Immigrants have always been a major topic for the American people, even long before ICE began taking action against undocumented families across the country. Conan O’Brien, whose ancestors immigrated from Ireland, shared his thoughts on the immigrant mindset during a chat with Jimmy Kimmel. It goes without saying that O’Brien claims he has “incredible empathy” for anyone who decides to leave their home country and move to a completely different place for a better future. “People leave not because they think, ‘Hey, I just want to go have fun in America,’” he remarks. “They leave because they have to.”
Conan O’Brien goes on, expressing how it takes “an entire lifetime” to move and adjust one’s livelihood in a country where they don’t speak the language. “They have to spend their entire lives just getting things started for the next generation; it’s a whole lifetime that you’re feeding into this process,” he explains. It’s not uncommon to see plenty of children with immigrant parents in the US who struggle to speak English, yet their kids can do so without issue. As O’Brien points out, immigrating isn’t easy; many foreign parents sacrifice everything to give their next generation a better future.
While many celebrities have spoken out against ICE and the current administration in light of recent events, Conan O’Brien was speaking about immigration for a different reason: his trip to Ireland. It was for Conan O’Brien Must Go that the TV show host was in search of his great-grandfather’s home. The home isn’t there anymore, but seeing the plot of land made O’Brien get emotional, thinking about how his great-grandad was struggling to get by as a tenant farmer, so he risked everything and moved to the US. “And here I am a couple of generations later,” O’Brien remarked.
Plenty of viewers were touched by Conan O’Brien’s remarks on why immigrants would come to the States or other countries. “Conan is right, people put their whole life’s efforts to one day be able to achieve that and not many of us can,” says a commenter. “I watched how hard both my parents worked their whole lives so that their 5 children could have a better life,” shared another. “Powerful reminder that so much of what we have is built on the struggles of those who came before us,” added a third.
Conan O’Brien Isn’t the Only Famous Hollywood Name with an Immigration History
Conan O’Brien is one of many famous celebrities who have a family history with immigration or were immigrants themselves. Pedro Pascal is a beloved and well-known actor whose family was refugees from Chile and fled to the US. While not as extreme, Jim Carrey is an iconic Hollywood figure who came from Canada. The list goes on for celebrities with an immigration history, and we can’t forget how the “first Pilgrims” and other groups were immigrants themselves long before the US became a country. It’s no wonder Conan O’Brien’s words touched the hearts of many with his comments on such a topic that has become so controversial as of late.
