You’ve probably seen the clip. It’s the late '90s, and a lanky, red-haired talk show host is wandering through an advertising agency for a "Late Night" remote segment. He’s doing his usual bit—self-deprecating, slightly frantic, making fun of furniture commercials. Then he stops. He sees a woman sitting at a desk. The camera lingers a second too long, and for once, the guy who never stops talking seems a little bit stunned.
That woman was Liza Powel O'Brien.
Honestly, the internet loves a good "meet-cute," but this one is actually documented in high-definition NBC archives. Conan has famously said you can literally watch him fall in love with his wife on camera. It’s sweet, sure, but it also creates this weirdly one-dimensional image of who she is. To most people, she’s just "the wife" who met the famous guy at work. But if you actually look at her career and her own creative output, she’s basically the secret weapon of the O’Brien empire.
The "Hilton Furniture" Incident: How They Really Met
Back in 2000, Liza was working as a senior copywriter at Foote, Cone & Belding. She wasn't an actress or a model looking for a break. She was just doing her job when a comedy crew rolled in to film a segment about making over a "bad" local advertiser.
The advertiser was Hilton Furniture. If you’ve seen the segment, it’s chaotic. But amidst the jokes about Texas furniture moguls, there’s Liza—calm, professional, and clearly unimpressed by Conan’s usual antics. That’s probably why he liked her.
They started dating shortly after, and by 2002, they were married in Seattle. It wasn't some flashy Hollywood gala; it was a rainy January day at St. James Cathedral. People who know them say she’s the one who keeps him grounded, which, considering Conan's brain runs at about 200 miles per hour, is probably a full-time job in itself.
Why Liza Powel O’Brien Isn't Just a "Plus One"
It’s easy to get overshadowed when your spouse is a 6'4" comedian with a giant pompadour, but Liza has a pretty serious resume of her own. She’s an accomplished playwright with an MFA in fiction writing from Columbia.
She doesn’t just write "hobby" plays, either. Her work has been staged at:
- The Geffen Playhouse
- The Blank Theatre
- The Ojai Playwrights Conference
Basically, she’s a writer’s writer. While Conan is out there doing improv with world leaders, she’s usually in the background crafting intricate narratives about history and human connection. Her play The Great Experiment actually drew inspiration from her time at Vassar College, proving she’s been mining her own life for material long before she was "Mrs. O'Brien."
The "Significant Others" Success
If you want to hear her actual voice—not just see her in the background of an awards show—you’ve gotta check out her podcast, Significant Others. It’s a narrated nonfiction series that looks at the people behind famous historical figures.
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It’s kinda brilliant because she’s effectively writing about what she knows: the person standing just outside the spotlight who makes the "great man" (or woman) possible. She’s covered everyone from Mary Todd Lincoln to Vladimir Nabokov’s wife, Vera (who apparently saved the manuscript of Lolita from a literal fire).
Holding It Together During the "Tonight Show" Disaster
You can't talk about their marriage without mentioning 2010. You remember—the whole Jay Leno/NBC mess where Conan was ousted from The Tonight Show after just seven months.
It was a public, humiliating breakup with a network he’d served for decades. Conan has been open about how dark that period was. He was depressed, he was angry, and he was suddenly unemployed with a huge staff depending on him.
Liza was the one who pushed him to go on the "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television" tour. She saw that he was moping around the house and basically told him he needed to get back in front of an audience for his own sanity. Honestly, without her nudge, we might not have the modern version of Conan—the podcast mogul and travel documentarian—that we see today.
Family Life and the Next Generation
They have two kids, Neve and Beckett. For the most part, the O'Briens have kept them out of the paparazzi's way, though Conan can’t help but use them for "dad joke" fodder on his podcast.
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- Neve O'Brien: Born in 2003, she’s been a student at Yale. She’s clearly inherited the creative genes, contributing to the Yale Daily News Magazine.
- Beckett O'Brien: Born in 2005, Conan once joked that he’s like a "little Steve Jobs."
The family lives in Carpinteria, California, these days. It’s a bit of a trek from the Hollywood noise, which seems to suit them just fine.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that she’s just a "supportive spouse." In the world of comedy, "supportive" is often code for "the person who listens to my jokes at 3:00 AM."
But Liza is a collaborator. She’s worked with Team Coco on various projects and brings a certain intellectual rigor to the table that balances out the silliness. She’s the person who understands the mechanics of a story as well as anyone in the writer's room.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you’re looking at Liza’s trajectory for your own career or relationship, there are a few real-world takeaways:
- Protect Your Own Identity: Even while being part of a "power couple," Liza never stopped being a playwright. She didn't become a "professional wife." Having your own creative outlet is vital.
- The "Pivot" is Powerful: When the NBC disaster happened, she helped Conan pivot. Sometimes the person closest to you sees the path forward when you’re too blinded by frustration to find it.
- Use Your History: Her podcast Significant Others succeeded because she found a niche she personally understood. Look for the "untold story" in your own field.
Ultimately, the reason the O'Briens have lasted over 20 years in a town where marriages end faster than a pilot season is pretty simple: they’re both writers who actually respect each other's work. It’s not just about the "meet-cute" on camera; it’s about what happens when the cameras stop rolling.
To keep up with her current projects, you can find Significant Others on most podcast platforms or look for her latest theatrical work through the Geffen Playhouse's community programs.