I don’t know of anyone who has been more committed to a long-running late night television gag than Paul Rudd, whose consistent “prank” on Conan O’Brien’s various talk shows has now spanned nearly a decade (the Huffington Post stated it has been going on for over 15 years, but the earliest occurrence I can find is from his 2005 appearance promoting The 40-Year-Old Virgin).
The joke can be seen in the video below but I’ll explain it here for you anyways. For those unaware, every time Rudd appears on Conan’s programs now, as a sendup of the normal celebrity guest appearance that is meant to promote a movie or TV show, when it’s time for the usual featured clip showcasing the star’s performance in what they’re there to promote, Rudd introduces the clip in the usual way, nonchalantly. Then what plays instead of a scene from I Love You Man or Dinner for Schmucks is a video of a kid in a wheelchair rolling off the edge of an enormous cliff as a weird-looking alien looks on in shock and dismay. It’s apparently from this ET ripoff from 1988 called Mac and Me, but out of context, the clip is bizarre, and absolutely appropriate for Conan’s shows, which made taking Chuck Norris out of context a cultural staple.
Like Kristen Schaal’s repetitive bit where she dances like a horse, this is a recurring joke that gets funnier each time Rudd does it. My hope is that he continues it until it is more annoying than funny, and then continues it further until it’s funny again.
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