A star is born? In a video shared on Tuesday, Conan O\u2019Brien was in the middle of sharing his piping-hot opinions (statues should be made of soap, celebrity interviews should be done the old-fashioned late-night way) with SubwayTakes host Kareem Rahma when 68-year-old Debbie Shields walked into the frame and sat next to them on the train, saying hi to the former late-night host and shaking his hand. O\u2019Brien started improvising, explaining that he and the woman \u201cgo way back\u201d and \u201cwere married a long time ago.\u201d Then, without missing a beat, she replied, \u201cWe got two kids.\u201d What followed was a masterclass in improvisation: Shields played along with O\u2019Brien\u2019s jokes and kept the bit going, saying one of their kids is in medical school and the other is in jail. She said that despite O\u2019Brien not being a present father or contributing in any way, the kids still love him. \u201cPictures are everywhere in the house, don\u2019t worry,\u201d she said, causing O\u2019Brien to break into a full-bodied laugh.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how Shields, who, up until the release of that interview, was a complete stranger, became a breakout star. Shields only showed up near the end of the full SubwayTakes video<\/a>, but the clipped version posted on social media<\/a> smartly included her cameo and turned her into a viral sensation, with people saying that she should be on Saturday Night Live<\/a> or be in show business in some form. O\u2019Brien, for his part, told New York Magazine<\/a>, \u201cShe needs to get all the credit in the world. She\u2019s lovely. She\u2019s fantastic.\u201d When the interviewer suggested they team up for a two-hander, like a buddy comedy, O\u2019Brien said he was all in. \u201cI\u2019ll do a sitcom with her. Or open a restaurant. Or we can just hit the road and do a two-person show,\u201d he said, suddenly remembering Shields mentioning she owns a bar. \u201cAll I want is some free drinks at that bar. That\u2019s my way of saying thank you, is demanding that she give me free drinks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Since the interview went viral, Shields, who owns a bar in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, has spoken to several publications<\/a>, including The New York Times and Vulture. Shields said that she doesn\u2019t have a background in comedy, but she\u2019s always had a knack for making people laugh and liked O\u2019Brien\u2019s humor. She also shut down speculation that the banter was so effortless it must have been staged, saying she was simply transferring trains when her best friend pointed out O\u2019Brien. Being a fan, Shields walked over to greet him, and the rest is history. \u201cWhy would I be following him around?\u201d she told The New York Times<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m a young lady from Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy. Owning a bar, working my way through life and that\u2019s it. I don\u2019t know Conan O\u2019Brien.\u201d<\/p>\n