A viral subway encounter with comedian Conan O’Brien has transformed the life of Debbie Shields, a New York City bar owner who said the unexpected moment brought a wave of attention to her business.
Shields, the owner of Confessions Bar in Bedford-Stuyvesant, made a memorable appearance on “SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma” during her commute on the F train. The episode was published Tuesday.
“One minute and 29 seconds changed my life,” Shields told CBS News New York.
While riding the train, Shields noticed Rahma and O’Brien filming the episode, in which Rahma interviews passengers and guests aboard a moving subway car. She introduced herself, joined the conversation and quickly matched the former talk-show host’s improvisational humor.
“I said, ‘Save my seat. I’m going over,’” she recalled.
Shields sat beside Rahma and immediately fell into a playful routine with O’Brien. The pair joked that they had once been married and shared two sons—one attending medical school and the other in jail.
“I’m sorry I haven’t sent any money,” O’Brien quipped, prompting Shields to keep the bit going.
“That’s OK, don’t worry, I still love you,” she replied.
“Your pictures are everywhere in the house,” Shields continued, drawing a hearty laugh from O’Brien. “They have your hair, that’s OK, we’ve figured it out and what we draw in.”
O’Brien declared that his marriage to the subway stranger had been his happiest, calling it “the best year-and-a-half of my life.”
“I’m trying to tell you, I’ve heard that from my other three husbands too,” Shields shot back.
By Sunday, the clip had attracted 1.3 million views.
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Once the routine ended, O’Brien introduced himself and told Shields that she was “so funny.”
Shields then used the brief pause to promote Confessions Bar, revealing that she had been forced to “kick” O’Brien out twice. The claim sent the comedian into another fit of laughter within seconds.
Rahma asked whether he and O’Brien could receive a complimentary round if they visited the bar.
“He’s my babies’ daddy, he’ll get two,” Shields answered.
Shields said the sudden burst of fame had provided a welcome change from her normal routine.
“It used to be them pulling up saying, ‘Get out of the way, old lady,’” Shields said. “Now it’s, ‘I seen you on TV. We love you.’ I love you, too.”
According to social media tracker SocialBlade, Confessions Bar gained more than 7,000 Instagram followers after the “SubwayTakes” episode aired.
Confessions Bar has also introduced a new drink in honor of O’Brien, called “The Baby Daddy O’Brien” that features an orange garnish.
Shields also earned recognition from across the internet, where people praised the businesswoman for her humor.
“That lady was a comedy gem,” one user said.
“You just know Conan LOVED ridding with that woman SO much,” another added.
“Conan always talks about how his fans are hilarious, but this spontaneous interaction really shows it,” a third fan said.
