Comedian and late-night host Conan O’Brien opened up about his experience with depression in a revealing interview on the Howard Stern Show.

During the 2015 interview, O’Brien told Stern he had been diagnosed with depression and was receiving treatment. He regularly sees a psychiatrist and is on medication to manage his depression.

Conan confessed he was initially reluctant to seek help, even though he knew something wasn’t right. He worried that, in a strange way, maybe he needed to be unhappy in order to be funny.

Eventually, though, O’Brien’s depression escalated, and he reached a point where that concern no longer mattered to him. He recognized that his anxiety and depression were taking a toll on his professional and family life. He knew he needed to get help. He decided that, if he had to choose between being funny or being happy, he’d rather be happy.

Of course, he later realized it was possible to be both funny and happy. Receiving treatment for his depression didn’t fundamentally alter who he was as a person, and it certainly didn’t make him any less funny or talented.

Photo source: Conan O'Brien by Gage Skidmore