Conan O'Brien to Serve as Pitchman for American Express

Hosting his new, late-night talk show isn't the only gig taking up Conan O'Brien's time these days.

The funnyman, whose eponymously named program debuts on November 8, has been tapped by American Express to serve as a new pitchman, reports the Wall Street Journal.

O'Brien expressed excitement about teaming up again with the company that sponsored his "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour" this past summer.

"I admire them," O'Brien said. "They just work with great people like Jerry Seinfeld, Tiny Fey and Martin Scorsese. They let them do what they want."

The new AmEx ad featuring Conan will start airing today, in order to coincide with the premiere of "Conan." In it, Conan - a man famously obsessed with details - scours the world looking for the best materials to make the curtains for the set on his new show. He ends up in India and proceeds to use a loom to weave fabric, stomps on flowers to create the dye, and chats up local cleaning ladies while he dies the curtains.

O'Brien was reportedly paid $1 million for the spot, but when asked about compensation, he offered up - what else? - a joke.

"They are giving me extra charges on my AmEx card," he said. 

Selected Reading: Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Daily News

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