Conan O’Brien ’85 will be the principal speaker at Harvard’s 375th Commencement on May 28 and receive an honorary degree, the University announced Thursday.
A fixture in comedy for four decades—and a former Harvard Lampoon president—O’Brien wrote for Saturday Night Live and the Simpsons before rising to prominence as a late-night talk show host on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show, and Conan. In recent years, he has hosted a pair of acclaimed travel shows (Conan Without Borders; Conan Must Go) and the popular interview podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.
“Conan O’Brien is a singular and outstanding American humorist,” Harvard President Alan M. Garber said in a statement. “His work, deeply rooted in close listening and keen observation, creates joyful connections between and among ideas and people. I look forward to sharing the stage with him in Tercentenary Theatre later this year. Harvard is tremendously fortunate to call him one of our own.”
O’Brien grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts and served two terms as president of the Lampoon. He graduated in 1985 with a degree in History and Literature and wrote his undergraduate thesis on “Literary Progeria in the Works of William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor”—once, a fan handed him a photocopy of the paper right before he stepped onstage for a performance.
“I knew then it was time to die,” he joked later.
O’Brien joined the writing staff of SNL in 1988 and became a writer on The Simpsons in 1991, penning classic episodes including “Marge vs. the Monorail” and “Homer Goes to College.” In 1993, he began his talk show career on NBC’s Late Night, kicking off a three-decade run as a TV talk show host.
Since 2018, O’Brien has hosted the podcast Conan O’ Brien Needs a Friend, which has approximately 190 million downloads annually, according to parent company Sirius XM. His long career in comedy has garnered him multiple Emmy Awards and several stints hosting major award shows including the Emmys and the Oscars. In 2025, he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
O’Brien has appeared on campus often since graduating from Harvard— including at Alumni Day events last spring as part of his class’s 40th reunion. He spoke at Class Day in 2000 and the University’s virtual graduation ceremony in 2020.
“I remember well the great uncertainty of this day, the anxiety,” O’Brien told students during his 2000 speech. “Let me assure you that the knowledge you gained here at Harvard is a precious gift that will never leave you.”
“There’s also sadness today,” he continued. “A feeling of loss that you’re leaving Harvard forever. Let me assure you that you never really leave Harvard. The Harvard fundraising committee will be on your ass until the day you die.”
