Conan O’Brien says he has no interest in following Jay Leno with a Tonight Show that airs at 12:05 a.m.
Here is his statement:
“People of Earth:
In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision. …”
“and that [delaying the show] into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting.” …“So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.
Yours,
Conan
What I do not get and what is never discussed was the moment some years back when Leno pre-announced his retirement saying that Conan would get his show after that date. Leno now says he was fired from the Tonight Show (last night he said this) and wants his old slot back.
BRING BACK TUBS AND CROCKET!!
Favourite part:
“It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule.”
Adam Curry and his Ed McMahon…John C Dvorak should be the late night hosts. Or is it the other way around. The big guy has to be the sidekick, right? Could even have Sebastian Rupley as musical director…..
Just kidding…whatever. I don’t stay up past 11 anymore anyway.
I’m sooooo old!
Isn’t the bigger news that Palin just signed on to Faux? I assume its a late night gig.
“We hope she will bring her polarization.” ===hah, hah. There it is for all to see. Just like our Congress-corrupt and no longer embarrassed to show us.
Just where is the event horizon these days?
This is nothing but rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
I don’t watch Conan. I never cared for his show. I used to watch Lino but then his politics and mine clashed.
I’m in the wrong demographic for NBC to care.
I loved the Carson show but all good things must end someday if only because what was built up by talent and hard work was trashed by a dolt. It isn’t to big to fail. Nothing is.
TV sucks and Leno went stale 10 years ago..
however..
Conan will become a Rock Star because of this.
He’s flipping off the Majorly Corrupt Mainstream Network GE/NBC at a time when many [asleep] people can no longer ignore that the MSM on the take..
If I were him, I’d walk away with the 80mil severance, [and now a "free" agent] and convert almost all of it out of paper.a large portion of it OUT of all paper and into hard foreign assets, silver, and FOOD, ASAP.
-and take a break till after 2012, -mr O is about to tank America in a few months..it’s gonna suck being here for a while unless you have “means” and a good survival instinct
WTG Conan.
(Come spring or sooner, the fact that we have no grain reserves and all the fall and winter crops either froze on the vine or was washed away will hit the news…stock up..water shortage (on a frozen planet?) -to follow in 2011)
-s
ps: the short version
TAKE THE MONEY and RUN, -while it’s still worth something and exchange it for hard (and hard to devalue) assets.
-s
I’d watch a no-holds barred late night talk show if it was hosted by Adam Carolla… Let him say anything he wants and just bleep out anything that is a cuss word before airing the show (It’s already done this way on Ferguson’s show after Letterman).
I like Adam’s quick wit… he doesn’t seem to need to work from cue cards.
Comedy in general has gone downhill. I was watching one of the old Dean Martin celebrity roasts on YouTube…. and then I watched a clip from one of the Comedy Central roasts. Maybe I am a little old fashioned, but the Comedy Central roasts leave me cold.
There was a time when you could make fun of blacks, Jews, and Italians, et al. Do that today and you’re called a racist.
Gays are apparently fair game, though.
Late night TV is pretty much dead when it comes to ratings. Leno to me is not really that funny and to be honest I never stayed up for Conan. Why does NBC even have two late night shows? Maybe Conan and Leno should co host one?
Now you have become the elite of whom you criticize by blocking an entire community from posting.
#27 You put the blame on Obama. I put the blame on the current generation of Americans. Completely pathetic & useless.
Conan has a two year non competition clause in his contract. So did Letterman but they weaseled their way out of it. These are just huge egos battering away, including the talent and the executives. Leno is probably wealthier than Cod, so why doesn’t he go home and play with his cars? He’s a performer and he likes the spotlight.
I get a kick out of comments like “he hasn’t been funny in ten years” and “he’s never been funny.” Yeah, and you haven’t commented wisely in a couple years yourself, or maybe you never did.
Jay was beating Letterman consistently, but they were both getting very rich. Jay was perfect for The Tonight Show, and IMO it was consistently funny. That earlier time slot is simply a dead zone. And, I never thought Conan was the right guy for Tonight.
#20: I’m with you. For some reason, everyone at NBC is bending over backward to cater to Leno, and Conan’s being pushed back. Not that Conan’s show is better; it’s not. They both suck.
I say put Conan on at 11:35, as contracted. Then put Leno on at 12:35, get rid of both Fallon and Daly.
No matter what, though, I want to see what’s going to happen when Leno finally does retire.
NBC experimented with replacing primetime dramas at 10pm with more talk. Mainly because it’s so much cheaper than drama series. But it didn’t work, as far as the affiliates were concerned. NBC saved money, but the affiliates were losing viewers, thus money. So NBC tried to keep Leno on the air, by stealing O’Brien’s timeslot. Without actually making Leno the host of “The Tonight Show”, which would follow at least a half hour later. But who’s going to be staying up that late, just for O’Brien?
Whoever gets the 11:35pm slot, gets the lion’s share of viewers, until 12:05am. Any later and O’Brien’s show is up against Jimmy Kimmel. And it’s bad enough competing with Letterman. It’s just a lawyer trick, to say O’Brien is still the host of The Tonight Show. But not of the 11:35pm to 12:35am timeslot it use to own. Which I’m guessing, wasn’t specified in his contract. NBC probably planned it that way. Should Leno’s show fail. I can’t blame O’Brien for refusing. Though NBC’s lawyers will probably try suing him for breach of contract.
NBC is just so bad at running a Tv network. I’m miffed at them for delaying the “Chuck” season 2 DVDs, until the next season started. So the whole summer and fall of 2009, we had NOTHING!! And then they dumped two new episodes on a Sunday night, followed by its regular Monday night timeslot. Smooth move, Ex-Lax network. You program like you’re constipated too.
#33 pedro said:
#27 You put the blame on Obama. I put the blame on the current generation of Americans. Completely pathetic & useless.
I stand humbly corrected. I do not know what possessed me. -thank you for pointing out my error.
Replace “mr. O” with “congress” to better reflect my past perspectives in this matter.
Ultimately pedro, your statement is the final word on the reason why we as a country, find ourselves where we are today.
-s
I remember when I looked forward to Leno guest hosting on Monday nights for Carson. His humor was pointed, topical and had punch. But the more he was on, the more it was diluted and dumbed down. I mean really, quiz shows for dummies and ignoramuses? Is that quality entertainment? No, it is not.