Conan O’Brien talks about his departure from The Tonight Show in his first appearance in 13 years on Late Show With David Letterman, tonight:
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Conan got what he deserved he never should have left his 12:35 slot he had the best gig in the world but he listened to his agent and manager and they kept telling him he was too good for that slot. Idiots. He was brilliant in that little studio it was the best late night show ever. Conan was much funnier than Letterman was in that slot and a million times funnier than Fallon is or ever will be. I’m glad Conan got screwed by NBC but he only got screwed emotionally. Financially he made out great with that $45 million cancellation check. He is praying that TBS will cancel him two years from now so he can take over for Letterman. That’s his only hope for salvation and redemption. Unfortunately for Conan it looks like Jon Stewart will take over for Dave. Now if NBC would only grow a brain and fire Leno they should replace him with Craig Kilborn he’d be the best guy to replace Jay.
We need term limits on late night hosts to get rid of these old dinosaurs. Kimmel is now beating both of them in the ratings so hopefully the end is near for them (and Leno).
But he WAS too good for that time slot. He deserved The Tonight Show.
“He deserved..?” After a lot of big talk about Letterman, Conan lost his nerve and lost his gig.
Now he gets to come on the show he should have destroyed to kiss Letterman’s ring.
It’s sad, really. Comb your funny hair a little higher, O’Brien.
Who cares about any of it? Let it all go and watch Ferguson…
You are the only one, who knows the value of good show sir.
Craig Kilborn? You can’t be serious.
Craig Kilborn! Yes. Arvydas Sabonis as his Ed Mcmahon.
OK a few things:
Late Night with Conan O’Brien was brilliant, and although he’s funny on his TBS show, it’s certainly not the same (though it seems he’s finding his groove again, and he’s slowly bringing back old Late Night sketches). On that, we agree.
I’ll be shocked if Conan doesn’t replace Letterman when he retires. Conan just re-signed with TBS through about the same time Letterman is expected to retire (2014-2015). He’d do a fantastic job replacing him, just as he did in 1993. Hopefully he’ll move back to New York then, though. There’s just more things to do and a different energy there for his show. That could also mean Max Weinberg could come back to the band (He left to be closer to his family in New Jersey after his heart surgery)
With regards to Craig Kilborn replacing Leno: Are you serious? NBC has made plenty of boneheaded decisions, but that would be right there at the top. He was unfunny on The Daily Show and on The Late Late Show, so he’d be just as terrible on Tonight. He should’ve stuck to SportsCenter.
Also, Jon Stewart won’t replace Letterman or anyone else. Maybe if Letterman retired back in 2004, he’d consider it, but not now. Stewart’s known for his brilliant political and media satire, and you just can’t do that kind of stuff on a late night show or doing standup. He’s said so himself. Stewart is known for being behind the faux-news desk on The Daily Show. He’s said he’s going to stay there until he decides it’s time to retire. And we’re better off for it. He’s brilliant there.
Dave is a very funny man, Conan is likable and sometimes very funny, both are extremely rich men who feel their Tonight Show experiences are worthy of endless sympathy because they were helpless victims. America is not worried for you anymore. Get over it.
“Dave is a very funny man”? Are you serious? He hasn’t been actually funny in the last 20 years. Angry, hostile, imperious, confused, bitter – yeah, he is all of those but funny he is not.
PBS is running an American Masters profile of Johnny Carson. Just watch it and you will see how Letterman, and Leno too, are the polar opposites of Carson. Johnny didn’t insert his insecurities into every interview and as he grew older he never forgot what made him the king – his sense of humor.
Both men were brokenhearted because they truly cared about the legacy of the show. And it truly was a legacy until Jay Leno defanged the front of the house while leeching all integrity out the back.
Toothless.
NBC really screwed up bigtime with these moves and it eventually cost Zucker his job, but no complaints here.
Yawn…..Conan is still trotting out the pity parade? It’s been over two years now. I’d have sympathy for what happened to him if he hadn’t turned around and did the same thing to George Lopez. No one’s interested in the whining of these bitter rich dinosaurs in this economy. Why do you think Jimmy Kimmel is now beating them (and Leno) in the ratings?
What clip are you watching buddy? Conan wasn’t seeking pity at all. Dave kept asking him questions about Leno and he clearly was uncomfortable and wanted to change the subject. I seems like Dave is the one who really has issues with Jay that he can’t get over, he seriously would not stop. And I loved every second of it.
As for your take on the Lopez situation, you couldn’t be more wrong about how that went down. There are several reasons that could be sighted here but I don’t feel like taking the time. Lopez even admitted that if Conan had never had a show on TBS at all Lopez Tonight would have still been canceled due to poor ratings and what not.
It must be fun to not have a clue what you’re talking about. How in the world is Conan trotting out the pity parade? Dave is the one that brought it up. And how are they NOT going to talk about it a little? Relax.
Also, he did not do the same thing to Lopez. Factually. Completely different situations.
Conan had a right to not discuss it. He didn’t have to answer Dave’s question. He WANTED to. Keep in mind, he did a pity tour about how he was wronged!!
He QUIT NBC because he didn’t want his time moved. He wasn’t fired. It was his choice to leave after he destroyed the show.
1% problems.
To say that Conan “was much funnier than Letterman was in that time slot” is not only patently untrue (and I like Conan fine), but I don’t think Conan would agree with that assessment. Letterman literally changed the shape of TV comedy — to the point that his particular style is still part of almost every sitcom and late-night show going — in a way no one had done since Carson.
And beyond being influential, the show was damn funny. Even when it started becoming formulaic (around the time Dave became too big a star to do his man on the street bits that were absolutely hilarious) Dave upped his game as an interviewer to make up for it.
“Dave upped his game as an interviewer ” Funniest thing I’ve read on Deadline in a long time….Dave is an awful interviewer.
Some interviews fall flat, or are just silly, but when he is interested in the person or they have an interesting story to tell he can be very compelling.
Only a matter of time before Letterman names Conan as his successor.
Come on, it’s an interesting story that most people like to hear. Can’t blame them for wanting to talk about it.
Yeah it was interesting….back in 2010.
Conan at Late Night threatened to compete directly with NBC unless they promised him The Tonight Show, despite them taking a huge gamble on him years before and giving him a show in the first place. They made him a star but he planned to go head-to-head against them if he didn’t get what he wanted.
Conan wins the promise to have The Tonight Show in five years time, at which point due to Conan’s threat and NBC’s giving in to it, Leno would be fired even if he had been the number one late-night talk show host for years and brought in huge profits for the network while being a great lead in for Conan’s show.
Leno, always the loyal guy, accepts.
Zucker makes the terrible decision to put Leno on at 10pm rather than letting Leno go. Leno, still wanting a show and not wanting to compete against NBC, accepts. A huge mistake.
Conan takes over the Tonight Show and it doesn’t do as well. In part due to the 10pm Leno debacle, and in part due to Conan being a less appealing host for The Tonight Show audience at the present time (Conan’s audience was already busy watching Colbert and Kimmel if watching a show at that time at all.)
NBC offers Conan the chance to continue to do his show but a half hour later. Conan, still believing for some reason that The Tonight Show brand had the value it did when Carson hosted, is offended and asks for sympathy. Even though he’s the one who caused Leno to lose his job in the first place and helped create this situation. Instead of being on a half hour later and thus almost guaranteeing that he would be the replacement for Leno when he retires in five years or so, Conan had a fit, fled to cable, and pretty much handed the future of The Tonight Show to the likeable Jimmy Fallon. All while asking for everyone’s sympathy despite being the cause of Leno getting fired in the first place, and while still making millions for himself.
Conan’s funny as hell and a giant talent in every way, but not really the victim in the story.
Exactly. Conan would have gone head to head with Kimmel and Conan would have ruled the midnight hour. Fallon would have been happy to go on at 1 AM and they could have finally cancelled no talent Carson Daly who is atrocious in every way. I bet Conan regrets not doing that now. He still would have had Tonight Show it just would have gone on at 12:05 instead of 11:35. Loser = Conan.
It was a dick move to bump Conan out, even if he felt that NBC/Conan had forced him out in the first place. I think the wise thing for him to have done was to offer to take the Jay Leno Show to Sunday Nights only, either at 10 or 11:35. Or leave and try something new! He has the money to be innovative. Why doesn’t he ever try?
Yeah no one cares, that’s why both Kimmel and Chelsea Handler’s Chelsea Lately beat them nightly. Dave is a creep and needs to retire. Conan is a brat and needs to stop looking for pity. I like Jay but do I want to watch the tonight show? No because it’s dated.
Like ‘em both but the real smack-down will be Conan vs. Jon Stewart – one as bright as the other, each with his own brand of awkward, if Conan will have a card to play at that time. He should drop the Jay thing. I don’t think that America has any residual sympathy and perhaps never did. There’s a lot of Jack Paar goin’ on there though and that’s a compliment. Tina Fey in the mix please. Chelsea Handler on network as an alternative to Jimmy Kimmel – better writers, better production values – why not?
Jon is already destroying Conan with ease. Conan’s best days are behind him but like Letterman, he’ll overstay his welcome by 15 years.
If you’re talking about ratings, not really. The Daily Show is crushing Conan in the ratings, but they don’t matter. They both have extremely young audiences, and they watch them online or on DVR. Stewart, Conan, and Colbert are all very popular with young people, and that’s why NBC was so incredibly dumb in dumping Conan. Late night on network television is doomed to die now.
NBC should have kept Conan in the Tonight Show they compounded their error by not knowing what to do with Leno. They could have moved Jay to 8 pm instead of 10 pm where he was a disaster but at 8 pm he would have done much better and they would have kept their affiliates happy with better lead-in shows to their 11 pm news. Or they could have simply ended primetime at 10 pm so local news could lead in to Conan in the Tonight Show at 10:35 with Leno staying at 11:35 same as he was against Dave. The pathetic stupidity of NBC is what will be remembered most. They screwed up in 1992 by giving Jay the Tonight Show they had Dave ready to go Johnny preferred Dave but even then NBC screwed things up. They are still stupid and still don’t know what works.
Watching Kimmel from that first Superbowl Sunday show until now has been like following a baseball team that stinks, then drafts great players and gets more competitive and next thing you know, they’re in the playoffs and thinking about a ring. It’s weirdly satisfying.
Everything from the live commercials to the outdoor stage to the video clips to the legacy of Uncle Frank and Veatrice, the show just has a different vibe. And he got the jump on his competitors with those YouTube hits, which keeps him a constant viral threat. You could say, “You can’t pay for that type of publicity,” but with Youtube, wouldn’t it be a case of him actually being paid to generate publicity?
Craig Kilborn? LMFAO! Stupidest thing ever said!
I really like both of those guys, and no matter what anyone says David Letterman is a broadcasting legend – like him or not. I am not a fan of Leno, never have been. And who is a “good interviewer” on late night television? It’s a variety slot – not 60 minutes. All of that said, Jimmy Kimmel in my opinion is hosting the best show at the moment, and he keeps getting better.
The front half of Kimmel is the most surefire :30 in late night. Jay and, unfortunately, Dave have both grown unwatchable. Letterman once said, years ago, how sad it was to watch Bob Hope age ungracefully on TV — he compared Hope’s later TV shows to a funeral where you wish the coffin had been closed. Now Dave is in that zone himself.
In a perfect world Conan gets The Late Show, but in the world of contracts and commitments Craig Ferguson gets it and Conan picks up Craig’s 1235a slot. Fallon should get The Tonight Show – he’s like a young Carson, with a warmth neither Dave nor Conan achieve.
Jay and Carson Daly should both go away forever.
Like a young Carson, all right, in terms of his age… and not in terms of anything else!
I don’t get Conan. He’s creepy and alien like. This little exchange was trite. Who cares?
Seriously: Leno has done a perfectly good job with the Tonight Show, even though it’s not my cup of tea, but, for good or for bad, Conan has helped give birth to an entire generation of performers and shows.
Letterman and SNL helped the Groundlings alumni break in; Conan and his people helped the Upright Citizens Brigade alumni and their friends — Will Arnett, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and many of the new Daily Show people who’ve broken out — stay alive and get on TV in the late 1990s.
Conan is responsible for a lot of kind, level-headed, caring people getting money and a voice, and, if we have any future that involves something other than survivors looking for canned goods in the ruins of supermarkets, those people are going to help create that future.
So, if Conan eventually gets the Tonight Show or the Letterman show, that’s nice. But I think he’s always had ambitions for trying to make the world a better place, not just to do a good show, and, to me, it looks as if he’s succeeded.
THE KINGS OF HATENIGHT
1. Carson – Wife beating drunk, miserable asshole and misogynist. Hated his kids mistreated his wives and terrorized his colleagues.
2. Letterman- Self-hating prick, serial cheater and tyrant. Terrorized his staff and “friends.” Screwed interns on a cot in his studio. Known to insult guests with shitty remarks.
3. Jay – Sociopath, liar, schemer, duplicitous, unethical, thieving hack. Ugly and unconnected he wanted the throne so bad that he sold every good intention he had. Threw away friendships, burned bridges and violated privacy. Because he has no kids, he only see the path to himself. The most evil man on this list.
4. Conan – Privileged, self-important egomaniac. Nurtured by a generation of apologists, he comes from Harvard where everyone is funny. Got the job without really earning it and anointed himself without ever being a true comedian. Lost the job because he never deserved it.
5. Kimmel – Weasely, dishonorable douchebag. Got fame then dumped his family showing he has no integrity. Can’t be funny without hurting or insulting someone. Unhealthy friendship with Howard Stern.
6. Kilborn – Self-loathing, passive/aggressive alcoholic. Another self-destructive idiot finding drive at the bottom of a bottle. Accent helps hide lack of intellect.
7. Fallon – Nice guy– not funny.
What about Ferguson?
How do you feel about Betty White?
All the traits listed could apply to most people in the business.
You mean Ferguson for #6. Kilborn should be given Leno’s job. In Summer of 2010 Kilborn had a very short lived evening talk show and it was great it aired around 7 pm or 7:30 depending on what market you were in and it was really funny it was only on for a month but it showed just how superior he would be to Leno.
Kilborn? Ferguson who the f**k ever he sucks.
OMG – seriously? When are these 2 crybabies going to get over it.
Conan WAS NOT FIRED from NBC. He was offered a different time slot, since he was destroying the show he was given. He CHOSE TO QUIT rather than move the show later.
Jay basically brought the show back to number 1.
Quit your bellyaching you rich children and just do your job.
It’s interesting these late night kings. Their personalities; how they got there and lost it and got it back.
I couldn’t help thinking that Conan will replace Letterman (yet again), and that might be a really good fit. I forget to watch him on TBS, but if he was on late night again, I would definitely tune in.
I like how everyone like to interject their feelings on these hosts are everyone’s opinion. I’m sure Leno and Letterman have kept their jobs “just because” for 25-30 years. Who cares what they’ve done in their personal lives? I want something funny and entertaining on while I go to sleep. My personal choice has always been Dave. I never liked Leno’s style of comedy. I really don’t find him funny, but apparently millions of people do. Conan is brilliant. Kimmel wants to be Letterman (just watch his interview with Letterman and you’ll see what I mean) Letterman keeps bringing up the Leno thing, because up until 2009, no one else could have known how he felt. Leno basically stole the Tonight show from him. Leno and Letterman are Late TV legends and Conan is well on his way to join them. I just get tired of a few people acting like I give a shit that they hate Dave. He must be doing something right to still be going 30 years later.