In short
Podcast Summary: Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Episode: Conan Must Go: Whitney (Thailand)
Podcast Overview Title: Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend Description: Conan O'Brien, after years of interviewing celebrities, embarks on a journey to forge genuine friendships. This podcast serves as a platform for playful and candid conversations with guests, free from the restrictions of conventional media.
Episode Overview Title: Conan Must Go: Whitney (Thailand) Description: In this episode, Conan speaks with Whitney, who works in Human Resources for the United Nations in Thailand. They discuss her life, career, and share light-hearted banter about rock climbing and Conan's potential inability to climb.
Key Themes and Highlights
Introducing Whitney
- Whitney is based in Thailand and works as a recruiter for the UN's Asia Pacific office.
- She shares her background and her husband, who introduced her to Conan's work.
- The conversation touches on cultural differences, with humorous speculation about her husband’s location in relation to her.
Human Resources at the UN
- Whitney explains her role involves recruitment rather than typical HR functions.
- Conan jokingly suggests he might want to work at the UN, leading to humorous back-and-forth about the challenges of having Conan in such a serious environment.
Fun and Recreation
- Whitney reveals her passion for indoor rock climbing.
- Conan, unfamiliar with rock climbing, shares his fears and experiences, expressing skepticism about his ability to climb.
Banter on Rock Climbing
- Whitney encourages Conan to try rock climbing, humorously criticizing his coordination and upper body strength.
- They discuss the mechanics of climbing, including the difference between bouldering and rope climbing, with Conan expressing fears of falling.
- Whitney's playful teasing about Conan’s physical capabilities adds a comedic element, highlighting her humorous approach.
Personal Connection
- Whitney shows a genuine interest in Conan and his career, teasing him about his age and abilities.
- Conan cleverly spins Whitney's jabs into a comedic narrative, creating an engaging dynamic.
- Their conversation reveals mutual respect, with Conan appreciating Whitney's intelligence and humor despite the playful insults.
Closing Remarks
- The episode concludes with Whitney's invitation for Conan to visit Thailand, emphasizing the warmth of her character.
- Conan expresses gratitude for the conversation and acknowledges Whitney’s impact as a fan.
Key Takeaways
- Friendship Dynamics: The episode illustrates Conan's quest for authentic connections through humor and candid conversations.
- Cultural Exchange: Whitney's perspective as an American living in Thailand adds depth to the discussion, showcasing cross-cultural interactions.
- Humor in Challenges: The playful banter around physical activities and personal capabilities highlights the importance of humor in overcoming insecurities.
- Engaging Conversation: The chemistry between Conan and Whitney exemplifies how humor can bridge gaps in understanding and create lasting impressions.
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Production Credits
- Hosted by: Conan O'Brien, Sona Movsesian, and Matt Gourley
- Produced by: Team Coco in association with Stitcher
- Music: Jimmy Vivino
Subscribe and Access
- Listeners can subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ for ad-free episodes available a week early. Visit [siriusxm.com/conan](https://siriusxm.com/conan) for a trial.
Note: This episode showcases Conan's signature humor while exploring themes of friendship, personal growth, and cross-cultural connections. The light-hearted nature of the conversation leaves a lasting impression of warmth and wit.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:03Conan O 'Brien needs a fan. Want to talk to Conan? Visit teamcoco.com slash call Conan. Okay, let's get started. Hi, Whitney. Welcome to Conan O 'Brien Needs a Fan. Hi. Hi, Whitney. How are you? I'm good. Hi, Sona. Hi. Hi, Whitney. Nice to see you, Whitney. Tell us, where are you in the world right now? I'm in Thailand. Calling from Thailand. What is it called? Calling? No, she's calling. Oh, she's calling. Oh, I thought you're calling from Thailand. I thought you were from some exotic province of Thailand called Kaling Ford. Oh, my gosh. You just made me sound like my English isn't good or something.
0:49No, your English is very good. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. I have terrible hearing now as I age. So it's all on me. Whitney, tell me a little bit about yourself. Well, I live in Thailand and I work for United Nations as a recruiter. for the Asia Pacific office. Wait, so you work for the United Nations and specifically you work in which department? Human resources. Oh, you do human resources for United Nations. Yes. Interesting. That's very fascinating. So you have to make sure, because in the United States, HR is to make sure that people behave properly. Is it the same idea for the United Nations?
1:32Well, yeah, I think it's the same idea everywhere. Yeah. So you have to like call Emmanuel Macron and say like, you can't say that. Yeah. Whatever the French Oval Office is. Yeah. Office du Oval. Well, I work particularly in recruitment. So I recruit people for offices. Oh, okay. Can I get a job? Don't do it. Yeah. Whitney, no. You would fit in perfectly at the United Nations. Whitney, no. No. There's enough. Whitney, there is enough trouble in the world right now. We do not need Sona working for the United Nations. I was so excited when I got an email from Lisa. I was like, oh, my God, I get to see Sona.
2:20Hey, I'm going to get a job at the United Nations. I'm going to work at the U.S. Well, I guess I win if that happens. The world will be destroyed. But I'll be rid of this plague. Well, tell me, I like you, Whitney. I like it. It makes me feel good that you're out there working, doing your part in the United Nations to bring peace to the world. Tell me about your life. Tell me about yourself as a person, as a human being. Well, I am married and my husband lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. What the? Cincinnati, Ohio. Now, where is that in Thailand? Right next to calling from. Is it near calling from? Is it south of calling from?
3:09Wait, so your husband is American? Yes, he is. And he actually got me, introduced me to your show on YouTube. And you're still married? Well, we got married after that, after he introduced me to your show. Good. Oh, good. Oh, good. So he waited. He waited. Yeah. You know, most Conan fans wait until they've sealed the deal. She's saying this came first, like you were the reason they got married. No, I thought you said he waited. Well, he introduced me to the show a few weeks before we got married. Oh, that's risky. That is very risky. That has ended many a relationship has not gone forward. We're still here, so.
3:58That's good. Well, that's nice. And so you're familiar with the podcast and probably some of the classic television bits on YouTube. Yes. Especially the one that with the employee of the month or the Italy trip with Jordan. Yes. Yes. Those ones people really like. Yes. And I also I did an HR remote with Sona where we tried to get help. Remember? Yeah, we tried and it didn't go well. With our HR rep. Yeah. So we're familiar with how ineffective HR can be.
4:39Well, this is very exciting, Whitney. So you're living in Thailand. And what do you do for fun? What do you do? I know that you work with the United Nations, but what do you do to relax for recreation? I climb. I do indoor rock climbing. Oh, rock climbing. yes wow i've have you tried no i have not tried uh the only rock climbing i've ever done in my life was to escape danger uh you know in the while if something if i saw something menacing like a pigeon that looked um like it had a disease i i quickly scramble up some rocks to get away but no the idea of going to a gym and doing rock climbing really frightens me no it's really fun You should try.
5:26Well, wait a minute. Are you being, Whitney, do you really think I'd be a good rock climber, honestly? No.
5:35Well, wait a minute. Okay. Well, now my feelings are hurt, so I'm going to take the opposite opinion and say I think I'd be a great rock climber. You have good reach, I'm sure. Well, Whitney, explain why you think, honestly, I would have trouble as a rock climber. Explain. well i don't know how how good you would be with like coordination like movement and stuff but your height would be really uh would add it to advantage because you are tall you like six four so you can reach out really high like for me i'm a five four so some uh some movement that's for the next move, next hole, uh, it's really far for me, but far.
6:20Okay. So I would have an advantage. I would have an advantage in my reach, but you're saying like, you think I would have, why, what makes you think I would have bad coordination? I don't know. It's just the way you talk about yourself in the show. Well, I suppose I'm maybe honest about, yes, I have some challenges, some physical challenges. Let me ask you something. Um, do you need a body strength to climb? Yes. Is that required? She's right. She's right. Yes. Because I think that would be a problem for me. That's the problem. Well, where would I need, where do I need the strength? Which part of my body needs the strength in order to climb?
7:03Well, the total body, I would say. Oh, no, that's not good. The total body? Isn't there just one area that could do all the work? Yeah, just fingertips. No, even your finger, you need your strength on your finger. I play guitar, so I think I have strong fingers. That's not the only thing, though. Your legs and your upper body would be strong, too. No, I don't have an upper body. I'm all leg and no upper body. Imagine some long, long skinny legs and then a head and nothing in between. That's what I am. And then two little noodle arms. then you can try like a jumping movement because there's some you have to jump from one hole to the next hole so that you use it yeah um so whitney i think it seems to me that you would you introduce the idea that you like rock climbing and you'd like to see me try rock climbing but i think you just want to see me try rock climbing because you think i'm going to look foolish.
8:06Yeah. Is that correct? Correct. Well, that's terrible. That's terrible.
8:22Whitney, that's terrible. No, it's terrible. You just everyone can come. Everyone can come. Trust me. But I watch him. Yeah. She's inviting a bunch of people to watch you climb. No, she's saying everyone can climb. Oh, okay. Yeah, that's what she's saying. But I think what you really mean is everyone can come and watch Conan make a fool of himself. That's what you're really saying. Now, do you think that you could help me become a better climber? Well, I have to see you come first and see if you have a chance. Oh. I don't know. This is incredible. See if you have a chance. Have a chance? Well, listen.
9:06Do I, if I don't make it. It could be a lost cause. I think you need to put a diseased pigeon at the bottom. I don't know. Bring your own. You know, here's the thing, Whitney. You're just really loving. You seem joyous at the idea of me falling and getting hurt. That's giving you no end of pleasure right now.
9:34Now, let me ask you something. How far would I fall? Is there anything that would, is there a special safety line that I'd be attached to so I wouldn't fall? Well, there's two types of climbing. One is rope climbing, which you will be attached to the rope. And there's a belayer at the bottom and then belay you. So it is easier than the bordering. The bordering means that you only have a mat underneath it. Oh, so bouldering, there's no rope. And if I fall, I land on a mat. How thick is the mat? But it's me. But Syria, how thick is the, if I fall, how thick is the mat? It's about less than a foot.
10:19Okay, no, I need like seven of those. And then I need some marshmallow fluff poured onto it. then you wouldn't have to climb if you need seven of those. That's exactly. Exactly. I'm going to pile seven mats up, walk up to the perch and then just lay down and go to sleep. Have you ever fallen? Well, I just did and dislocated my elbow a month ago. Oh, well, you're a great ad for climbing. And are you okay now? Did they fix your elbow? Yeah. I took the sling off now. So it's better. Yeah. Wow. And did you ever, what's the worst fall you ever had? That was it. Oh, that was it? Okay, that's not so bad.
10:59I fall many times and I never hurt myself, but this was like, I dislocated my elbow, so. Whitney, you seem like a young, vibrant woman. Are you aware that I'm a very old man? I am aware. You're like 70s? No, I'm not 70s. Like Whitney. That's terrible, Whitney. You're supposed to, Whitney, that was your cue to say, oh, Conan, don't be silly. You look so young. You look so virile. You're so handsome. That's the stuff you're supposed to say. Not, oh, I know, you're in your 70s, which I'm not, by the way. Not by a long shot. 80s. Whitney, you owe me an apology. Stop laughing. You tell me when you're ready to apologize.
11:47Are you ready to apologize? Well, I think Matt is correct in your 80s. Yeah, she's doubling down. This is ridiculous. This is insane. I like Whitney. I know. Whitney, you've done nothing since we began chatting. First of all, you say you're a fan. I am a fan. See, I know all about you from your show, like from your podcast. So I know you're in your 70s and you are like... I am not in my 70s. I am 59 years old. About to be 60. Weeks away. I'm 59 years old. I am not in my 70s. This is ridiculous. And I don't know. I just think if I were to fall, you realize if I were to fall while climbing, it could be the end of me.
12:37I could, you know, I'm not like you. That's a mat. You say there's a mat, but it's probably 30 feet below. I'll hit the mat and explode into just a bunch of packing peanuts. And that'll be the end of me. There'll just be a big explosion of dust and then I'll be gone. And how would you feel? Awesome. What? You said awesome. You said awesome? It's a pretty cool way to go for you to just disappear off a boulder. So you think if I fell It's like that, just disappear. So you think if I fell while climbing with you, Whitney, and I exploded into dust and was gone forever, you think it would be awesome?
13:22No, you don't. You are not in pain. I mean, like, so not.
13:32She's really looking out for you. Oh, man. Okay. Okay, yeah. You're right. It's a painless way to go. And for a man who's in his 80s, I suppose I should be looking for just a clean way out now, Whitney. So I do think you have my best interest at heart. Where's your husband right now? I want to, is he there with you? No. He will be listening to the podcast, but no, he's not. Oh, is that how you communicate with your husband? You call into podcasts and then you tell him, listen in. I'm on Joe Rogan tonight. Yeah. We would be like, have you listened to this Conan podcast and we talk about it. Oh, that's sweet.
14:16Is he in Ohio right now? Yes, he is. Do you have plans to live in the same place at some point? Well, that's depending on your government. So we are waiting on the paperwork to be completed. Well, I hope that gets taken care of. You know, I wish maybe if I got involved, don't you think I probably have some influence with the U.S. government? No. No, it's already been a year. so don't you you know we wait for a year so if you get involved it might be 10 years so okay then you'll be in your late 80s yeah well i'll be in my 90s yeah that's right uh whitney you have i'm counting now i think you have insulted me 35 times in this brief interview and that's hard to do you may have set the new record uh Sorry.
15:14You are, oh yeah, you look really sorry. You're laughing so hard. So let's just, let's review. Okay. Whitney would very much like for me to come visit her. She's aware that I'm, according to her, in my late 70s or 80s. And she would like me to go bouldering, which means I have no rope to help me. and if I were to fall, she thinks it would be awesome because, and I asked her if she would feel any remorse about this and she said no because it's a quick, painless way to go. Yeah. And so, I think that pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? That sums it up, yeah. I think I should head out there. You got it.
16:02And also, you think I should not get involved in your immigration status with your husband in America because you think if I get involved, it will take 10 years longer. Yes. Is there anything you'd like to say that's positive about me? Well, no.
16:28Well, wow. Just kidding. No, it's been... No, no, no. I know, I know, I know, I know. But that was really funny. Well, Whitney, I like you. despite I must be into like S &M or something because all you've done is torture me. Well, you can tell she's a regular listener to the show. She gets what you need. Yes. And trust me, everyone around me understands a little too well that I need to be constantly put in my place and humiliated. So that's very cool. And yes, I don't know. We'll see. We'll see. Maybe I would go bouldering. You should. Or at least you should try the rope climbing. Yeah. And then if I slip, then I'm suspended by a rope.
17:15Yeah. What about your webbed feet? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, right. One of my feet has two toes that are attached by a webbing. Would that give me an advantage if I went barefoot? No, you have to wear climbing shoes. So there's specific climbing shoes. What if I cut a hole right where the webbed toes are so they could stick out and give me that little edge that I need? Do they have strength? No, they're just two weak toes held together by some freckly weak flesh. It looks like that. It basically looks like a piece of bologna got stuck between two of my toes. Imagine if Orville Redenbacher was Aquaman.
18:02Yeah.
18:06then they are worthless. You don't need them. Well, you say worthless. I say beautiful. Well, here's what I have to say to you. You have not helped me much with my confidence, but I'm glad. I'm glad we met and I'm glad we spoke. And I think that we've made a really, a good connection here. Yeah, I think so. I think so. Solid. No, Whitney, I really did like talking to you. You seem very cool and you're very funny. And you've hurt my feelings terribly, but you've brought great joy to many people. And you also work for the United Nations. This proves you're good at uniting our nations through a common contempt for Conan.
18:50I do my part. I'm not sure if I'm good at it, but I try. I think you are. I suspect that you are very good at it. Well, thank you very much, Whitney. It was really nice talking to you. And please say hello to any other fans that might be out there in Thailand. No one knows.
19:14Well, I beg to differ. Well, that means you need to come to Thailand and maybe you do a show and then you get people know about it. Because you've never been here. You've never been here. I know you've been to Japan and South Korea. So you should come here. Okay, I will. I'm sure there are some fans that I don't know about, but so you should come here. You are just... We're at 41 insults now. Yeah, yeah. Without even trying. Without even trying. You're the insult comic of Thailand. I know, you really are. Incredible. Of calling from Thailand. All right. Well, Whitney, I do hope our paths cross one day and you take care.
19:57All right? Thank you. And be safe on those climbing ropes, okay? I'll try. All right. Be good. All right. Take care. Bye-bye. Conan O 'Brien Needs a Fan. With Conan O 'Brien, Sonam Ovcesian, and Matt Gourley. Produced by me, Matt Gourley. Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Joanna Solitaroff, and Jeff Ross at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson at Earwolf. Music by Jimmy Vivino. Supervising producer, Aaron Blaird. Associate talent producer Jennifer Samples. Associate producers Sean Doherty and Lisa Berm. Engineering by Eduardo Perez. Please rate, review, and subscribe to Conan O 'Brien Needs a Friend on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.
20:50This has been a Team Coco production in association with Stitcher. You
From the publisher
Conan chats with Whitney from Thailand about working in HR for the UN and specific tips for Conan should he ever attempt to rock climb.
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