Conan O’Brien confronts his bizarre “Hot Ones” doctor for 'choking' him while checking his pulse

Shania Russell
·3 min read
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Surprise! Turns out Dr. Arroyo is unfamiliar with the hippocratic oath.

What was Conan O’Brien’s real Hot Ones blunder: guzzling insanely spicy sauce or hiring Dr. Arroyo to help him recover?

Thanks to his chaotic energy and top-notch bits, the 61-year-old comedian and TV host has earned a place in the internet hall of fame for his appearance on the chicken-wing-based interview show. And one of the most memorable moments of it was a cameo from his alleged physician, Dr. Arroyo, a man with seemingly no qualifications who popped in to make some very odd medical decisions.

"The question I get the most about my appearance on that show, other than 'did you have to go to the hospital afterwards?' is 'what's with your doctor?'" O’Brien revealed on the latest edition of his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

So, naturally, he used the episode to catch up with Dr. Arroyo (who is actually longtime Conan writer Jose Arroyo) to discuss the many ways he "raised some eyebrows in the medical community" while on the show.

One especially bizarre choice came when the comedian was several wings deep into the hot sauce challenge and Dr. Arroyo employed an unusual method to check his heart rate.

<p>First We Feast/YouTube</p> Conan O'Brien and his 'doctor' on 'Hot Ones'

First We Feast/YouTube

Conan O'Brien and his 'doctor' on 'Hot Ones'

"There was some concern. I think you wanted to take my pulse," O’Brien recalled before adding, "It looked to just about everyone that viewed the video as if you were choking my neck."

Arroyo quickly tried to clear up any confusion. "My bad," he apologized. "I thought you said take my pulse. Like, take it away. That’s what I was trying to do."

When O’Brien pointed out that the hippocratic oath states "do no harm," Arroyo seemed perplexed.

The comedian then referenced another noteworthy part of the viral video. "At one point I was complaining about the heat of the sauce,” O’Brien recalled. “You — and this is documented, it’s been on the internet — you applied a stethoscope to my tongue. Medically, what did that tell you in that moment?"

"I was listening for any kind of apparition, any weird thing,” Arroyo replied. “Basically, I listened to your tongue. And I didn’t hear any screaming. I didn’t hear anything unusual. It just sounded… It was dead actually. It was just almost nothing, so I thought, ‘You’re fine.’ ‘Cause there was no screaming.”

To dispel any rumors, Arroyo confirmed that he did attend "doctor school" (or "medical school," as O’Brien corrected him with concern). But he refused to say where, claiming he was paid huge amounts of money to keep the name of the institution a secret. “But I did graduate,” he said. “At the top 100 percent of my class.”

Unorthodox medical practices aside, O’Brien said there were some benefits to seeing Dr. Arroyo. For one, he is always available for appointments, whether during normal business hours or at 4 a.m.

Also, his recent 15 minutes of internet fame have not affected his prices. "I still keep my rates low — it hasn’t gone to my head," Arroyo said. "I’m still the affordable doctor that you know."

He then charged O’Brien for his appearance on the podcast, which he argued counts as a "consultation." The cost? A reasonable $19.

Watch O’Brien’s full chat with Dr. Arroyo above.

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