The World's Worst Assistant

by Sona Movsesian, Conan O'Brien (Foreword)

From Conan O’Brien’s longtime assistant and cohost of his podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, a completely hilarious and irreverent how-to guide for becoming a terrible, yet unfireable employee, and getting away with doing the bare minimum at work

Sona Movsesian didn’t wake up one day and decide to become the World’s Worst Assistant. Achieving such greatness is a gradual process--one that starts with long hours and hard work before it eventually descends into sneaking low-dosage edibles into your lunch and napping on your boss’s couch.

With a forward from Conan O’Brien, The World’s Worst Assistant is populated with hysterical black-and-white illustrations, comics, and more. It’s a mixture of how-tos (like How to Nap at Work and How to Watch TV at Your Desk), tips for becoming untouchable (like memorizing social security and credit card numbers and endearing yourself to friends and family), and incredible personal stories from Sona’s twelve years spent working for Conan that put their adorable closeness and professional dysfunction on display. In these pages, Sona will explain her descent from eager, hard-working, ambitious, detail-orientated assistant to self-awarded title-holder for the worst in history.

This book is irresistible fun you’ll want to give to every young professional in your life. For readers of heartfelt humor like that of Phoebe Robinson and Colin Jost, The World’s Worst Assistant is a chance for fans, viewers, and listeners of Conan’s shows and podcast to fall in love with Sona and Conan all over again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, Audiobook, Biography, Comedy, Biography Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 19, 2022

Reviews

[Elizabeth Morin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Conan and have come to love Sona, too. I was so excited when I saw this book, and it didn't disappoint. While the writing is a bit clunky, the story is told tenderly and honestly. I have been a fan of Conan's for a long time, and it sounds like he is exactly the human I expected and hoped he would be. Sona's care for her boss, and her appreciation for the experiences she's had because of him shine through. It was a fun, quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a galley copy of this book.. My opinions are my own.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and quick audiobook listen, perfect for any fans of the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast

[Scratch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The weirdest part about my decision to read this book is that I have never watched Conan O'Brien, nor listened to his podcast. I had been vaguely aware of some controversy about his show getting cancelled after Dave Letterman had some terrible experiment with an earlier show. But I didn't watch any of those shows at the time, so it was trivial to me. (I am firmly Team Colbert, with Seth Meyers as my backup.)

Still, I liked the idea of being an assistant to a comedian. Even if it were for a comedian I didn't watch. Her life sounds pleasant. I like the idea of being close friends with a boss. I like the idea of working alongside celebrities without being a celebrity one's self.

Also, I learned that I am woefully ill informed about Armenian culture, so I just spent some time on their Wikipedia page. The ignorance is my fault, not theirs.

I may check out that podcast now.

[exploraDora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read.
Thanks to Sona's writing, it's easy to imagine how much fun she and Conan had over the years working together.
Highly recommend to any of the Late Show host's fans.

[Sean Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of Conan (of which I am), will know of Sona by extension. Over the last decade, she's become a semi-familiar face, and now voice, joining the gangly walkaround muppet on his adventures.

Throughout the course of this book, Sona details her side of many stories familiar to Conan viewers (the Armenia trip, the Gigolos mug, Conan picking on her like a big brother), and with an abundance of self-effacing charm and humor, she lets you in on the secrets of being mediocre at her job and managing to maintain her position as Conan's majordomo.

It's competently written, but at a very minimal level, much like everything else Sona seems to do. It's not some sort of flowery, languid prose that will woo you or excite you, but it conveys what it needs to, and there are a few good zingers and jokes thrown in for good measure.

All in all--if you're not a fan of the show, you won't like this book. If you are a fan, you'll find some good humor in it. If you were hoping for some deep, revelatory backstory, you're not going to find it here. Sona really doesn't shed any new light on anything that wasn't already known, but it's a fun, fast read nonetheless.

[Mediaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not the world's worst book but it's pretty bad. Conan O'Brien's assistant wastes pages telling humorless stories that go nowhere, bragging at how inept she is at working. It's a gimmick that gets old very, very quickly. Like her boss, Sona has minimal talent and no idea what is entertaining or worth sharing.

The most frustrating part is that we discover that not only is she a horrible employee everywhere she has worked, but that she had no qualifications to go to work for NBC as a page or eventually for Conan's west coast show. These miseducated unfunny clueless young people are what's is putting stuff on our TV screens? No wonder it's crap. It's baffling how people get hired when they are lazy, sassy, and untalented.

She gives us no idea as to how she was able to keep her Conan job and soon you realize that this book is supposed to be a spoof, so you have no idea what is actually real or what you can believe.

There is one small thing that clues you in on the writer's problem: she loves "edibles" and enjoys partying. Oh, so that's what this is all about? A bunch of drugheads thinking they're putting on a cool show (or writing a cool book) when in truth they look totally stupid?

She's not just the world's worst assistant, she's also one of the dumbest. Completely skip this moronic attempt at humor.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is a career Executive Assistant (but isn’t horrible at her job), I still found lots to laugh about and relate to in this book. Whether you’re the best or worst at it, being an assistant is hard work because, like Sona sagely stated, you never know what your boss will throw at you and you simply have to figure it out. No 2 days are ever the same. What’s most important though, and what you see shine through in this book, is how important the relationship is between boss and assistant. If total, absolute trust isn’t there, then yeah. Your assistant might sell all your personal info on the dark web.

Bottom line, if you’re an assistant, read this. And realize just how good you make your boss’s life.

[Sarah Minshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may not be a literary classic, but to this Conan fan since my teen years, and as an (administrative) Assistant who feels that they’re mostly just okay at their job, this audiobook hit the spot for me. Listeners of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend will feel like this is a good carryover from those podcasts, especially if you enjoy a good Sona-sided story. It made me laugh out loud at my desk today while I should have been doing my job.

[B · Rating 1 out of 5]

Took this audiobook out of the library to listen to during a road trip. I was fine with her anecdotes until she had a chapter about filler where she admitted she had created a chapter of filler to meet the page requirement because she had kids and bought a house. And then she began to read out the definition of procrastination. I didn't drive my car off the road, but I was pretty annoyed. I really only listen to memoir audiobooks bc they don't require my full attention, but JFC, we need to stop giving people book deals.

[Susan Kay - trying to catch up! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Sona. If you are a fan of Conan, you will know Sona. I am a fan of both of them and of their off the wall relationship. I think if you are a fan, you would enjoy this for what it is. A quick, light book without a whole lot of substance. This made me super nostalgic for the old show, and I found myself down a YouTube rabbit hole rewatching all the bits she referenced in the book. I laughed way harder at those than I did the book, but it was a good time. 5 stars for Sona but 3 stars for the writing.

[Nev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining and quick read! The dynamic between Conan O'Brien and his assistant Sona Movsesian has been amusing to me for years. The behind the scenes videos at his talk show, Sona being an interview guest, their trip to Armenia, and her becoming a co-host of his podcast have provided a lot of entertainment. Their friendship, playful teasing, and stories of the ways that Sona slacks off on the job are detailed throughout the book.

I really related to her story of first starting out in a job and being extremely dedicated to doing a great job and going above and beyond what was necessary to slowly starting to do less and less. While I’ve never watched 50 hours of a TV show on the job or gotten up to any of the other wild antics that Sona shared in the book, I did like hearing her talk about how jobs shouldn’t totally take over your life and stop you from being able to have a fulfilling life outside of work.

[Ronny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Rough around the edges but endearing as hell. I've never been into celebrity culture but Conan has been someone I've watch for comfort for half my life, and by extension, Sona, at this point. It also helps that she's from my city.

[Tammy Piotrowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another cringe-worthy attempt by O’Brien to stay relevant using his assistant as an anchor. The book jacket summary attempts to encourage fans to “fall in love with Sona and Conan all over again.”
Did we ever love them the first time?
The audience has a front row seat for this once talented man grasping at straws. Now is the time for O’Brien to reinvent himself with fresh eyes to focus on entertaining an audience. This behind the scenes look offers the reader very little comedy while exposing a dysfunctional relationship oozing with disrespect and poor boundaries. O’Brien has been forcing his assistant on the public for years whether or not audiences share enthusiasm for his nepotism.
It’s unlikely general audiences can relate to this duo’s professional dysfunction as it appears they received salaries for doing nothing all day. It’s more insulting than relatable.
With economic uncertainty affecting us all, there’s little compassion to be found for a woman who sneaks low-dosage edibles into her lunch or naps on her boss’s couch. One can only wonder if O’Brien’s television show would still exist had he chosen a competent assistant to enhance his professional career. Within the pages and the book's promotion, we're reminded repeatedly of O'Brien's legendary status but as the old saying goes "What have you done for me lately?"
You can skip this book about nothing as its pretentious author admits she has done nothing to earn anyone's consideration or respect.

[Tara – The BookSirens Weekend Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Conan for the longest time, and lately, it’s been nice to come across Sona as part of his podcast. The book is a laugh riot full of exciting titbits from Sona’s life as Conan’s assistant. It’s a book you have to take lightly. What I do love is how Sona talks honestly about her job as well as shares her views on Conan, his work, and their working relationship in general.

[Angie Cunningham · Rating 1 out of 5]

people who brag about being bad at their job don't deserve one.

[Randee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read about a fun person!

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

not everyone needs a book

[millie · Rating 3 out of 5]

a quick read with lots of sarcasm and a handful of endearing stories too. makes me wanna be friends w/ conan o'brien!!
note: there is a good amount of language, which isn't surprising to anyone who has listened to their podcast

[Jake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Working for someone interesting does not make you interesting. Working for someone funny does not make you funny.

[Vigneswara Prabhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going into this, one might wonder, why does this Indian looking guy, sounding guy care about a book, written by the assistant of a semi-retired talk show host, who is, by the viewership at least, not even at the top of the list. That’s because the host is Conan O’Brien, and the assistant is his wing man/ work sibling Sona Movsesian (Sorry Andy).

Now, like most viewers of my pedigree, I came to know of Conan’s particular brand of entertainment through…YouTube, ding, ding. Even back then, what set him apart from his contemporaries was how earnest and organic entertainer, especially when it comes to off the cuff bits and his engaging interaction with fans and strangers. And let’s face it, no one can work a crowd with little or no prep time like Conan, the guy has just that much charisma. And despite being known as having a somewhat risqué form of comedy early in his career, he ironically has some of the more wholesome and family friendly sketches amongst the increasingly rowdy talk show crowd, catering to a demographic which is getting shallower with shorter attention spans, leaning on the more bizarre and sometimes morbid. But I digress.

One aspect that made me a repeat viewer of Conan is the way he could go into any room, street, and even foreign country, and immediately start chatting up strangers. What’s more, he’s able to form human as well as humorous connections with what amounts to complete strangers. This guy is the antithesis of me, whose batteries are drained after a handful of social interactions. He’s a people’s person through and through.

This personability translates to his relationship with his colleagues and staff. By now, for those who are in the fandom, or Team Coco as we’re colloquially called, known of the almost reverent tale, of Conan getting sacked at NBC, and paying his whole staff out of his pockets during the intermittent period. He is someone who genuinely cares about the people who work with him.

Naturally, this has translated to some high morale and great rapport he has with everyone from an unpaid intern to his sidekick/ wingman Andy Richter. Some of Conan’s most popular bits are segments “Conan without borders” where he travels to different cultures and interacts with people on the ground level, which makes for much wholesome and humorous entertainment. Then there are the shorts he shoots with members of his staff, such as Aaron Bleyaert, Jordan Schlansky and of course, assistant Sona Movsesian. In an era where many celebrities and talk show host *cough* Dory *cough* are in hot water for the toxic way they treat their subordinates, Conan is someone who has unwittingly gained more popularity for going the opposite route. His employees might not get Rolexes, Cars, or homes as gifts, but at least they get respect. (Though Sona might disagree).


Sona’s semi autobiography, memoirs, journal whatever might be the technical term for it, tells of how, sometimes, when you’re true to your nature, regardless of how eccentric it might be, sometimes, just sometimes, you might end up in a workplace that lets you slack off, get to watch a 'Friends' marathon at work, and order dinner pretending to your Boss. As well as said Boss, caring very little if you’re actually doing your job, using you as the sounding board or butt of the jokes he’s making, someone who knocks muffins out of your hands, and wrecks your car, buying you a new wrecked one; trust me, it’s better than it sounds.

Reading the book was a breeze, in the sense that most of the pages were illustrations, as well as some sections which are intentionally meandering to make up for the page count. And it’s not misleading, cause the writer specifically says that she’s just dragging it out for the page count. Even if you’re getting scammed, it helps when the scammer is being upfront with you.

Also, no offense to Sona, but I’m fairly certain that most people who picked up the book, did so more to know about how Conan is behind the scenes, to know about more anecdotes from a source that is (fairly) unbiased in the matter. To put it another way, I’m reading it more to know about this stepsibling-esque relationship shared by Sona and Conan, cause it’s quite engaging to watch on screen.

Secondly, while reading through the book, I considered it was ironic that Conan’s assistant managed to publish a book before the man himself. Now, that is certainly not because he lacks the connections or know how to write a book. Despite acting like the arrogant asshole buffoon on screen, O’ Brien is a Harvard graduate, and a lifelong history buff, who was also writer for popular shows such as the Simpsons and SNL. Reading some of his literature outside of his chosen career, can reveal to you a person who’s quite good with his words and engaging to listen to. If some day in the future, we do get a published work in the future, I’m half certain that it’s going to be some historical introspective treatise about the Russian revolution, communism, its rise and fall, or something along the line, perchance with some humorous prose. But until that time, the only thing we have to go is his thoughtful yet hilarious foreword to Sona’s book (which leaves you wanting for more)

So, here’s hoping. Oh, the current book, yeah, it’s funny in places, easy to read, typical Sona in how lazy and chippy it is; and all that. Give it a try for a leisurely after meal afternoon perusal.

P.S: Next in line, Jordan Schlansky's detailed travelogue about Italy, with special featurette on the TDS quality of its waters.

[Pippin Took, the Shire Hobbit · Rating 2 out of 5]

“I didn’t set out to be the World’s Worst Assistant, but I put in the work, or lack thereof, and discovered my true calling. It’s been nothing less than a complete thrill, and I am honored to pass my expertise on to you. Godspeed.”

I was a huge fan of Conan O’Brien’s TV show and podcast since I discovered them during lockdown. I found them very funny and consumed all of their content like a fiend and then burned myself out. Naturally, I was very excited to get Sona Movsesian’s (Conan’s assistant + co-host) book when it came out.

The book is a huge disappointment though. It could have been a 4-5 page essay. The only funny bits are the jokes Conan has already done in various shows that the author admits to including only to reach the expected word count when she got the book deal. The book is about how she’s completely terrible at her job and how kind Conan has been throughout her career. It is a funny premise for a minute but stretching it to about 300 pages is terrible.

I can pick apart more stuff from the book and talk about it but I don’t want to as the author herself admits in the first page of the first chapter that the only good thing about the book is Conan’s foreword and the rest is just drivel (her words literally.) I actually like that Sona has lucked out and has a nice and cushy life, I’m just disappointed in how badly written the book is .

[Ashley Gomez-Rodon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the majority of this book while sitting next to my grandmother on what’s likely her deathbed. It was the perfect book to distract me enough to not think too much about what was happening with my grandmother, but not prevent me from listening to (and answering) the many questions from her nurses.

If you’re a fan of the podcast and loved books like Tina Fey’s Bossy Pants, Amy Poehler’s Yes Please, or Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, then this book is enjoyable. It reads like a diary and has interesting brief comic strips. Also, Conan’s foreword is wonderful.

If you’re semi-interested, then just buy it and support Mikey’s mom. Charlie can fend for himself.

[Auntie Raye-Raye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this from one of my online libraries. I was looking for a funny and or light audio book.

I don't have much interest in late night talk shows or Conan O'Brien.

I did find Sona's experiences as an assistant funny and fascinating. It's also sweet the relationship she has with Conan and his family.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

I liked the thesis of this book a lot & there were a few 3-4 star chapters but mostly not. Most of them loosely tied to the premise which could’ve been fine but a lot of them weren’t that interesting or funny either. Felt pretty slapped together which I guess is on brand so I guess so is this review? 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Bianca Tamaskar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish this audiobook. Unfortunately wasn’t as funny as I was hoping based on the pod :( I also was very much not expecting a detailed synopsis of human centipede in this book, but what a fun surprise

[Lisa Carlson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mission accomplished....254 pages of utter stupidity.

[Erin Mcmillen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not even get past the introduction…returned for refund.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 reads, #6. Multiple simultaneous crises in my personal life this year continue to prevent me from doing the amount of pleasure reading I typically do -- at this point in the year, I’ve usually logged close to 50 books here, while today I’m posting only my sixth book review so far of the year -- but I’m happy to say that I finally got through a non-work-related book this week for the first time in three months, World’s Worst Assistant by Sona Movsesian. Movsesian is the longtime personal assistant of comedian Conan O’Brien, who eventually became a media star in her own right, first because of being increasingly featured on his old television show at TBS, and now being a full co-host of his insanely popular podcast. Like a character from a sitcom, she’s become reductively known for being surprisingly lazy and insolent towards Conan’s constant hijinx, and I must admit that I had very low expectations going into this book, assuming from the title that it was going to be one of those goofy, badly written humor books that flare up in sales for exactly two weeks because of a trendy subject or author, then whose very existence is promptly forgotten forever by the world at large.

So it was a delightful surprise, then, to discover that this isn’t what the book is (although it does have specific chapters that are exactly this), but rather mostly a memoir by Movsesian on all the strange turns that led from her being a rebellious second-generation Armenian immigrant teen in the southern California suburbs to the position she finds herself in now (where, among other fascinatingly random accolades, she rode on the Armenian-American float at the Rose Parade several years ago, and last year was the main graduation speaker back at the community college she attended). And not only that, but that Movsesian turns out to be much more intelligent, hardworking, and just plain witty than the “stoner slacker never does what Conan tells her to do” persona that’s built up around her over the last decade.

That makes sense when you think about it, though; of course there are a million people in the Los Angeles area that would’ve loved to become O’Brien’s personal assistant back when he first took over The Tonight Show in 2009, and so of course NBC had the luxury of hiring someone ridiculously overqualified to do such humdrum inanity as order lunches, add items to a calendar, and pick up dry cleaning. As I learned in this book for the first time, Movsesian already had an inside track when it came to this, because of having already worked for several years as a page in the overall NBC network, getting assigned temporarily to a number of different departments and then doing a superb job at each of them, which then gave her the inside clout and recommendations to get the O’Brien job.

And it turns out that Movsesian got that NBC internship because she worked her ass off in community college, after an ambivalent teen period that saw her have several scrapes with the law for petty crimes like shoplifting, and in general caring so little about school that she ended up getting rejected by all the four-year colleges she applied to. That convinced her to get her act together once she got into a two-year place, which included a transformative year in the college version of the National Forensics League, which is colloquially known as “speech and debate club” but that also includes opportunities to perform prewritten scenes from traditional plays, engage in improv, and compete in extemporaneous speaking on a randomly chosen subject.

Movsesian competed in all these events, and at the end of that year actually won the national finals in one of them; and that seemed to be the thing that really made her feel like she had the right to be ambitious about her career, taking her good grades and eventually transferring to the (Hollywood-) prestigious USC, then trying out a series of beginning jobs at various film and TV production studios in the area before finally getting in at NBC. That makes it a lot clearer than it’s shown on the podcast that she’s not a worthy linguistic foil to O’Brien just by accident, but rather that she’s worked hard for years now to develop a clever and fast wit; and that she’s actually much more erudite and well-read than makes for easy yuks on the air, adding a really crucial detail to our understanding of why that podcast is just so damn perfect, and why in just five years the self-produced minimalist show has almost reached the same audience numbers as his previous national cable TV show backed by millions in advertising.

Of course, the main reason many people will pick this up is to hopefully see some insider stories about O’Brien and his offices; and Movsesian doesn’t disappoint there either, sharing lots of interesting tales about daily life in the Team Coco offices that would be inappropriate for the main podcast. One particularly telling one, for example, is about how a vendor hoping to get business from their office once made crude remarks about Movsesian’s ass in front of a group of her coworkers, and how when O’Brien accidentally overheard her telling the story to someone else in the building, he immediately offered to call the man personally and tell him he was no longer welcome there. (She turned him down, but did tell the story to the man the vendor had been hoping to do business with, who promptly made the vendor persona non grata, lending credence to the “Nice Guy Headquarters” reputation the Team Coco offices have with the general public.)

I suspect this will be making my “favorite reads of 2025” list at the end of the year, not because the prose is particularly amazing, but more that its intelligence and humor were such a huge surprise from the “Buzzfeed Ha Ha Listicle I Want To Kill Myself” nonsense I thought this was going to be (and, to warn you, some of the chapters exactly are). It comes warmly recommended in this spirit, not only to fans of the podcast but those who enjoy stories about flawed women who eventually make good, as well as inspirational stories about what the American immigrant experience can be when it’s at its best.

[Rojin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
There are some really interesting and pleasant stories here. I just wish it had more stories and was filled with less...fillers.
In terms of the writing, as mentioned by Sona herself, the best part of the book is Conan's foreword. That makes me more hungry for the book he might write one day.

[Nina Bono · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much, I finished it in one sitting. It could be because I myself want to get into the biz but procrastinate literally everything that will propel me towards my future career path. I digress.
This book felt like I was face-timeing Sona, with stories that drifted off to other topics and then circling back to the subject at hand. Light-hearted, funny and entertaining!