Conan reminds me of Johnny Carson in his nurturing of standup comedians

Conan has hosted many stand-up comedians on his shows over the years. He reminds me of Johnny Carson, who used to do the same thing. Both have introduced us to many new comedians.

I don't know of any other current late-night host that supports standup comedy the way that Conan does. For me, he is the consummate comic himself and writer. For him to give young up-and-coming comics a national platform on late night television is continuing in the Carson tradition. That makes him a (pun intended) standup guy in my book.

I hope his show doesn't change formats when his contract is up. The following article from Jan. 2017 references the history of comedians on the Carson show and how Conan has continued in that tradition. I hope that isn't going to change anytime soon.

http://www.vulture.com/2017/01/conan-move-could-be-a-blow-to-stand-up-comedy.html

Excerpt:

"Just as Carson did in the past, O’Brien plays an integral part in the comedy ecosystem. There’s a difference between being a late-night host who occasionally showcases young stand-ups, and being a host committed to that practice — and if Conan moves to weekly, or to any other format that precludes him from having a stand-up segment, it will be the first time in 50 years that late night doesn’t have the latter."