“You know what’s strange. I swear to God, this is how I mourn.”

That’s Conan O’Brien talking about the humorously dark message exchange he had with Will Arnett and Jason Bateman following the passing of his parents, as recounted in the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast excerpt.

Fundamentally, a lighthearted competition with Bateman over a party invitation resulted in O’Brien comically holding Bateman accountable for his father’s death right after it occurred.

“I’m a twisted individual,” O’Brien confesses. “But I genuinely wanted to connect, and it was incredibly comforting to joke around with you guys during that time. It truly was. And if that labels me as a lunatic, so be it.”