U.S.BREAKING: MILDLY IMPORTANT
Brooklyn bar owner goes viral after SubwayTakes with Conan O'Brien
Debbie Shields, who runs Confessions bar in Bedford-Stuyvesant, now has fans calling and visiting; she also named a whiskey drink after O'Brien.
On air: Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte on BBN After HoursPublished
Photo: Montclair Film · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWatch it as it aired: Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte on this story, from BBN After Hours at 3:56 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are News12 | Brooklyn's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by News12 | Brooklyn: “Brooklyn bar owner becomes viral sensation after 'SubwayTakes' appearance with Conan O'Brien”, with reporting from Yahoo (Subway Takes article) and TheWrap.
- Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 3:56 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte.
- BBN covered this story before: Woman in viral Conan O'Brien subway bit speaks out (October 23).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- News12 | BrooklynBrooklyn bar owner becomes viral sensation after 'SubwayTakes' appearance with Conan O'Brien
- Yahoo (Subway Takes article)Conan O'Brien met his match on 'Subway Takes.' She's a 68-year-old bar owner from Brooklyn. October 23, 2026 · facts used on air
- TheWrapConan O'Brien Turns 'SubwayTakes' Interruption Into a 2-Minute Riff Session With His 'Ex-Wife' October 24, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentWe are interrupting our coverage with a developing story out of Brooklyn: Debbie Shields, sixty-eight, who owns the bar Confessions in Bedford-Stuyvesant, has gone viral after a SubwayTakes riff with Conan O'Brien.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentNews 12 says it started when she was looking for a seat on the F train, and the riff ran about two minutes.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentShe also said her children are, by her own telling, one in medical school and one in jail. That's the update, and she said it casually.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThat's the lead.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentShe's named a whiskey drink after him, and the fans are calling and visiting. Rating: mildly important. Team coverage continues, mostly on the jail part.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentWe will update you if it becomes slightly more important.
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Photo: User:Aude · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Daniel Ogren · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
The story so far
- Woman in viral Conan O'Brien subway bit speaks out · NBC News
- Brooklyn bar owner goes viral after SubwayTakes with Conan O'Brien (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 24, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
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