Conan O’Brien on Monday went to bat for the “vital” role that immigrants play in Los Angeles amid protests in the city against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
The former late night host, in an interview with Mexican actor Diego Luna for his “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” podcast, declared that he works with people “every day” in “every way” from Mexico and other countries in Central and South America.
“They are such a vital — they are the community in Los Angeles!” he stressed.
“They’re doing all the work, which is really powerful to see every day, and I have empathy because if you’re paying attention, you understand that it feels like 80% of what’s getting done here to sustain our lives and our culture and our community is coming from south of the border.”
O’Brien — who appeared to get emotional while reflecting on LA’s immigrant community — then apologized for quickly getting heavy with Luna, who was his guest on a 2017 episode of “Conan” filmed in Mexico City less than two months into Trump’s first term.
The episode — which saw the host trolling Trump by asking Mexico City residents for border wall donations — notably featured an all-Mexican staff, crew, audience and guests.
Moments earlier, O’Brien looked back at the “special moment” filming the episode, describing it as a time that “many of us thought that we were moving past that to maybe a better future.”
“And here we are again,” O’Brien said.
Luna — known for his roles in “Rogue One” and “Andor” — said he’s “shocked” at what’s transpiring amid the Trump presidency before noting that he doesn’t think he can fully understand what the Hispanic community in the United States must be going through.
“You dedicate your life, work to build something, and then suddenly they tell you they’re going to take that away from you instantly just because. It’s quite scary. Scary times,” he said.
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