Late-night TV wisenheimer and certified show business big shot Conan O’Brien brings new meaning to the term “lactose intolerant” in a video for The A.V. Club’s satirical sister site, ClickHole. The ginger-haired joke slinger displays what can only be called pure contempt for dairy products in this brief comedic vignette. The video’s convoluted title tells the tale: “Watch This Woman Tell Her Husband She’s Pregnant While Conan O’Brien Pours Good Milk Down The Sink.” That’s a heaping helping of words, but it accurately describes what happens here. A visibly excited young woman informs her delighted husband that she is finally pregnant. This is something they’ve both wanted for a while, so it should be a beautiful, poignant moment, the kind that’s suitable for sharing on social media. But for some reason, there’s a lanky basic cable talk show host standing in the couple’s kitchen, pouring several containers of perfectly good milk down the drain. O’Brien knows just what he’s doing, too, pointing out that this milk isn’t even close to its expiration date.
The video is a collaboration between the ClickHole staff and O’Brien’s own Team Coco. “We pitched ideas to Conan head writer Matt O’Brien, who then discussed the ideas with Conan,” said ClickHole editor Matt Powers. “The milk idea was their—and our—clear favorite.” ClickHole handled the scripting and editing of the video, then dispatched a crew of four to Burbank, California, where they met with O’Brien immediately after a taping of Conan. “We took great care setting up the shot and rehearsing with the other actors for a few hours so when Conan walked in, we would be ready to go right away,” said Powers. Following a few dry runs, the milk was brought in; at the end of what Powers estimated to be “six takes, lasting roughly 30 minutes all together,” they had “a truly bizarre internet video that will outlive us all.” The milk, however, probably would’ve expired by now, so it’s a good thing O’Brien got rid of it.
[Erik Adams contributed additional reporting to this story.]