Conan O'Brien was forced to improvise Friday when one of his guests canceled at the last minute, People reports. O'Brien said in his monologue that he was told a half-hour before showtime that Kumail Nanjiani, star of Stuber, was held up at another show. "I was having my pre-show nap," said O’Brien. "Andy [Richter] was having his bath in heavy cream, and they came in and they said, 'Kumail can’t get here.'" Which forced the versatile comedian and his staff to concoct a spur-of-the-moment show that included interviewing O'Brien's assistant, Sona Movsesian, per Deadline. Asked if she liked her job, she told O'Brien that "it’s been over 10 years so obviously I like it, but at times I want to poison your food."
O'Brien also revealed this wasn't his first no-show: "Maybe 15, 20 minutes before the show started, we got a call from our guest, and it was Liza Minnelli, and she said she couldn’t make it," he said. "Liza Minnelli canceled, and she's know, you know, she's a great artist, but she's known for sometimes flaking out," and Richter piped in by calling her a "troublesome diva." O'Brien also chose to show a clip from Stuber competitor The Lion King rather than Nanjiani's new movie. "You gotta show up to get the cookie," said Richter. Nanjiani's reaction? "So this clip is something I would love if it was about anybody other than me," he tweeted with a video clip of the show. "But it’s about me, so I'm truly mortified." (More late night talk show stories.)