Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | September 16, 2026
America! There was a time when it felt like the place to be (depending on your skin color or economic prosperity). People would travel from all over the world to start a new life for their families, with the promise that America, the land of the free, would welcome them with open arms. Now, a friend of mine recently told me that they had to watch what they posted online in the days leading up to a flight because their family is from Cuba. That’s where we’re at! And it’s sad and disappointing.
I still have hope. I’m a dad; I have to. My intention for bringing new people into this world was to love them and make sure they leave it better than they found it. Ideally, others are doing the same, and the United States will once again be a place where people want to venture to improve their lives. They’ll travel here to follow their dreams. We won’t be a place that presents as hostile and oafish. But until then, it makes sense that Conan O’Brien would yell at an American Girl Doll for traveling here from Sweden.
Taylor Tomlinson recently returned to Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend and decided to bring up a little history the two of them share. Tomlinson had once gone on tour with O’Brien when she was a young comic. She loves the American Girl dolls, so Conan purchased two and told her to choose one, while the other would be destroyed. It’s one of the most Conan O’Brien-type ultimatums I’ve heard, and the glee it still brings him is pretty hilarious. But Taylor turned the tables this time.
She presented Conan with a similar ultimatum: she bought him two dolls, and he would have to choose one. I wholly expected the segment to turn creepy (in a funny way), but the moment that got me the most was Conan learning that one of the dolls was from Sweden and then completely screaming at her for making such a decision. He even goes so far as to tell this fake Swedish person that she “F***ED UP!” It draws a deep laugh from everyone in the room, and Conan does not choose the Swedish doll.
The clip is pretty wonderful, and it’s also great to see Tomlinson back on the show. She’s the kind of guest who Conan clearly has a soft spot for. He seems determined to make her laugh and is enamored by her presence. It makes for a really fantastic interview.
