”

The 62-year-old former late-night host then explained his blunt response, saying his father, who lived to be 92, would have found it amusing.

You know, Jason Arnett and I have been friends for ages, so naturally I had to tell him about the joke. And honestly, without even a pause, he was right there with me, joining in on the fun! It’s just that kind of relationship we have.

Arnett relayed that Bateman sent a text saying, “Arnett told me you’re figuring things out.” Then, Conan advised Bateman to turn himself in.

The trio later revisited their banter after O’Brien’s mother died less than a week later at age 95

I sent a text saying, ‘Bateman is requesting your sister’s address. Is it okay to share?’ Later, about a day and a half after that, you replied, ‘Just saw this. Great…tell Bateman to make it seem like a robbery.’

As for what inspired O’Brien to continue this lighthearted bit?  

He admitted it was strange, but messing around with his friends was actually how he coped with his grief. He found real comfort in it, and he didn’t care if others thought it was an odd way to deal with things.

The trio later revisited their banter after O’Brien’s mother died less than a week later at age 95

I remember texting, ‘Bateman is requesting your sister’s address. Is it okay to share?’ Later, you replied about a day and a half later, ‘Just saw this. That’s great…tell Bateman to make it seem like a robbery.’

As for what inspired O’Brien to continue this lighthearted bit?  

He admitted that joking around with them was actually how he coped with his grief. “It really helped me at the time,” he said, “and if that seems strange, I don’t care.”

When the host of Conan O’Brien Must Go isn’t using humor to cope, he thinks about how kind and caring his parents were to others.

Following the recent loss of his parents, Conan O’Brien told the Boston Globe that he believed his mother and father were drawn to each other because they shared a similar work ethic and were both very disciplined individuals.

He explained that his mother felt responsible for cheering up anyone within a 50-mile radius who seemed unhappy. While this often complicated her life, it stemmed from her strong Catholic faith and her deep desire to help others – and she certainly lived up to that commitment.

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2025-12-10 18:20