Liza Powel O’Brien: Meet Conan O’Brien’s Wife

Conan O’Brien is set to host the 2026 Oscars, and his wife, Liza Powel O’Brien, will be in attendance to support him. The couple, who first walked the red carpet together before Conan’s 2025 Oscars hosting gig, have been married since 2002 and share two children.

Who is Liza Powel O’Brien?

Liza Powel O’Brien is a playwright and podcast host. She met Conan in 1999 while he was hosting Late Night With Conan O’Brien and she was working as a copywriter in New York City.

Early Life and Education

Liza was born and raised near Seattle, Washington, the daughter of Jake and Pamela Powel. She received her bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and later earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in fiction writing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts.

How They Met

Liza was working as a senior copywriter at the advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding when her office was approached by Late Night With Conan O’Brien to film a segment featuring their “worst advertisers.” During the shoot, Conan and Liza connected. Conan later recalled being captivated by her, stating he wasn’t even trying to be funny, just trying to learn more about her. Liza has noted that Conan has never rewatched the footage of their first meeting, preferring to remember it as he experienced it.

Marriage and Family

Liza and Conan married on January 12, 2002. They have two children: a daughter, Neve, born on October 14, 2003, and a son, Beckett, born on November 9, 2005.

Liza’s Career

Playwright

Liza Powel O’Brien is a prolific playwright, with over 12 plays staged at venues including The Geffen Playhouse, Echo Theater Company, and The Blank Theatre. One of her plays, The Great Experiment, is set at Vassar College, her alma mater, and explores the experiences of students in the college’s early years.

Podcast Host: Significant Others

In 2022, Liza launched the podcast Significant Others, a production of Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco network. The podcast focuses on the often-overlooked individuals who played pivotal roles in the lives of famous historical figures. Liza writes, hosts, and narrates the episodes, occasionally featuring celebrity guests such as Jameela Jamil and Rita Wilson. She was inspired to create the podcast by her interest in the stories of those behind the scenes of well-known historical narratives.

Children’s Education

Neve O’Brien graduated from Marlborough School in 2022 and is currently studying history at Yale University, where she as well works as an illustrator for the Yale Daily News Magazine. Beckett O’Brien began studying computer engineering at Harvard University in 2024, following in his father’s footsteps.