Who Is Jordan Schlansky? New Details About Conan O'Brien's Deadpan Producer
Yes, he does smile.
Getty If you’ve been a fan of Conan O’Brien from day one, then you know how hilarious, entertaining, and witty he is.
Originally a writer for "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons," Conan's breakout came when he hosted his own talk show, "Late Night with Conan O’Brien," introducing us to all the zany characters and comics we still can’t get enough of (looking at you, Robert Smigel).
And though NBC did him wrong when they removed him from hosting "The Tonight Show," he went on to continue hosting his own show "Conan" on TBS, which, sadly, will end in June 2021. But if you haven’t gotten your fill of the comedian, "Conan Without Borders" on Netflix is a great way to meet your Conan quota.
Even better? One of the episodes features long-time associate producer, Jordan Schlansky.
Who is Jordan Schlansky?
You probably remember Jordan Schlansky as the stone-faced sometimes-companion of Conan. The two have gone to fancy restaurants, toured Italy, and shared a traditional Japanese dinner together.
But he’s much more than the emotionless know-it-all we see on television, that’s for sure.
He's a California native.
Schlansky was born on April 13, 1973, in Southern California. However, he graduated from the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York, in 2003.
Is Jordan Schlansky Italian? Well, though he's an aficionado of Italian cuisine, Schlansky is an American who has Italian ancestry. He loves Italian culture and can actually speak Italian, too.
He’s a producer and production manager.
Schlansky has worked for O’Brien since 1996, where he began as a studio coordinator for "Late Night with Conan O’Brien." He also produced "The 10th Anniversary Special of Late Night," and "Late Night: The Best of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog."
He was first introduced to the audience on Conan's show as a character, and this caused a lot of people to question whether Jordan Schlansky is a real person or not. Though Reddit and Quora threads may believe otherwise, on the show it's said that he plays an extremely exaggerated version of himself for comedic effect.
So, Schlansky is not a character, but he has played a more serious and sophisticated character who never smiles.
Conan hired him during the 2008 writers strike.
Though Schlansky has worked for Conan since the 90s, during the writer's strike, Conan approached him to join his show.
He started as a studio coordinator for "Late Night with Conan O’Brien" in 1996, and then moved his way up to production manager, associate producer, and he was then the associate producer when Conan hosted "The Tonight Show."
In 2010, O'Brien was able to host his own show, "Conan," on TBS where Schlansky has been working since, serving as an associate producer where he heads Team Coco.
He really loves 'Star Wars.'
As seen on "Conan," Schlansky dressed as Spock from "Star Trek," and then went on a seven-minute spiel about why "Star Wars" is superior. While Conan almost fell asleep, Schlansky connected "Star Wars" to mythological storytelling and universal themes, even commenting on the music and calling it “grounded in 19th-century romantic music.”
He also apparently has a huge collection of memorabilia, which he joked was given to him by “some girl he knows.” But Schlansky and O’Brien did attend a showing of "Rogue One" together!
During a comedy skit on "Conan," Harrison Ford actually broke Jordan's Millennium Falcon, which was made of LEGO, but it wasn't actually Schlansky's and belonged to Andrés du Bouchet, one of the show's writers, and was part of his personal collection. Schlansky said it took his colleague 60 hours to put it together.
Schlansky's explained to the Washington Post that in all his skits he incorporates his personal life into them because he thinks that makes them more authentic and entertaining.
“At this point, anything that happens in my life I have to understand is fair game, whether I like it or not. I always try to remind myself that we work in entertainment, and that’s our business and that’s our venture," he said. "And if I can serve that cause in some small way by creating some entertainment based on the things that happen in my life, then I’m happy to have been able to contribute like that.”
He’s married... supposedly.
Did Jordan Schlansky get married? Though he’s kept most of his personal life private, back in 2015, O’Brien threw him a forced bachelor party for his engagement to his now-wife Emma.
In true Jordan style, he suggested the “situation wasn’t conducive” to having a good time.
Who is Jordan Schlansky’s wife? A lot of Jordan's personal life is unknown, but neither him nor his alleged wife, Emma Schlansky, have disclosed details of their relationship.
Jordan said previously in a 2014 couples therapy skit with Conan that he and Emma were engaged, and that the two met at a CVS drug store previously.
How much does Jordan Schlansky make?
Though the range varies, Schlansky's net worth is estimated to be between $4-23 million! Looks like all that hard work on Conan's team over the years has made it worth it. No wonder he vacations in Italy so often.
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who has written hundreds of articles about relationships, trending news and entertainment, and astrology. Visit her author profile for more content.