Conan O'Brien says 'you may not be ready' when your breakthrough moment comes, 'but you have to take it—and then figure it out on the way'

Conan O'Brien sits, speaking into a microphone (Credit: FilmMagic—FilmMagic for Max)

• Conan O’Brien, who has built a $200 million fortune through television and his Team Coco media ventures, said it’s important to seize opportunities even if you don’t feel ready for them, drawing on his own experiences as a former comedy writer who was given the chance to become a late-night TV host. O’Brien used a boat metaphor to describe how he “grabbed” his breakthrough despite being unprepared for the role that launched his more than three-decade career.

During a July taping of his SiriusXM podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, veteran comedian Conan O’Brien shared candid advice about seizing career-defining opportunities, drawing from his own unlikely journey from behind-the-scenes writer to late-night television icon with an estimated net worth of $200 million.