“Hello, I’m Conan O’Brien, sorry if I’m a little late…I had a job interview at Lady Foot Locker. I should have known something was up when NBC sent me that 2010 calendar that only went up to January. Over the past week, ratings for The Tonight Show are up by 50%. When NBC executives heard this they told me, “See, you really don’t fit in around here.” This whole experience has been so surreal. I never thought I’d be jealous of the long, illustrious run that NBC gave Joey.
It’s been reported that before I agree to a final settlement with this network I want to make sure NBC takes care of my staff. At first they thought I was gullible – they said the staff would be taken to a big farm where they’d be allowed to run free forever. On Friday, Northwestern University is holding a “Conan O’Brien Day” where a group of students will gather on campus and do the string dance. Then the football team will beat the crap out of them.
I’ve been having a hard time explaining this whole situation to my kids – because they’re still very young. So I had a doll made of myself – and now I can show my kids EXACTLY where NBC touched daddy.
I’ve been trying to look on the bright side and make the best of a tough situation. Even though I had this job for only 7 months, in the world of entertainment, that’s actually a pretty long time. In fact, I came up with a list of things in Hollywood that lasted less than 7 months:
– Kid Rock’s marriage to Pamela Anderson: 5 months
– Popularity of the “Leave Britney Alone Guy”: 4 months
– Ed Hardy T-shirts being cool, not tacky: 5.5 months
– The plot of Lost being vaguely comprehensible: 3 months.
– Joan Rivers’ 17th face: 6 weeks.
– Interest in Denise Richards’ side of the story: 18 hours.
– Gary Busey’s love affair with an Encino parking meter: 44 days.
– Lindsay Lohan’s first and third stints as a lesbian: 3 months & 5 months.
– The Masturbating Bear’s disappearance from the airwaves: 6 months 29 days…
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So just to recap: NBC’s final decision to put an end to all the madness was to rehire their 60-year-old talk show host, and let Conan, the younger-skewing groomed successor of seventeen years, leave the network where he will almost certainly create immediate competition by starting a show on FOX. A job well done, NBC executives.
Some excellent material right there!!!
Conan, no matter what happens you’re still the best.
I’m sick of hearing about it. I’m eager for all parties to move on, or in the case of Jay, move back. I don’t watch any of these late-night shows because the format bores me, so I don’t have a favorite horse in the running, but I have a feeling Jay will be a distant second to Dave upon returning. Jay and the network will be irrevocably tainted in the wake of this. It could have long-term ramifications for the legacy of The Tonight Show. The public sympathy is clearly with Conan, who has the perception of being stabbed in the back with two knives. When Conan goes to Fox or wherever there’ll be much more heat surrounding his debut than the Leno TS rehash.
Conan got a raw deal. I’m not a fan of either Conan or Leno, but Leno went to Prime time and no one watched. Leno should take his lumps and get pink slipped. I’m not saying I watched Conan either because I don’t.
I wonder who would be stupid enough to take over the Tonight Show in another 5 to 10 years from now, when Jay Leno actually wants to retire? Who would believe him? I think years from now, Jay Leno will be the guy remembered in the TV hall of fame for destroying the greatest franchise in television history.
My favorite was the most expensive comedy but ever. Whether it actually was or not, it was still like flipping the bird at NBC. Conan is just on fire. This whole debacle seems to be just what he needed to get those comedy juices flowing. It almost makes me believe the entire thing is made up.
Almost.
Re NBC and Conan O’Brien Settlement
Here’s the Deal: $45 Mil. Plus a Non-Disparagement Clause
O’Brien will, apparently, walk away with $33 Mil and his staff will split $12 Mil.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34970662/ns/entertainment/television/
Loved the $1.5 million comedy sketch last night. Would become comedy gold if Conan’s people really did spend that much on their way out burning their bridges with the Peacock.
And last night be in fact the last time we see The Masturbating Bear.
So long dear old friend. May you go jerk off where the Peacock can’t bother you and your lotions.
I’m watching the Hulu feed for last night’s Tonight Show (January 20, 2010), they abruptly cut to a commercial at the 18:35 mark right in the middle of a dialogue between Conan and Andy, as if something got censored before it aired either on TV or was posted on Hulu.
NOW he’s funny.
Adam Sandler had the line of the night.
NBC, Nothing But Cu…
Comcast has so much dirt on NBCU’s inept management team that the Conan flap is a pimple on an elephant’s ass.
… This list is why nobody watched the Conan Tonight Show. “Joan Rivers’ 17th face”??? Yawn. The Gary Busey joke wouldn’t make sense to half the audience and isn’t funny, either.
Nerd humor never suited the franchise. I liked Conan a while back but he was never right for this job.
In related news, Jimmy Fallon’s monologue is Never well-written.
CBS has been thrilled to get NBC’s former audience.
The death of Leno and NBC…should have seen it coming
team coco
Enough already. The ratings weren’t there. His show got canceled. He’s getting millions to walk away. This is boo-hoo?
Still not funny, just take your money and go already.
Thankfully you’ll have Jay back soon enough. The rest of us will remember why we used to watch Conan at 12:30 in our younger days and try harder to follow him when he pops up after this.
Brilliant. Conan’s a class act. If NBC truly thins Leno will regain his numbers, well, Mr. Zucker… you are the biggest idiot in the industry. Lady GaGa hosting would pull down better numbers than him at this point.
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS HILARIOUS CONAN FOREVER! IF YOU DON”T LIKE CONAN THEN GO TO HELL FAG!