Mourning Conan's Greenroom

As we mourn Conan O'Brien's exit from our parent company, we also mourn the passing of one of the greatest greenrooms going. During his seven months on "The Tonight Show," O'Brien's pre-show holding pen became a legend in its own right.

Though its massage chairs were impressive, the nacho cheese dispenser -- capable of distributing fresh, hot cheese product instantly on anything -- was undoubtedly the room's centerpiece.

The machine was given to sidekick Andy Richter by Mexican food giant Ortega after he joked about the company's tacos on the air. Being a giver, Richter then donated the cheese machine to the greenroom.

This was a big hit with the stars waiting to go onstage for their Tonight Show interviews. Combined with the three aforementioned luxuriously vibrating massage chairs, it's a wonder anyone made it onto the stage.

According to a company flack, the chairs had been part of an onstage number and found a new home in the greenroom afterwards.
Popcorn Biz (part of the NBC family but mostly motivated by the love of nachos) asked a company spokesman the fate of these various backstage must-haves. There was no immediate response on the chairs which will likely stay with the NBC somewhere.

"But the nacho machine was Andy (Richter's)," says the spokesperson. "It can go where ever he wants it to go." We hope it finds a new home alongside O'Brien and Richter soon.

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