See Conan O’Brien Predict Danny Masterson’s Prison Fate Decades Ago
Do all The Simpsons writers have the ability to predict the future? It would seem so considering that Conan O’Brien, who used to write for the famed Fox animated sitcom, apparently predicted the sentencing of Danny Masterson. In an old clip from NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien, the comedian and talk show host seems to predict that the That 70s Show actor would soon be caught for sexual assault — see below:
In a re-surfaced clip, Conan O’Brien is seen telling Danny Masterson “I’ve heard about you,” and “You’ll be caught soon.”
The Simpsons isn’t just famous for being the longest animated sitcom of all time; it’s also well-known for somewhat accurately predicting the future, like, a lot. The show predicted things like smartwatches, Super Bowl wins, and even Donald Trump’s presidency — which, in 2000, had seemed so completely far-fetched. Now, it seems that Conan O’Brien may have had access to the magical crystal ball the sitcom used since the ex-The Simpsons writer seemed to accurately predict Danny Masterson’s sentence all the way back in 2004.
Conan O’Brien worked as a writer on The Simpsons from 1991 to 1993, shortly before switching to NBC to host Late Night for the next 16 years. In 2004, O’Brien hosted Danny Masterson, which is when the above clip was filmed. In the clip, O’Brien teases Masterson about losing his Long Island accent after moving to Los Angeles, and the actor’s response turns dark.
Danny Masterson tells Conan O’Brien that after living in California for a decade, he’s pretty much lost all of his Long Island accent, with the exception of certain words. The actor then does an impression of his friend, Bodhi Elfman, doing an impression of Masteron, saying, “Hi, my name is Danny Masterson, would you like to touch my balls?” He exaggerates the last word, saying “balls” in his natural accent.
“I mean, you got ’em, you know what I mean? Everybody should grab.”
Danny Masterson to Conan O’Brien
The impression is bizarre, and O’Brien doesn’t let it go unnoticed, responding quickly, “So why are you asking people to do that? That’s the more important question.” Danny Masterson could have shrugged it off or changed the subject, but his response makes an uncomfortable situation even worse. Masterson tells O’Brien, “I mean, you got ’em, you know what I mean? Everybody should grab.”
In the clip, the crowd laughs at what would seem like innocent banter — that is if you didn’t hear a word of what Danny Masterson said. But O’Brien seems uncomfortable. He glances down at his notecards as he tries to come up with what to say next.
Conan O’Brien seemingly predicted Danny Masterson’s rape conviction almost 20 years before it happened.
There’s a brief pause before what O’Brien says next — and this is where his future prediction about Danny Masterson comes in. “I’ve heard about you. And you’ll be caught soon, I know you will.”
Danny Masterson laughs in response and agrees. Saying, “I will.”
In the 36-second clip, it’s unclear if O’Brien was actually hinting at knowing something about Danny Masterson that the rest of the world didn’t know yet or if he was simply making a joke for a late-night talk show. Either way, 19 years later, the clip has gone viral for its scary, accurate prediction about the That 70s Show actor, who was convicted of sexual crimes today and sentenced to 30 years to life.
