Conan O'Brien accused of plagiarism: Man files lawsuit claiming the late-night comedian ripped his jokes off Twitter and used the material for his monologue

  • The lawsuit was filed July 22 by a Robert Alexander Kaseberg of San Diego, California 
  • Kaseberg claims that in the last year, O'Brien or his writers have stolen four jokes from his Twitter and used them for the monologue on 'Conan' 
  • A spokesman for O'Brien and the show have fiercely denied the claims 

Late-night comedian Conan O'Brien has been hit with a lawsuit from a San Diego man who claims the comedian plagiarized his jokes.  

In the suit filed July 22, Robert Alexander Kaseberg claims that O'Brien or his writers pilfered four of his tweets and turned them into jokes used in the opening monologue of the TBS show 'Conan' in the past year. 

The most recent tweet was posted last month, and Kaseberg claims that it was stolen and used in the Conan monologue that same day.  

Claims: Conan O'Brien has been accused of stealing jokes from a San Diego man, according to a lawsuit filed against the late-night comedian last week 

Claims: Conan O'Brien has been accused of stealing jokes from a San Diego man, according to a lawsuit filed against the late-night comedian last week 

Not-so funny: Robert Alexander Kaseberg says Conan or his writers stole four jokes from him this past year from his Twitter, including this tweet from February

Not-so funny: Robert Alexander Kaseberg says Conan or his writers stole four jokes from him this past year from his Twitter, including this tweet from February

Kaseberg's June 9 tweet reads: 'Three streets named after Bruce Jenner might have to change their names. And one could go from a Cul-de-Sac to a Cul-de-Sackless.' 

The Conan writers are also accused of ripping off two of Kasberg's jokes in February. 

'Tom Brady said he wants to give his MVP truck to the man who won the game for the Patriots. So enjoy that truck, Pete Carroll,' Kaseberg's tweet from February 3 read. The suit claims that Conan used the same joke in his monologue for the next day. 

Just two weeks later, Kaseberg says Conan's team struck again, plagiarizing one of his jokes about the Washington Monument. 

Ghost writer? Above, one of the four jokes Kaseberg claims was stolen from him by the Conan team in the past year 

Ghost writer? Above, one of the four jokes Kaseberg claims was stolen from him by the Conan team in the past year 

Jenner jokes: Kaseberg believed the Conan writing staff got the idea for the joke from this tweet on June 9  

Jenner jokes: Kaseberg believed the Conan writing staff got the idea for the joke from this tweet on June 9  

Refuting: A spokesman for O'Brien and the show has fiercely denied the claims

Refuting: A spokesman for O'Brien and the show has fiercely denied the claims

Eerily similar: Above, another tweet that Kaseberg says was used for a joke in the Conan monologue for February 4  

Eerily similar: Above, another tweet that Kaseberg says was used for a joke in the Conan monologue for February 4  

'The Washington Monument is ten inches shorter than previously thought .... You know the winter has been cold when a monument suffers from shrinkage,' Kaseberg tweeted on February 17. 

During his monologue that evening, Conan's version of the joke went: 'Surveyors announced that the Washington Monument is 10 inches shorter than what's been recorded. Of course, the monument is blaming the shrinkage on the cold weather.' 

Kaseberg also claims that one of his jokes from January 14 was stolen from Conan, but there appear to be inconsistencies between the phrasing of the joke in the lawsuit, and what was actually posted on Kaseberg's Twitter. 

Plagiarism: Kaseberg also claims that Conan stole this joke from one of his tweets 

Plagiarism: Kaseberg also claims that Conan stole this joke from one of his tweets 

Inconsistencies: However, the specific Delta joke tweet that Kaseberg mentions in the lawsuit is nowhere to be found on his Twitter. There is the above similar joke that was posted a few days later 

Inconsistencies: However, the specific Delta joke tweet that Kaseberg mentions in the lawsuit is nowhere to be found on his Twitter. There is the above similar joke that was posted a few days later 

In the suit, Kaseberg says he wrote this joke on January 14: 'A Delta flight this week took off from Cleveland to New York with just two passengers. And they fought over control of the armrest the entire flight.' 

He says that it was worded pretty much the same when Conan used it in his monologue that same day: 'On Monday, a Delta flight from Cleveland to New York took off with just two passengers. Yet somehow, they spent the whole flight fighting over the armrest.' 

However, a search of Kaseberg's Twitter account, Facebook and personal blog shows no such jokew written on February 14. 

However, a few days later on February 17, Kaseberg wrote a similar joke on his Twitter, but it was still substantially different from the one that appeared on Conan a few days earlier. 

'Delta flight from Cleveland to New York had just two passengers. And there still wasn't enough room for their luggage in the overhead bins,' the joke reads. 

Daily Mail Online's request for comment from Kaseberg were not immediately returned Tuesday morning.    

Not worried: O'Brien's late-night sidekick Andy Richter finds the claims in the lawsuit laughable 

Not worried: O'Brien's late-night sidekick Andy Richter finds the claims in the lawsuit laughable 

A spokesman for O'Brien fiercely denied the claims in the suit, telling the Hollywood Reporter that it has 'no merit'. 

Meanwhile, O'Brien's late-night sidekick Andy Richter was so unfazed by the suit that he was confident enough to laugh about it on Twitter. 

'OH NO WE'VE BEEN FOUND OUT!!' Richter posted yesterday, following up with: 'There's no possible way more than one person could have currently had these same species-elevating insights! THESE TAKES ARE TOO HOT!' 

In addition to O'Brien, the Conan production company Conaco, TBS, Time Warner, Conan executive producer Jeff Ross and head writer Mike Sweeney have also been named in the lawsuit. 

According to Kaseberg's Facebook, he lived in San Diego, graduated from UC Santa Barbara and hails from Winnetka, Illinois.    

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