With a name like Conan O'Brien, it's not exactly a surprise that he's Irish. It helps that the comedian and talk show host brings up his heritage often.
In an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan talks about just how Irish he is.
Conan O'Brien's DNA Test Stunned His Doctorwww.youtube.com
In the clip above, Conan tells Colbert about his doctor administering a genetic ancestry test.
"He took a DNA sample and I left. Two weeks later he called me up.
"And he said, 'I have never ever ever had a DNA result like this before and I've been doing this for ten years.' I said, 'What is it?'
"He said, 'You are 100% Irish.'"
It's official. Conan O'Brien is the only true Irishman.
No true Irishman. Except @ConanOBrien. https://t.co/Azy04QUYuN— Pedro Henrique L. do Nascimento🕊️ (@Pedro Henrique L. do Nascimento🕊️) 1549337762.0
So how Irish is Conan? https://t.co/pSop7KNAaz— Ben Harrison (@Ben Harrison) 1549316104.0
Conan O'Brien's DNA test results are frankly a feat of human genetics. 100% IRISH. https://t.co/odkFpI0Fyk— Michael Hinsley (@Michael Hinsley) 1549310412.0
I was also 100% on my DNA test. Anyone else other than me and @ConanOBrien? For the record, he was 100% Irish, I wa… https://t.co/p7uohgYfUj— christina alejandre (@christina alejandre) 1549292023.0
Conan continued, explaining his conversation with his doctor.
"I have never seen a 100% anything. I've been doing this a lot. I've done it with lots of people. I've seen 93.5, I've seen 96.1, I've seen 97.
No one is 100% Irish,"
Conan explained.
"If you go to Ireland… and you get their DNA samples, you will find that the most Irish-looking people are like 86 percent, 94 percent Irish.
The Lucky Charms leprechaun, true fact, 11 percent Spanish."
This is all very impressive sounding, but we have to ask, what does it mean to be 100% of something?
Conan had the same question.
"I didn't know what to make of this. I said, 'What does it mean?'
He said, 'What does it mean? It means you're inbred.'
And he said it just like that!"
I guess that's still impressive, but in a completely different way now.
@mashable So he IS lucky!— VulGar (@VulGar) 1549299343.0
as a 100% norwegian I can confirm that some inbreeding is involved https://t.co/Kl0C7X36ym— Marianne ✨ (@Marianne ✨) 1549308650.0
"Anyone else think back to the time when Johnny Knoxville told Conan that his lineage also had some inbreeding, when they were watching this?"
@mashable @TeamCoco @ConanOBrien https://t.co/BwC5NMHiGH— VaderPrime (@VaderPrime) 1549314229.0
Conan continues in the clip to explain it's because when his ancestors came over during the mid-1800s, they stayed together in the same community. He jokes that his wife being only half Irish makes him a rebel.
It also explains his abnormal body, he jokes.
At the 4:00 mark, @ConanOBrien reveals he's @JohnCleese's son. https://t.co/bDmU8umNvZ— Colin Moore (@Colin Moore) 1549307174.0
"I think that is the biggest applause I've ever seen on Colbert. Stephen even commented how the people love Conan." - wikimandia
"Conan is simply the best" - hunkieboi88
@spwells Glad I watched. From placement of the play arrow, I thought it meant he was 11% Spanish.— Pat (@Pat) 1549295285.0
"Did Steve add anything to this clip? It was all Conan" -DigbickMcBalls
The story comes at a time when we're re-examining the relationship the general populace has with DNA testing.
For starters, the accuracy of the consumer tests has been called into question. Instances of non-human DNA have been purposely sent to labs for testing and found the company performing the test doesn't even notice.
Additionally, the question of privacy is becoming a common talking point. After it was announced that police used genetic testing with a public database to catch the Golden State Killer, people became worried about the ethical implications.
By taking a DNA test, you could be implicating yourself or a family member in a crime. Combined with the potential for inaccuracies, it has legal experts questioning the practice.