NBC’s weekend announcement that Jay Leno would return to 11:35pm under pressure from NBC affiliates left a question in the air: what would happen to Conan O’Brien’s Tonight Show? Most rumors suggested Conan would get a 12:05am time slot, so as to not violate a rumored clause in his contract. But today, Conan finally speaks.
“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.”
“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.”
At the moment, Conan appears to be without an offer for a new show, assuming NBC allows him to leave for another network.
“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.”
Someone give this funny man a job. Before your competitor does!
In the meantime, Conan might have to keep doing commercials.
Conan O’Brien Says He Won’t Host ‘Tonight Show’ Following Leno – Media Decoder Blog – NYTimes.com.
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