Transcript of Conan, Sona, and Matt Discuss the LA Fires

Fall is here, hear the yell, back to school, ring the bell, brand new shoes, walking blues, climb the fence, books and pens. I can tell that we are going to be friends. I can tell that we are going to be friends.

Hello. Welcome to Conan O'Brien, Needs a friend. It is a massive I have an understatement to say this is a special episode or a unique episode. We are doing this episode without any guest. This is the first time we've all been together since the wildfires broke out. There's a lot to discuss and do process. We don't usually do this, but I'm just going to say the date. It's Thursday January 16th, 2025. Fires broke out, I believe it was a week and two days ago, right?

It was Tuesday night.

Tuesday. I think it started Tuesday afternoon and then got worse and worse and worse throughout the day. We've all had our own experiences, but really, we have to start by acknowledging that Sona, you lost your house. Yeah. They're I thought I would last longer before I started crying.

Sorry.

Well, listen, this is the- I really thought I was like, Keep it together. Well, you don't have to keep it together. You don't have to keep it together. You and I have texted a lot and talked some on the phone, but words just seem so stupid when somebody lost their home. It's not stupid.

It means a lot when you check in and just everybody texting. I haven't been able to even respond. There's people who've texted that I haven't even talked to in years. It feels really good at a time like this to feel like people are thinking about you. It's nice. So don't downplay it.

Well, let's lead with Tack, your husband, and your boys. My boys. Mikey and Charlie. What do Mikey and Charlie know? Do they know anything? They don't have a clue about what's going on.

They think we told them... There's always this like, Oh, you should be honest with your kids and tell them. And we're like, No, we're just not going to tell them that their house burned down. I think that that's probably for us the right thing to do. I gave them emails when they were babies. So I emailed their future selves, and I said, This is what happened to this house that you were born, you came into when you were first born in the first three year and a half years of your life. But they think we're just living somewhere else until we build a house, and they're really into construction. So Mikey's like, I'll drive the cement mixer, and Charlie can drive the excavator. And it's like, you're not going to build it.

They're not going to find out about the old house until they're 18. I don't get the email.

I don't know about 18.

How old are they now? They're three and a half?

They're three and a half. Honestly, we're living with my parents right now. They're getting toys every day. I don't think they've ever been happier.

Because people are just everyone's saying, Oh, my God, the boys, the boys, the poor boys. They just know. I mean, I used to think this way about snowstorms when I was a kid. I was just good news. It didn't matter what happened to anyone else. If school was canceled. In their perspective, all they know is there's going to be some fun construction and they get to build the house, which I think you should let them do.

Okay. Well, big can get licensed, and I don't think they can.

I think they can. But can I ask, and again, I'm not... Just how these things unfold is such a mystery. I know that for all of us, I was here working on two Tuesday, we weren't podcasting, but I was meeting with writers, and we were talking about the Oscars, and we were working on that with that team. I got a phone call from my wife saying, Well, there's some smoke, and I remember thinking, Well, we've been through this before. We've been evacuated. There's also been smoke, and we haven't been evacuated. There's very much a... It's part of life in LA. I wasn't thinking that much about it. Then the next thing I know, she was like, We've been evacuated. I went from here to wherever we went to a hotel. I went to sleep that night thinking, because we live in the Palisades, and I just remembered thinking, I'm pretty sure that our house will go. It did not. But just the number of people I've heard from, people I know personally who lost houses is stunning. It's crazy. I know you're in Altadena, and it must be the same thing where it's not just you.

You must know so many It's our entire street.

Our whole neighborhood has just been just destroyed. It's hard for me to look at pictures. It looks really almost apocalyptic. There's just nothing there. We've been talking to all our neighbors. Everyone's okay. But we really loved that community. It's really sad that it's all gone. I think that's the thing, too, is that you're really sad for other people who also lost their houses. You all commiserate together. I'm on a group with 70 other people from Altadina on a WhatsApp group, and we're all talking about what the next steps are. That's keeping us busy. But you're right. The number of people I know who lost their homes is, I mean, it's just unthinkable. It's crazy. But thankfully, everybody that we reached out to is safe somewhere. So that's important. But it sucks.

Is there anything that you're doing now that at least helps you feel like you can take steps. I don't know the process of... I've been locked out of... No one gets close to our neighborhood. I don't know when we'll get back to our neighborhood. But you've got this other consideration of, okay, What are the steps involved? Meaning, with insurance claims, things like that.

We put in an insurance claim. It's all this stuff, and people are sending us so much stuff about property taxes, about what you could do with your mortgage payments, about signing up for FEMA, signing up for this, signing up for that. I think I want my kids to go back to their school, which is fine. The school is okay? Yeah. Tax back at work. I want normalcy, and then we'll probably end up having to rent a house for a while and then figuring it out. There's like a thousand questions. It's crazy how many- Yeah, and you can't process it all at once. No, you can't. That's the thing. There's so much to do. I don't like doing anything. Now I have to fill out forms. I have to think about things.

Especially in the state you're in, I can't imagine having to do that stuff that's already awful.

But sometimes is that helpful to engage in like, Okay, this is a tangible thing I can do that gets us to the next step, rather than just sit and think about, perseverate, worry about what's happening?

It's just so much stuff to think. Also, I realized I'm not good under pressure. We saw the flames from the ridge near our house, and we had a friend whose husband works in the LAFD, and she's like, You should probably just evacuate. Then But everything was moving east and we're west. Then all of a sudden at 3:30, when we were at my mom's house, there was an evacuation order for our area. Then my alarm company called around 6:00, and they're like, The sensors in the living room and in the master are picking up movement. And I thought, Oh, can you tell if it's a person or what is it? She's like, We can't tell. And I asked her, I was like, Are they flames? And she didn't know. Then I hung up and I I was like, I think my house is currently on fire. I was just sitting in my car just sobbing. I was like, Oh, my God, my house is on fire. Then my parents house got evacuated. Tack and I were like, I grabbed Charlie and Mikey out of the bed, and I just put them in, and I'm like, Let's just drive south.

I don't know where we're going. We went to Orange County, and we just stayed there through Sunday, and we made the boys think we were on vacation.

We were like- You sent me this great video of them on the beach. Just having a wonderful time, your boys.

Just having a blast. Yeah. They're just totally clueless, which is nice. It's nice to be around them because they have no idea what's going on. I think they're one of We're one of five families in their school that all lost their homes. It's going to be interesting for them to go back to school, and I hope people don't treat them any different. We want to just keep things the same. I just want to fast forward to six months from now where I look back on all the stuff and I'm like, It's okay. It's all just stuff. Then, you know.

Can I ask, before you left your house, did you have a chance to get anything?

I took some stuff. I took the very important family heirloom jewelry. I took my grandma's ice bucket, which is like, you can get it on eBay. It's not a special I went back in and got my crocs.

One of them. I got one of my crocs. I just wanted one of them. I really like the left croc. But you got some heirlooms.

We got some heirlooms, but there's a lot of things I think about that are gone, and that makes me really sad. I had a personalized Kobe autograph picture that's gone.

That's right. He was on our Tonight show, and I remembered I introduced you to him and said, This is your number one fan, and he was so nice to you.

He was really nice. He signed an autograph for me and my brother. Then when we met Jimmy Carter and he signed the photo, I had that one. That's gone. There's just a lot of little things that are... Nothing I can't live without. But I don't want it. I really miss that stuff. Also, it's weird. When we were in Orange County, we packed up our stuff and we're like, Everything we own is just in our car right now. That's a very weird thing to think about, that all of your possessions, everything that is something that you've accumulated over the last 40 years, they're all gone, and all you have left is whatever's in this van. It's just really sad.

I think, too, there's a mantra everyone has now, which is correct, which is, oh, it's just stuff. As long as we're okay and as long as my family's okay, and that's true, but you also have to acknowledge it's a loss. It's a loss because it's not so much It's the stuff itself, it's what it signifies. It's the memories. You have to process that. You can't skip over, We're all okay. You can't skip right to that and stay there because you are going to feel all these things.

I know. It's weird. It does feel like you're grieving, and you realize, I wish I took... I had a bin full of the boys' first three years, little things that I wanted to keep forever, and that's gone. But Then you're holding out. Maybe we'll go back and we'll find things in the rubble of whatever's left, and we'll just find something and just be really happy that things still exist. We're also waiting when we can go back. The National Guard is everywhere, and so we can't go to our house, and the air quality sucks, and everything's just ash. But I think- The fires are still burning.

That's the crazy part, too. Oh, yeah.

You know what?

It's 55% contained. They are. Eaten in what Palestine is 22% or something as of today.

Yeah, I know. Contained.

That's it.

The thing is, and I was telling Blake about this yesterday, me and Erica Brown went shopping. Because I a whole new... I need all new things, everything new. We went, and it was brought up when I was checking out somewhere that my house was gone, and she's like, Oh, we give a 20% discount to victims of the fire. Me and Erica were like, We have to call all the stores we just went to. Just be like, Do you give a 20% discount? But then it's awkward because you go to a store and you're just like, My house burned down?

Also, they want you to prove that? Yeah.

How do you do that?

I have a piece of roof that I keep in my wallet. I don't know what the hell they're talking about. Well, that's sometimes.

But also it's an awkward thing to bring up. It's like, Hi, how are you It's like, My house burned down. Do I get a discount?

Yeah. Usually, it's like you get a free birthday meal at Denny's and you just show your ID. I know.

Then Erica was like, Stop saying your house burned down. Say you were displaced by the fire. She just wanted me to use a different wording.

No, I think burn down gets you the discount. I mean, I've been displaced, and I do not deserve a 20% discount. Can you imagine me going around, I've been displaced. I have to live in a pretty nice hotel.

That's how I demand the 20% off.

Sir, this is a frozen yogurt establishment.

Sir, you're buying a Rolex. I don't want to pay a full price. And it's Patek Philippe to you, sir. No, it's this absolute fucking craziness.

It's just nuts to just go around just being like, Hi. The other stores are giving discounts? Can I get a discount here when my house burned down? At first it was like, it's hard to say, Oh, my house burned down. I would cry every single time. Then I just got to a point where I was like, Hi, my house burned down. What discounts you got for me?

What if you're doing that five years from now when you live in a beautiful new home and you're thriving and you've written your third best-selling book and you pull up in You pull up in a BMW, Hey, house burned down. I'm getting some unletded gas. Looking at the price, let's just knock 20 off that. When did your house burn? Five years ago. Oh, I also won the lottery last week.

Oh, my God.

No, but it's been very hard to process. I don't know about you, but it's also Well, I'm going to switch to you for a minute, Gourley, because I know that you were in... There was a while there where I was pretty certain, Oh, Pasadena. I don't think that looks Good. I know your house. I just thought, is this going to get you, too? I guess it didn't get to you, the fire. Is that right?

No, we were very lucky. We got really close to the EVAC warning zone, and it was heading down the arroyo. We did pack and leave. But that That's all. I mean, we were- Are you back in your house now? I am. The girls are still down at Momo's in Long Beach where the air is clean.

I know.

Because that's the other thing is this talk about the air quality index being okay, but that doesn't account for certain leads and asbestos It's just toxins in the air and stuff. I don't know. I wear a mask outside my house, even though it's blue skies and there's ash and everything. It's just weird. Did you guys pack?

I couldn't. I was You couldn't be bothered. Yeah, I couldn't be bothered. I was like, Don't I have people to do these things for me? No, I got a call from Liza, my wife at work, and she said, Okay, they told us we got to go. I said, Okay. She said, I'm just going to grab two T-shirts, two pairs of socks, two pairs of, whatever, a pair of jeans. I said, great. She said, Do you need me to take anything else? I said, Just grab the E. B. White letter off the wall, which is this letter that when I was I wrote E. B. White a letter about how much I admired his writing and how I aspired to try and make something of myself, but I was afraid of criticism because I'm thin-skinned. He wrote me back this beautiful note, and it signed E. B. White.

It says, PS, if a fire happens, take this.

Take this, yeah. I said, Grab that, but I didn't think about anything else. I don't know why I get into, and I think I've always been this way. I think I can channel when I first moved out to LA and I had on Cochrane Avenue, I had a $380 a month apartment and a 1977 Isuzu Opal that I bought at the airport for no money. I just always channel like, Yep, I've been there before and I was really happy. I just have this If that, whatever. If whatever something happens, I'm not going to get another Isuzu Opal. No. And I'm sorry. You'll never get to that height again. But I don't know. I get it on almost very calm about that and the material world and things like that. But then I also know if the reality came, there's my perception of how I would feel, and then how would I really feel if that had happened, and we got really close. I mean, it was right up to our line of our house. Then you just, I don't know. I could easily be here saying, We don't have our house. Like I say, I've spoken to many of my friends who lost their homes.

I don't know. You can't know how you would feel if that happened. I have the possible illusion that I would say, Well, it's just stuff. But no, I'm sure I would be devastated and emotional for a lot of reasons. But it's such a confusing time. Obviously, it's just What can we all do for people? If only I knew someone who had lost their... Oh, right, you were mentioning. No, but like I'm saying is, that's the question is, what can we do for You know you're loved. You've got all of us here. Money aside. I need money.

Money and food.

I need lots.

Can I live in your house? Can we all come live in your house?

Can I just say the parameters first? Money aside, food aside, clothing aside. Love and affection aside. Love and affection aside. Sheltering you in any way at any one of my 19 mansions scattered.

Any further contact aside. Yeah.

Is there anything I can do for you? Also, I'm letting you go. Oh, no. Is this a bad time? No. Bad time.

I mean, you might as well pull off the bandit. Here's what I'm saying.

The bandit is mostly torn off. I need this. Let's go the rest of the way.

I need this. I know. I'm like, Am I I had to make a decision.

You were gorely, and he does so much in the editing.

I worked for you for so long. Yeah, Albert.

Coden fire Sona on podcast where she talks We're not losing her home. I'm looking forward to that, Heather. I know.

I am really glad your house is because the Palisades is also very, very scary. I really was worried you were going to lose it. I know you're not attached to the things in your Yeah. You're saying if you are, but I'm very attached to the things that you're at. I think also if you lost yours, it would overshadow mine a lot. In a way, I'm just really happy that you're okay.

I'm going to have mine It makes you feel better.

No. This is the ultimate I get to talk last thing that you guys do.

You know where you get the last word? Oh, so you say you lost your house, did you? Well, guess what?

Oh, my God.

My leg hurts. So I think I win. Well, you are... It's funny because people, I hope it comes through, but this is a real relationship. You and I have been... I mean, girly, I don't know the guy.

I wouldn't even say that about myself.

Johnny, come lately. Icy to the touch.

Well, if you just touch me once, maybe you'd know.

My dad, rubbing that icicle. But you've got us, and we will all help you in any way we can. Thank you. I do think that there's no way to fast forward through this. It's going to be a day-to-day for you for quite a while.

I do. I know we talked about Altadina a lot, and we joked about it a lot, but it is a really special place. It was an incredible place to raise my kids. I hope we find a way to get back there. Even after all this, I just know I've lived in LA my whole life, and that's the happiest I've ever been. I just want to make sure people know it's It's a really incredible place. It's an incredible community. The people there are just amazing. The way that also Los Angeles is just banded together is, as someone who is from here, and, girls, I know you're from here, too. It's really inspiring. It's beautiful. It's uplifting. There's just little bright spots in all of this shittiness and the way the city comes together.

So many people have risen to the challenge and been remarkably really generous and human. I lived in New York during 9/11, and I'm seeing the same thing again where people ask each other, How are you doing? How are you? Where do you live? Are you okay? I had that conversation this morning at Bricks & Scones, which is the coffee place right next to us. You just start asking people, How are you? Where do you live? Are you all right? Are you okay? These things do bring sometimes the worst out of people, but often the best out of people. I was remembering the last time we did our Outdoor Chill Chums podcast was from Sona's backyard in Altadina, which is a really nice memory. What I remember most is what a great time we had, but also that your neighbors came by. You had neighbors coming by to say hi.

Yeah.

It There's a vibrant community there that I think is resilient and can come back. It's easy for me to say, but I do think there's- I think there's such a will to bring that city back.

It's not just a faceless city. You've seen so many people talk about how much they love Altadina, and I think that they are the city. So the houses may be gone, but they'll bring them back and they'll keep the city. When I heard you lost your house, I just felt like desperate to do something for you. It's so hard to know how much to offer to people in this situation because you feel they must be bombarded with this. Are they being overloaded? But anything you would ever need, I think people, all your friends would be desperate to help you guys in any way.

You know what? We're really lucky. Our family is here. They're all in LA. We had no shortage of places to go, which we're very fortunate for that. There's There's a lot of people who don't have anything and don't have any connections. I think before people think about sending stuff to us, I think you should definitely look into people who really need it. The boys have more underwear than they've ever had before. They have more socks. I can't stress how many toys they have now. I think they just think that that's their life now. Every day, a package comes and there's more toys, and they're just like, This is the best. We're living at Yaya's They're just eating. She's feeding them constantly. They're eating. They're having more screen time and watching more TV than they ever have before. They're happy. We're happy if they're happy, so we're okay.

That's the other thing, too, is we could find out and plug it in. But if there's a charity or there's a place that makes sense.

One thing I found that's been very helpful is there's a database of the least funded GoFundMe for individual Yes. So you can find the people that need help.

My wife has been on to this, and I shut it down because I was thinking of taking up golf, and I want to buy those golf. No. Oh, my God. I like a guy who doesn't even- Your true colors are showing. What are you doing? Are you donating money to people that really need it?

I set the clock the minute this happened.

It's possible I could one day play golf. In which time clubs would need to be procured. No, she She found that and it's amazing. It's easily findable, I think. Well, obviously, it can get sensitive. Where's the right place to give money? If you can give money or to donate, and we need to be sensitive about that. We will do research. We'll maybe in the links that connect to this episode, give some suggestions, but there are so many different ways. Uh-oh, what happened?

The links that connect to this episode. It's just... It's cute. It's cute. It's going to be in the summary of the episode.

It's okay. Also links are connections to the episode.

It's okay. It's okay. It's not your fault. It's fine.

It's not your fault. This is a different episode. It's okay. It's fine.

We should have given you a script. Anytime links are mentioned, we should just tell you exactly how to say it. And that's on us.

I think the burn I just suffered. Oh, my God. Is every bit as bad as the one that attacked your home.

There'll be links connected to this episode to donate to Konan.

If you want to, I think now, after the way I was just contact for, okay, maybe am I fluent in this new techno world? New? Of the last 40 years? Maybe not.

Techno world.

But I've now been humiliated, and I feel I deserve compensation.

You have a go fund me.

I have a go fund me to help me, Cora O'Brien, recover from this dastardly blow. I know. The minute I start talking Why am I going to learn let you do it or let you do it? Because when I try and do it, it's- You're doing a really great job. You're talking to me like something like I'm damaged. You're doing so good.

Look at you. Then we threw the word link in there. That just got you all frazzled. That's okay.

When this episode comes through your machine and you're tuning it to get the right frequency, look for a linkage.

Just try this. Charity links in the show notes.

Charity links in the show notes. Yeah, but I know you, and it's the right thing to do. You're going to keep all of my blundering and stumbling in there. You're not going to edit it so I look good. I applaud you for that because it's going to make a lot of people very happy.

That's what keeps this show I cannot tell you how many people go, Are you really that bad?

I say, It's not a bit. I honestly don't know how this world works. That is a common thing people say to me is, No, just tell me something. They want to know if Jordan Schlansky is real. I go, Yeah, he really is. They go, When you talk about tech stuff, are you really that bad?

I may be the most regressed technological person person on a podcast, which is fairly technically advanced.

Well, that's why I have to surround myself with people who know.

I love that your son is so fluent in it. It's almost like God played a joke on you. Yeah.

My son is very gifted at these things, and he enjoys it so much. When I'm trying to do something, I do become... It is Zoolander where they're looking at the computer, and he just enjoys it. He won't jump in and go, Here, I'll do it. He'll go, What you're trying to do there? What you doing? I'm trying to see if I can clear this screen. Is that why you're hitting the plastic part, the cover? Just tell me what to do. No, no. Why don't you tell me what it is you're trying to do? So he just tortures me. Oh, man. He's a genius at it. He's good. He's learning from the best. God gave him a wonderfully foolish father for him to enjoy. But Is your greater family... We talk about this a lot, and we joke about it a lot, how connected you are to your family and your mom and dad. But it's also this great gift right now that you have these people in your life that they're so close. I've been living so far away from my family for so long that your family unit is there.

It is there. It's also... Look, I I love my parents. But the moment I step into that house, I'm a 16-year-old angsty teenager. This time I'm coming with my kids and my husband, but I'm still like- You request. Everything my mom says, I'm like,. I've been there for only, what, four days we've been there? I'm just like, Oh, I can't. I can't with it. She's cooking a meal for us from scratch. I'm just like, Mom, you don't get it, Mom. It's so much of me just being a kid again.

You become a brat.

I have. I've become an asshole a little bit. I think that that's not healthy for anybody. I don't know how long we're going to last. When am I allowed, and I will respect this, but when am I allowed to start making jokes about your dad's mustache?

I'm just curious. I will respect if you say it's going to be three months or four months. I love your dad. I love Gail.

This is your opportunity to say 10 years.

I know, but when we were texting, a part of me was like, Well, my dad can build a house because he's good with wood because he carved my- He carved your brother because he wanted a boy, a real boy.

And then he became real.

Why do I indulge you? No, but I don't. What's wrong with me? I thought it, I was like, Don't do it.

My true sickness is getting other people to start to do the bit themselves about that. I know. That's my true evil power.

It's like comedic Stockholm syndrome.

Yes. You know you don't. Even if I said, Oh, you know what? I'd rather you just did it. I think you would last.

But your father's mustache wasn't damaged.

Okay. You know what? I think we got to wrap it up. We got to wrap it up.

It's his mustache insured. What is wrong? I don't know. What is wrong with you? I don't know.

It's just a mustache.

Do you realize how happy I'd be if he shaved off half of it and went around saying, I lost half in the fire. I want 20% off and just put a little smudge there. You can't get the discount. Why not? Because he didn't lose it. It's just his inconvenience. They don't know that. They see a guy come in with half a mustache. What do they know? Who's going to challenge that? I challenge you? That looks freshly shaved, not singed. I don't think anyone challenges that. Look, maybe I've gone too far. It's possible that I'm doing the exact wrong thing at this moment and that I'll pay for it. Terrible, but I'm just glad he's okay.

Oh, thanks. Thanks so much for your concern. You're so nice.

A gift. Yes. How's Tak, specifically? Tak is- Tak's fine.

I don't know if it's this stoic Soviet thing, but he's like, All right, we got to fill this out. He's sad about his guitars. He lost all his guitars. But one of his friends gave him one, which is really nice. But he's worried about his kettlebell that he got for Christmas. He's like, God, I hope I find my kettlebell in the rubble. I'm like, Your kettlebell? We could just go get that right now. We could just go buy it.

Am I not wrong? A kettlebell is the most likely to survive a fire.

It's just cast iron, right?

That's why he's like, the kettlebell probably survived.

I hope my fireplace and iron survived.

My Anvil.

I hope my bowling ball survived. My God bless him. Solid. You know what? I think he is... I mean, he's an incredibly cool guy, Tack. He is. He's very chill. He's very chill, and he's very cool, and I love him. I admire him, and I think he's a good partner to have in a situation like this.

He is. He's very worried about me and boys and how we're feeling, and he's very sweet. Oakey's fine, too. I know people were probably wondering. She's fine, too. She's also really happy because my dad feeds her a lot of people food. He'll make a whole meal just for Oakey. She's just lounging. Boys are lounging.

Your dog is having baked Alaska. Sushi. Yeah, sushi. I think he's incredible.

Yeah.

Cordon Blue, chicken Cordon Blue.

Oh, my God. So, yeah, Tuck is really... He's such a great person. He's such an incredible father and husband, and he's been really good. So, yeah, we're very lucky. We're We're very lucky. I told girls this. I was like, We're the luckiest, unlucky people because we have others we can turn to when we need to. So we're very lucky.

The way you've handled the aftermath, too, with just such humor and aplomb and honesty, too, with how you're feeling. It's amazing. You're amazing.

Oh, well, thank you. You're okay. I do think I know there's going to be a point where I have to go see someone because I think I legit... Every time I hear wind, I tense up, and it's really nerve-wracking.

There's no way. I mean, so many people are going to have some form of PTSD or however you want to classify it from this. It is, as you know, I'm a huge proponent of it, and I don't necessarily come from a people that were believers in talk therapy. I think Freud famously said, The only people who are immune to psychotherapy are the Irish. Cool. But I do think it's hugely helpful. It would be good for you. Also, talk to us about it.

We are a people. We're in yell therapy, I think, Arminians. It's my people. But we let it all out. We're very much- That's very good. Getting it out. I'm lucky. I have a lot of friends who I just, we'll talk to them or text them, and I'll just tell them exactly how I feel. It's nice to have comfort to be able to talk to people openly about it because, yeah, it is. This is probably, and it's also good, but this is the hardest thing I've ever gone through. If this is the hardest thing I've ever gone through, then I've been lucky because I can rebuild, but other people have gone through so much worse. I'm lucky in that sense.

Well, I I'll say this. I have found today to be cathartic for me because I've been thinking about you a lot, Sona, and on a selfish level, I thought, I really want to get into a room with Sona. We've texted, we've talked on the phone, but I didn't see you until today. I've wanted to be in a room with you and talk to you. This was, weirdly, even though you're the one who's really been affected much more, a million times more than I was, a billion times more, this was really special for me to get to talk to you and tell you face to face that I love you, whatever Whatever you need, we'll all get you through this. We are a family, and I'm including... God, Gourly. Don't do it. I'm going to do it. Adam, Eduardo, Bley, We are a family. Yeah, we are. And also everyone who works here. There was such a lovely outpouring, and I'm not going to online, of people, fans reaching out to wonder how we were doing that just bold me over. We are blessed. We're blessed a million times over with so many fans. So many people are rooting for you, Sona, and thinking about you.

You're going to get through this with flying colors. I am going to gradually work my way back into, mocking and harassing you. It's going to take a long time. It's not. It's begun. It's not going to take a long time. When I see a long time, I mean, like many hours.

Oh, yeah. That's what I figured. I knew you were saying it.

I spent the last hour doing it already.

Yeah. I was going to say, is there really evidence? Oh, right. We do record these.

Can I just say also, I'm really happy to come back to work because I think this podcast has gotten me through... It's got me through COVID, it's gotten me through fertility treatments, and it's going to get me through this. I love being in this room and talking with you guys. I love my job, and I'm very lucky that I get to have it. So please don't fire me.

Well, you're really on the line. You saved it today. You're not fired today.

But there's this very expensive electric bike I'm thinking of getting with company funds.

Come on. And that would mean there's no room for you. Do I need this bike? No. But I like it because it's a shade of cocoa that I find. I don't know what's wrong with me, but love you. We're back. We're going to continue to make our foolishness and update you on... I I mean, what is this is we'll update you on keep everyone listening and how this process unfolds for you. We're thinking not just of you, Sona, but everyone out there who's been affected by this and to all the really incredible people from all over the world that have reached out and been so lovely to us. We are blessed people.

Yeah, and the firefighters. I mean.

It's unbelievable. Our own Sarah Fedrovitch, who works here, has been working for me for, I want to say, close to 30 years, if not 30 years. Her husband, Brad, helped out there fighting these fires. Yeah, enough cannot be said about... We have a screwy value system in our country where it's like, Look, there's a celebrity. No, Never has it looked more stupid, our value system, than right now, than when you see these people that really do put themselves in harm's way to save people's homes, save people's lives. It's absolutely incredible. But, boy, I can't wait till we get back to revering.

Oh, God.

Look, a podcaster. He's the true hero. You got that right, Anyway, everybody out there, stay safe, and thank you again for all of your good wishes and positive energy.

Konan O'Brien Needs a friend, with Konan O'Brien, Sonam of Cessian and Matt Gourley. Produced by me, Matt Gourley. Executive produced by Adam Sacks, Jeff Ross, and nick Leal. Theme song by the White Stripes. Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy. Our supervising producer is Erin Blair, and our associate talent producer is Jennifer Samples. Engineering and mixing by Eduardo Perez and Brenda Burns. Additional production support by Mars Melnik. Talent Booking by Paula Davis, Gina Batista, and Brit Kohn. You can rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts, and you might find your review read on a future episode. Got a question for Konan? Call the Team Coco Hotline at 669-587-2847 and leave a message. It, too, could be featured on a future episode. You can also get three free months of SiriusXM when you sign up at siriusxm. Com/konan. If you haven't already, please subscribe to Konan O'Brien Needs a Friend wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.