In the early 2000s, Jennifer Garner was an up-and-coming star with many projects already under her belt. In February 2003, Garner, who was already popular for starring in Alia, a spy thriller series, was in the process of getting movie opportunities.
One of the most notable ones is Marvel’s Daredevil. While it wasn’t a very celebrated Marvel project, it was a big leap for Garner, for whom it was the first superhero movie. Garner was also invited to host Saturday Night Live.
To promote Alias, Daredevil, and SNL, Garner appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on February 13, 2023. An entertaining clip from the show has recently gone viral, giving rise to many questions.
What Happened Between Conan O’Brien and Jennifer Garner?
In a February 2003 episode of the Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Jennifer Garner appeared as a guest and had a fun Grammar Nazi conversation with Conan. Garner tried to correct Conan by saying that the word ‘snuck’ didn’t exist, and Conan later proved her wrong with the help of a dictionary.
Conan asked her about all the spy techniques that she learned in Alias and if she ever used them in real life. Garner gave an animated description of sneaking into the writers’ room to get some spoilers.
During the discussion, Conan said the word “snuck” in a sentence. Garner stopped her narration to have a Grammar Nazi moment, “I sneaked into the room. Snuck isn’t a word, Conan, and you went to Harvard, and you should know that.”
She tried to rectify Conan’s grammar in a fun manner before moving on with her story and bringing up Conan’s distinguished educational background. The camera then zoomed in on Conan’s face, who looked disappointed/embarrassed. Conan quickly replied, “You should know I went to the Harvard driving school. They didn’t teach me much there, but I can parallel park like a bastard.”
The scene gave the audience quite a few laughs, but the brilliant host had a comeback planned already.
Just a bit further into the show, Conan suddenly brought out a dictionary from under his desk with a surprised look on his face. He then happily points out the word ‘snuck’ in the dictionary to Garner as “Oh, what the hell, look here. Snuck, past and past part of sneak.”
The tables had turned, and now it was Garner’s turn to look embarrassed as she started looking everywhere except at Conan. She then threw her hands up, motioning a defeat, and the host took it as a symbol of surrender.
To the credit of both, Conan and Garner did not take each others’ jokes seriously. They dealt with the situation as adults without taking offense.
Following this, Jennifer’s rise to fame remained steady, and she experienced success; however, she never appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien again. It is unlikely due to any bad blood between them as Garner appeared on his TBS talk show later and had several appearances before the show ended.
Their interactions never suggested anger or behind-the-scenes drama. Did you find it a fun clip? Or do you think there is more to it than meets the eye? Tell us in the comments below.
