"Oh for Christ's sake!"
In all of the craziness that is 2022, at least we know that we can always rely on Paul Rudd to deliver something that takes us out of the moment - even if it's just for five minutes.
This week, Paul Rudd has managed to dupe Conan O'Brien once again with a long-running gag that's been shared between the two celebrities for years. As much as it pained O'Brien to be on the receiving end, it makes for a hilarious moment for everyone else.
The long-running gag started all the way back in 2004 when Rudd made an appearance on 'Late Night With Conan O’Brien'. The actor claimed to have a clip from the 'Friends' finale episode, but all it turned out to be was a snippet from the infamous box office bomb 'Mac And Me'. For those unfamiliar with the film, it's basically a cheap take on Steven Spielberg's 'E.T. The Extra Terrestrial'.
Since then, the 'Ant-Man' and 'I Love You, Man' actor has managed to swindle O'Brien into watching the same clip of the boy in the wheelchair sliding down a hill and into a lake, which ends with the bizarre appearance of the alien puppet, Mac, on a number of occasions.
The most recent revival of the gag was in 2021 during Conan O'Brien's final hosting gig on his late-night show. Yes, Rudd brought the clip, but he disguised it as an 'SNL' dress rehearsal alongside Bill Hader.
This time around, however, Rudd had to change tact for a different medium. Appearing on his podcast 'Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend', the 52-year-old duped the host into believing he was developing a scripted podcast for Audible.
Claiming that he brought a clip from the show, and saying "it's been fun, and I've been working on it and recording it with my friends," Rudd sets up the gag so well that O'Brien once again believes he's about to hear and see something new from the actor.
Here's how it all went down.
"Oh for Christ's sake! Why? Why! You can't do this on a podcast! That's why I didn't see it coming! It's a visual joke!"
Yep, O'Brien's just been had once again by the ever-comical Rudd.