Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | March 30, 2026
Arsenio Hall was a titan in my household growing up. There were few people funnier than this man, and it seemed like he could get away with anything. A big reason why is that we watched Coming to America quite often. Every face or character he would hit us with would have everyone rolling on the floor with laughter. It was the best and, like many people, I wondered why Hall didn’t continue to dominate Hollywood as the years went by. According to the man himself, it was his idea.
He recently appeared on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend and got into the idea that people thought he became some kind of recluse. The man has worked pretty consistently over the years, doing plenty of voice work while deciding to “chill” and raise his son at a certain point. But that hasn’t stopped rumors about why he hasn’t been as much in the public eye over the last couple of decades. Regardless, he’s been living his life, writing a book, and hanging out with Jay Leno.
Hall began his appearance on the show by noting that he feels “relieved” about being Conan’s friend, and then revealed that the reason why is that he was hanging out at a benefit with Howie Mandel and Jay Leno the night before. He’s, like, kind of joking, but kind of not. To make it even funnier, he explains that he didn’t really know what the issue was between them, claiming he was busy with his children. They don’t get into it, but Conan tries to be diplomatic while also getting off a joke or two.
Conan is still very nice about the whole thing, but it’s the closest to an awkward exchange that I have seen on his podcast. Hall seemed kind of genuinely concerned that hanging out with Leno might get him on Conan’s bad side, despite tackling it funnily. And while Conan tries to be nonchalant at first, Sona Movsesian and David Hopping (his former and current assistants) laugh in such a way that gives away that ol’ Coco isn’t exactly over the “friction” he had with Leno (nor should he be).
Still, everything is very cordial, and the interview continues in the same funny and pleasant way you would expect. The fact that Hall began the show that way had made the rounds over the weekend, but I assumed he did it more overtly as a joke. Instead, it seemed like he was legitimately nervous that Conan might take offense. It was awkward, funny, kinda sweet, and just adds to the decades-long saga that is Conan getting screwed over.
