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Conan O'Brien believes the internet saved his career.
The 62-year-old comic recalled how his stint hosting 'The Tonight Show' - which he took over in June 2009 but left just seven months later when Jay Leno wanted to return to the timeslot - "blew up" and left him fearing he was "in real trouble" - only to realise he had a younger generation of people praising his skills online.
Speaking to Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler on their 'MeSsy' podcast, he said: "I've had multiple times in my career where things kind of blew up or went sideways.
"I had no regrets about giving ['The Tonight Show'] a shot. And when, for all these complicated reasons, it blew up, I was deeply upset. I thought, 'I'm in real trouble and this could be the end of my career [at 46].'
"But lo and behold, this thing called the internet rose up, and I got this huge groundswell of love and appreciation that I didn't expect.
"Because [when] you're doing a show like ['Late Night'], day in and day out, for 16 years, it's submarine duty.
"You don't get a chance to understand fully that there's a generation of people out there that have been watching, they're younger than me, and they all knew how to use the internet. So, they all got on social media and it was this big thing."
The 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend' podcaster thinks the fact he gets "very restless" and enjoys new challenges has helped him to maintain a lengthy career on the small screen.
He said: "The one thing that saved me is I'm very restless, and I'm willing to change it up. The idea of doing one thing for 35 years in television and getting a gold watch and leaving just sounded awful to me and still does.
"Although a gold watch would be great."
Conan hosted the Academy Awards this year and his stint was such a hit with viewers and organisers, he has been invited back to helm the ceremony again in 2026.
But Conan joked he only agreed to return so he could hear the rest of 'The Brutalist' star Adrien Brody's speech after the Best Actor winner was forced to cut it short after speaking for a record-breaking five minutes and 40 seconds.
He quipped: “The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech.”
As well as Conan, executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will be involved for a third time, and Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will produce once again.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and outcoming president Janet Yang said in a statement: “We are thrilled to bring back Conan, Raj, Katy, Jeff and Mike for the 98th Oscar.
"This year, they produced a hugely entertaining and visually stunning show that celebrated our nominees and the global film community in the most beautiful and impactful way.
"Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humour, warmth and reverence. It is an honour to be working with them again.”
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Browns make curious decision with rookie QB Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should absolutely see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
Nick Saban responds to speculation about coaching return amid NFL rumors
Shortly after former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and current college football analyst Greg McElroy shared that someone "in the know" believes there's a possibility Nick Saban — who retired in January 2024 — might return to coaching, NFL insider Albert Breer suggested that the Dallas Cowboys could be a potential destination for the seven-time national champion. According to Mike Rodak of 247Sports, Saban was asked during a Friday appearance on Fox News if he intends to come out of retirement. "No, I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now," Saban responded. "It's exciting to still be involved in the game. It's exciting for me to work with athletic directors, conference commissioners, people in Congress to preserve the integrity of our game and continue to be able to create opportunities to help young people create value for their future that will help them be successful in their life, which is what we always try to do as a coach." Saban, now working as an ESPN analyst, will be 74 in October. Per Christian Datoc of the Washington Examiner, President Donald Trump could consider having Saban "lead a new commission examining problems arising with the growth of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and coinciding changes to the NCAA transfer process." Meanwhile, it's thought that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could look to hire a big-name candidate if first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer fails to impress during the 2025 campaign. Additionally, Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd recently hinted that Saban could be interested in becoming the head coach of the Cleveland Browns if the team selects Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the first pick in the 2026 draft. "There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban added during Friday's segment. "I enjoy what I'm doing. I did it for 50 years. I loved it. I loved the relationships with the players. I loved the competition. But it's another station of life now. I enjoy what I'm doing right now and want to continue to do it — spend more time with my family, my grandchildren, my children. It's been really, really good." The "right now" portion of Saban's comments attracted the attention of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who was quick to point out he did not say "no for good" regarding a return to coaching. In short, it seems that rumors about Saban's future could hover over the college and pro football communities through at least the rest of the year.
Warriors' Stephen Curry believes NBA players are 'underpaid'
Are NBA players underpaid? Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry argues yes. The greatest shooter in NBA history said Thursday on Complex’s “360 With Speedy” that because the league’s current CBA doesn’t allow for current players to invest in league and team equity, players are leaving money on the table. “I would say, yes, we are underpaid,” Curry admitted when asked, despite enormous salaries, if the players were getting short-changed, “because you wanna be able to participate in that rise [of equity].” “It’s a partnership with ownership, [and] it’s a partnership with the league,” the 37-year-old stressed, revealing that league salaries do not reflect players’ impact on team valuations. If anyone has the right to begrudge the current CBA on player participation in equity, it’s Curry. When drafted in 2009, the Warriors were worth $315 million. Current valuations in May of 2025 have the team at $9.4 billion, the most in the league. Curry’s been paid handsomely during his time in Golden State, and he doesn’t overlook it. “I know we’re blessed to be in a position where we’re playing basketball for a living, and these are the type of checks that people are earning,” he told Complex. However, when he signed his $62.6 million one-year extension in 2024 that would keep him in a Warriors’ jersey until 2027, many felt that no amount of money the franchise could offer him would represent his worth. Curry had an undeniable impact on the Warriors’ valuation increasing by nearly 3,000%. He’s benefited by being the most salaried player on the roster and plenty of endorsement deals. But is he getting his fair share? Something similar may happen with reigning NBA Finals MVP and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just signed the richest contract in league history with an average annual value of $71.25 million. According to Forbes, the Thunder’s valuation increased 20% from 2023 to 2024 and will likely take another jump after this year’s championship. Curry concedes that player participation in equity isn’t a simple concept and not all markets are created equal: “You got competitive advantage considerations…and want every market to have a fair chance, like I get all that.” He believes, however, that finding a solution is a “mutually beneficial proposition” for players, teams and the league. Even the most expensive people in the world need to find other investors to make owning an NBA team possible. The best example of Curry’s point is the Boston Celtics sale in March. The most-championed franchise in league history was sold to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion, the largest ever sports franchise sale in North America at the time. Chisholm needed Rob Hale, Bruce Beal Jr., and private equity firm Sixth Street, to afford the purchase. Because team ownership is already a multi-investor operation, the league could potentially come to an agreement with the players by the next CBA negotiation at the end of the decade. If not, the league's best players will continue to simultaneously earn a ridiculous amount of money, and it will not be nearly enough.
Broderick Jones Already Struggling at Steelers Camp
The Pittsburgh Steelers are few days into training camp, and the one worrisome piece is not Aaron Rodgers opening with an interception or how the team will implement Chuck Clark. It's the struggles that have been very apperant from the jump from left tackle Broderick Jones. Coming into training camp, Jones moved from the right side to the left side, which is where the Steelers have envisioned him since drafting him 14th overall three years ago. "I expect him to do what we drafted him to do," head coach Mike Tomlin said. "He was a left tackle prospect and a highly regarded one when he came out. He was a young guy when he came out, so he’s had some on-the-job training meanwhile. I think it’s a big year for him, and one that we can expect him to play and play varsity ball." So far, the optimism hasn't followed the outcome. Jones has struggled at camp, losing battles to Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith through just two days of camp. Jones doesn't seem much change from the right to the left side, and has continued to say all offseason that he believes the transition won't come with much difficulty. "No, I don’t think it’s different," Jones said. "I’ve been in the starting lineup. It’s still the same position to me. I’m trying to become a starter. They’re looking at me to be left tackle, so I just got to focus on that." So far, it's been more concern that glory. The Steelers need their former first-round pick to be a key piece to their offense, protecting Aaron Rodgers' backside this season. If he can figure it out, the line looks to be in great shape. If he can't, they might be in trouble.
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