Why ‘Conan Without Borders: Haiti’ Could Be Extra Special

Just about a year ago, speculation started brewing that Conan O’Brien could step away from his nightly talk show in favor of doing more traveling specials. Of course it would be a bummer if one of the most talented, dependable, and beloved talk show hosts was in front of our faces less frequently, but those trips around the world are always the best. And so here we are, early 2018, still getting the best of both worlds.

Conan Without Borders: Haiti airs tonight on TBS at 10pm ET/PT and this one is bound to be special. Just days after Trump’s remarks about the island, O’Brien took to Twitter to announce his plans for the trip, and hopped on a plane three days later. This also marks the shortest time between the filming and airing of a Conan travel special. After all, the American people have to know if Haiti is a “shithole” or not! (Hint: it’s very much not.)

While the host has previously traveled to places such as South Korea, Mexico City, and Israel, the Haiti special could prove to be more notable than ever. One glance at his Instagram and it’s clear that the people of Haiti welcomed our tall ginger friend with open arms. From painting him on a cab to giving him cooking and dancing lessons, O’Brien is sure to report back on a trip that is simply too fun to miss out on.

View this post on Instagram

It was a joy to watch Haitians respond to @realdonaldtrump. #ConanHaiti premieres 1/27 @tbsnetwork #Haiti

A post shared by CONAN (@teamcoco) on Jan 23, 2018 at 12:45pm PST

While other Conan travel specials have been politically inspired, this one feels a bit more urgent and important. Acting as an ambassador of the US, O’Brien showed up ready to learn and love, a sentiment the Haitian people seemingly returned in spades, and yet were under no obligation to do so — especially after our leader allegedly made such negative remarks about their beautiful home. Yet sending O’Brien is an excellent representation of the American people that want to show Haitians we don’t all think or say terrible things about them. O’Brien is the right amount of intelligent, humble, and goofy to put them at ease, and to indulge in their traditions, no matter how foreign or awkward they might prove to be for the lanky late night host to engage in.

Turning this special around so quickly, within the same month the comments were made, even though weeks are now filled with millions of news cycles at a time, has kept the incident fresh in people’s minds. For O’Brien to step up and take action gives Haiti a better endorsement than any tourism board could. It’s certainly a much more effective use of comedy than just a throwaway monologue joke. While the Haitian people probably rolled their eyes at the newsworthy remarks, it doesn’t hurt to send one of our better famous people to their island to smooth things over. After all, no one can be mad when that man is dancing.

O’Brien is smart for making this move, and for doing it so quickly. In fact, at this rate, he’ll probably have the opportunity to rack up some airline miles quite often over the next few years. He’s best when he’s interacting with normal people. He’s fun with celebs too, but it’s when he’s doing everyday things with everyday people that we’re reminded just how nimble he is on his toes. That he’s using his show to highlight people that the average American would not encounter, especially on their own soil, he’s exposing viewers to a new culture, one that might not be perfect but is open and welcoming to strangers coming to their country. If it takes a few jokes and dance moves to highlight this, then once again, we all win.

Where to watch Conan