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.
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.
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.