Conan O'Brien Refuses To Move
If NBC wants Conan O'Brien out of the 11:35pm slot, they are going to have to move him out with a giant bulldozer (aka Jay Leno's head). In a statement released today, Conan said he refuses to contribute to the slow death of The Tonight Show by agreeing to host it at 12:05am. Conan doesn't think the show will survive if NBC moves it to tomorrow.
Basically, it sounds like Conan is waiting for NBC to admit that they would rather give oral to Jay's chin than give a ginge a chance.
Conan's letter is after the jump. The ginge had me at "People of the Earth." JUMP!
"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"
• 
Not so quick. In all reality, Conan is a great example of you're in one day - out the next. He can go cry in his money. Woods, Leno, Letterman, and Conan all had it coming. During the election this man was CRUEL - not funny - CRUEL and so was leno and letterman. What goes around - comes around. He made the fatal error of believing the snakes at NBC who are known for being the biggest scum out there.
Thank Jeff Zucker, the head of NBC he ruined the network AND got a raise!
A class act. I have lost all respect for Jay Leno.
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Waiting for Britney's next meltdown...
Aww, good for him:)
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I like living this way. I like loving this way.
i watched a bunch of Don Rickles on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Conan is the man, keep it up your real fans got your back!
pimp bot!
Now the Ginge is TRULY on FIYAH!!!
But, MK - Leno had your Boo on a feed last night. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
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Bottom-feeder.
Gorge your eyes on Gorgeous Georgina : http://sites.google.com/site/gorgeousgeorginashow/home
I'm sure this was brought up but I would imagine that Conan's ratings have went up lately just cuz the jokes about this drama are funny.
Team Chelsea!!!
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Not a rick roll...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35YivWEs3zw
Submitted by Daniee on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 10:33pm.
Nice letter but Conan- the ratings dropped by over 2 million when you stepped in and haven't recovered. How much more of a chance do you need?
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As someone mentioned, Jay's numbers were horrible for almost two years before he started getting the people back. Conan’s only been there for 5 months. How could you possibly want to watch Jay if that is what you're saying? Jay is THE most BORING UNFUNNY guy I've ever seen. I cringe at how bad he is. Craig Fergusson is by far the funniest late night guy out there IMO but they'd never give that show to a non American.
Good for him!
Check out who else is on #teamconan
http://www.toptwitsblog.com/search/label/Conan
Yay, Conan...I will be sad to see him go, but I'm glad he isn't taking any shit.
I don't blame Conan for his stance, after all, isn't Jay Leno suppose to retired from this shit?
Don't be such a shine-blocker Leno!
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*~* Dlisted is my anti-drug....and Rx pillz *~*
@ caprica six, NBC was moving Leno because the affiliates were not happy with the lack of ratings that Leno was pulling in. They were going to pull his show.
Leno is just a big-chinned baby who needs his binky.
Why NBC feels the need to give it to him, I don't know.
Is that how you get through life,pandering to dumbed-downed masses and throwing tantrums like Leno when you don't get your way?
Maybe it is "business" but why do we have to sit back and let the idiots have their way? Why do the lowest-common denominator shows litter our airwaves? Why do shows like Arrested Development, Futurama, and Briscoe County, Jr. meet early demises?
Just because people are too dumb to get the jokes doesn't mean these shows are not funny and worthy of watching. *I'm not even going to get into other genres here*
It's not like I watch the most highbrow shows. I love me some Celebrity Rehab. But it depresses me to think that we live in a world where Leno has any power over Conan.
What would you people do if Perez had the power to knock Michael K. off the internet?
I thought so.
Submitted by Pearl_Necklace on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 10:06pm.
Somewhere another hot mofo of comedy is smiling. Bill Hicks's character assessment of Jay Leno was spot-on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cALi_0AsfA&feature=related
*
I FUCKING LOVE BILL HICKS!!!
never heard this before thanks Pearl!
.o.o.o.o.0.0.0.O.O.O.0.0.0.o.o.o.o.
A Dlisted Public Service Announcement: http://www.paris-kim.com/potholes/munch.htm
http://bit.ly/1rcnEc
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-03/24/reports-of-my-death.aspx?...
Nice letter but Conan- the ratings dropped by over 2 million when you stepped in and haven't recovered. How much more of a chance do you need?
Conan's dead-on about the point of a 'Tonight Show'. Enough giving in to the modern media machine. Leno just does not have 'it'.
Honestly, I only watched Jay for headlines or if there was a guest I liked, I normally watched alot more Conan than I did Jay. He had this laid back funny repor with guests, and I liked that. However, he is right. No one should feel bad for him, its not like losing this show will have him scrambling for money for his next meal. Nor do I think it will be hard for him to find a job. He got screwed by NBC, but other corps will take advantage of that and someone will defintely scoop him up. Especially after the majority are showing an outpour of support for him. And Leno, shit, his show ain't doing well because its not funny. Moving him won't make it funnier.NBC needs to realize that and pull their head out of their ass. They should have honestly hired someone else besides conan to take jay's place and let conan keep his old show instead of this bullshit.And Jimmy Fallon, fuck all that shit. He wasn't funny on Saturday Night Live, and he's not funny on late night tv. ,,!,, <--- thats a middle finger.
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Please get the fuck out ---->
Somewhere another hot mofo of comedy is smiling. Bill Hicks's character assessment of Jay Leno was spot-on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cALi_0AsfA&feature=related
Yay Conan! At least he has balls! Fuck NBC!
FUCK YEAAAH!!! You GO with your hot ginge mofo self!
NBC fucked with a ginge's dream. You don't fuck with a ginge's dream. There will be hell to pay.
I never forget a face, but in your case, I'll be glad to make an exception- Groucho Marx
Ginges Rule!
Also, vote for Stains!
Bitch Ipsa Locquiter (The bitch speaks for herself)
Look at this douchebag:
http://www.lookatthisdouchebag.com/
now here's my final words - CRAIG FERGUSON is funnier than all of them!!
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That is the TRUTH! I love me some Craig!
@Cripbabe
To say Conan caters exclusively to frat boys is like someone else saying that only memaws who shit in their diapers only watch Leno. That is such bullshit. In fact, the only Leno fans I know are old as fuck, so maybe that is right.
Apparently it is just one big coincidence that Leno is associated with the two biggest "fuck overs" of people in late night television. He is completely blameless, just a bystander in all this.
He agreed to retire plain and simple. He should have stood his ground if he didn't want to, but now he is fucking with people's lives. I am not even talking about Conan, he is rich as all hell, but the crew who probably don't get paid a ton who uprooted their lives with the promise of longterm employment.
Leno is the status quo but I do think if they wanted to build an audience who has more than five more years to live, they would have given Conan a fighting chance. Then again NBC is so shitty at this point he probably would have no good shows feeding into him if Leno wasn't around.
I do think that NBC is more to blame in this mess than Leno though.
Team Conan, naturally.
Good for Conan! Jay Leno sucks ass.
@Slutleena
Agreed! I loved Conan back on Late Night, because he didn't feel pressure to try to win over older viewers. He was free to do what he wanted. I hope Conan does go to Fox, because they will let him do go nuts.
I might not like Jay Leno's brand of comedy all that much, but you have to admit, that guy is NOT to be messed with! That's two former hosts of Late Night whose jobs he's gotten. Jimmy Fallon, watch your back when people at NBC start talking promotion!
I support Conan but a part of me can see an opportunity for him out of this. I've watched Conan since he started and I prefer his old show over the old folks home safe Tonight Show format. I don't think Grandma is going to like Masterbating Bear bits. If he goes to Fox then he can do just about whatever he wants at that time slot. I thought Leno would have learned after the Letterman situation. Johnny Carson never liked Leno because of it and I'm sure he'd have a fit if he were still alive to see this.
Sincerely,
Alana Smithee
@CripBabe
Demos and overall ratings are two different things. Whomever brings in the 18-49 demographic brings in the real money to a network. Statistically, the 18-49 year olds have the most money to spend. Thus, advertisers buy ad time from networks based on who has the biggest share of the 18-49 pie. You can theoretically have a show that has middling ratings, but stays on the air because it's demographics are huge. Ads = how networks make money. I'll give you one guess as to who pulls in more 18-49 year olds. Letterman gets better overall ratings than Conan, but Conan has the 18-49 year olds.
Both Conan's Tonight Show and The Jay Leno Show failed because their hosts failed to grow their audiences in their new time slots. The same amount of people who watched Conan at 12:35am watch him now at 11:35pm. The same amount of people who watched Jay at 11:35pm watch him now at 10pm. The expectation is- if you're on earlier, more eyes should be watching you. NBC should give both shows more time. Jay didn't get popular overnight- he tanked for over a year until he started beating Letterman and NBC gave him time to grow.
The one thing I will throw in Conan's defense is that since he has a younger audience, more of his viewers DVR and watch online. Networks don't make as much money from that. Leno's viewers are older and much more pre-disposed to watch him live.
This is primarily NBC's fault. They should have been prepared to let Conan go to another network, but in their greed, wanted to keep him and then later realized they weren't prepared to lose Jay. They promised Conan a job, and when they finally gave it to him, stole all of his thunder and jerked him around. But Jay Leno has played a part in this too. He said he didn't want to make Conan's transition hard, like his was with Letterman and Carson. But guess what Jay? You did it anyway.
Submitted by little_rascal on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 8:42pm.
@ kittymuffin
Hi, kittymuffin. Stoney is joking, of course. She took Suck&Fuck's famous quote and inserted "Obama" into it. :o)
Hey little_rascal
Suck&Fuck is nasty and Stoney is a a bitch
but i like you
jt
note to Callan: of course NBC caters to Leno - they should because the old fart brings in the $$ and the ratings! Conan will never draw Leno's demographic no matter what time slot he's in because oldsters don't wanna see a 46 yr. old man act like a frat boy.
and remember kiddies, THIS IS BUSINESS and if you're looking for the word FAIR in this situation, you'll find it in the dictionary.
@ kittymuffin
Hi, kittymuffin. Stoney is joking, of course. She took Suck&Fuck's famous quote and inserted "Obama" into it. :o)
Leno should have been classy enough to refuse to have that suggested as an alternative.
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If they start sending freaks to jail, I’m guilty as charged.
jay leno sucks..
Submitted by Stoney on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 5:28pm.
I'LL FUCK YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE OBAMA, FAGGOT.
are you for real? or just kickin ahit?
Wow! Conan's letter was very well-written. I usually am as cynical as hell, but it showed class and restraint considering the circumstances.
I actually prefer Conon to Leno.
All Jay Leno is good for is wearing denim shirts and offering up banal, unfunny, safe jokes. He appeals to the boring masses. Le yawn.
In light of all of this drama, I hope that someone offers grilled cheese sandwiches a late night show, because I would seriously watch that before I would watch Leno.
Viva la Coco! Bring back the string dance, etc.
After reading that letter, I would like to point out that Conan is a classy motherfucker.
Letterman is enjoying this almost as much as when palin got him fired.
oops double posted...
Conan just recently got that time slot not even 6 months ago and NBC is already pushing him out for Leno of all people?! Leno who isn't even FUNNY? I don't get it at all...Conan can be seriously funny and his sense of humor does not appeal to everyone, okay, but NBC has barely given him a chance to boost ratings. Most networks renew yearly contracts for shows like Two and a Half Men like it's the greatest show ever for the last 3-4 years, while Conan gets shafted like this? Whatever, TV is going down, it plain sucks. When I prefer to watch a program about hummingbirds over anything else on the major TV networks you know that these shows are sucking worse than usual. And I don't even have cable to see the worst of what TV has to offer. Yeah, and I don't even watch Conan, Craig Ferguson is actually the funniest late night show around these days (and that's not saying much either).
"When dick is rancid, you know as soon as you pull the fly down. Seriously, you can smell it right away. It's like a week-old grilled cheese sandwich lying on a hot subway seat in the middle of August."
Oh and P.S. Leno WAS hilarious as a stand-up comedian, but he transformed himself into the safest, most boring, middle-of-the-road, least-risky comedian ever.
Conan may seem silly and sophomoric to you, but at least he takes risks with his comedy and isn't afraid to be ridiculous. Jay on the other hand, will keep giving you the same tired Clinton jokes. But I guess at 10pm, some people prefer to be lulled to sleep with his boring old schtick.
@CripBabe
Look, we all know the backstory. But the bottom line is this: Jay agreed to retire, and Conan waited five years to take that job. Jay was even quoted numerous times saying that he didn't want Conan's transition to be as drama-filled as his was. But suddenly, when Conan was about to leave Late Night and move to LA, Jay announced that he didn't want to retire after all and wanted a new show. So, NBC catered to him. They have ALWAYS catered to Jay.
Basically, Jay cannibalized Conan's ratings, because what Tonight Show viewer who had become accustomed to Leno, would give Conan a chance? They knew that when Jay left in June 2009, he'd be back again in three months at an earlier time slot. No need to give the new guy a shot.
Not only did Jay steal Conan's thunder back in June, but now this is happening. Both shows are failing in the ratings, but NBC is only punishing Conan. I don't care that when Leno was the host of The Tonight Show, his ratings were huge. That was then; he's tanking now. Where's his following now?
NBC is the most to blame, but Jay definitely has a share in this. You should look it up- his show is actually causing affiliate NBC stations to lose money, because they make more when there is a scripted drama airing at 10pm.
And yes, Ferguson is great.
Genny FTW!
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I'm tired, I'm wasted, I love you darling.
Good for Conan and fuck Jay "I own a hundred cars because I'm boring" Leno.
Submitted by cripbabe on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 6:59pm.
I'd challenge you to a douche-duel but I think you already beat me.
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"It may just be me, but I think TeriAnn is actually Maddox."
-Clarisse
http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2010/01/reader-photos.html
I don't even have a tv, could probably count on one paw the times I've watched Conan and Leno combined, have next to zero sympathy for the mega-wealthy and even I am:
TEAM GINGE on this and H8'N me some Leno...What an ass nugget!
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Sorry, Roger, you are tiger now...
Team Conan. I hope they do shit can Conan just to see them pay out the cash and look like epic fools when Leno fucks it up AGAIN.
jt
I am sick of writing this shit so pay attention all you Conan-heads: in 2003, it was NBC's bright idea to let Leno announce his retirement in '09 - Leno DID NOT want to go, but it was contract time for the Ginge who felt like the ugly step-sister to Leno and his boffo ratings. Ginge - who's humor is pretty much geared to drunken frat boy level has never had great ratings. my dead cat's ashes sitting on the living room table can generate better ratings and more laughs, but NBC, fearing Conan would walk, dangled the TONIGHT SHOW as the carrot to make him stay and he did.
now he we are, with NBC kicking Jay - who beat Letterman's ass for years in the ratings - to an hour where most memaws like me would rather see a LAW & ORDER than someone trying to make me laugh BEFORE the crappy local evening news. who the fuck could do that? answer: no one. and after the news, I don't want some douche who can't even interview a has-been and O'Brien is the shittiest interviewer going and fuck those of you who don't agree. the Ginge is funny to idiots who are stoned and waiting for their Domino's delivery - that's it. Leno is a stand-up pro who, like Carson, is quick. it doesn't mean he's funny, but talk show hosts need to be razor sharp and again, the Ginge is in the FAIL category here too.
the point to all this ramble? Zucker-boy fucked everything up and now everyone's pissed off and rightly so. I have two words for NBC: NEW COKE.
pay the Ginge his fat bucks and let him go, because if Fox isn't interested in having a talk show hosted by one of the guys that their flagship show, THE SIMPSONS, used to write, then that ain't good.
now here's my final words - CRAIG FERGUSON is funnier than all of them!!
Good for Conan. I wouldn't take this shit either. Leno must have shit on some people the way they bow and scrape to his ass - he was an asshole during the Letterman debacle way back when - he's still one. Dude, get a life.
Conan fucking rules! I'm so happy that he's in this position and it's not the other way around. Jay Leno has nowhere near the class, pride and talent of Conan. NBC should just buy Leno out of his contract. Conan is willing to give them a lifetime of his best wit and humor. Are they seriously going to risk losing the twentysomething demographic forever for Leno?? It's like NBC is giving the very obvious future outcome the finger.
Standing O for Conan