Performing on a late-night talk show: It’s that moment all stand-up comedians work toward — a professional stepping stone, an institutional platform, and a chance to show off your sturdy, studied handshake technique on a famous middle-aged man in front of a live studio audience. If comedy were a normal job, which it is, in fact, the opposite of, getting a late-night set would be like getting a promotion. Comedian (whom You Should and Will Know™) Rachel Kaly is putting herself up for that promotion by doing what everyone does: making a self-tape video. But unlike what everyone else does, her video isn’t a tight five minutes of stand-up; it’s a 14-minute sizzle reel called “ATTN: CONAN O’BRIEN.” It’s about the promise of youth (with footage of her as a child on Late Night With Conan O’Brien), the regrets of age, and the thirstiness of fame, shot with the help of three older men in wigs playing James Corden, Jay Leno, and O’Brien to disquieting effect. It’s also a surreal argument for why more late-night shows should be hosted by old dudes from central casting, Tim and Eric–style.
When Vulture asked Kaly for a statement on why she’s auditioning for a show that’s off the air, she said, “I made this video so that maybe he and I will come back together … Maybe me and Conan could star in a buddy comedy because I think it would be funny if we stood next to each other due to our heights — I am five feet tall, and he is six-four.”
“If he is available and interested,” she continued, “I invite him to come to my screening of ‘ATTN: CONAN O’BRIEN’ in Los Angeles on Friday, November 17, at the Lyric Hyperion to reunite. And if he utterly rebuffs me, I totally understand. I don’t know if this type of video or behavior will get me on another late-night show, although if you watch the video, you will see that I show my adaptability to other off-the-air hosts like Leno and Corden. And, Conan, if you are reading this and you do not like me or my work, I am genuinely sorry.” Ball’s in your court, O’Brien.