Random celebrity paternity cases crop up every now and then. Most are quickly dismissed as “get rich quick” schemes… But one new claim is making many people think twice.
The public story began to unfold last week when Greg Keating, a 21-year-old college student from New Jersey, posted a YouTube video that makes the case Conan O’Brien is his biological father.
Technically speaking, the “real story” began in 1993. At that time, Greg claims his mother was working on NBC’s Sunrise News program in 30 Rockefeller Center — just a few stories down from where Conan was employed. In Greg’s theory, his mom and Conan crossed paths and had a brief affair. She then got pregnant and was promptly fired from NBC.
Craziness, right? If a farfetched meeting is all it takes to convince the world that a certain celebrity is your true father, I would have cooked up a story about Tom Hanks and my mom a long time ago…
But Greg’s got an ace in the hole: He looks remarkably similar to Conan.
In the video, Greg pled to Conan, “I want to share with you. Grow with you. Dominate late-night television with you! Together! As father and son! Or we could just go fishing. But, why bother? I don’t even know how to fish… Probably ‘cuz my father wasn’t there to teach me.”
With some impressive comedic timing (genetic?!), he concluded, “What I’m trying to say, Conan, is that we need each other. You need the warm embrace of your son and I need an easier financial path through college. So, I love you, Dad.”
Watch the professionally produced Conan? Dad? video…
So, is Greg Keating actually Conan O’Brien’s illegitimate son? That’s extremely doubtful. (I’m actually expecting Jimmy Kimmel to pop up in an extended cut.)
Either way, the talented college student managed to capture the attention of Conan — and the country — just months before his job search will likely begin.
A kid in New Jersey is falsely claiming to be my illegitimate son. For the record, I have three children: Neve, Beckett, and @RonanFarrow.
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) January 14, 2014
That’s likely what Greg Keating really wanted all along… So, bravo to him!
