Conan O’Brien Leaves NBC and “The Tonight Show”

After several days of speculation amidst a shakeup of epic proportions at NBC over a tragic scheduling overcalculation that left two talented talk show hosts in the cold, Conan O’Brien has announced that he is leaving “The Tonight Show” and NBC for a fresh start.

Conan released a statement answering what many say was an ultimatum that was short of a slap in the face by his bosses at NBC after they sought to demote him from the premium late night talk show time slot of 11:35PM back to 1:00AM (his old time slot) to make room for a returning (and humbled) Jay Leno who failed to capture prime time gold.

Ever-so-gracious, Conan doesn’t mince words or hold back about his feelings of hope for “The Tonight Show” Brand and his future as its host being effectively taken from him.

His statement, in its entirety, reads:

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.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. 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. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight 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. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

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

Whether NBC will have to pay the steep $50 million fee for cutting his 11:35 time slot is not yet clear but, with FOX courting Conan and with Conan getting an outpouring of sympathy from fans, colleagues and even viewers who prefer Leno’s brand of humor but who found NBC’s handling of O’Brien to be deplorable, it’s safe to say that NBC has just lost a lot more than a talk show host and, potentional $50 million. All eyes will be on the ratings and subsequent fallout for NBC.