Paul Rudd Revives Long Running ‘Mac and Me’ Prank on Conan O’Brien’s Podcast, And Conan Fell for it … Again 

Paul Rudd brought his favorite gag to Conan O’Brien’s podcast, and the host somehow fell for it … again.

To recap the long-running prank, Rudd joined O’Brien on Late Night in 2004, ahead of Friends‘ series finale, and said he had brought in a clip from the episode.

The footage ended up being a video from the 1988 film Mac and Me, which is about an extraterrestrial that gets stranded on Earth and forms a friendship with a boy in a wheelchair named Eric.

Rudd didn’t just air any clip from the film, but specifically showed the scene where Eric’s wheelchair break snaps off, causing him to roll down a hill and plunge into a rock quarry before an alien pops into the frame.

The prank became a tradition, as Rudd consistently aired the clip while on O’Brien’s show, even bringing it back for the series finale last summer.

One would think O’Brien would be too familiar with the gag to fall for it again, yet Rudd brought it back for Monday’s episode of the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast, and the host genuinely fell for it again.

Rudd claimed that he had been working on a new Audible show with Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Celia Weston, and other friends of his, explaining the project to O’Brien before revealing that he brought a clip with him.

Yes, it was the same Mac and Me clip that Rudd has been haunting O’Brien with since 2004.

“Oh for Christ’s sake!” O’Brien exclaimed, instantly figuring out what was going on. “Why? Why! You can’t do this on a podcast!”

The host went on to explain that he didn’t see the prank coming because it was a visual joke, one he didn’t think would work on a podcast.

“There he goes — wheelchair,” O’Brien added as Eric flew into the quarry. “You can’t do that on a podcast!”

Rudd then revealed that there was no truth to anything he had said while setting up the joke.

“The joke continues,” said a defeated O’Brien. “You had me completely fooled honestly because you can’t do that on a podcast.”

Watch above, via Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend.