The Religion and Political Views of Conan O'Brien

Conan O'Brien was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in nearby Brookline, Massachusetts.

Conan was raised Irish Catholic. His name, Conan, comes from the first Irish Catholic bishop. Conan recounts that religion was very important to his family when he was growing up. He went to and participated in church every week as a kid. In fact, his family made it a point to only marry within the Irish Catholic community, causing Conan to assert that he is more purebred Irish than most people in Ireland.[1]

Catholicism is often part of Conan's schtick, with jokes like:

The Catholic Church has approved a new app that lets you make confessions over your iPhone. It also raises the possibility of accidentally butt-dialing God.[2]

Or a fake advertisement he aired on his show, claiming that the Vatican was looking for manly, heterosexual priests.[3]

O'Brien actually seems to still have a special place in his heart for his childhood religion, though it is unclear whether or not he regularly attends church or is a spiritual man. He once said:

I do believe, and this might be my Catholic upbringing… I think things happen for a reason, I really do.[4]

Leprechaun Politics

Like any good talk show host, Conan skewers any political candidate that does anything that could be turned into comedy and he doesn't use his show as a political soapbox. Here's a good skewer:

Lenscrafters is upset with Tea Partier Michele Bachmann because she called Planned Parenthood 'the Lenscrafters of abortion.' Lenscrafters released a statement today calling her 'the Costco of crazy.'[5]

O'Brien, in the end, is a devoted Democrat, who has said he has been a Democrat since casting his vote for Walter Mondale in 1984.[6] His financial records confirm his love for the Democratic Party. While he's not a big contributor–at a measly $5,600 lifetime amount–it's all been to Democrats.[7]

Conan's no ideologue, though. He has called himself a moderate–which is a perfect way to not alienate any potential fans who might be Republican or even liberal.[8]