Bill Burr debunks conspiracy theories with Conan O’Brien

In what could be his final Conan appearance, Bill Burr demonstrated why he’s among the late night show’s best guests of all time. The comedian delivered one of his signature rants as he took on anti-vaccination and flat Earth conspiracy theories.

We are roughly a month away from the end of Conan on TBS. Conan O’Brien will then take time off and make his return on HBO Max with a new comedy vehicle. The show has promised a look back at its 11-year run on TBS with help from friends of the show.

It’s hard to think of any guest who has made a bigger impact on Conan than Bill Burr. Time and time again, the comedian was on his game with O’Brien.

Thursday night was no different. If it is the last time we see Burr on Conan, then things ended on a high note. Watch below as Burr deconstructs the logic behind anti-vaccination and flat Earth conspiracy theories before taking things just a little too far.

Bill Burr says that fiction and nonfiction need to be separated

Bill Burr admits he had no hesitation when it came to getting a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. His Happy Days-inspired explanation is that he’s not one of the Fonzies that the government can’t control. A vaccination secretly meant to wipe out the population should target people like Burr who willingly go along with whatever the government says.

Anyone familiar with Burr’s material knows that the comedian is in favor of “thinning out the herd.” But his idea targets cruise ships rather than giving out a vaccine. That plan just doesn’t make sense.

A flat Earth also doesn’t make sense to Burr. As a licensed helicopter pilot, Burr knows there are scientific instruments that prove the Earth is curved. Beyond that, he doesn’t get the benefit of lying about the shape of the planet. Burr suggests anyone who believes the Earth is flat should do more research before renting a boat to look at “ice walls.”

It all comes down to where people get their information. Burr’s criteria are for theories, information, and research to come from the library where fiction and nonfiction are separated. Anything that comes from the internet just can’t be trusted.

Burr makes a good point and would definitely have most people agreeing with him. But in typical Burr fashion, he loses people just as quickly as he convinces them he’s right. In this case, it’s when Burr suggests the pandemic did a little more to relieve traffic in Los Angeles.

What did you think of Bill Burr’s appearance on Conan? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.