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Did you know you can become an ordained minister online? Well, Conan O'Brien did, apparently – he received his ordination on October 21, 2011 from an online ministry, known as the Universal Life Church. This ministry believes that it should be possible for anyone and everyone to become ordained – the same way the church is all-inclusive of other beliefs and religions – and thus decided to make that a reality. Conan decided to become a minister so that he could officiate a wedding to take place on his talk show. Since gay marriage was legalized just a few months prior to his ordination, and the ULC's ordination process allows its ministers to legally wed any couple (recognized in most US states), O'Brien got his certification in order to marry one of his long-time staff members in a same-sex union, a wedding that was heavily supported by the Universal Life Church , which maintains that "we are all children of the same universe," no matter how we choose to identify ourselves. That special episode of the show took place in the Beacon Theater. He's not the only celebrity who has made this decision, either; as a matter of fact, Joan Rivers was recently ordained by the Universal Life Church, too. She officiated the wedding of Preston Bailey, a flower and event designer, and Theo Bleckmann, an experimental musician and singer. The two had a gorgeous wedding – it took place on the 21st floor of the Empire State Building, just after midnight on Valentine's Day of 2013, and had a King Kong theme. The fact that they had a celebrity officiant (and a snowstorm of thousands of white flowers) made the event all the more special, and of course, it could only have been made possible by the ULC. Becoming ordained by the ULC and officiating a same-sex marriage – or any sort of marriage – is not a right exclusive to Conan O'Brien and Joan Rivers. Anyone can do it! The Universal Life Church welcomes any and all members, no matter what their religious or spiritual beliefs may be, and no matter what gender, race, age, sexual orientation that person may be. There are just a few simple steps to getting ordained online: first, visit the church's website; then, pay a nominal fee; submit your application; then, simply wait for your certificate to come in the mail. The ordination is legal and legitimate in all 50 states, as well.
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