Conan O’Brien couldn't believe what a fan offered him while sitting next to her husband: "You are my..."
It's not every day that you get to see crazy fans hijack late-night shows, so when Conan O'Brien got an unexpected proposal from a female fan in 2014 on his 'Conan on TBS' show, he almost felt weak in the knees. O'Brien spotted Shannon sitting in the audience and holding a sign "You are my third crush," he hilariously reacted, "What does your sign say? I just never point out signs, but this.." He paused, looking stunned, and continued, "What the hell! Why so specific now? The whole night I'll be thinking, Who are the other two?" O'Brien felt cornered for being compared with other famous people. He wondered loudly if one of Shannon's crushes was David Hasselhoff. "It's going to be people that make me feel bad, right? Was it other famous people? I don't want to know," he said, feeling intimidated. "I'm not going to ask. Okay, tell me," he quipped, dying with curiosity.
Shannon went on to disclose that her first two celebrity crushes were George Michael and David Bowie. "I was that woman's third crush. I know that was quite fascinating," O'Brien reacted, stumped. "Are you with your boyfriend tonight?" he continued looking at the couple. That's when Shannon's husband flashed his ring, "That's your husband?" The late-night host couldn't hide his amazement. "Were you aware that she had three crushes before you?" he added with sarcasm. "I was after you, so don't feel bad," the husband replied candidly as the audience burst out laughing. At that very moment, Shannon held up another sign that read, "I'll leave my husband for you.." with an added note in brackets—"And "it's our anniversary."
"She just held up a sign that says she will leave you for me. That's got to be the shittiest thing I've ever seen! Happy anniversary, dude!" O'Brien teased the husband as the crowd jeered and roared with laughter. "That's terrible. Happy anniversary!" he added in jest. The viral video has garnered over 5 million views, and viewers loved the way O'Brien played sports without turning the situation awkward. "You got to love Andy for his timing. The guy knows exactly when a situation is fading and what kind of vibe is needed right now. I call him the punchliner, the bitsaver," an online user praised the host's comic timing. "Imagine if the husband held up the sign instead," a viewer mocked.
"Conan is the only talk show host that can really interact with his audience this way—spontaneous and witty," a fan gushed. "The key is to make polite conversation with the audience; that's what makes Conan such a brilliant and awesome post-host and a comedian," another viewer agreed. Meanwhile, Shannon acknowledged her identity as the 'audience lady' on her blog 'Gloss and Dirt,' the same year. She admitted that since her husband was also a die-hard fan of the comedian, they managed to make their special day memorable by getting tickets to the show for their fifth wedding anniversary.
I chatted with a fan from Thailand about nicknames, how I helped her find love, and my best advice for teaching an 8am university class. pic.twitter.com/FoQQ678WzK
— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) April 7, 2023
"We decided that I should make a sign because we had the idea that maybe we would get closer seats," she confessed. Shannon then revealed that it was actually her husband who came up with the viral statement about "leaving him" on the poster. "The bottom one was my husband's original sign idea," she wrote. She believed that O'Brien would never notice, but he ended up spotlighting them. To date, the television host continues to hold the fancy of many women admirers around the world.