Matthew Perry Made Conan O'Brien Jealous

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | July 24, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | July 24, 2024 |

There are people in the world who often let their emotions get the best of them, and their self-esteem varies, causing them to act defensively. Despite being skilled at what they do, they attempt to prove themselves when they feel even slightly challenged. This can lead to outbursts that can appear overtly passionate but also whiny and needy. I am referring to comedians.

Comedians tend to have fragile egos. They take any slight, intentional or otherwise, as an assault on their worth in the world. It makes sense. A comedian’s work is usually personal and driven by the idea that people not only like their jokes but also like them as human beings. So, feeling unfunny can become personal for comedians. This happens even if someone else is simply being funny.

This was the case for Conan O’Brien during the ’90s. O’Brien sat down with longtime friend Lisa Kudrow for his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend. When discussing Friends, Matthew Perry was brought up. “I used to not be able to watch it at all,” Kudrow told Conan. “I mean, I’d see it on and be mildly interested, and then I’d see me and say, “That’s enough of that.” I can’t bear it. And then well, listen, after Matthew died, I could start watching the show again because it wasn’t about me. It had to do with him for some reason.”

Perry passed away in 2023 at the age of 54. His tragic death brought on heaps of praise for his talent and kindness. That admiration has not stopped. It’s also been happening for decades. Conan recalled hearing from Kudrow when she had begun working on Friends in the ’90s. “You called me up, and you were raving about … ” Before Conan could finish, Kudrow quickly said, “Matthew.”

O’Brien and Kudrow dated for years. So, O’Brien couldn’t help but react a certain way when presented with Perry’s hilarity. “Yes. And you were saying, ‘He’s so funny’ … There was part of me that was jealous,” Conan explained to Kudrow. “Like, I was ‘Okay, I make you laugh pretty hard,’ and you were like, ‘No, you don’t understand. This guy’s really [funny].’ “

Matthew Perry has a legacy that is supported by his stellar body of work. Friends is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. Still, being so funny that it makes Conan O’Brien jealous is a pretty fantastic achievement. Kudrow even had to assure Conan that he still had the goods. Kudrow explained to Conan that he is “one of the funniest people I know.” Comedians need that sweet assurance.