Conan O’Brien reveals that Chris Rock listened to NWA before meeting the Pope

Conan O’Brien reveals more details about his recent meeting with the Pope, including an interesting choice of music from one of his fellow comedians.

In a new episode of his podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, O’Brien said he and others noticed Chris Rock wearing earplugs as they enjoyed the monumental moment of meeting the “leader of this huge church around the world.” “I hope he doesn’t get mad at me for saying this,” O’Brien began the story, “but I just thought it was a very cool moment.”

“We’re in this beautiful, magnificent room” with these “beautiful murals,” he said, painting a picture of what happened. “Everyone’s wearing these elaborate costumes and we’ve just experienced this – we meet this man who is the leader of this huge church around the world and you think about all the significance. We’re all sitting there and Chris Rock is sitting right in front of me and I noticed he’s got these little earbuds in and I think he’s listening to something.”

O’Brien said he was curious what Rock would be playing on his headphones at such a moment, so he took a look. “Chris is holding his iPhone on his lap,” he said, recalling leaning over Rock’s shoulder. “And I see he’s listening to the soundtrack (to) Straight from Compton. I’m not kidding.” He continued, “So I nudge him and he looks at me and I point down and say, ‘Really?’ And he takes out an earbud and says, ‘I like the contrast.'” O’Brien recalled responding, “‘That’s cool. I like that.'”

Aside from the musical inconsistencies, O’Brien also revealed some other details about his visit to the famous church, such as what it was like to shake Pope Francis’ hand.

“You line up and shake the pope’s hand,” he said. “It’s very brief, I have to tell you – and there’s no (big) moment,” he said, noting that he expected to be a virtual stranger to the famous church leader. “I never had any illusions about that,” he continued, “but there might have been one or two celebrities there” who were addressed more personally by the pope: “Maybe he knows Whoopi, I think from Sister act”, he joked.

Ultimately, O’Brien was grateful for the experience, even if he felt like Forrest Gump at times during the visit. “It was pretty special (to be there). And I have to say, in my career, the best thing is just showing up in places I shouldn’t be. I love being the goofy Forrest Gump who shows up everywhere,” he said. “But I thank the Vatican for inviting me anyway – it was quite an experience.”

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