Lisa Kudrow still remembers telling Conan OBrien in 1993 that Youre no one.

The Friends star was notably dating OBrien at the time and meant it as a compliment, as he was about to helm his first talk show, Late Night With Conan OBrien , and replace David Letterman . Kudrow felt that fact alone should inspire OBrien with confidence.

I dont know how much we talked about it, she told Vanity Fair for an oral history of OBriens first year . I just knew, Youre trying to replace David Letterman. No one replaces David Letterman. Youre no one. It cant be anybody that an audience would know.

Letterman was already an industry veteran who had hosted late night shows since 1982. OBrien was a witty Simpsons scribe who had yet to prove himself on camera, but brilliantly acknowledged that pressure in the hilarious opening sketch of his debut episode .

NBC reportedly considered hiring writer and comedian Garry Shandling before choosing OBrien, which the network presumably regretted when the first season resulted in shoddy reviews and bad ratings. The fresh-faced host was nearly deemed a failure until 1994.

Then we hit the summer and suddenly the audiences became great, OBrien told Vanity Fair. I didnt know what was happening. And then it dawned on me. Colleges let out. So college students started to come.