Why I won't get to sit next to Conan O'Brien at dinner

UPDATE TO UPDATE:  The gist of my original post was that I was never going to sit next to Conan O’Brien at dinner. Wrong again! Okay, it was lunch, not dinner. And, I wasn’t actually beside him. I had my back to him. And, technically, he didn’t actually know I was there, but he knew someone was behind him checking in. But still, I found it weird to run into him in this context but not as weird as an old Conan video that popped up on my phone (I saw after lunch). Maybe because my phone heard me say “There’s Conan O’Brien.” I am used to that. Or was it because my phone knew his phone was within a six-foot radius (social distancing)? Either way. No coincidence.

UPDATE: I posted about this encounter and was surprised to find that several people felt Conan behaved like an entitled celebrity. I did not see it that way at all. I simply felt he was wandering into a public area and I was the person who alerted him. I found it funny. I felt as if my post had slimed him. I took the post down.

Conan O'Brien did his last show on TBS last week and the milestone went unnoticed on my Facebook feed. I think that is because many people of my generation do not like or get his humor. Some actively dislike him. I'll admit some of his bits make me uncomfortable (as intended I am sure) but some make me laugh out loud. 

I recall reading back in the nineties when he got the job at the Late Show that someone, perhaps Lorne Michaels, explained the choice by saying he was the guy you'd want to sit next to at dinner. 

When I heard he would be interviewed at the Kennedy Library, I signed up. I was a little disappointed to be sent to the overflow room. (My fault I lingered over dinner.) He was smart, modest and hilarious. Someone you'd want to sit next to at dinner. 

Before leaving the library, I wandered down the hallway towards the (closed) snack bar where the view of Boston Harbor is the best. At the same time, Conan wandered out of the elevator hallway. I assume to enjoy the view. Then, he spotted me. I like to think he realized he was wandering into a public area, and it was what I represented and not the sight of me that made him recoil. No matter. I don't think I'll get to sit next to him at dinner.

© 2021 Jane Kelly