People enjoy a good laugh, which is why comedians often earn a lot of money and become well-known. However, not only celebrities have a knack for humor; many everyday people have a talent for making others laugh, too. A recent interaction between Conan O’Brien and an unknown woman on the show SubwayTakes, hosted by Kareem Rahma, has impressed many viewers. O’Brien, famous for his spontaneous humor, found himself laughing along with this woman in a short amount of time.
The show SubwayTakes features Kareem Rahma riding the subway in New York City, where he asks passengers for their opinions on various questions. He typically speaks with regular New Yorkers, but celebrities sometimes join him as well. In this episode, Conan O’Brien was featured for about 20 minutes, discussing his “5 most controversial takes,” including ideas like making all statues from soap and creating a special space for diet talk.
Towards the end of their conversation, they apologized to a woman who wanted to walk by them. She casually replied to O’Brien with a light-hearted remark as she sat down next to Rahma. This caught Rahma’s attention, and he asked if O’Brien knew her, which led to some playful exchanges between them. O’Brien expressed surprise at her humor and said they had been married, to which she quickly added that they had two kids, making the audience laugh. When O’Brien asked about the kids, she humorously noted one was in medical school and the other was in jail, but he would be home soon.
Her smooth delivery and quick responses kept the laughter going. O’Brien asked for her name, and she introduced herself as Debbie, to which he complimented her humor and suggested they could have a show together. Debbie mentioned that she owns a bar, prompting O’Brien to jokingly ask if he had ever been thrown out. She replied he had been kicked out twice, leading to more laughter.
Viewers on social media have suggested that she should pursue a career in comedy, like improv or stand-up. However, many people like Debbie enjoy being funny without aiming for a professional career. Behavioral researcher Vanessa Van Edwards suggests that humor can be learned and offers eight tips to improve one’s comedic skills.
She recommends saying unexpected answers, playing with numbers for specificity, using the “rule of 3” in comedy, and creating surprising character switches. These techniques can help anyone enhance their ability to make others laugh and connect through humor.
What do you think about Debbie’s quick wit?
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Source: Upworthy, by Evan Porter