Conan O'Brien To Officiate Gay Wedding Of Staff Member To Mark TBS Anniversary

Conan O'Brien is set to commemorate his one-year anniversary at TBS in a groundbreaking way -- by officiating an on-air wedding between two men.

As New York Magazine's Vulture blog is reporting, the talk show host will be marrying one of his show's longtime staff members and his partner when Conan tapes at New York's Beacon Theater, though producers have yet to determine when the actual nuptials will air.

Although O'Brien's previous NBC show, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," taped in Manhattan for 16 years, such a wedding would not have been possible during that earlier run. New York became the sixth -- and largest -- U.S. state to legalize gay marriage last June, with Governor Andrew Cuomo being highly praised among LGBT advocacy groups for the legislation.

As TV Guide reports, late-night television previously hosted an on-air wedding in 1969, when more than 21 million viewers watched musician Tiny Tim marry Miss Vicki on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show."

A representative for O'Brien confirmed that the wedding would take place next week, but did not provide any additional details.

Comments

[BeautifulOnDaOutside]

04:14 PM on 10/31/2011

Guess the comedy wasn't working out for him.

[FOXYROSE]

08:52 AM on 10/31/2011

Anything to up his sinking ratings - when this show tanks, he is through on t.v. - I tried to watch him a couple of times, but he is predictable and boring and not funny - grow up Conan, the stuff that worked 10 years ago is no longer funny.

[Cyke101]

02:37 PM on 10/30/2011

Conan! Conan! Conan! Conan!

[rjhuntington]

06:06 AM on 10/30/2011

So, can anyone "officiate" at a wedding? Isn't there a requirement for any sort of legal authority to have been "vested" in the officiator? Or is that just nonsense? Now that I think about it, people have been getting hitched since before there were governments. I'll bet any couple have the natural right to declare themselves married.

[PatientZeroBeat]

12:20 PM on 10/30/2011

The legal documents drawn up via the government are the thing that actually binds the marriage contract, not the ceremony. The ceremony (as far as the legal part goes) is simply the time when the couple agrees to the legal document that had already been drawn up. The person officiating at the wedding ceremony merely needs a modicum of "training" beforehand and a very minor license from the government. He/She is more or less a witness to the agreeing of the two people getting married. So it would have been no big deal for many people to have gotten this license, Conan included.

Sometimes you also have a "sham" wedding, where the couple had already gotten married privately, say, at City Hall. The ceremony therefore only exists as.... a ceremony. Nothing new legally happens. Therefore, the person "officiating" the wedding doesn't even need the license to do that... it's all just for show. The part where they say "If there is anybody present who disagrees with this marriage, speak now or forever hold you peace" could have legal ramifications is somebody ACTUALLY spoke up though! I'm guessing that virtually never happens, except in scripts.

[oceanofconsciousness]

11:52 PM on 10/29/2011

This ought to draw a lot of Republican viewers. LOL.

Go Coco!

[PatientZeroBeat]

07:11 PM on 10/29/2011

Conan the So-Not-A-Barbarian.

[UserNameJane]

06:11 PM on 10/29/2011

A happy story for once. You have a new fan Conan.

[Hardyman1966]

06:01 PM on 10/29/2011

Well done! Anyone with an issue probably shouldn't be up that late anyway. :)

[ProgressivePicon86]

04:59 PM on 10/29/2011

Very awesome. I cannot wait till this episode airs. its good that America is slowly progressing towards acceptance and tolerance for others.

[Kid Notorious]

04:53 PM on 10/29/2011

Conan is nothing if not a classy dude... Been to several tapings of his multiple shows, met him a few times, and he is just a super nice guy...

[Trekkiefandom]

03:41 PM on 10/29/2011

cool. Don't think he is funny, never watched him, but yeah I will try to watch it.

[Van Hammersly]

06:20 PM on 10/30/2011

Maybe you should try watching him before you label him as unfunny? Just a thought.

[Trekkiefandom]

09:30 PM on 10/30/2011

I never watched Conan on TBS, I did see some of his old show.

[The Anti-Con]

12:06 AM on 10/31/2011

thats like someone saying that chicken taste like beef but is a vegetarian...

[lambdin1]

10:37 AM on 10/29/2011

While I am sure that his heart is in the right place (ratings ?) and it is good exposure for us. I'm afraid that nothing will lift a baloon that is loosing altitude (ratings)!!!!!!!

[ProgressivePicon86]

04:57 PM on 10/29/2011

I am sorry, where is your proof of his losing ratings? until you find those facts, don't be spouting it. I could bet he is doing better than Leno and Letterman. those two couldn't take the coveted 18-35 age group if their life depended on it.

[UserNameJane]

06:13 PM on 10/29/2011

Forgive me for asking but isnt that the point of any show (Ratings)!!!!!!!!

[bernard0]

05:30 AM on 10/29/2011

Bummer he can't do it in California.

[americanindependent21]

02:34 AM on 10/29/2011

I think it is good that they are going to legalize gay marriage in new york and i am glad that conan is apart of it that is very nice of him to do that love you conan

[19th Amendment]

02:30 AM on 10/29/2011

That is COOL, Coco!