Judd Apatow sits down for “Serious Jibber-Jabber” with Conan O’Brien

For Conan O’Brien’s second installment of his Web-only uninterrupted talk show, “Serious Jibber-Jabber,” the front man for Team Coco on TBS welcomes writer/director/producer Judd Apatow to the table.

Over the course of 69 minutes and change, we learn from Apatow that:

  • Upon learning that one of Apatow’s first spec scripts was an episode of The Simpsons he wrote more than two decades ago, he said the show’s staff called him up recently to say they’ll film his episode next season.
  • There isn’t so much improvisation in an Apatow movie as much as there is rewriting of jokes on the fly. Or in the case of Steve Carell’s chest-waxing moment in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, it’s semi-scripted.
  • Apatow and O’Brien both were hugely influenced by Steve Martin. Because they are men of a certain age. So to speak.
  • Apatow still tells that story of him at 12 driving by Steve Martin’s house, and seeing him outside, demanded an autograph, did not receive one, but after an angry letter, did receive “cool shoes” back in the mail. And happier ending: Apatow and Martin posed recently for Vanity Fair together.
  • Both Apatow and O’Brien love to say inappropriate things behind closed doors — either with their writers or with family — that would be “career-enders” if they were spread in public.
  • Apatow “found” Jonah Hill after they had time to kill on the set of 40-Year-Old Virgin when he had only one line, but they decided to make him nervous by riffing with Catherine Keener for several minutes.
  • Apatow also dropped the terms “crazy funny” when describing Hannibal Buress and Jason Segel.
  • Conan O’Brien said he knew he needed to work with Robert Smigel when he took over Late Night in 1993, but didn’t know what to do with Andy Richter at first.
  • Someone gave Apatow a DVD of Tiny Furniture, and when he watched it, he didn’t know beforehand anything about Lena Dunham. He was so intrigued afterward that he contacted her –> Girls.
  • Apatow’s caption for Jim Carrey’s photo in Vanity Fair: “Jim Carrey is the funniest man on Earth.”

Here’s a teaser clip.

When you’re ready for all 69 minutes, roll it!

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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