Conan O’Brien unpacked a dark and twisted ongoing joke he, Will Arnett, and Jason Bateman made up that involved the “Black Rabbit” star being behind the death of his parents.
“I wrote it down last year because the timeline was so good,” Arnett said while appearing on O’Brien’s podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” on Monday. “I hear that your dad passed away and I text you that day or the next day and I said, ‘Hey, listen. I’m sorry to hear about your dad’s passing, sending love from our family to yours.’ And you wrote, ‘Thank you, Will. To be honest, I blame Bateman.’”
Watch the clip below.
In response to O’Brien jokingly accusing Bateman of killing his father Dr. Thomas O’Brien,” Arnett said: “‘It’s not a terrible theory.’”
“And Conan texted me back, ‘He killed my dad.’”
O’Brien chimed in to share that his dad, who died on Dec. 9, 2024 at the age of 95, would have also laughed at the joke.
“My dad would have loved this,” O’Brien said.
Bateman continued on with the story: “So then I tell Bateman this, we’re dying. We’re doing a thing that day. So, he, the next day, Bateman texts you and he says, ‘Arnett tells me you’re on to me.’ And Conan, Conan texts Bateman. He says, ‘Bateman, do yourself a favor. Turn yourself in.’”
Arnett said two days after O’Brien’s father died, O’Brien’s mother Ruth Reardon O’Brien died, which O’Brien said no one saw coming.
Arnett said that just added more gags to the running joke.
“I text you two days after; I knew you were in Boston. I said, ‘Um, Bateman is asking for your sister’s street address. OK to give?’ And you and you were busy that weekend and like a day and a half later you texted back, ‘Just seeing this now. Fantastic — 625 Boyleston Street, Apartment 12C. Tell Bateman to make it look like a robbery.’”
The podcast room was filled with laughter and shock, but O’Brien said the entire joke was part of his grieving process.
“You know what’s weird? I swear to God, this is how I grieve,” he explained. “Everyone has their way.”
'Toy Story 5' Casts Conan O'Brien