Late-night TV legend Conan O'Brien experienced personal heartbreak when his parents died just days apart from each other in December 2024. In a touching tribute, O'Brien credited his late father for what has become a signature part of O'Brien's career.
Dr. Thomas O'Brien died on December 9, at the age of 95. His wife, Ruth, died just three days later at the age of 92.
Dr. O'Brien was known for pioneering antimicrobial drug resistance research. He also served as the first director of the infectious diseases division at Boston's Brigham and Women’s Hospital. During the course of his medical career, O'Brien traveled the world conducting reasearch and aiding disadvantaged communities.
Conan O'Brien credits his father's work with inspiring his own travels around the world. "He thought, ‘You’re going to learn more traveling through these various neighborhoods and cities in South America for a week and a half than you will in public school in Brookline.’ I think he put the travel bug in me," O'Brien told The Boston Globe.
Conan's international travels became a signature part of his late-night TV career. Conan Without Borders was such a success, it launched Conan O'Brien Must Go on Max. The travel series will premiere season 2 in 2025.
Dr. O'Brien's motivations for traveling the world share similarities with how his famous son approaches travel. Conan told the Globe his father "thought it was important to hear people's stories. He was genuinely curious about other people."
"As much as he did, or will have been shown to have done, with antibiotic resistance, that's really the quality that will resonate. He cared deeply about people who were very different from him, and from completely different backgrounds. That's the real beauty of his legacy."
If you've seen Conan Without Borders or Conan O'Brien Must Go, then you know the comedian is also genuinely curious about other people. O'Brien has never traveld to another country intending to make locals the punchline. Instead, he embraces the local country and surrounds himself with everyday people who have a story to tell.
That approach has made Conan's travel specials an international success and further endeared him to his audience. It also speaks to his character and reverence for his parents that O'Brien credited his late father for the inspiration.