Conan O’Brien interviews his assistant Sona Movsesian to save the show

Thursday night’s episode of Conan went off the rails but was saved thanks to Conan O’Brien’s assistant Sona Movsesian.

Even after 25 years in late night, Conan O’Brien can still be caught off guard. And as good as he is on his feet when things go sideways, it’s also important to be surrounded by the right people for help. Thankfully his loyal, and hilarious, assistant Sona Movsesian was ready to help.

O’Brien was thrown a curveball when actor Kumail Nanjiani had to cancel his appearance on Conan about a half-hour before taping began. The star of Stuber was held up filming for his HBO series Silicon Valley and couldn’t make it Conan in time.

As O’Brien explained to the audience, his new half-hour format only features one interview guest. So if someone cancels, there is no second guest to bump up and the show has to scramble. The show didn’t have to look too far to find a replacement for Nanjiani, calling on O’Brien’s assistant Sona Movsesian to take the stage.

Conan O’Brien has a long history of using the staff and crew of his show for material and bits. Executive producer Jeff Ross, producer Jordan Schlansky, graphic designer Pierre Bernard, and prop master Bill Tull are just some of the people who have been seen on camera over the years.

None of them have quite the same dynamic with O’Brien as his assistant Sona Movsesian. Movsesian has been featured in a few different segments over the years and quickly became a fan-favorite. It is part of the reason it was a no-brainer for her to be the podcast co-host of “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.”

If you listen to the podcast then you know that O’Brien can give Movsesian a hard time. That usually results in listeners leaving voicemails to defend her. Even the studio audience was on her side during the interview, both when O’Brien teased her about having water and when she asked her boss to buy her a house.

Conan should consider helping Sona at least find a house. He helped a writer find an apartment back in the Late Night days. And it wasn’t that long ago that he helped Sona buy a new car.

Let’s hope it’s not too long before we see Sona Movsesian on camera again with Conan O’Brien. In the meantime, fans can continue to hear her on “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.” And if you know of a house in Los Angeles that’s for sale, keep yelling at the screen!