Conan O’Brien’s longtime wife, Liza Powel O’Brien, is a talented playwright and podcast host whose quiet but powerful presence has shaped his personal and professional life since their fateful meeting in 1999.

In the glitzy world of late-night television, where every punchline is crafted for impact and every moment carefully curated, the real stories—the ones that happen quietly behind the scenes—often remain in the shadows.

Such is the case with Liza Powel O’Brien, the woman who quietly captivated one of comedy’s sharpest minds and has remained his steadfast partner through the highs and lows of an extraordinary public life.

While most viewers know Conan O’Brien for his towering intellect, absurdist humor, and towering 6’4″ frame, few truly know the woman who’s shared his life for more than two decades.

Liza Powel O’Brien first met Conan in 1999, not through a glamorous celebrity mixer or a scripted encounter, but during a filming for Late Night with Conan O’Brien at the New York advertising agency where she worked.

At the time, Liza was a senior copywriter at Foote, Cone & Belding, assigned to help create a new commercial for Hilton Furniture.

Conan, shooting one of his trademark remote segments, visited the office. Something instantly clicked. Years later, Conan would half-jokingly admit that somewhere in the NBC archives, there’s footage of him “falling in love on camera.”

But what began as an unlikely workplace encounter soon developed into a real-life romance. After dating for over a year, they married in January 2002 in Seattle, Liza’s hometown, with a ceremony at St. James Cathedral.

Despite the public nature of Conan’s career, the couple has managed to maintain a surprisingly private life—one marked not by red carpet headlines, but by creative collaboration, mutual respect, and quiet resilience.

Liza, far from being a celebrity plus-one, carved out a distinct identity of her own. A graduate of Vassar College, she later earned a Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from Columbia University.

She turned her passion for words into a successful second career as a playwright. Her works—including Apostrophe, Ruthie Goes Shopping, and The Great Experiment—have been staged at respected venues such as The Geffen Playhouse and the Ojai Playwrights Conference.

Many of her plays explore themes of power, gender, and identity, drawing from her academic roots and her sharp observations of the world around her.

In 2019, she penned The Great Experiment, a play set in 1865 at Vassar College, inspired by her undergraduate years.

The piece examined the tensions and possibilities that emerged in one of the first higher education institutions for women in the U.S., subtly reflecting her ongoing interest in underrepresented voices and overlooked stories.

That same passion for highlighting the unsung would later inform her work as a podcast host.

In 2022, Liza launched the podcast Significant Others under Conan’s Team Coco banner, flipping the traditional biographical lens to focus on the people standing just outside the spotlight.

The show tells the stories of historical figures’ partners, advisors, or close confidantes—those who influenced major events but rarely made the headlines.

It’s not difficult to see a personal thread in the series: Liza herself has lived a version of that narrative. She’s the person who has influenced one of the most iconic entertainers of our time, without seeking the credit.

Though she’s not a household name, Liza has been a central figure in Conan’s world, especially during some of his most turbulent public moments.

One of the most dramatic periods of Conan’s career came in 2010, when he left The Tonight Show after a widely publicized dispute with NBC. The ordeal, which saw him step away from his dream job under painful and complicated circumstances, was emotionally taxing.

During this time, Liza reportedly played a crucial role in helping Conan find clarity and regain a sense of direction. Just months later, Conan launched his show on TBS and reinvented himself yet again—this time with even more creative freedom.

Together, Liza and Conan have raised two children: Neve, born in 2003, and Beckett, born in 2005. The couple has managed to keep their family largely out of the public eye, choosing instead to foster a sense of normalcy amid the chaos of Hollywood.

In rare interviews, Conan has praised Liza’s intelligence, dry wit, and grounded perspective—qualities that not only make her his ideal partner but also help balance the chaotic energy of his comedic world.

What makes their story so compelling is how grounded it feels. There’s no flashy drama, no celebrity feuds, no performative Instagram posts. Instead, it’s a love story rooted in curiosity, mutual admiration, and creative partnership.

While Conan has entertained millions with his brand of zany, brainy humor, Liza has built her own quiet empire, writing stories that challenge, inspire, and reveal.

Theirs is a marriage of minds as much as of hearts—two people with deep intellectual lives and a shared sense of humor.

While Conan might be the one in front of the camera, it’s clear that behind him stands a woman of substance, vision, and considerable talent.

As fans continue to celebrate Conan’s legacy in comedy, it’s worth looking behind the curtain at the equally fascinating woman who’s shared the journey with him.

Liza Powel O’Brien isn’t just the wife of a late-night legend—she’s a creator, thinker, and storyteller in her own right. And perhaps the most intriguing thing about her story is that it’s still being written.