Two days after the death of Larry King, Conan O’Brien took some time on his show to pay tribute to the broadcasting legend who, while mostly known for his role as expert interviewer, was also an expert interviewee and comedic performer on O’Brien’s shows over the years. “For some reason — we don’t know why — he felt very comfortable coming to us and letting his comedy side come out,” O’Brien said. “When our show first went on the air, I think in ’93 or ’94, Larry came on, and he loved to try jokes out and comedy out with us. And that relationship started, and then it just kept going. And I think for 27, 28 years, Larry would come on our show, and we’d have a weird idea, and he’d say, ‘Love it! I wanna do it!’” Andy Richter agreed, noting that across his many appearances, he was “exactly what you’d want Larry King to be, and then a little bit more.”
As proof, O’Brien rolled a clip of some of the show’s favorite moments featuring King as guest. Larry King sitting on a desk way up in the rafters of O’Brien’s studio? Check. A skeleton version of Larry King having a romantic moment with a skeleton version of O’Brien? Check. Larry King selling fish oil, karate-chopping concrete blocks, getting his head ripped off by Richter, and telling O’Brien he wants to be cryogenically frozen after his death? Check, check, check, check. “You will be missed, Larry,” O’Brien said after the clip. “Thank you so much for your friendship and for all the laughter.”
